City comparison
Fort Myers, FL is about 100 miles (175 km) from Tampa, FL in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 125 miles, or about 2 h 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 Tampa, FL takes about 12 min, covering roughly 100 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 88,699 in Fort Myers — about 4.4× larger by population. By land area, Tampa covers about 115 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 | Tampa | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,322/mo | $1,422/mo | 7.6% higher in Tampa |
| Median home value | $318,900 | $333,200 | 4.5% higher in Tampa |
| Median household income | $57,403 | $66,802 | 16.4% higher in Tampa |
| Groceries index | 96.5 | 95.8 | 0.7% higher in Fort Myers |
| Utilities index | 87.6 | 89.1 | 1.7% higher in Tampa |
| Transportation index | 99.0 | 97.8 | 1.2% higher in Fort Myers |
| Healthcare index | 98.5 | 97.3 | 1.2% higher in Fort Myers |
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 $100,204 in Tampa to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Fort Myers and Tampa have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. If you earn $80,000 in Fort Myers, you'd need about $80,163 in Tampa to keep the same standard of living.