Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach vs Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater is 11.6% less expensive than Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach.
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL is 11.6% less expensive than Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 100.9 vs 114.2). A $100,000 salary in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach buys about the same as $88,380 in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 114.2 (Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach) vs 100.9 (Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater)
- $100k in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach ≈ $88,380 purchasing power in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater
- Rents drives the gap (-29.7 RPP points)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach would need to be in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater for the same purchasing power:
| In Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach | In Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $44,190 | $-5,810 |
| $75,000 | $66,285 | $-8,715 |
| $100,000 | $88,380 | $-11,620 |
| $150,000 | $132,570 | $-17,430 |
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (114.2 → 100.9), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Both metros exceed the U.S. benchmark of 100. The choice is between two national premiums, so local wages need to clear the higher baseline in either market.
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL and Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL sit in clearly different price tiers, separated by 13.3 RPP points. At this distance, treating the same nominal salary as equivalent would materially change purchasing power.
Rents leads the difference, with Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater 29.7 points lower than Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach. Goods, services, and rents all point in the same broad direction, making the headline comparison more transferable across household types.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
For a housing-sensitive move, validate the rent gap first: HUD Fair Market Rent and the actual unit size can overturn what the blended index implies. On the BEA ratio alone, $100,000 in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach corresponds to $88,380 in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater.
Category Breakdown
| Category | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 114.2 | 100.9 | -13.3 |
| Goods | 103.6 | 95.5 | -8.1 |
| Services | 97.2 | 88.5 | -8.7 |
| Rents | 155.6 | 125.8 | -29.7 |
Visual Comparison
Vertical line = national average (100)
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater more expensive than Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach?
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater is 11.6% less expensive than Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach. The overall cost index is 100.9 vs 114.2 (national average = 100).
What salary in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater equals $100K in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach?
A $100,000 salary in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach has the same purchasing power as $88,380 in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach and Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater?
Rents in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach are indexed at 155.6 while Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater is at 125.8 (national average = 100). Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach has higher rents.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.