Which returned more over the last year, CGSM or MEAR?

In the year to Oct 9, 2026, with distributions reinvested, CGSM returned +0.8% and MEAR +1.4%.

Which is cheaper, CGSM or MEAR?

CGSM is cheaper, by 0.01 percentage points a year. That is about $1 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

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CGSM vs MEAR: Differences, Returns & Fees

CGSM's duration was 2.4 years on Jun 30, 2026 and MEAR's 1.3 on Jul 31, 2026; CGSM charges 0.25% to MEAR's 0.26%. Net assets: $1.6bn on Oct 8, 2026 for Capital Group Short Duration Municipal Income ETF, and $1.4bn on Oct 9, 2026 for iShares Short Maturity Municipal Bond Active ETF.

CGSM costs 0.01 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.6 points; CGSM is 1.1 times larger.

	CGSM	MEAR
Expense ratio	0.25%	0.26%
Net assets, as of Oct 8, 2026	$1.6bn	$1.4bn
Total return, 1 year	+0.8%	+1.4%
What it tracks	No index, actively managed	No index, actively managed
Holdings in common	4%

Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026.

+0.8%

CGSM total return, 1 year

+1.4%

MEAR total return, 1 year

0.25%

CGSM expense ratio

0.26%

MEAR expense ratio

What they hold in common

By the books each fund has filed, CGSM and MEAR hold 4% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026.

50%

half

4% in common

Positions both hold, largest shared weight first

Holding CGSM MEAR

PEFA INC IA GAS PROJ REVENUE, due Sep 1, 2049 0.66% 1.78%

KENTUCKY ST PUBLIC ENERGY AUTH GAS SPLY REVENUE, due Jun 1, 2055 0.62% 1.39%

KENTUCKY ST PUBLIC ENERGY AUTH GAS SPLY REVENUE, due Aug 1, 2052 0.27% 0.43%

KENTUCKY ST PUBLIC ENERGY AUTH GAS SPLY REVENUE, due May 1, 2055 0.21% 0.82%

CHICAGO IL MF HSG REVENUE, due Jun 1, 2029 0.20% 0.59%

LOUISIANA ST HSG CORP MF HSG REVENUE, due Apr 1, 2030 0.17% 0.22%

NEW YORK CITY NY HSG DEV CORP MF HSG REV, due Nov 1, 2065 0.17% 0.94%

TEXAS ST MUNI GAS ACQUISITION& SPLY CORP IV, due Jan 1, 2054 0.16% 1.72%

CLIFTON TX HGR EDU FIN CORP EDU REVENUE, due Aug 15, 2029 0.14% 0.14%

TARRANT CNTY TX HSG FIN CORP, due Feb 1, 2043 0.14% 0.22%

SOUTHEAST ENERGY AUTH AL COMMODITY SPLY REVENUE, due May 1, 2053 0.14% 0.79%

LOS ANGELES CA, due Jun 24, 2027 0.13% 0.79%

Only in CGSM

MARYLAND ST, due Jun 1, 2030 1.08%

FLORIDA ST BRD OF EDU PUBLIC EDU, due Jun 1, 2029 1.06%

GEORGIA ST, due Dec 1, 2031 1.05%

SOUTH CAROLINA ST JOBS-ECON DEV AUTH HOSP REVENUE, due May 1, 2048 1.03%

ROCHESTER MN HLTH CARE FACS REVENUE, due Apr 1, 2066 1.02%

MISSISSIPPI BUSINESS FIN CORP MS PORT FAC REVENUE, due Jun 1, 2043 1.01%

PHOENIX AZ INDL DEV AUTH HLTHCARE FACS REVENUE, due Nov 15, 2052 1.00%

CONNECTICUT ST HLTH & EDUCTNL FACS AUTH REVENUE, due Jul 1, 2042 0.97%

Only in MEAR

Parish of St. James, Series 2010B-1, due Nov 1, 2040 2.25%

Iowa Finance Authority, Series 2021, due Dec 1, 2041 2.18%

Main Street Natural Gas, Inc., Series 2023A, due Jun 1, 2053 1.90%

City of Burlington, Series 2007A, due Sep 1, 2035 1.62%

South Dakota Housing Development Authority, Series 2025G, due Nov 1, 2050 1.50%

Connecticut Housing Finance Authority, Series 2016B, Sub-Series B-4, due Nov 15, 2046 1.26%

General Authority of Southcentral Pennsylvania, Series 2019E, due Jun 1, 2035 1.25%

New York State Housing Finance Agency, Series 2025D-2, due May 1, 2065 1.02%

Check overlap with more funds →

On the same fields

CGSM

Capital Group Short Duration Municipal Income ETF

MEAR

iShares Short Maturity Municipal Bond Active ETF

Where it sits Bond ETF Bond ETF

Issuer Capital Group iShares

What it is Actively managed Actively managed

Total return, 1 year +0.8% +1.4%

S&P 500 over the same days +17.3% +17.3%

Gap to the S&P 500 −16.4 pts −15.8 pts

Expense ratio 0.25% 0.26%

Holdings 1007 351

Net assets, CGSM as of Oct 8, 2026 and MEAR as of Oct 9, 2026 $1.6bn $1.4bn

CGSM and MEAR on the fields both publish, as of Oct 9, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

CGSM in plain words

CGSM is actively managed and tracks no index. Over the year to Oct 9, 2026 it returned +0.8% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.25% a year.

MEAR in plain words

MEAR is actively managed and tracks no index. Over the year to Oct 9, 2026 it returned +1.4% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.26% a year.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, CGSM or MEAR?: In the year to Oct 9, 2026, with distributions reinvested, CGSM returned +0.8% and MEAR +1.4%.
Which is cheaper, CGSM or MEAR?: CGSM is cheaper, by 0.01 percentage points a year. That is about $1 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

CGSM vs TAFI CGSM vs SMMU CGSM vs JMST CGSM vs SHM MEAR vs TAFI MEAR vs SMMU MEAR vs SHM MEAR vs VTES

CGSM on its own →MEAR on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →Standards and sources →

Where these figures came from

CGSM filings on SEC EDGAR ↗CGSM prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗Capital Group page for CGSM ↗MEAR filings on SEC EDGAR ↗MEAR prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗iShares page for MEAR ↗

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure; a link is not an endorsement. A comparison is not a recommendation.

How this is computed

Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, CGSM against MEAR, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/cgsm-vs-mear

Open data

Free to use with attribution for figures ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.