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Lakeland vs Port St. Lucie

Metro-area medians — Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL Metro Area vs Port St. Lucie, FL Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Port St. Lucie comes out ahead, winning 4 of the 7 clearly-decided measures.

Lakeland is about 3% cheaper to live in, while Port St. Lucie households earn about 21% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Port St. Lucie.

Their widest everyday difference: Port St. Lucie is more educated — 31.4% of adults hold a bachelor's degree versus 25.2%.

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.

Lakeland, FL
$61,314
take-home / yr · 18% to tax
$63,118
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, Lakeland leaves you about $1,944/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
Lakeland
Port St. Lucie
Livability (CityLedger)
25/100
43/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
97.1
100.2
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$68,744
$80,476
Median household income
$66,779
$80,659
Median rent
$1,484/mo
$1,722/mo
Median home value
$305,400
$420,200
Unemployment
5.4%
5.4%
Bachelor's degree or higher
25.2%
31.4%
Average commute
31.4 min
30.9 min
Air quality (median AQI)
39
40
Avg temperature
75°F
73°F

Choose Lakeland for

  • + Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
  • + Median rent
  • + Median home value
Full Lakeland profile →

Choose Port St. Lucie for

  • + Livability (CityLedger)
  • + Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
  • + Median household income
  • + Bachelor's degree or higher
Full Port St. Lucie profile →

More comparisons

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

Lakeland vs Waterbury→Lakeland vs Allentown→Lakeland vs Pensacola→Port St. Lucie vs Cape Coral→Port St. Lucie vs Deltona→Port St. Lucie vs Waterbury→

Lakeland vs Port St. Lucie — frequently asked

Is Lakeland cheaper than Port St. Lucie?
Lakeland is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 3% below Port St. Lucie's (BEA Regional Price Parities).
Which has higher household income, Lakeland or Port St. Lucie?
Port St. Lucie has the higher median household income — $80,659 versus $66,779 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 21% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Lakeland or Port St. Lucie?
A paycheck stretches further in Port St. Lucie. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $80,476 there versus $68,744 in Lakeland.
Which has cheaper rent, Lakeland or Port St. Lucie?
Lakeland has cheaper rent — a median of $1,484/mo versus $1,722/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).