Cost of Living in Key West, FL

An Overview of Cost of Living in Key West, FL

Knowing the cost of living in Key West allows individuals to create a realistic budget. This helps them understand how their income will cover expenses and whether they need to make financial adjustments. The cost of living in any region can fluctuate due to various factors. To assess the cost of living consistently across different areas, a national average of 100 serves as the basis for the cost of living index. The cost of living in Key West stands at 169, marking it 69% higher than the national average.

If you're in pursuit of an economical living environment, Key West may not fit the bill, as it ranks among the most expensive places to reside in the United States. Just a minority of regions exhibit a cost of living that is more than 20% higher than the national average, and, unfortunately, Key West falls within this bracket.

Housing costs are a major factor in the Key West cost of living index, and they often eat up a big chunk of your take-home pay. Unfortunately, in this area, housing expenses for both homeownership and rentals were 219.6% higher than what's typical in an average city. That includes the prices of homes and rents, as well as mortgage rates and insurance.

What Do Locals Say About the Cost of Living in Key West?

When it comes to knowing a city, its residents are the experts. We conducted a survey with 18 locals to understand their opinions on the cost of living in Key West. The results indicated that 28% found it reasonably priced with decreasing prices of goods and services, while 72% viewed it as quite expensive, with increasing prices.

Is Key West Affordable?

Is Key West an affordable place to live? That's a valid question to ask when you're thinking about moving to a new city. After all, how much it costs to live somewhere can be a huge factor in your decision. Affordability can be broken down into 3 common categories. The cost of living index (we talked about it earlier), housing expenses and income levels all play a big role in figuring out if a place is affordable. For instance, in Key West, the median home price is 271.8% higher than what most folks pay across the country, and monthly rent prices are 97.8% higher than the usual rates. Income levels in Key West come in at $73,029, which is 32% higher than the national average.

What Factors can Influence the Cost of Living in Key West?

Subsidies: Some cities and states may extend government subsidies or aid programs aimed at reducing the cost of living for their residents. These initiatives encompass diverse forms of support, including Medicare, Medicaid, housing subsidies, low-income home energy assistance programs, school lunch programs, supplemental nutrition assistance programs, student loans, electric vehicle tax credits, affordable care act subsidies and farm subsidies. Regions with limited subsidy provisions may witness an increase in their overall cost of living.

Healthcare: The costs associated with healthcare and insurance premiums can exhibit notable disparities based on the city or state of residence. Access to healthcare facilities, out-of-pocket expenses for medical appointments, dental care charges, prescription medication costs and specialized medical care expenses all contribute to variations in the cost of living. In Key West, healthcare costs are 4.2% lower than the national average.

Groceries: Grocery costs have continued to increase significantly over the last 2-3 years. In some markets the cost of food has gone up by more than 20% in that period. While other markets have managed to see only a moderate uptick. These food costs can have a major impact on the cost of living in any area. In Key West, the groceries index is 4% higher than the national average.

Where is the Data From?

The Key West cost of living data displayed above is derived from the C2ER cost of living index to provide a useful and reasonably accurate measure of living cost differences in urban areas. Published on a quarterly basis, it compiles data from more than 300 independent researchers, encompassing over 60 goods and services. These items have been meticulously selected to represent various consumer expenditure categories, in 6 categories. Weightings assigned to cost differentials draw from government survey data tracking spending patterns among professional and executive households. While the C2ER index excludes data on sales or income tax rates, AreaVibes incorporates tax rates into the overall cost of living score for each region.