Cost of Living in Lakeland, Florida
Rent, everyday costs and taxes in Lakeland, what each job keeps after paying them, and how the city compares with the rest of the US.
- Population
- 125,520
- Median household income
- $63,859
- Cost of living (US = 100)
- 97.1
- Unemployment rate
- 5.5%
Is Lakeland a good place to live?
Lakeland sits in the middle for take-home money: a typical worker keeps more here than in 63 of 178 other large cities, so whether it pays off depends on your job.
A typical worker in Lakeland keeps $5,798 a year after taxes, rent and everyday costs. Try your job
- Cost of living3% below the US average (BEA, 2024)
- Rent$1,363 a month for a 1-bedroom (HUD)
- TaxesNo state income tax on wages
Cost of living in Lakeland
Prices in the Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL area run 3% below the US average. Utilities is the biggest difference, at 13% below the US average.
- Housing4% below the US average
- Goods (food, clothing, cars)4% below the US average
- Utilities13% below the US average
- Other services (healthcare and more)1% below the US average
- All items3% below the US average
Monthly budget for one person
| Cost | Monthly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bedroom | $1,363 | $16,356 |
| Food | $475 | $5,700 |
| Transportation | $376 | $4,512 |
| Healthcare | $348 | $4,176 |
| Utilities | $226 | $2,712 |
| Total before taxes | $2,788 | $33,456 |
Rent by apartment size
| Monthly rent | Lakeland | Whole metro area |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,289 | $1,258 |
| 1 bedroom | $1,363 | $1,338 |
| 2 bedrooms | $1,640 | $1,608 |
| 3 bedrooms | $2,255 | $2,212 |
| 4 bedrooms | $2,742 | $2,688 |
Living in Lakeland
How Lakeland compares with the US on income, housing, work and commuting (Census Bureau, ACS 2024 1-year).
| Measure | Lakeland | US |
|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $63,859 | $81,604 |
| Median home value | $274,800 | $360,600 |
| Median rent paid | $1,447 | $1,487 |
| Households renting | 42.6% | 34.7% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.5% | 4.6% |
| Living below the poverty line | 12.9% | 12.2% |
| Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher | 29.8% | 36.9% |
| Median age | 37.1 years | 39.2 years |
| Average commute, one way | 23.9 minutes | 27.2 minutes |
| Working from home | 14.4% | 13.3% |
| Commuting by public transit | 0.8% | 3.7% |
The 1-year survey doesn’t publish commuting method for Lakeland, so those figures come from the 2020–2024 5-year estimates.
Home internet
6 providers offer home internet to at least a quarter of Lakeland, led by Spectrum, T-Mobile, Verizon, Frontier. Fiber reaches 47.4% of homes and 58.7% can get gigabit speeds.
Pros and cons of living in Lakeland
Pros
- No state income tax. Florida doesn't tax wages, so more of each paycheck stays with you.
- Shorter commutes. The average one-way commute is 23.9 minutes, against 27.2 nationally.
- Affordable homes to buy. The median home is worth $274,800, against $360,600 nationally.
Cons
- Lower incomes. Median household income is $63,859, against $81,604 nationally.
What your job keeps in Lakeland
Pick a job, or enter your salary, to see what's left after federal, payroll, state and local taxes, a 1-bedroom rent and everyday costs.
- Typical salary
- $46,140
- Federal income tax
- −$3,357
- Payroll taxes
- −$3,530
- State income tax
- $0
- Rent, 1-bedroom
- −$16,356
- Everyday costs
- −$17,099
a year, or $483 a month
Pay: BLS OEWS Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL. Rent: HUD FY2027. Taxes: 2026 federal, state and local schedules for a single filer.
