Cost of living in Palm Bay, FL
The Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL metro area (658,447 people) ranks #66 of 149 for prices among the U.S. metro areas we cover. Here's what it costs to live there.
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Price level, from cheaper to pricier.
- The Villages, FL 85.4
- McAllen, TX 85.9
- Springfield, MO 88.6
- Wichita, KS 88.9
- Jackson, MS 89.0
- Tulsa, OK 89.2
- Columbus, GA 89.3
- Little Rock, AR 89.4
- El Paso, TX 89.9
- Oklahoma City, OK 90.4
- Sioux Falls, SD 90.6
- Baton Rouge, LA 90.8
- Clarksville, TN 90.9
- Fargo, ND 90.9
- Killeen, TX 91.1
- Spartanburg, SC 91.1
- Fayetteville, AR 91.4
- Chattanooga, TN 91.5
- Toledo, OH 91.5
- Birmingham, AL 91.6
- Des Moines, IA 91.7
- Augusta, GA 91.9
- Omaha, NE 91.9
- Fayetteville, NC 92.0
- Winston-Salem, NC 92.0
- Jacksonville, NC 92.1
- Memphis, TN 92.2
- Kansas City, MO 92.5
- Fort Wayne, IN 92.6
- Knoxville, TN 92.6
- New Orleans, LA 92.6
- Dayton, OH 92.7
- Greensboro, NC 92.9
- Lexington, KY 92.9
- Huntsville, AL 93.1
- Louisville, KY 93.1
- Greenville, SC 93.3
- Akron, OH 93.4
- Billings, MT 93.5
- Myrtle Beach, SC 93.6
- Columbia, SC 93.7
- Cleveland, OH 93.9
- Daphne, AL 94.7
- Pittsburgh, PA 94.7
- San Antonio, TX 94.7
- St. Louis, MO 95.1
- Ocala, FL 95.2
- Savannah, GA 95.2
- Cincinnati, OH 95.4
- Albuquerque, NM 95.5
- Columbus, OH 95.5
- Grand Rapids, MI 95.5
- Indianapolis, IN 95.7
- Syracuse, NY 95.7
- Buffalo, NY 95.8
- Nashville, TN 96.3
- Wilmington, NC 96.4
- Asheville, NC 96.5
- Cheyenne, WY 96.5
- Gainesville, FL 96.7
- Milwaukee, WI 96.9
- Tucson, AZ 96.9
- Crestview, FL 97.0
- Rochester, NY 97.0
- Lakeland, FL 97.1
- Charlotte, NC 97.3
- Madison, WI 97.3
- Panama City, FL 97.3
- Durham, NC 97.6
- Pensacola, FL 97.7
- Richmond, VA 97.9
- Virginia Beach, VA 97.9
- Hilton Head Island, SC 98.0
- Austin, TX 98.1
- Provo, UT 98.2
- Raleigh, NC 98.2
- Prescott, AZ 98.3
- Boise, ID 98.4
- Houston, TX 98.6
- Harrisburg, PA 98.7
- Daytona Beach, FL 99.4
- Jacksonville, FL 99.5
- Albany, NY 99.6
- Allentown, PA 100.0
- Palm Bay, FL 100.0
- Atlanta, GA 100.1
- Greeley, CO 100.2
- Las Vegas, NV 100.2
- Port St. Lucie, FL 100.2
- Detroit, MI 100.3
- Ogden, UT 100.3
- Spokane, WA 100.3
- Norwich, CT 100.4
- Punta Gorda, FL 100.5
- Colorado Springs, CO 100.7
- Ann Arbor, MI 100.9
- Bakersfield, CA 100.9
- Burlington, VT 100.9
- Salt Lake City, UT 100.9
- Tampa, FL 100.9
- Charleston, SC 101.0
- Reno, NV 101.0
- Fort Collins, CO 101.1
- Orlando, FL 101.4
- Eugene, OR 101.6
- Providence, RI 101.8
- Portland, ME 101.9
- Fresno, CA 102.2
- Cape Coral, FL 102.3
- Sarasota, FL 102.4
- Worcester, MA 102.5
- Philadelphia, PA 102.6
- Hartford, CT 102.7
- Dallas, TX 103.1
- Naples, FL 103.2
- Trenton, NJ 103.2
- Phoenix, AZ 103.3
- Bend, OR 103.6
- Chicago, IL 103.6
- Olympia, WA 103.7
- Baltimore, MD 104.5
- New Haven, CT 104.6
- Minneapolis, MN 104.8
- Stockton, CA 105.1
- Boulder, CO 105.2
- Anchorage, AK 105.4
- Portland, OR 105.4
- Bremerton, WA 105.6
- Manchester, NH 105.7
- Denver, CO 105.8
- Riverside, CA 106.4
- Sacramento, CA 106.7
- Bridgeport, CT 106.9
- Santa Rosa, CA 107.8
- Boston, MA 108.3
- Vallejo, CA 108.5
- Santa Barbara, CA 108.8
- Washington, D.C. 108.9
- Salinas, CA 109.0
- Poughkeepsie, NY 109.4
- San Jose, CA 110.4
- Oxnard, CA 110.5
- Honolulu, HI 111.0
- Seattle, WA 111.1
- San Diego, CA 111.9
- New York, NY 112.6
- Los Angeles, CA 113.6
- Miami, FL 114.2
- San Francisco, CA 115.6
Compare Palm Bay with your city
See what you'd need to earn in Palm Bay to keep your lifestyle, after taxes and local prices. The calculator starts from Orlando, FL, which sends the most households here of the metros we cover (IRS, 2022–2023), at about its median household income. Pick your own city and salary.
