Port St. Lucie, FL Relocation Guide (2026)
Cost of living, housing, and income data for Port St. Lucie, sourced from the US Census Bureau.
Salary needed to live in Port St. Lucie →
Source: US Census Bureau ACS 5-Year (2022). Last updated July 2026.
Port St. Lucie, Florida is home to roughly 210,520 residents. The typical household here earns $75,040 a year — roughly in line with the median we track across cities (+4%).
Anyone weighing a move to Port St. Lucie should know the median home value is $292,900, below the multi-city median (-10%), and median rent runs $1,684 per month. Current mortgage rates and local property taxes both affect the real math of buying versus renting.
At roughly 3.9 times median income, Port St. Lucie's home values sit in a balanced range compared to the cities we track. Home prices around Port St. Lucie have pulled back slightly over the past year, down about 0.36%. Natural-hazard exposure in Port St. Lucie is rated Relatively High by FEMA, on the elevated end — something to check with insurers before buying.
Personal Affordability Check
Renting at $1,684/mo in Port St. Lucie would take 26.9% of your income.
$192/mo under the 30% guideline.
Buying the median home ($292,900) would take 25.0% of your income toward principal & interest.
$187/mo under the 28% guideline.
Cost of housing in Port St. Lucie
Median home value is $292,900 and median gross rent is $1,684/month. For buyers, monthly costs depend heavily on current mortgage rates — worth checking before you commit.
FHFA's county-level home price index for Saint Lucie fell 0.36% over the past year (as of 2025).
HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom unit in the surrounding county is $1,757/month.
Climate & home insurance
FEMA rates Port St. Lucie's overall natural-hazard risk as Relatively High. Risk level is a major driver of home insurance premiums.
Safety
Port St. Lucie reported a violent crime rate of 127.6 per 100,000 residents in 2025, per FBI data.
Moving to Port St. Lucie
Planning a move to Port St. Lucie? Compare licensed movers and get quotes based on your origin and move date.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cost of living in Port St. Lucie, FL?
- Housing drives most of the cost-of-living picture in Port St. Lucie — median home value of $292,900, median rent of $1,684/month — set against a median household income of $75,040 (US Census Bureau ACS 5-Year (2022)).
- How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Port St. Lucie?
- A common guideline is that rent should stay under 30% of gross income. With median rent at $1,684/month in Port St. Lucie, that implies an income of about $67,360 to keep housing affordable. See the full salary breakdown (renting and buying) for Port St. Lucie.
- Is it better to rent or buy in Port St. Lucie?
- Comparing the two in Port St. Lucie: renting at the median $1,684/month needs about $67,360 in annual income (30% guideline), while buying the $292,900 median home needs roughly $67,014 a year in principal-and-interest, assuming 20% down and a 30-year fixed loan at current rates.
- Is Port St. Lucie safe?
- FBI data puts Port St. Lucie's violent crime rate at 127.6 per 100,000 residents for 2025 — a useful benchmark alongside other cities you're weighing.
See the full salary breakdown for Port St. Lucie →
Cities with a similar cost of living
Matched on median rent and household income within 15% of Port St. Lucie's.