What the most common jobs keep here
The 10 jobs we cover with the most workers in the Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL area.
| Job | Median pay | You keep |
|---|---|---|
| Project manager | $94,720 | $42,011 |
| Registered nurse | $84,030 | $34,490 |
| Accountant | $76,820 | $29,418 |
| Police officer | $66,700 | $22,298 |
| Licensed practical nurse | $59,940 | $16,887 |
| Truck driver | $57,090 | $14,597 |
| Teacher | $52,556 | $10,953 |
| Auto mechanic | $45,900 | $5,606 |
| Medical assistant | $41,780 | $2,295 |
| Nursing assistant | $36,000 | −$2,349 |
Other jobs, A–Z
What each keeps in Lakeland on its median pay. Pick one in the calculator above for the full breakdown.
- Carpenter $5,662
- Civil engineer $32,949
- Data scientist $59,330
- Dental assistant $6,225
- Dental hygienist $40,856
- Dentist $119,375
- Diesel mechanic $16,758
- Electrician $12,854
- Financial analyst $35,074
- Firefighter $7,743
- HVAC technician $14,267
- Lawyer $61,792
- Lineman $44,684
- Mechanical engineer $38,493
- Nurse practitioner $63,740
- Occupational therapist $42,257
- Paralegal $8,515
- Paramedic $13,778
- Pharmacist $75,128
- Pharmacy technician $1,572
- Physical therapist $44,838
- Physician assistant $60,878
- Plumber $9,881
- Radiologic technologist $23,853
- Respiratory therapist $36,087
- Social worker $15,558
- Software engineer $61,335
- Speech-language pathologist $36,263
- Veterinarian $66,537
- Welder $7,711
Compare Lakeland with other cities
Compare Lakeland with another city: any city or state, any of our 40 jobs.
Moving to Lakeland
3 licensed interstate movers are based in Lakeland, and 6 more elsewhere in the Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL area (FMCSA, household-goods authority).
Questions people ask
Is Lakeland, FL a good place to live?
Lakeland sits in the middle for take-home money: a typical worker keeps more here than in 63 of 178 other large cities, so whether it pays off depends on your job. The typical worker here earns $46,140 and keeps $5,798 a year after federal, payroll and state taxes, a 1-bedroom rent and everyday costs.
What is the cost of living in Lakeland?
Prices in the Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL area are 3% below the US average (BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024). A 1-bedroom rents for $1,363 a month (HUD fair market rent, FY2027), and everyday costs for one person, covering food, transportation, healthcare and utilities, come to about $1,425 a month.
How much do you need to earn to live in Lakeland?
A single person renting a 1-bedroom alone needs about $39,000 a year before tax to cover taxes, rent and everyday costs, with nothing left over. The typical worker in the Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL area earns $46,140.
What is the average rent in Lakeland?
HUD's fair market rent for FY2027 is $1,289 for a studio, $1,363 for a 1-bedroom and $1,640 for a 2-bedroom. The Census Bureau puts the median rent paid in Lakeland at $1,447 a month (2024).
Does Lakeland have a state or city income tax?
Florida has no state income tax on wages. Lakeland has no local income tax on wages.
What internet providers serve Lakeland?
6 providers offer home internet to at least a quarter of Lakeland, led by Spectrum, T-Mobile, Verizon, Frontier. 47.4% of homes can get fiber and 58.7% can get gigabit speeds (FCC National Broadband Map).
Sources and method
Everyday costs: BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey 2024 (one-person households) × CPI-U to August 2026 × BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. Taxes assume a single filer with the standard deduction and wage income only.
- Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates
- BLS OEWS May 2025, metropolitan area estimates
- HUD Small Area Fair Market Rents, FY2027
- BLS Consumer Expenditure Surveys 2024, Table 1400 (size of consumer unit)
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI-U)
- BEA Regional Price Parities by MSA, 2024
- FCC National Broadband Map, fixed broadband availability (data as of December 31, 2025, released 2026-09-29)
- FMCSA Carrier - All With History (operating authority and insurance)
Data compiled October 13, 2026. How we calculate