Cost of Living in Port St. Lucie, Florida
Rent, everyday costs and taxes in Port St. Lucie, what each job keeps after paying them, and how the city compares with the rest of the US.
- Population
- 268,062
- Median household income
- $86,241
- Cost of living (US = 100)
- 100.2
- Unemployment rate
- 5.2%
Is Port St. Lucie a good place to live?
Port St. Lucie is hard on a single typical paycheck: after taxes, a 1-bedroom rent and everyday costs, a typical worker living alone comes up $2,601 a year short. It works better for higher earners and for people who share housing.
Your own pay and housing may differ. Try your job
- Cost of livingAbout the same as the US average (BEA, 2024)
- Rent$2,086 a month for a 1-bedroom (HUD)
- TaxesNo state income tax on wages
Cost of living in Port St. Lucie
Prices in the Port St. Lucie, FL area run about the same as the US average. Housing is the biggest difference, at 14% above the US average.
- Housing14% above 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 itemsAbout the same as the US average
Monthly budget for one person
| Cost | Monthly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bedroom | $2,086 | $25,032 |
| Food | $475 | $5,700 |
| Transportation | $376 | $4,512 |
| Healthcare | $348 | $4,176 |
| Utilities | $227 | $2,724 |
| Total before taxes | $3,512 | $42,144 |
Rent by apartment size
| Monthly rent | Port St. Lucie | Whole metro area |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $2,076 | $1,707 |
| 1 bedroom | $2,086 | $1,718 |
| 2 bedrooms | $2,516 | $2,069 |
| 3 bedrooms | $3,405 | $2,801 |
| 4 bedrooms | $3,555 | $2,924 |
Living in Port St. Lucie
How Port St. Lucie compares with the US on income, housing, work and commuting (Census Bureau, ACS 2024 1-year).
| Measure | Port St. Lucie | US |
|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $86,241 | $81,604 |
| Median home value | $420,600 | $360,600 |
| Median rent paid | $2,133 | $1,487 |
| Households renting | 17.7% | 34.7% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.2% | 4.6% |
| Living below the poverty line | 9% | 12.2% |
| Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher | 29.3% | 36.9% |
| Median age | 44.3 years | 39.2 years |
| Average commute, one way | 33.3 minutes | 27.2 minutes |
| Working from home | 16.7% | 13.3% |
| Commuting by public transit | 0.5% | 3.7% |
Home internet
4 providers offer home internet to at least a quarter of Port St. Lucie, led by Xfinity, AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon. Fiber reaches 72.9% of homes and 87.5% can get gigabit speeds.
Pros and cons of living in Port St. Lucie
Pros
- No state income tax. Florida doesn't tax wages, so more of each paycheck stays with you.
- Fast home internet. 87.5% of homes can get gigabit speeds (FCC).
Cons
- Paychecks don't stretch far. A typical worker living alone comes up $2,601 short each year after taxes, rent and everyday costs.
- Expensive rent. Median rent is $2,133 a month, against $1,487 nationally.
- Longer commutes. The average one-way commute is 33.3 minutes, against 27.2 nationally.
What your job keeps in Port St. Lucie
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
- $46,490
- Federal income tax
- −$3,399
- Payroll taxes
- −$3,556
- State income tax
- $0
- Rent, 1-bedroom
- −$25,032
- Everyday costs
- −$17,104
a year ($217 a month) for one earner renting a 1-bedroom alone
Pay: BLS OEWS Port St. Lucie, FL. Rent: HUD FY2027. Taxes: 2026 federal, state and local schedules for a single filer.
A single earner renting a 1-bedroom alone. Sharing housing, or a second income, changes this a lot.
What the most common jobs keep here
The 10 jobs we cover with the most workers in the Port St. Lucie, FL area.
| Job | Median pay | You keep |
|---|---|---|
| Registered nurse | $82,090 | $24,444 |
| Accountant | $79,430 | $22,573 |
| Police officer | $77,070 | $20,913 |
| Electrician | $58,540 | $7,081 |
| Teacher | $54,932 | $4,182 |
| Auto mechanic | $49,380 | −$280 |
| Carpenter | $48,640 | −$874 |
| Truck driver | $48,590 | −$914 |
| Medical assistant | $44,280 | −$4,377 |
| Nursing assistant | $37,690 | −$9,672 |
Other jobs, A–Z
What each keeps in Port St. Lucie on its median pay. Pick one in the calculator above for the full breakdown.
- Civil engineer $36,496
- Data scientist $33,660
- Dental assistant −$2,657
- Dental hygienist $32,865
- Dentist $74,970
- Diesel mechanic $9,700
- Financial analyst $14,750
- Firefighter $17,881
- HVAC technician $6,012
- Lawyer $59,598
- Licensed practical nurse $9,299
- Lineman $35,137
- Mechanical engineer $33,632
- Nurse practitioner $57,144
- Occupational therapist $37,002
- Paralegal $8,552
- Paramedic $21,968
- Pharmacist $61,560
- Pharmacy technician −$3,348
- Physical therapist $40,730
- Physician assistant $55,203
- Plumber $1,014
- Project manager $26,358
- Radiologic technologist $23,164
- Respiratory therapist $24,986
- Social worker $3,181
- Software engineer $56,967
- Speech-language pathologist $35,391
- Veterinarian $56,796
- Welder $2,043
Compare Port St. Lucie with other cities
Compare Port St. Lucie with another city: any city or state, any of our 40 jobs.
Moving to Port St. Lucie
8 licensed interstate movers are based in Port St. Lucie, and 6 more elsewhere in the Port St. Lucie, FL area (FMCSA, household-goods authority).
Questions people ask
Is Port St. Lucie, FL a good place to live?
Port St. Lucie is hard on a single typical paycheck: after taxes, a 1-bedroom rent and everyday costs, a typical worker living alone comes up $2,601 a year short. It works better for higher earners and for people who share housing. The typical worker here earns $46,490 and would be $2,601 short a year after federal, payroll and state taxes, a 1-bedroom rent and everyday costs, renting alone.
What is the cost of living in Port St. Lucie?
Prices in the Port St. Lucie, FL area are about the same as the US average (BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024). A 1-bedroom rents for $2,086 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 Port St. Lucie?
A single person renting a 1-bedroom alone needs about $49,800 a year before tax to cover taxes, rent and everyday costs, with nothing left over. The typical worker in the Port St. Lucie, FL area earns $46,490.
What is the average rent in Port St. Lucie?
HUD's fair market rent for FY2027 is $2,076 for a studio, $2,086 for a 1-bedroom and $2,516 for a 2-bedroom. The Census Bureau puts the median rent paid in Port St. Lucie at $2,133 a month (2024).
Does Port St. Lucie have a state or city income tax?
Florida has no state income tax on wages. Port St. Lucie has no local income tax on wages.
What internet providers serve Port St. Lucie?
4 providers offer home internet to at least a quarter of Port St. Lucie, led by Xfinity, AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon. 72.9% of homes can get fiber and 87.5% 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
- 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