Overall
100.2
Above avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Port St. Lucie, FL
Cost-of-living indicators for Port St. Lucie, FL, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 100.2
- Overall RPP
- #85
- of 387 metros
- 113.6
- Rents RPP
- $100K
- $100K national buys
Port St. Lucie ranks #85 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- similar cost to Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas
The verdict
Port St. Lucie is more expensive than 78% of U.S. metros, an overall cost index of 100.2, 0.2% above the national average, led by rents at 113.6.
- top 22%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 96.2
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 87.0
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $99,773 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $100,228.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Port St. Lucie's overall RPP fell -2.0 points, from 102.2 in 2023 to 100.2 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 122.6 to 113.6. 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 0.9 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2019, when the index dropped 4.6 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Port St. Lucie overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 101.1 |
| 2009 | 98.6 |
| 2010 | 98.9 |
| 2011 | 98.9 |
| 2012 | 99.2 |
| 2013 | 98.4 |
| 2014 | 99.9 |
| 2015 | 99.7 |
| 2016 | 100.5 |
| 2017 | 99.3 |
| 2018 | 99.0 |
| 2019 | 94.4 |
| 2020 | 98.6 |
| 2021 | 98.5 |
| 2022 | 98.3 |
| 2023 | 102.2 |
| 2024 | 100.2 |
Housing-led cost profile
How Port St. Lucie's cost structure works
Housing is the defining pressure in Port St. Lucie: rents index at 113.6, the furthest component above the national benchmark. The overall index of 100.2 places Port St. Lucie 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 Punta Gorda, FL, Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL, Jacksonville, FL. They resemble Port St. Lucie 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, Port St. Lucie's overall index has stayed within 0.9 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.
Port St. Lucie vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
100 Top 22% higher than 78% 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
Port St. Lucie cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
113.6 RPP
- Services
Services
87 RPP
- Overall
Overall
100.2 RPP
- Goods
Goods
96.2 RPP
What this shows Port St. Lucie's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 113.6 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 87.0. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Port St. Lucie's cost comes from
Metros near Port St. Lucie's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Port St. Lucie (Port St. Lucie, this metro): goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 113.6
- Las Vegas: goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 115.5
- Amherst Town: goods RPP 97, rents RPP 97.5
- Greeley: goods RPP 96.1, rents RPP 112.6
- Detroit: goods RPP 98.8, rents RPP 94.7
- Flagstaff: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 109
- Spokane: goods RPP 105, rents RPP 97.1
Price Index Summary
Goods
96.2
Below avg
Services
87.0
Cheap
Rents
113.6
Expensive
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$100,228
in Port St. Lucie, FL purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$50,114
$75,000 nationally
$75,171
$125,000 nationally
$125,285
$150,000 nationally
$150,342
$200,000 nationally
$200,456
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
F
14/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability F
14th 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 Port St. Lucie, FL near the bottom of FL's metros
Among the 22 FL metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Port St. Lucie, FL ranks #2 - the 5th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Port St. Lucie, FL only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#2 of 22
5th percentile in FL
Services prices
#19 of 22
14th percentile in FL
Rent prices
#7 of 22
68th 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 Port St. Lucie, 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 (100.2 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (113.6 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 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 Port St. Lucie'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 Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL
Goods 96.2 · Services 88.1 · Rents 111.7 Jacksonville, FL
Goods 96.2 · Services 87.5 · Rents 109.8 Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV
Goods 96.3 · Services 90.6 · Rents 115.5 Colorado Springs, CO
Goods 96.1 · Services 83.2 · Rents 116.2 Greeley, CO
Goods 96.1 · Services 82.0 · Rents 112.6
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Port St. Lucie, FL's index of 100.2.
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 Port St. Lucie
How to read Port St. Lucie'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 $99,773 in Port St. Lucie. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 113.6, 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 Port St. Lucie 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 Port St. Lucie, FL?
Port St. Lucie, FL has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 100.2, meaning it is 0.2% more expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 96.2, services at 87.0, and rents at 113.6. It ranks #85 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Port St. Lucie, FL to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $100,228 in Port St. Lucie, FL. Conversely, $100K earned in Port St. Lucie, FL has the purchasing power of $99,773 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Port St. Lucie, FL?
Rents in Port St. Lucie, FL are indexed at 113.6, which is 13.6% above the national average. This is significantly higher than typical U.S. rents.
Is Port St. Lucie, FL getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Port St. Lucie, FL's overall cost index changed by -0.9 points (from 101.1 to 100.2). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in Port St. Lucie, FL?
The priciest category in Port St. Lucie, FL is rents at 113.6, 13.6% above the national average. The most affordable category is services at 87.0, 13.0% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Port St. Lucie, FL?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, Amherst Town-Northampton, Greeley. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Port St. Lucie, FL's 100.2.
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.