City comparison
Fort Myers, FL is about 250 miles (425 km) from Jacksonville, FL in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 325 miles, or about 5 h 15 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 Fort Myers, FL to Jacksonville, FL takes about 31 min, covering roughly 250 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.
Jacksonville has a population of 950,203, vs 88,699 in Fort Myers — about 10.7× larger by population. By land area, Jacksonville covers about 745 sq mi vs 40 sq mi for Fort Myers.
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 | Fort Myers | Jacksonville | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,322/mo | $1,281/mo | 3.2% higher in Fort Myers |
| Median home value | $318,900 | $243,000 | 31.2% higher in Fort Myers |
| Median household income | $57,403 | $64,138 | 11.7% higher in Jacksonville |
| Groceries index | 96.5 | 96.5 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 87.6 | 88.2 | 0.6% higher in Jacksonville |
| Transportation index | 99.0 | 99.0 | ≈ equal |
| Healthcare index | 98.5 | 98.5 | ≈ equal |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Fort Myers, you'd need $94,451 in Jacksonville to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Jacksonville, FL is about 5.5% cheaper overall than Fort Myers, FL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 13% higher in Fort Myers than in Jacksonville. If you earn $80,000 in Fort Myers, you'd need about $75,561 in Jacksonville to keep the same standard of living.