Is Cape Coral cheaper than Port St. Lucie?

They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Cape Coral and Port St. Lucie metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.

Which has higher household income, Cape Coral or Port St. Lucie?

Cape Coral has the higher median household income — $83,602 versus $80,659 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 4% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Cape Coral or Port St. Lucie?

It is roughly a wash. After adjusting income for local prices, a typical paycheck is worth about the same in both metros ($81,683 versus $80,476).

Which has cheaper rent, Cape Coral or Port St. Lucie?

Port St. Lucie has cheaper rent — a median of $1,722/mo versus $1,871/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Cape Coral vs Port St. Lucie

Metro-area medians — Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL Metro Area vs Port St. Lucie, FL Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Cape Coral comes out ahead, winning 6 of the 8 clearly-decided measures.

Cape Coral and Port St. Lucie cost about the same to live in, but Cape Coral households earn about 4% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches about as far in either.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Annual salary (gross)

Household size

Cape Coral, FL

$61,314

take-home / yr · 18% to tax

$59,906

real value after local prices

Port St. Lucie, FL

$61,314

take-home / yr · 18% to tax

$61,174

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Port St. Lucie leaves you about $1,268/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure

Cape Coral

Port St. Lucie

Livability (CityLedger)

52/100

43/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

102.3

100.2

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$81,683

$80,476

Median household income

$83,602

$80,659

Median rent

$1,871/mo

$1,722/mo

Median home value

$396,500

$420,200

Unemployment

3.3%

5.4%

Bachelor's degree or higher

32.4%

31.4%

Average commute

31.9 min

30.9 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

75°F

73°F

Choose Cape Coral for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Median household income
+ Median home value
+ Unemployment
+ Bachelor's degree or higher
+ Air quality (median AQI)

Full Cape Coral profile →

Choose Port St. Lucie for

+ Median rent
+ Average commute

Full Port St. Lucie profile →

Cape Coral vs Port St. Lucie — frequently asked

Is Cape Coral cheaper than Port St. Lucie?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Cape Coral and Port St. Lucie metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Cape Coral or Port St. Lucie?: Cape Coral has the higher median household income — $83,602 versus $80,659 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 4% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Cape Coral or Port St. Lucie?: It is roughly a wash. After adjusting income for local prices, a typical paycheck is worth about the same in both metros ($81,683 versus $80,476).
Which has cheaper rent, Cape Coral or Port St. Lucie?: Port St. Lucie has cheaper rent — a median of $1,722/mo versus $1,871/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).