Port St. Lucie vs Palm Bay
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $283,200 in Palm Bay and $369,200 in Port St. Lucie.
- Households earn more in Port St. Lucie ($80,648 vs $72,614 median).
- Port St. Lucie is growing faster: +30.9% since 2020 vs +23.7%.
Side by side
| Port St. Lucie, FL | Palm Bay, FL | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 268,062 | 148,092 |
| Growth since 2020 | +30.9% | +23.7% |
| People per square mile | 2,249 | 1,709 |
| Median age | 43.9 | 41.0 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 28% | 24% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $80,648 | $72,614 |
| Median home value | $369,200 | $283,200 |
| Home value to income | 4.6× | 3.9× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,937 | $1,601 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 100.2 | 100.0 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 113.6 | 111.7 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $75,200 | $75,000 |
| Homeowners | 84% | 80% |
| Top state income tax | None | None |
| Combined sales tax | 6.98% | 6.98% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 30.5 | 27.8 |
| Work from home | 13% | 11% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6% | 6.1% |
| Poverty rate | 9.5% | 11.7% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 74° / 56° | 72° / 52° |
| July high / low | 91° / 76° | 90° / 74° |
| Precipitation per year | 63 in | 51 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 81 | 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) | 96.1 | 98.4 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 79% | 91% |
| Home prices, past year | -0.6% | +2.2% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +45.1% | +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: Port St. Lucie: November to April. Palm Bay: November to May.
Full monthly tables: Port St. Lucie 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 $75,200 in Port St. Lucie and $75,000 in Palm Bay. Moving from Port St. Lucie to Palm Bay, you would need about $74,800 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Port St. Lucie 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 Port St. Lucie and Palm Bay.
Which would you pick?
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