What is the cost of living in North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota?

North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 102.4, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 128.0, which is above the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,958/month.

What is the median salary in North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota?

The median salary in North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota is $63,236 annually (mean: $67,400). Top occupations include Retail Salespersons, Waiters and Waitresses, General and Operations Managers.

How safe is North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota?

The violent crime rate in the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota area is 210 per 100,000 population (state-level data). Property crime rate is 1030 per 100K.

What are the schools like in North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota?

The state of FL has 4,029 schools (state-level data, no metro-level federal count exists) with an average student-teacher ratio of 17.8:1. Charter schools make up 17.9% of all schools.

How much does childcare cost in North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota?

Infant center-based childcare in the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota area averages $10,505 per year. Preschool averages $7,983/year. These are state-level averages.

Is North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota a good place to relocate?

North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota has a Life Score of 43.3/100 (F), based on 7 of 7 available dimensions among cost of living, wages, rent, crime, schools, childcare, and environment (missing dims omitted, weights renormalized). This is a below-average score, several dimensions likely pull the composite down; compare specific dimensions to see which ones.

Where does North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota ranks #335 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). That ordinal matches the /rankings/livability listing. See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.

Relocation profile · Federal data

North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL

LiveAbility 38.8/100 places North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota #335 of 387 (bottom third of scored metros).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

102.4
Cost index (US=100): $1,958
2BR rent / mo: $63,236
Median salary: 38.8
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota ranks #335 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (38.8/100), with its strongest marks in safety and climate.

#335
of 387 US metros · Below median: 23,372,215
metro-area population: 210
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 4,029
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: housing (10/100). Weigh every dimension against your own priorities, use the City Finder to re-rank by what matters to you.

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite (BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, EPA, NOAA, and FEMA inputs), North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota ranks #335 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 102.4 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,958/mo, median salary $63,236; LiveAbility Score 38.8/100, strongest in safety and climate.

Signature: LiveAbility 38.8/100 places North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota #335 of 387 (bottom third of scored metros).

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP 102.4 lands in the dearer third of scored metros (cuts at 91.5 / 97.0). Median 2BR rent $1,958/mo.

LiveAbility 38.8/100 puts North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota in the bottom third (#335 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota area is 326,930.

North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota vs all US metros by LiveAbility Score

Where this metro's LiveAbility Score falls among every scored US metro (composite placement, not a desirability verdict)

39 Top 87% higher than 13% of 387 US metros

Metros banded by LiveAbility Score (0–100)

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainRelocate LiveAbility Score · June 2026

North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota MSA; housing RPP 128.0 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,958/mo.

Studio

$1,418

/month

1 Bedroom

$1,686

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,958

/month

3 Bedroom

$2,537

/month

4 Bedroom

$3,027

/month

North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota wages and employment

North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota posts 326,930 total employment with median salary $63,236 against a dearer-than-average RPP.

Median Salary

$63,236

Mean Salary

$67,400

Total Employment

326,930

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Retail Salespersons	$35,160
Waiters and Waitresses	$36,660
General and Operations Managers	$94,900
Registered Nurses	$86,130
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$30,000

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota area from NCES.

Schools

4,029

Enrollment

2,838,009

Student:Teacher

17.8:1

Title I %

Childcare Costs

State-average childcare costs for the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota area (DOL data).

Infant (Center)

$10,505

per year

Toddler (Center)

$8,611

per year

Preschool (Center)

$7,983

per year

Life Score Breakdown

North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota's composite Life Score is 43.3/100 (F), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

14/100

Bottom decile

Wages

43/100

Below average

Rent

10/100

Bottom decile

Crime

86/100

Elite

Schools

84/100

Elite

Childcare

49/100

Average

Environment

43/100

Below average

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota ranks #335 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 38.8/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Safety (86/100)

Safety

86
Climate

73
Low hazard

57
Air quality

47
Job market

43
Schools

16
Cost of living

14
Housing

10

What this shows North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota's strongest dimensions are safety and climate; its weakest among scored dims is housing at 10/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota to

Burlington-South Burlington Canton-Massillon Cape Coral-Fort Myers Cape Girardeau Carson City Casper

Metros near North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota on BEA RPP, LiveAbility, or BLS median salary, a different lens than the size-ranked list.

Similar cost of living (BEA RPP)

Similar LiveAbility score

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026

North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota wages and LiveAbility inputs follow BLS OEWS plus the federal sources listed in methodology. This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Scores are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation. How this data is sourced.

Verify with BEA → · Verify with BLS → · Verify with HUD → · Verify with NOAA → · Verify with FEMA → · Verify with Census →

Thinking about North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota?

North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota runs a $63,236 median salary at a 102.4 cost index, ranking #335 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota
Abilene is the closest related metro in this corpus -- see how it stacks up. Abilene profile
A cheaper cost index and a higher LiveAbility score don't always point the same direction -- here's how to weigh the trade-off. Cost vs quality guide

Cost, salary and score figures are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation.