Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville cost of living
Prices in the Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL metro area run at 100.0 against a national average of 100, ranking it #91 of 387 metros. Rents there sit at 111.7.
What drives the number
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville sits at 100.0, which is as close to the national average as this series gets. It ranks #91 of 387 metro areas, in the middle by construction rather than by coincidence. Against Florida as a whole it is 3.4 points less expensive, which is the unusual direction, and it means the expensive part of the state is somewhere else.
Housing is doing nearly all of the work. Rents sit at 111.7 while goods sit at 96.2, a gap of 11.7 points between what it costs to live somewhere and what it costs to buy things. That pattern is the single most useful thing the parity series shows: the cost of a place is the cost of its housing.
The number is most useful in reverse: a job here can pay less in cash and still leave a household better off, by roughly 0 per cent before anything else is considered.
The vertical line is the national average of 100. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, SARPP, 2024.
What the biggest local jobs are really worth
The same pay buys different amounts in different places, so a salary quoted in Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville is not comparable to one quoted elsewhere until it is divided by the local parity. These are the occupations that employ the most people here, with the quoted median alongside what that median is worth at national prices.
| Occupation | Employed | Median pay | Worth nationally | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Salespersons | 7,550 | $30,730 | $30,730 | $34,580 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 7,450 | $27,960 | $27,960 | $30,480 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 5,650 | $28,860 | $28,860 | $33,760 |
| General and Operations Managers | 5,420 | $101,250 | $101,250 | $102,950 |
| Customer Service Representatives | 5,170 | $37,690 | $37,690 | $42,830 |
| Registered Nurses | 5,160 | $79,840 | $79,840 | $93,600 |
| Software Developers | 4,770 | $127,980 | $127,980 | $133,080 |
| Cashiers | 4,770 | $28,710 | $28,710 | $31,190 |
Pay from the BLS metro survey, adjusted by dividing by the metro parity of 100.0.
Nearby metro areas
| Metro area | All items | Rents | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach | 114.2 | 155.6 | #2 |
| Naples-Marco Island | 103.2 | 129.4 | #46 |
| North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota | 102.4 | 128.0 | #54 |
| Cape Coral-Fort Myers | 102.3 | 125.1 | #55 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford | 101.4 | 123.4 | #63 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater | 100.9 | 125.8 | #73 |
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville: common questions
Is Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville expensive?
Prices are 0% below the national average, a parity of 100.0 where the country is 100. It ranks #91 of the 387 metro areas BEA measures. Against Florida as a whole it is 3.4 points less expensive.
What salary do you need in Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville?
The median worker there earns $47,590, which buys what $47,590 buys nationally once local prices are taken into account. Comparing a salary offer between cities without this adjustment is comparing nothing useful.
Is housing the reason?
Usually. Rents here are at 111.7 against goods at 96.2. Goods barely vary between American cities because most are shipped and priced nationally; housing varies enormously, and it dominates any cost of living comparison.