Fort Lauderdale vs Palm Bay
The short version
- Palm Bay is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 12% lower than in the Fort Lauderdale area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $283,200 in Palm Bay and $486,700 in Fort Lauderdale.
- Households earn more in Fort Lauderdale ($83,130 vs $72,614 median).
- Palm Bay is growing faster: +23.7% since 2020 vs +3.3%.
Side by side
| Fort Lauderdale, FL | Palm Bay, FL | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 188,677 | 148,092 |
| Growth since 2020 | +3.3% | +23.7% |
| People per square mile | 5,456 | 1,709 |
| Median age | 42.8 | 41.0 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 41% | 24% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $83,130 | $72,614 |
| Median home value | $486,700 | $283,200 |
| Home value to income | 5.9× | 3.9× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,854 | $1,601 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 114.2 | 100.0 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 155.6 | 111.7 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $85,600 | $75,000 |
| Homeowners | 54% | 80% |
| Top state income tax | None | None |
| Combined sales tax | 6.98% | 6.98% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 26.1 | 27.8 |
| Work from home | 19% | 11% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.3% | 6.1% |
| Poverty rate | 15% | 11.7% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 76° / 61° | 72° / 52° |
| July high / low | 90° / 78° | 90° / 74° |
| Precipitation per year | 61 in | 51 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 68 | 63 |
| Nights below freezing | 0 | 2 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 7 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.5 | 98.4 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 53% | 91% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.8% | +2.2% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +49.8% | +40.5% |
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: Fort Lauderdale: November to April. Palm Bay: November to May.
Full monthly tables: Fort Lauderdale weather by month and Palm Bay weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $85,600 in Fort Lauderdale and $75,000 in Palm Bay. Moving from Fort Lauderdale to Palm Bay, you would need about $65,700 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Fort Lauderdale and Palm Bay
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Fort Lauderdale and Palm Bay.
Which would you pick?
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