Equal salary in Palm Bay: $78,700
Compare any two of 149 U.S. metro areas. All cities
To keep the same lifestyle, you need about $78,700 in Palm Bay, FL to match $80,000 in Orlando, FL ($1,300 less), after 2026 taxes and local prices.
Single filer, W-2 salary. Both are in Florida, which has no state income tax on wages; neither city levies a resident income tax.
What things cost in Palm Bay
The vertical line marks the U.S. average (100). BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 for the metropolitan area.
Taxes in Palm Bay
On an $80,000 salary (about the area's median household income), a single filer keeps $65,110 after 2026 federal tax ($8,770), Social Security and Medicare ($6,120). Florida has no state income tax on wages.
Housing
| Measure | Palm Bay area |
|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,681/mo |
| Median home value | $372,900 |
| Median property tax | $2,597/yr |
| Monthly cost to own the median home (20% down) | $2,399 |
| Median household income | $78,196 |
Climate and jobs in Palm Bay
In the Palm Bay area the average January low is 52°F and the average July high 90°F, and the area has about 63 days a year at 90°F or hotter. Unemployment averaged 4.2% in 2025, below the U.S. rate (4.3%), and the median wage across all jobs was $49,030 a year, 4% below the U.S. median.
| Climate | 1991–2020 average |
|---|---|
| January low | 52°F |
| July high | 90°F |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 63 a year |
| Precipitation | 51 in a year |
| Snowfall | 0 in a year |
| Jobs and pay | Metro area | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate, 2025 average | 4.2% | 4.3% |
| Median wage, all jobs (May 2025) | $49,030 | $50,980 |
| Wage and salary jobs (May 2025) | 245,170 | 155.5 million |
Climate: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages at the Melbourne International Airport station (USW00012838), with snowfall from Melbourne WFO (USC00085612) because the main station doesn't record it. Weather varies across a metro area, especially with elevation and distance from the coast. Jobs: unemployment from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics; wages and job counts from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, which count wage and salary jobs, not the self-employed; wages are before taxes. The 2025 average covers 11 months: October 2025 data were not collected during the federal government shutdown.
Retiring in Palm Bay
A single retiree spends about $3,144 a month here if they own their home outright, or $4,313 renting, based on typical spending for households 65 and older (BLS 2024) adjusted for local prices. See where your budget goes furthest.
Where people move to and from Palm Bay
IRS county-to-county migration data, 2022–2023, aggregated to the 149 metro areas we cover.
Natural hazard risk
FEMA rates the Palm Bay area among the highest for natural hazard risk (score 98.4 of 100), with expected losses of about $642 per resident per year. Disaster risk by county in Florida.
The vertical line marks the middle of U.S. counties (50).
Frequently asked questions
What salary do you need to live in Palm Bay?
To match the buying power of $75,000 in an average-priced area with no state income tax, you need about $75,000 in Palm Bay. Renting the median home at 30% of income takes $67,240, and buying the median home with 20% down takes about $102,806.
Is Palm Bay expensive?
The Palm Bay metro area's price level is 100.0 (U.S. = 100), #66 of the 149 metro areas we cover, from most to least expensive. Its housing price index is 111.7, 12% above the U.S. average.
Are people moving to Palm Bay?
Counting moves to and from the other 148 metro areas we cover, Palm Bay had a net gain of about 4,697 households in 2022–2023 (IRS county migration data).
What is the weather like in Palm Bay?
In NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals for the Palm Bay area (Melbourne International Airport weather station), the average January low is 52°F and the average July high 90°F. The area has about 63 days a year at 90°F or hotter and gets 51 inches of precipitation a year and almost no snow.
What are jobs and pay like in Palm Bay?
The Palm Bay metro area's unemployment rate averaged 4.2% in 2025, below the U.S. rate (4.3%). The median wage across all jobs was $49,030 a year in May 2025, 4% below the U.S. median of $50,980 (Bureau of Labor Statistics).
What natural disasters affect Palm Bay?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the area among the highest overall (score 98.4). The highest relative risks are hurricane, lightning, wildfire.
Compare Palm Bay with other cities
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Cities with similar prices
- Allentown, PA 100.0
- Atlanta, GA 100.1
- Las Vegas, NV 100.2
- Port St. Lucie, FL 100.2
- Greeley, CO 100.2
- Detroit, MI 100.3
- Moving from Florida