01 · the cities
Port St. Lucie
Port St. Lucie is the New York Mets' spring training home, with golf courses, gated communities, and the slow Atlantic Coast pace that retirees love. It's one of the fastest-growing cities in the country in recent years. The Treasure Coast beaches are quieter and prettier than the bigger Florida metros. Suburban, sunny, and easy.
full dispatch→Cape Coral
Cape Coral has over 400 miles of navigable canals, more than any city in the world, which means many homes literally have boat docks in the backyard. It's a planned community that grew up around water, with easy access to the Caloosahatchee River and the Gulf. The boating, fishing, and manatee-watching are the main events. It's flat, sunny, and built for waterfront life.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,331/mo
$1,859/mo
$472/mo less than Port St. Lucie (25%)
Median home price
Median home price
$397k
$355k
$42k less than Port St. Lucie
State income tax
State income tax
0%
0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$6,002/mo
$6,474/mo
Cape Coral has $472/mo more gross after rent at $100k
Gross left after rent reflects state income tax but not federal, based on $100k salary. Enter your salary to find your ideal city.
03 · the weather
Pleasant days/yr
Pleasant days/yr
246 days
250 days
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
2 days
0 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
0 days
days below 20°F per year
Port St. Lucie and Cape Coral have remarkably similar weather profiles overall.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
50 / 100
55 / 100
5.0 pts ahead of Port St. Lucie
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
23 routes
33 routes
10 more direct routes than Port St. Lucie
Metro size
Metro size
537k metro
835k metro
the verdict
0
Port St. Lucie
categories won
5
Cape Coral
categories won
Cape Coral wins this comparison, leading on money and lifestyle.
run your numbers
How far does your Port St. Lucie salary go?
Enter your salary to see a full ranked list of cities where you would live better.
see your top citiesWe use a proprietary blend of data from the US Census, Zillow, Ticketmaster, and more.
Walk Score® is a trademark of Walk Score, a Redfin company. How Walk Score works