Is Hilton Head Island cheaper than Punta Gorda?

They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Hilton Head Island and Punta Gorda metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.

Which has higher household income, Hilton Head Island or Punta Gorda?

Hilton Head Island has the higher median household income — $88,348 versus $72,868 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 21% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Hilton Head Island or Punta Gorda?

A paycheck stretches further in Hilton Head Island. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $90,135 there versus $72,487 in Punta Gorda.

Which has cheaper rent, Hilton Head Island or Punta Gorda?

Punta Gorda has cheaper rent — a median of $1,843/mo versus $1,903/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Hilton Head Island vs Punta Gorda

Metro-area medians — Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC Metro Area vs Punta Gorda, FL Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Hilton Head Island comes out ahead, winning 5 of the 8 clearly-decided measures.

Hilton Head Island and Punta Gorda cost about the same to live in, but Hilton Head Island households earn about 21% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Hilton Head Island.

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

Hilton Head Island, SC

$58,400

take-home / yr · 22% to tax

$59,582

real value after local prices

Punta Gorda, FL

$61,314

take-home / yr · 18% to tax

$60,993

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Punta Gorda leaves you about $1,412/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

Hilton Head Island

Punta Gorda

Livability (CityLedger)

72/100

47/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

98.0

100.5

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$90,135

$72,487

Median household income

$88,348

$72,868

Median rent

$1,903/mo

$1,843/mo

Median home value

$511,100

$355,300

Unemployment

2.7%

3.3%

Bachelor's degree or higher

42.9%

30.2%

Average commute

26.5 min

25.6 min

Air quality (median AQI)

—

Avg temperature

67°F

74°F

Choose Hilton Head Island for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
+ Median household income
+ Unemployment
+ Bachelor's degree or higher

Full Hilton Head Island profile →

Choose Punta Gorda for

+ Median rent
+ Median home value
+ Average commute

Full Punta Gorda profile →

Hilton Head Island vs Punta Gorda — frequently asked

Is Hilton Head Island cheaper than Punta Gorda?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Hilton Head Island and Punta Gorda metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Hilton Head Island or Punta Gorda?: Hilton Head Island has the higher median household income — $88,348 versus $72,868 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 21% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Hilton Head Island or Punta Gorda?: A paycheck stretches further in Hilton Head Island. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $90,135 there versus $72,487 in Punta Gorda.
Which has cheaper rent, Hilton Head Island or Punta Gorda?: Punta Gorda has cheaper rent — a median of $1,843/mo versus $1,903/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).