Cost of Living in Palm Bay, Florida
Rent, everyday costs and taxes in Palm Bay, what each job keeps after paying them, and how the city compares with the rest of the US.
- Population
- 148,092
- Median household income
- $77,638
- Cost of living (US = 100)
- 100.0
- Unemployment rate
- 7.3%
Is Palm Bay a good place to live?
Palm Bay is one of the pricier places for a typical paycheck: a typical worker keeps less here than in 124 of 178 other large cities. Higher earners do better.
A typical worker in Palm Bay keeps $4,543 a year after taxes, rent and everyday costs. Try your job
- Cost of livingAbout the same as the US average (BEA, 2024)
- Rent$1,658 a month for a 1-bedroom (HUD)
- TaxesNo state income tax on wages
Cost of living in Palm Bay
Prices in the Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL area run about the same as the US average. Utilities is the biggest difference, at 12% below the US average.
- Housing12% above the US average
- Goods (food, clothing, cars)4% below the US average
- Utilities12% below the US average
- Other services (healthcare and more)1% below the US average
- All itemsAbout the same as the US average
Monthly budget for one person
| Cost | Monthly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bedroom | $1,658 | $19,896 |
| Food | $475 | $5,700 |
| Transportation | $376 | $4,512 |
| Healthcare | $348 | $4,176 |
| Utilities | $229 | $2,748 |
| Total before taxes | $3,086 | $37,032 |
Rent by apartment size
| Monthly rent | Palm Bay | Whole metro area |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,444 | $1,327 |
| 1 bedroom | $1,658 | $1,525 |
| 2 bedrooms | $1,934 | $1,779 |
| 3 bedrooms | $2,591 | $2,382 |
| 4 bedrooms | $2,945 | $2,707 |
Living in Palm Bay
How Palm Bay compares with the US on income, housing, work and commuting (Census Bureau, ACS 2024 1-year).
| Measure | Palm Bay | US |
|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $77,638 | $81,604 |
| Median home value | $334,400 | $360,600 |
| Median rent paid | $1,735 | $1,487 |
| Households renting | 19.7% | 34.7% |
| Unemployment rate | 7.3% | 4.6% |
| Living below the poverty line | 11% | 12.2% |
| Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher | 27.7% | 36.9% |
| Median age | 39.7 years | 39.2 years |
| Average commute, one way | 28.7 minutes | 27.2 minutes |
| Working from home | 11% | 13.3% |
| Commuting by public transit | 0.5% | 3.7% |
The 1-year survey doesn’t publish commuting method for Palm Bay, so those figures come from the 2020–2024 5-year estimates.
Home internet
5 providers offer home internet to at least a quarter of Palm Bay, led by Spectrum, T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T. Fiber reaches 53.6% of homes and 56.5% can get gigabit speeds.
Pros and cons of living in Palm Bay
Pros
- No state income tax. Florida doesn't tax wages, so more of each paycheck stays with you.
Cons
- Higher unemployment. Unemployment is 7.3%, against 4.6% nationally (ACS 2024 1-year).
- Paychecks don't stretch far. A typical worker keeps $4,543 a year, less than in 124 of 178 large cities.
- Expensive rent. Median rent is $1,735 a month, against $1,487 nationally.
What your job keeps in Palm Bay
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
- $49,030
- Federal income tax
- −$3,704
- Payroll taxes
- −$3,751
- State income tax
- $0
- Rent, 1-bedroom
- −$19,896
- Everyday costs
- −$17,136
a year, or $379 a month
Pay: BLS OEWS Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, 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 Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL area.
| Job | Median pay | You keep |
|---|---|---|
| Software engineer | $131,760 | $64,292 |
| Project manager | $103,870 | $44,871 |
| Mechanical engineer | $102,630 | $43,998 |
| Registered nurse | $80,900 | $28,711 |
| Accountant | $75,860 | $25,166 |
| Teacher | $60,945 | $14,118 |
| Truck driver | $48,460 | $4,086 |
| Auto mechanic | $47,670 | $3,451 |
| Medical assistant | $38,830 | −$3,652 |
| Nursing assistant | $37,070 | −$5,066 |
Other jobs, A–Z
What each keeps in Palm Bay on its median pay. Pick one in the calculator above for the full breakdown.
- Carpenter $3,532
- Civil engineer $42,598
- Data scientist $45,947
- Dental assistant $3,234
- Dental hygienist $38,912
- Dentist $111,887
- Diesel mechanic $10,939
- Electrician $12,113
- Financial analyst $42,549
- Firefighter $381
- HVAC technician $11,140
- Lawyer $62,843
- Licensed practical nurse $14,161
- Lineman $21,015
- Nurse practitioner $56,830
- Occupational therapist $40,804
- Paralegal $11,952
- Paramedic $3,395
- Pharmacist $65,871
- Pharmacy technician $1,193
- Physical therapist $41,437
- Physician assistant $59,117
- Plumber $13,181
- Police officer $13,776
- Radiologic technologist $26,101
- Respiratory therapist $27,191
- Social worker $10,286
- Speech-language pathologist $13,358
- Veterinarian $65,720
- Welder $5,266
Compare Palm Bay with other cities
Compare Palm Bay with another city: any city or state, any of our 40 jobs.
Moving to Palm Bay
3 licensed interstate movers are based in Palm Bay, and 2 more elsewhere in the Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL area (FMCSA, household-goods authority).
Questions people ask
Is Palm Bay, FL a good place to live?
Palm Bay is one of the pricier places for a typical paycheck: a typical worker keeps less here than in 124 of 178 other large cities. Higher earners do better. The typical worker here earns $49,030 and keeps $4,543 a year after federal, payroll and state taxes, a 1-bedroom rent and everyday costs.
What is the cost of living in Palm Bay?
Prices in the Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL area are about the same as the US average (BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024). A 1-bedroom rents for $1,658 a month (HUD fair market rent, FY2027), and everyday costs for one person, covering food, transportation, healthcare and utilities, come to about $1,428 a month.
How much do you need to earn to live in Palm Bay?
A single person renting a 1-bedroom alone needs about $43,400 a year before tax to cover taxes, rent and everyday costs, with nothing left over. The typical worker in the Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL area earns $49,030.
What is the average rent in Palm Bay?
HUD's fair market rent for FY2027 is $1,444 for a studio, $1,658 for a 1-bedroom and $1,934 for a 2-bedroom. The Census Bureau puts the median rent paid in Palm Bay at $1,735 a month (2024).
Does Palm Bay have a state or city income tax?
Florida has no state income tax on wages. Palm Bay has no local income tax on wages.
What internet providers serve Palm Bay?
5 providers offer home internet to at least a quarter of Palm Bay, led by Spectrum, T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T. 53.6% of homes can get fiber and 56.5% 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