Merced County, CA real estate

What the numbers say

Merced County, CA real estate at a glance

By AstroCore · Realtor.com, US Census and Freddie Mac data

In September 2026, the median home in Merced County listed for $447,450, down 0.7% from a year earlier. That is 38% below the California median of $725,000.

Homes spent a median of 53 days on the market, faster than 58 days a year ago. That makes Merced County the #12 fastest-selling of 42 California counties we track.

Homeowners in Merced County pay a median of $2,634 a year in property taxes on a median home value of $391,800, an effective rate of about 0.67%. The California average is 0.70%, which makes Merced County the #18 lowest-tax of 58 counties in the state with published tax data.

Renters pay a median of $1,343 a month, and $1,217 for a two-bedroom. At today's prices a typical home costs about 28 times a year's rent, which generally favors renting over buying in the short term.

With 20% down and today's 7.24% average 30-year rate, the monthly payment on a $447,000 home here comes to about $2,877 including property tax and insurance. Lenders typically want that to be under 28% of income, which works out to roughly $123,000 a year (the median household here earns $65,510).