Cape Coral composite
39.6 /100
Grade C- · weighted across 7 dims
Metro comparison
Cape Coral vs Jacksonville
Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL and Jacksonville, FL side by side, cost of living, rent, wages, crime, schools, childcare and environment, all from the same federal datasets so every number is directly comparable.
- 39.6
- Cape Coral Life Score
- C-
- Cape Coral grade
- 59.0
- Jacksonville Life Score
- B+
- Jacksonville grade
Head-to-head verdict
Across the seven dimensions, Cape Coral scores higher on 2 (safety, childcare) and Jacksonville on 5 (cost of living, wages, rent, schools, environment). The radar shows the full shape; the tables below break out every figure.
Cape Coral vs Jacksonville across all seven dimensions (each scored 0–100 as a national percentile, bigger area = stronger overall)
Where each metro wins, and by how much
Every dimension is a national percentile (0–100). Each bar leans toward the stronger metro, a long lean is a decisive edge, a near-even split is a toss-up. The radar shows the overall shape; this shows the per-dimension margins.
◖ Cape Coral Jacksonville ◗
cost of living
14
24
wages
38
57
rent
9
80
safety
88
87
schools
80
83
childcare
52
51
environment
14
43
Cape Coral and Jacksonville differ across eleven dimensions of livability. Cape Coral has a cost-of-living index of 102.3 vs Jacksonville's 99.5 (national average = 100). Median salaries are $64,691 in Cape Coral and $67,763 in Jacksonville. A 2-bedroom averages $1,961/mo vs $1,103/mo.
How to read this matchup
Reading the Cape Coral vs Jacksonville Comparison
Cape Coral (FL) and Jacksonville (FL) are assembled here from the same federal data pipeline, BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, FBI Uniform Crime Reports, NCES public-school counts, and EPA environmental indicators, so every number on this page is directly comparable. The overall cost index reads 102.3 for Cape Coral against 99.5 for Jacksonville, a 2.9-point gap on a scale where 100 equals the U.S. average. HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent, the figure used to set housing-choice voucher payment standards, is $1,961/mo in Cape Coral and $1,103/mo in Jacksonville, a $858/mo difference that compounds to $10,296 over a year.
On wages, BLS OES reports a median salary of $64,691 across 293,750 jobs in Cape Coral against $67,763 across 749,800 jobs in Jacksonville. Adjusted through the BEA cost-of-living lens, $100,000 earned in Cape Coral carries the same local purchasing power as $97,201 in Jacksonville - the most honest way to read the salary headline, because nominal wages and rents move together in tight metros. State-level violent crime, the most reliable geographic tier FBI UCR publishes, is 210.3 per 100,000 residents in FL vs 210.3 in FL, with property-crime rates of 1030.0 and 1030.0 respectively.
Schools are reported at the state tier by NCES: FL lists 4,029 public schools at a 17.8:1 student-teacher ratio, while FL lists 4,029 schools at 17.8:1, a signal of class-size staffing, though individual district and school-level variation within each state is substantial. Department of Labor center-based infant care runs $10,505/yr in the Cape Coral area versus $10,505/yr in Jacksonville - a line item that shifts the real cost-of-living picture for households with children under five far more than headline RPP does. When these pieces are read together rather than in isolation, Cape Coral and Jacksonville are not simply "cheaper" or "more expensive" - they trade across dimensions, and which metro wins depends on whether your household optimizes for rent, wages, schools, childcare, safety, or environment. Treat the tables below as inputs to that trade-off, not as a single ranking.
Jacksonville composite
59.0 /100
Grade B+ · weighted across 7 dims
Cost-of-living gap
2.9 pts
Cape Coral vs Jacksonville BEA RPP
2-bed rent delta
$858 /mo
Cape Coral priced higher
Composite life score on the national 0–100 scale
Cape Coral
Cape Coral composite (Grade C-)
Jacksonville
Jacksonville composite (Grade B+)
Composite is a weighted roll-up of seven dimensions: cost (20%), wages (20%), rent (15%), safety (15%), schools (10%), childcare (10%), environment (10%). Each input normalized to a 0–100 percentile across all metros.
💰 Cost of Living BEA →
| Category | Cape Coral | Jacksonville |
|---|---|---|
| Overall RPP | 102.3 | 99.5 |
| Goods | 96.2 | 96.2 |
| Services | 86.9 | 87.5 |
| Rents | 125.1 | 109.8 |
Salary Equivalent Calculator
What salary in Jacksonville gives the same purchasing power as your salary in Cape Coral?
$
Equivalent in Jacksonville:
$97,201
Based on BEA Regional Price Parities (Cape Coral: 102.3, Jacksonville: 99.5, national avg = 100).
