Clearwater vs Deerfield Beach
The short version
- Clearwater is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 12% lower than in the Deerfield Beach area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $309,600 in Deerfield Beach and $361,300 in Clearwater.
- Households earn more in Clearwater ($66,381 vs $59,730 median).
- Deerfield Beach has the warmer winter: January highs of 76°F vs 71°F.
- Clearwater has more scorching days: 94 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 59.
- Deerfield Beach is growing faster: +2.9% since 2020 vs -2.5%.
- Commutes are shorter in Clearwater (23 vs 28 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Clearwater, FL | Deerfield Beach, FL | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 114,364 | 89,339 |
| Growth since 2020 | -2.5% | +2.9% |
| People per square mile | 4,368 | 5,971 |
| Median age | 46.6 | 43.9 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 33% | 29% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $66,381 | $59,730 |
| Median home value | $361,300 | $309,600 |
| Home value to income | 5.4× | 5.2× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,658 | $1,774 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 100.9 | 114.2 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 125.8 | 155.6 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $75,700 | $85,600 |
| Homeowners | 59% | 64% |
| Top state income tax | None | None |
| Combined sales tax | 6.98% | 6.98% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 22.7 | 28.2 |
| Work from home | 21% | 13% |
| Take public transit | 4% | 3% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.2% | 5.4% |
| Poverty rate | 14.8% | 15.1% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 71° / 53° | 76° / 60° |
| July high / low | 91° / 77° | 91° / 78° |
| Precipitation per year | 50 in | 56 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 94 | 59 |
| Nights below freezing | 1 | 0 |
| Comfortable months | 7 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 98.2 | 99.5 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 50% | 53% |
| Home prices, past year | -0.1% | +0.8% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +43.6% | +49.8% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Clearwater: October to April. Deerfield Beach: November to April.
Full monthly tables: Clearwater weather by month and Deerfield Beach weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $75,700 in Clearwater and $85,600 in Deerfield Beach. Moving from Clearwater to Deerfield Beach, you would need about $84,900 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Clearwater and Deerfield Beach
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Clearwater and Deerfield Beach.
Which would you pick?
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