Is Palm Bay cheaper than Port St. Lucie?

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

Port St. Lucie has the higher median household income — $80,659 versus $78,196 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 3% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Palm Bay 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 ($78,192 versus $80,476).

Which has cheaper rent, Palm Bay or Port St. Lucie?

Rents are close — $1,681/mo in the Palm Bay metro versus $1,722/mo in Port St. Lucie (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Palm Bay vs Port St. Lucie

Metro-area medians — Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL Metro Area vs Port St. Lucie, FL Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Palm Bay comes out ahead, winning 5 of the 6 clearly-decided measures.

Palm Bay and Port St. Lucie cost about the same to live in, but Port St. Lucie households earn about 3% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches about as far in either.

Their widest everyday difference: the typical commute is shorter in Palm Bay — about 26.5 min versus 30.9 min.

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

Palm Bay, FL

$61,314

take-home / yr · 18% to tax

$61,310

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, Palm Bay leaves you about $136/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

Palm Bay

Port St. Lucie

Livability (CityLedger)

46/100

43/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

100.0

100.2

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$78,192

$80,476

Median household income

$78,196

$80,659

Median rent

$1,681/mo

$1,722/mo

Median home value

$372,900

$420,200

Unemployment

5.1%

5.4%

Bachelor's degree or higher

35.7%

31.4%

Average commute

26.5 min

30.9 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

73°F

Choose Palm Bay for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Median home value
+ Unemployment
+ Bachelor's degree or higher
+ Average commute

Full Palm Bay profile →

Choose Port St. Lucie for

+ Median household income

Full Port St. Lucie profile →

More comparisons

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

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

Palm Bay vs Port St. Lucie — frequently asked

Is Palm Bay cheaper than Port St. Lucie?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Palm Bay 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, Palm Bay or Port St. Lucie?: Port St. Lucie has the higher median household income — $80,659 versus $78,196 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 3% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Palm Bay 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 ($78,192 versus $80,476).
Which has cheaper rent, Palm Bay or Port St. Lucie?: Rents are close — $1,681/mo in the Palm Bay metro versus $1,722/mo in Port St. Lucie (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).