CITY PROFILE
Merced, CA
WHAT LIVING HERE IS LIKE
Merced, California is a smaller metro with a warm climate, abundant sunshine, and dry conditions—expect long stretches of clear days and minimal rain. Housing here is among the most expensive metros in our dataset, so affordability will be a significant factor in your relocation decision. If you're drawn to warm weather and sunshine but need to manage costs carefully, this market will require careful financial planning.
By the numbers
| Typical home value | $419K · Zillow, May 2026 (ZHVI) |
|---|---|
| Typical rent | $1,975/mo · Zillow, May 2026 (ZORI) |
| Average temperature | 17.7°C · warmest 28.4°C · coolest 8.9°C · NASA POWER |
| Annual precipitation | 444 mm · NASA POWER |
| Sunshine (solar energy) | 5.35 kWh/m²/day · NASA POWER (annual mean) |
| Metro size rank (US) | #177 · Zillow SizeRank |
Match scores
- Affordable to buy79
- Affordable to rent59
- Climate comfort87
- Plenty of sunshine82
- Big-city amenities57
Scores are 0–100, normalised across the metros we cover, derived from the sourced figures above (higher = better on that factor). A research aid, not a recommendation to move. Job market, safety, and healthcare access need key-gated feeds (BLS, FBI, Census) not yet wired — see the methodology.
Where to look next
Similar home prices
