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Residential comparison · 13 facts

Merritt Island, FL vs West Melbourne, FL

Compare the housing, tax, cost, income, safety, school, and climate facts that are available for both places. The table shows the numbers without declaring one city universally better.

A household earning $85,000 in Merritt Island needs about $93,000 in West Melbourne to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from West Melbourne, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $77,000 in Merritt Island.

A few differences

Merritt Island vs West Melbourne · facet by facet
FacetMerritt Island, FLWest Melbourne, FL
Median home price$402,900$377,100
2-bedroom rent$1,397/mo$1,981/mo
Property tax rate0.8%0.8%
State & local income tax0%0%
Sales tax7%7%
Cost of living index102109
Groceries index103103
Utilities$180/mo$180/mo
Median household income$94,012$92,986
Unemployment rate3.3%3.3%
Crime index45/10045/100
School rating5.8/105.8/10
Sunny days / year240 days240 days

Data: Census ACS 2024 · BLS · Tax Foundation 2024 brackets · HUD/Zillow · NOAA 1991–2020 · FEMA NRI · Values are shown as reported; no universal winner is implied.

Full profiles: Merritt Island, FL · West Melbourne, FL
Questions & answers
Is Merritt Island cheaper than West Melbourne?
Merritt Island has the lower day-to-day cost index (102 vs 109 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in West Melbourne equals $85,000 in Merritt Island?
A household earning $85,000 in Merritt Island needs about $93,000 in West Melbourne to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of West Melbourne lifestyle costs about $77,000 in Merritt Island.