Overall
85.4
Cheap
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Wildwood-The Villages, FL
Cost-of-living indicators for Wildwood-The Villages, FL, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 85.4
- Overall RPP
- #378
- of 387 metros
- 51.7
- Rents RPP
- $117K
- $100K national buys
Wildwood ranks #378 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has fallen 4.9 points since 2008.
- falling since 2008
- similar cost to Jackson
The verdict
Wildwood costs less than 98% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 85.4, 14.6% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 51.7.
- bottom 2%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 96.2
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 89.0
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $117,063 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $85,424.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Wildwood's overall RPP fell -9.1 points, from 94.5 in 2023 to 85.4 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 80.2 to 51.7. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has been trending downward, decreasing by 4.9 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2024, when the index dropped 9.1 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Wildwood overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 90.4 |
| 2009 | 91.8 |
| 2010 | 91.0 |
| 2011 | 90.4 |
| 2012 | 93.0 |
| 2013 | 93.4 |
| 2014 | 93.1 |
| 2015 | 93.7 |
| 2016 | 93.8 |
| 2017 | 91.3 |
| 2018 | 93.3 |
| 2019 | 94.2 |
| 2020 | 92.0 |
| 2021 | 96.0 |
| 2022 | 91.1 |
| 2023 | 94.5 |
| 2024 | 85.4 |
Wildwood vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
85 Bottom 2% higher than 2% 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
Wildwood cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
51.7 RPP
- Services
Services
89 RPP
- Overall
Overall
85.4 RPP
- Goods
Goods
96.2 RPP
What this shows Wildwood's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 51.7 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 89.0. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Wildwood's cost comes from
Metros near Wildwood's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Wildwood (Wildwood, this metro): goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 51.7
- Jackson: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 56.6
- Gadsden: goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 53.7
- Alexandria: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 53.7
- Joplin: goods RPP 94.2, rents RPP 54
- Hot Springs: goods RPP 93.6, rents RPP 57.3
- Houma: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 51.3
Price Index Summary
Goods
96.2
Below avg
Services
89.0
Cheap
Rents
51.7
Cheap
Housing-led affordability profile
How Wildwood's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Wildwood: rents index at 51.7, the component furthest below the national benchmark. That does not make every local expense low, but it is the clearest explanation for the metro's overall RPP of 85.4.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Florence, SC, Charleston, WV. They resemble Wildwood 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, Wildwood's overall index has fallen by 4.9 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.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$85,424
in Wildwood-The Villages, FL purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$42,712
$75,000 nationally
$64,068
$125,000 nationally
$106,780
$150,000 nationally
$128,136
$200,000 nationally
$170,848
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
A
97/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability A
97th 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
Rent prices places Wildwood-The Villages, FL near the bottom of FL's metros
Among the 22 FL metros PlainCost tracks with reported rent prices data, Wildwood-The Villages, FL ranks #22 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Wildwood-The Villages, FL only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#2 of 22
5th percentile in FL
Services prices
#3 of 22
86th percentile in FL
Rent prices
#22 of 22
0th 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 Wildwood-The Villages, 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 (85.4 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (51.7 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 Wildwood'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.
Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH
Goods 96.3 · Services 87.9 · Rents 51.3 Florence, SC
Goods 96.3 · Services 87.7 · Rents 52.4 Charleston, WV
Goods 96.3 · Services 91.7 · Rents 51.4 Beckley, WV
Goods 96.3 · Services 91.8 · Rents 52.2 Albany, GA
Goods 96.3 · Services 88.3 · Rents 54.6 Gadsden, AL
Goods 96.4 · Services 86.7 · Rents 53.7
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Wildwood-The Villages, FL's index of 85.4.
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 Wildwood
How to read Wildwood'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 $117,063 in Wildwood. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 51.7, 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 Wildwood 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 Wildwood-The Villages, FL?
Wildwood-The Villages, FL has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 85.4, meaning it is 14.6% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 96.2, services at 89.0, and rents at 51.7. It ranks #378 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Wildwood-The Villages, FL to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $85,424 in Wildwood-The Villages, FL. Conversely, $100K earned in Wildwood-The Villages, FL has the purchasing power of $117,063 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Wildwood-The Villages, FL?
Rents in Wildwood-The Villages, FL are indexed at 51.7, which is 48.3% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Wildwood-The Villages, FL getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Wildwood-The Villages, FL's overall cost index changed by -4.9 points (from 90.4 to 85.4). The cost of living has been declining.
What costs the most in Wildwood-The Villages, FL?
The priciest category in Wildwood-The Villages, FL is goods at 96.2, 3.8% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is rents at 51.7, 48.3% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Wildwood-The Villages, FL?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Jackson, Gadsden, Alexandria. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Wildwood-The Villages, FL's 85.4.
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.