City comparison
Palm Bay, FL is about 100 miles (175 km) from Tampa, FL in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 150 miles, or about 2 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 Palm Bay, FL to Tampa, FL takes about 13 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 121,513 in Palm Bay — about 3.2× larger by population. By land area, Tampa covers about 115 sq mi vs 87 sq mi for Palm Bay.
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 | Palm Bay | Tampa | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,345/mo | $1,422/mo | 5.7% higher in Tampa |
| Median home value | $226,200 | $333,200 | 47.3% higher in Tampa |
| Median household income | $62,538 | $66,802 | 6.8% higher in Tampa |
| Groceries index | 96.5 | 95.8 | 0.7% higher in Palm Bay |
| Utilities index | 88.7 | 89.1 | ≈ equal (Tampa slightly higher) |
| Transportation index | 99.0 | 97.8 | 1.2% higher in Palm Bay |
| Healthcare index | 98.5 | 97.3 | 1.2% higher in Palm Bay |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Palm Bay, you'd need $105,070 in Tampa to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Palm Bay, FL is about 4.8% cheaper overall than Tampa, FL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 12% higher in Tampa than in Palm Bay. If you earn $80,000 in Palm Bay, you'd need about $84,056 in Tampa to keep the same standard of living.