🏠 Rent (Fair Market Rent) HUD →
| Bedrooms | Cape Coral | Jacksonville |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,629/mo | $903/mo |
| 1 Bedroom | $1,638/mo | $922/mo |
| 2 Bedroom | $1,961/mo | $1,103/mo |
| 3 Bedroom | $2,560/mo | $1,512/mo |
| 4 Bedroom | $2,836/mo | $1,708/mo |
💼 Wages & Employment BLS →
| Metric | Cape Coral | Jacksonville |
|---|---|---|
| Avg Median Salary | $64,691 | $67,763 |
| Total Employment | 293,750 | 749,800 |
🛡️ Crime Rates (state-level) FBI →
| Crime Type (per 100K) | Cape Coral (FL) | Jacksonville (FL) |
|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime | 210.3 | 210.3 |
| Property Crime | 1030.0 | 1030.0 |
🎓 Schools (state-level) NCES →
| Metric | FL | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Total Schools | 4,029 | 4,029 |
| Student-Teacher Ratio | 17.8:1 | 17.8:1 |
| Charter Schools | 17.9% | 17.9% |
👶 Childcare Costs (Annual Avg) (state-level) DOL →
| Age Group | FL | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Infant (Center) | $10,505/yr | $10,505/yr |
| Toddler (Center) | $8,611/yr | $8,611/yr |
| Preschool (Center) | $7,983/yr | $7,983/yr |
🌿 Environment (state-level) EPA →
| Metric | FL | FL |
|---|---|---|
| EPA Facilities | 864 | 864 |
| Water Systems | 1,516 | 1,516 |
| Superfund Sites | 81 | 81 |
| Water Violations | 2,676 | 2,676 |
Government-verified data - Air quality (EPA AQS), water safety (EPA SDWIS), healthcare access (HRSA), and disaster risk (FEMA NRI) are sourced directly from U.S. federal agencies. No crowdsourced estimates.
💨 Air Quality (EPA AQS) EPA AQS →
| Metric | Cape Coral | Jacksonville |
|---|---|---|
| Median AQI | 37.0 | 51.0 |
| Good Air Days | 92.1% | 49.7% |
| Unhealthy Air Days | 0 days | 0 days |
💧 Water Safety (EPA SDWIS, state-level) EPA SDWIS →
| Metric | FL | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Water Safety Score | 9/100 | 9/100 |
| Total Violations | 184,355 | 184,355 |
| Health-Based Violations | 24,266 | 24,266 |
| Systems with Violations | 93.2% | 93.2% |
🏥 Healthcare Access (HRSA, state-level) HRSA →
| Metric | FL | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare Access Score | 0/100 | 0/100 |
| Population in Shortage Area | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| HPSA Designations | 612 | 612 |
HPSA = Health Professional Shortage Area, designated by HRSA. Higher access score = better healthcare availability.
⚠️ Natural Disaster Risk (FEMA NRI, state-level) FEMA NRI →
| Metric | FL | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Disaster Safety Score | 29/100 | 29/100 |
| NRI Risk Score (avg county) | 75.7 | 75.7 |
| Expected Annual Loss Score | 72.9 | 72.9 |
FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) scores are county-level percentiles (0–100). Higher disaster safety score = lower relative risk. State-level values are county averages.
Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level. Metro-specific data for these dimensions is not available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cape Coral more expensive than Jacksonville? ▼
Cape Coral has a cost of living index of 102.3 compared to Jacksonville's 99.5 (national average = 100). Cape Coral is 2.9 points above Jacksonville on the BEA Regional Price Parity scale.
What is the rent difference between Cape Coral and Jacksonville? ▼
A 2-bedroom apartment averages $1,961/mo in Cape Coral vs $1,103/mo in Jacksonville, based on HUD Fair Market Rent data. Studios range from $1,629/mo to $903/mo.
How do salaries compare between Cape Coral and Jacksonville? ▼
The average median salary across all occupations is $64,691 in Cape Coral and $67,763 in Jacksonville, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. After adjusting for cost of living, $100,000 in Cape Coral has the same purchasing power as $97,201 in Jacksonville.
Is Cape Coral or Jacksonville safer? ▼
At the state level, FL has a violent crime rate of 210.3 per 100,000 residents compared to FL's 210.3 per 100,000. Property crime rates are 1030.0 vs 1030.0 per 100,000 respectively, based on FBI Uniform Crime Report data.
How do schools compare between Cape Coral and Jacksonville? ▼
FL has 4,029 public schools with an average student-teacher ratio of 17.8:1, while FL has 4,029 schools at 17.8:1. Charter schools make up 17.9% of FL schools vs 17.9% in FL. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Where does the comparison data come from? ▼
All data comes from official U.S. government sources: Bureau of Economic Analysis (cost of living), HUD (fair market rents), BLS (wages), FBI UCR (crime), NCES (schools), Department of Labor (childcare), EPA (environment, air quality, water safety), HRSA (healthcare access), and FEMA NRI (disaster risk). No crowdsourced estimates or proprietary ratings are used.
Research Guides
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Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, EPA AQS, EPA SDWIS, HRSA, and FEMA NRI. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.
Disclaimer: This comparison is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or relocation advice. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Related
Data sourced from official public datasets, current as of 2026. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial