City comparison
Palm Beach Gardens, FL is about 175 miles (300 km) from The Villages, FL in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 225 miles, or about 3 h 45 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 Beach Gardens, FL to The Villages, FL takes about 22 min, covering roughly 175 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.
The Villages has a population of 79,108, vs 59,088 in Palm Beach Gardens — about 1.3× larger by population. By land area, Palm Beach Gardens covers about 59 sq mi vs 33 sq mi for The Villages.
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 Beach Gardens | The Villages | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,053/mo | $1,711/mo | 20.0% higher in Palm Beach Gardens |
| Median home value | $482,900 | $346,900 | 39.2% higher in Palm Beach Gardens |
| Median household income | $106,544 | $73,415 | 45.1% higher in Palm Beach Gardens |
| Groceries index | 103.1 | 96.5 | 6.9% higher in Palm Beach Gardens |
| Utilities index | 97.0 | 89.5 | 8.4% higher in Palm Beach Gardens |
| Transportation index | 108.3 | 99.0 | 9.4% higher in Palm Beach Gardens |
| Healthcare index | 107.8 | 98.5 | 9.5% higher in Palm Beach Gardens |
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 Beach Gardens, you'd need $63,858 in The Villages to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
The Villages, FL is about 36.1% cheaper overall than Palm Beach Gardens, FL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 164% higher in Palm Beach Gardens than in The Villages. If you earn $80,000 in Palm Beach Gardens, you'd need about $51,086 in The Villages to keep the same standard of living.