City comparison
Merced, CA vs Sioux Falls, SD
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent, state taxes and federal GS pay.
Key findings
- Prices in Merced, CA are 8.4% higher than in Sioux Falls, SD. Someone earning $100,000 in Sioux Falls, SD would need about $108,400 in Merced, CA to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $1,213 a month in Merced, CA versus $986 in Sioux Falls, SD. On $100,000, that's 20% of take-home pay in Merced, CA and 15% in Sioux Falls, SD.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $5,070 a year higher in Merced, CA than in Sioux Falls, SD.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by −20.0% moving from Merced, CA to Sioux Falls, SD ($133,060 → $106,437), while prices change by −7.8%. Net effect of the transfer: −13.3% in real buying power.
- Merced, CA: price level 98.3 (about average)
- Sioux Falls, SD: price level 90.6 (much cheaper)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Merced, CA | Sioux Falls, SD | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 98.3 | 90.6 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $92,222 in Sioux Falls | $108,434 in Merced |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,213/mo | $986/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $74,110 | $79,180 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $5,070 (CA) | $0 (SD) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 20% | 15% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $47,220 | $47,970 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA | Rest of U.S. |
Rent areas: Merced, CA MSA and Sioux Falls, SD HUD Metro FMR Area. Metro areas: Merced, CA and Sioux Falls, SD-MN.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Merced | Sioux Falls |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 78.6 | 77.6 |
| Goods | 105.2 | 95.5 |
| Utilities | 158.3 | 80.7 |
| Other services | 100.3 | 91.9 |
| Overall | 98.3 | 90.6 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Merced, CA → Sioux Falls, SD
Same pay goes further
Buying power +8.4%; rent takes 15% of take-home; state tax −$5,070/yr.
95 Strong offer
Sioux Falls, SD → Merced, CA
Same pay buys less
Buying power −7.8%; rent takes 20% of take-home; state tax +$5,070/yr.
44 Weak offer
Federal employees: GS pay
Merced, CA is in the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA pay area; Sioux Falls, SD is in Rest of U.S.. The last column shows what a transfer from Merced, CA to Sioux Falls, SD at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Merced, CA | Sioux Falls, SD | Real change, Merced → Sioux Falls |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $77,161 | $61,722 | −13.3% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $93,358 | $74,678 | −13.3% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $111,896 | $89,508 | −13.3% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $133,060 | $106,437 | −13.3% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $157,236 | $125,776 | −13.3% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Merced, CA | Sioux Falls, SD | Sioux Falls pay in Merced dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information Security Analysts | not published | not published | — |
| Software Developers | $132,120 | $101,040 | $109,562 (−17.1%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $80,420 | $80,920 | $87,745 (+9.1%) |
| Registered Nurses | $131,620 | $75,350 | $81,705 (−37.9%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.