Jacksonville composite
59.0 /100
Grade B+ · weighted across 7 dims
Metro comparison
Jacksonville vs Panama City
Jacksonville, FL and Panama City-Panama City Beach, 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.
- 59.0
- Jacksonville Life Score
- B+
- Jacksonville grade
- 47.5
- Panama City Life Score
- C+
- Panama City grade
Head-to-head verdict
Across the seven dimensions, Jacksonville scores higher on 4 (wages, rent, safety, childcare) and Panama City on 3 (cost of living, schools, environment). The radar shows the full shape; the tables below break out every figure.
Jacksonville vs Panama City 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.
◖ Jacksonville Panama City ◗
cost of living
24
32
wages
57
25
rent
80
22
safety
87
85
schools
83
85
childcare
51
48
environment
43
69
Jacksonville and Panama City differ across eleven dimensions of livability. Jacksonville has a cost-of-living index of 99.5 vs Panama City's 97.3 (national average = 100). Median salaries are $67,763 in Jacksonville and $60,913 in Panama City. A 2-bedroom averages $1,103/mo vs $1,682/mo.
How to read this matchup
Reading the Jacksonville vs Panama City Comparison
Jacksonville (FL) and Panama City (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 99.5 for Jacksonville against 97.3 for Panama City, a 2.2-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 $1,103/mo in Jacksonville and $1,682/mo in Panama City, a $579/mo difference that compounds to $6,948 over a year.
On wages, BLS OES reports a median salary of $67,763 across 749,800 jobs in Jacksonville against $60,913 across 84,900 jobs in Panama City. Adjusted through the BEA cost-of-living lens, $100,000 earned in Jacksonville carries the same local purchasing power as $97,801 in Panama City - 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 Jacksonville area versus $10,505/yr in Panama City - 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, Jacksonville and Panama City 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.
Panama City composite
47.5 /100
Grade C+ · weighted across 7 dims
Cost-of-living gap
2.2 pts
Jacksonville vs Panama City BEA RPP
2-bed rent delta
$579 /mo
Panama City priced higher
Composite life score on the national 0–100 scale
Jacksonville
Jacksonville composite (Grade B+)
Panama City
Panama City composite (Grade C+)
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 | Jacksonville | Panama City |
|---|---|---|
| Overall RPP | 99.5 | 97.3 |
| Goods | 96.2 | 96.2 |
| Services | 87.5 | 88.1 |
| Rents | 109.8 | 96.4 |
Salary Equivalent Calculator
What salary in Panama City gives the same purchasing power as your salary in Jacksonville?
$
Equivalent in Panama City:
$97,801
Based on BEA Regional Price Parities (Jacksonville: 99.5, Panama City: 97.3, national avg = 100).
🏠 Rent (Fair Market Rent) HUD →
| Bedrooms | Jacksonville | Panama City |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $903/mo | $1,426/mo |
| 1 Bedroom | $922/mo | $1,480/mo |
| 2 Bedroom | $1,103/mo | $1,682/mo |
| 3 Bedroom | $1,512/mo | $2,169/mo |
| 4 Bedroom | $1,708/mo | $2,689/mo |
💼 Wages & Employment BLS →
| Metric | Jacksonville | Panama City |
|---|---|---|
| Avg Median Salary | $67,763 | $60,913 |
| Total Employment | 749,800 | 84,900 |
🛡️ Crime Rates (state-level) FBI →
| Crime Type (per 100K) | Jacksonville (FL) | Panama City (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 | Jacksonville | Panama City |
|---|---|---|
| Median AQI | 51.0 | 47.0 |
| Good Air Days | 49.7% | 60.1% |
| Unhealthy Air Days | 0 days | 1 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 Jacksonville more expensive than Panama City? ▼
Jacksonville has a cost of living index of 99.5 compared to Panama City's 97.3 (national average = 100). Jacksonville is 2.2 points above Panama City on the BEA Regional Price Parity scale.
What is the rent difference between Jacksonville and Panama City? ▼
A 2-bedroom apartment averages $1,103/mo in Jacksonville vs $1,682/mo in Panama City, based on HUD Fair Market Rent data. Studios range from $903/mo to $1,426/mo.
How do salaries compare between Jacksonville and Panama City? ▼
The average median salary across all occupations is $67,763 in Jacksonville and $60,913 in Panama City, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. After adjusting for cost of living, $100,000 in Jacksonville has the same purchasing power as $97,801 in Panama City.
Is Jacksonville or Panama City 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 Jacksonville and Panama City? ▼
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.
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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