Overall
100.0
Above avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL
Cost-of-living indicators for Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 100.0
- Overall RPP
- #90
- of 387 metros
- 111.7
- Rents RPP
- $100K
- $100K national buys
Palm Bay ranks #90 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- similar cost to Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton
The verdict
Palm Bay is more expensive than 77% of U.S. metros, an overall cost index of 100.0, 0.0% above the national average, led by services at 88.1.
- top 23%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 96.2
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 88.1
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $99,995 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $100,005.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Palm Bay's overall RPP fell -1.3 points, from 101.3 in 2023 to 100.0 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 119.0 to 111.7. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has remained relatively stable, changing by only 0.1 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2009, when the index dropped 2.8 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Palm Bay overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 99.9 |
| 2009 | 97.2 |
| 2010 | 98.6 |
| 2011 | 98.6 |
| 2012 | 98.0 |
| 2013 | 97.1 |
| 2014 | 98.9 |
| 2015 | 99.6 |
| 2016 | 98.8 |
| 2017 | 99.4 |
| 2018 | 98.3 |
| 2019 | 96.6 |
| 2020 | 96.8 |
| 2021 | 98.9 |
| 2022 | 99.4 |
| 2023 | 101.3 |
| 2024 | 100.0 |
Service-cost relief profile
How Palm Bay's cost structure works
Services provide the strongest cost offset in Palm Bay: their index is 88.1, farther below the national baseline than rents or tradable goods. The overall RPP of 100.0 therefore has a different source than a place with cheaper housing instead.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Punta Gorda, FL, Jacksonville, FL, Port St. Lucie, FL. They resemble Palm Bay 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, Palm Bay's overall index has stayed within 0.1 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.
Palm Bay vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
100 Top 23% higher than 77% 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
Palm Bay cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
111.7 RPP
- Services
Services
88.1 RPP
- Overall
Overall
100 RPP
- Goods
Goods
96.2 RPP
What this shows Palm Bay's strongest departure is services at 88.1; rents follows at 111.7. Labor-priced local activity, rather than housing alone, is the first budget line to investigate.
Goods vs. housing, where Palm Bay's cost comes from
Metros near Palm Bay's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Palm Bay (Palm Bay, this metro): goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 111.7
- Allentown: goods RPP 100.6, rents RPP 105.5
- Atlanta: goods RPP 100.4, rents RPP 111
- Kennewick: goods RPP 105, rents RPP 94.8
- Greeley: goods RPP 96.1, rents RPP 112.6
- Visalia: goods RPP 105.2, rents RPP 84.1
- Las Vegas: goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 115.5
Price Index Summary
Goods
96.2
Below avg
Services
88.1
Cheap
Rents
111.7
Expensive
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$100,005
in Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$50,002
$75,000 nationally
$75,004
$125,000 nationally
$125,006
$150,000 nationally
$150,007
$200,000 nationally
$200,010
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
F
16/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability F
16th 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.
FL-relative analysis
Goods prices places Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL near the bottom of FL's metros
Among the 22 FL metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL ranks #2 - the 5th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#2 of 22
5th percentile in FL
Services prices
#9 of 22
59th percentile in FL
Rent prices
#9 of 22
59th 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 Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, 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 (100.0 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (111.7 here).
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI Rents 111.8 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Rents 112.0 Bellingham, WA Rents 112.9 Worcester, MA Rents 113.0 Salem, OR Rents 110.3 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Rents 113.1 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT Rents 110.2 Punta Gorda, FL Rents 113.3
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 Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL 102.3 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL 101.4 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL 100.9
View all FL metros → Cheapest in FL → Most expensive in FL →
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Palm Bay'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.
Punta Gorda, FL
Goods 96.2 · Services 87.3 · Rents 113.3 Jacksonville, FL
Goods 96.2 · Services 87.5 · Rents 109.8 Port St. Lucie, FL
Goods 96.2 · Services 87.0 · Rents 113.6 Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL
Goods 96.2 · Services 87.6 · Rents 108.4 Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV
Goods 96.3 · Services 90.6 · Rents 115.5 Charlottesville, VA
Goods 96.8 · Services 89.0 · Rents 107.0
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL's index of 100.0.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Shareable data card
Take this cost snapshot with you
Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
Compare to Other Metros
What this means for Palm Bay
How to read Palm Bay'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 $99,995 in Palm Bay. Salary calculator
- Start with services: it indexes at 88.1, 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 Palm Bay 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 Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL?
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 100.0, meaning it is 0.0% more expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 96.2, services at 88.1, and rents at 111.7. It ranks #90 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $100,005 in Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL. Conversely, $100K earned in Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL has the purchasing power of $99,995 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL?
Rents in Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL are indexed at 111.7, which is 11.7% above the national average. This is significantly higher than typical U.S. rents.
Is Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL's overall cost index changed by +0.1 points (from 99.9 to 100.0). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL?
The priciest category in Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL is rents at 111.7, 11.7% above the national average. The most affordable category is services at 88.1, 11.9% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, Kennewick-Richland. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL's 100.0.
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.