Overall
102.3
Above avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL
Cost-of-living indicators for Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 102.3
- Overall RPP
- #55
- of 387 metros
- 125.1
- Rents RPP
- $98K
- $100K national buys
Cape Coral ranks #55 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has risen 2.4 points since 2008.
- rising since 2008
- similar cost to North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota
The verdict
Cape Coral is more expensive than 86% of U.S. metros, an overall cost index of 102.3, 2.3% above the national average, led by rents at 125.1.
- top 14%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 96.2
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 86.9
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $97,705 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $102,349.
Cape Coral vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
102 Top 14% higher than 86% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Cape Coral cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
125.1 RPP
- Services
Services
86.9 RPP
- Overall
Overall
102.3 RPP
- Goods
Goods
96.2 RPP
What this shows Cape Coral's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 125.1 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 86.9. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Cape Coral's cost comes from
Metros near Cape Coral's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Cape Coral (Cape Coral, this metro): goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 125.1
- North Port: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 128
- Mount Vernon: goods RPP 105, rents RPP 108.2
- Bozeman: goods RPP 96, rents RPP 139.2
- Worcester: goods RPP 97, rents RPP 113
- Fresno: goods RPP 105.2, rents RPP 95.7
- Philadelphia: goods RPP 96.8, rents RPP 113.1
Price Index Summary
Goods
96.2
Below avg
Services
86.9
Cheap
Rents
125.1
Expensive
Housing-led cost profile
How Cape Coral's cost structure works
Housing is the defining pressure in Cape Coral: rents index at 125.1, the furthest component above the national benchmark. The overall index of 102.3 places Cape Coral in the top quartile for cost; the rent line explains why a similar headline RPP can still require a different housing budget.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL, Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL, Reno, NV. They resemble Cape Coral across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, Cape Coral's overall index has risen by 2.4 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$102,349
in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$51,175
$75,000 nationally
$76,762
$125,000 nationally
$127,936
$150,000 nationally
$153,524
$200,000 nationally
$204,698
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
F
9/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability F
9th percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Cape Coral's overall RPP fell -0.8 points, from 103.1 in 2023 to 102.3 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 90.7 to 86.9. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has been trending upward, increasing by 2.4 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2009, when the index dropped 2.9 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Cape Coral overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 99.9 |
| 2009 | 97.0 |
| 2010 | 97.4 |
| 2011 | 97.7 |
| 2012 | 97.9 |
| 2013 | 97.9 |
| 2014 | 98.6 |
| 2015 | 99.1 |
| 2016 | 101.0 |
| 2017 | 99.4 |
| 2018 | 99.2 |
| 2019 | 97.8 |
| 2020 | 98.1 |
| 2021 | 99.9 |
| 2022 | 101.8 |
| 2023 | 103.1 |
| 2024 | 102.3 |
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Cape Coral's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
Goods 96.2 · Services 87.2 · Rents 123.4 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
Goods 95.5 · Services 88.5 · Rents 125.8 Reno, NV
Goods 96.3 · Services 89.3 · Rents 123.5 North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL
Goods 96.2 · Services 88.2 · Rents 128.0 Naples-Marco Island, FL
Goods 96.2 · Services 87.8 · Rents 129.4 Charleston-North Charleston, SC
Goods 96.3 · Services 88.2 · Rents 119.8
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL's index of 102.3.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
FL-relative analysis
Goods prices places Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL near the bottom of FL's metros
Among the 22 FL metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL ranks #2 - the 5th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#2 of 22
5th percentile in FL
Services prices
#20 of 22
9th percentile in FL
Rent prices
#5 of 22
77th percentile in FL
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within FL only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (102.3 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (125.1 here).
Other FL Metros
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 114.2 Naples-Marco Island, FL 103.2 North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL 102.4 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL 101.4 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL 100.9 Punta Gorda, FL 100.5
View all FL metros → Cheapest in FL → Most expensive in FL →
Compare to Other Metros
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
Shareable data card
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What this means for Cape Coral
How to read Cape Coral's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $97,705 in Cape Coral. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 125.1, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare Cape Coral head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL?
Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 102.3, meaning it is 2.3% more expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 96.2, services at 86.9, and rents at 125.1. It ranks #55 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $102,349 in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. Conversely, $100K earned in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL has the purchasing power of $97,705 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL?
Rents in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL are indexed at 125.1, which is 25.1% above the national average. This is significantly higher than typical U.S. rents.
Is Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL's overall cost index changed by +2.4 points (from 99.9 to 102.3). The cost of living has been trending upward.
What costs the most in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL?
The priciest category in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL is rents at 125.1, 25.1% above the national average. The most affordable category is services at 86.9, 13.1% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, Mount Vernon-Anacortes, Bozeman. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL's 102.3.
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.