Boston, MA vs Merced, CA

Side-by-side comparison of housing, income, commute, safety, and quality of life.

Score Snapshot

No universal winner

Scores summarize the published model. Use the objective metric differences below and your own priorities to choose.

Boston

66.2

#1568 nationally

Merced

64.3

#1702 nationally

Boston leads in walk score (83 vs 42). Boston leads in median household income ($81,744 vs $59,233). Merced leads in cost of living index (121 vs 155).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Boston, MA	Merced, CA
WhereAtHome Score	66.2 (#1568)	64.3 (#1702)
Population	684,379	93,692
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$787,763	$397,570
Median Household Income	$81,744	$59,233
Average Commute	30.2 min	27 min
Walk Score	83	42
Crime Level	Moderate	21.5
School Rating	7.2	N/A
Cost of Living Index	155	121
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+52.5	R+4.4