Is Atlantic City cheaper than Port St. Lucie?

They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Atlantic City 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, Atlantic City or Port St. Lucie?

Household incomes are similar — $80,806 in the Atlantic City metro versus $80,659 in Port St. Lucie (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Does a paycheck go further in Atlantic City 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 ($81,740 versus $80,476).

Which has cheaper rent, Atlantic City or Port St. Lucie?

Atlantic City has cheaper rent — a median of $1,467/mo versus $1,722/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Atlantic City vs Port St. Lucie

Metro-area medians — Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ Metro Area vs Port St. Lucie, FL Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Atlantic City comes out ahead, winning 5 of the 6 clearly-decided measures.

Atlantic City and Port St. Lucie are closely matched on both cost of living and household income. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches about as far in either.

Their widest everyday difference: Port St. Lucie has the tighter job market — 5.4% unemployment versus 6.8%.

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

Atlantic City, NJ

$58,662

take-home / yr · 22% to tax

$59,341

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 $1,834/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

Atlantic City

Port St. Lucie

Livability (CityLedger)

44/100

43/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

98.9

100.2

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$81,740

$80,476

Median household income

$80,806

$80,659

Median rent

$1,467/mo

$1,722/mo

Median home value

$366,000

$420,200

Unemployment

6.8%

5.4%

Bachelor's degree or higher

33.1%

31.4%

Average commute

26.2 min

30.9 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

55°F

73°F

Choose Atlantic City for

+ Median rent
+ Median home value
+ Bachelor's degree or higher
+ Average commute
+ Air quality (median AQI)

Full Atlantic City profile →

Choose Port St. Lucie for

+ Unemployment

Full Port St. Lucie profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to Atlantic City and Port St. Lucie on cost, income, size, and education.

Atlantic City vs Waterbury→Atlantic City vs Palm Bay→Atlantic City vs Lancaster→Port St. Lucie vs Cape Coral→Port St. Lucie vs Deltona→Port St. Lucie vs Waterbury→

Atlantic City vs Port St. Lucie — frequently asked

Is Atlantic City cheaper than Port St. Lucie?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Atlantic City 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, Atlantic City or Port St. Lucie?: Household incomes are similar — $80,806 in the Atlantic City metro versus $80,659 in Port St. Lucie (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).
Does a paycheck go further in Atlantic City 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 ($81,740 versus $80,476).
Which has cheaper rent, Atlantic City or Port St. Lucie?: Atlantic City has cheaper rent — a median of $1,467/mo versus $1,722/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).