City comparison
Daytona Beach, FL is about 125 miles (200 km) from Tampa, FL in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 150 miles, or about 2 h 30 min behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Daytona Beach, FL to Tampa, FL takes about 14 min, covering roughly 125 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
Tampa has a population of 388,768, vs 73,329 in Daytona Beach — about 5.3× larger by population. By land area, Tampa covers about 115 sq mi vs 67 sq mi for Daytona Beach.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Daytona Beach | Tampa | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,186/mo | $1,422/mo | 19.9% higher in Tampa |
| Median home value | $211,800 | $333,200 | 57.3% higher in Tampa |
| Median household income | $47,608 | $66,802 | 40.3% higher in Tampa |
| Groceries index | 96.5 | 95.8 | 0.7% higher in Daytona Beach |
| Utilities index | 88.2 | 89.1 | 1.0% higher in Tampa |
| Transportation index | 99.0 | 97.8 | 1.2% higher in Daytona Beach |
| Healthcare index | 98.5 | 97.3 | 1.2% higher in Daytona Beach |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Daytona Beach, you'd need $106,953 in Tampa to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Daytona Beach, FL is about 6.5% cheaper overall than Tampa, FL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 16% higher in Tampa than in Daytona Beach. If you earn $80,000 in Daytona Beach, you'd need about $85,563 in Tampa to keep the same standard of living.