City comparison
Port St. Lucie, FL is about 125 miles (225 km) from Tampa, FL in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 175 miles, or about 2 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 Port St. Lucie, FL to Tampa, FL takes about 16 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 210,520 in Port St. Lucie — about 1.8× larger by population. By land area, Port St. Lucie covers about 120 sq mi vs 115 sq mi for Tampa.
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 | Port St. Lucie | Tampa | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,684/mo | $1,422/mo | 18.4% higher in Port St. Lucie |
| Median home value | $292,900 | $333,200 | 13.8% higher in Tampa |
| Median household income | $75,040 | $66,802 | 12.3% higher in Port St. Lucie |
| Groceries index | 96.5 | 95.8 | 0.7% higher in Port St. Lucie |
| Utilities index | 87.7 | 89.1 | 1.6% higher in Tampa |
| Transportation index | 99.0 | 97.8 | 1.2% higher in Port St. Lucie |
| Healthcare index | 98.5 | 97.3 | 1.2% higher in Port St. Lucie |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Port St. Lucie, you'd need $103,390 in Tampa to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Port St. Lucie, FL is about 3.3% cheaper overall than Tampa, FL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 8% higher in Tampa than in Port St. Lucie. If you earn $80,000 in Port St. Lucie, you'd need about $82,712 in Tampa to keep the same standard of living.