Relocation profile · Federal data
Wildwood-The Villages, FL
Cost of living, rent, wages, safety, schools and environment for Wildwood-The Villages - every figure straight from federal data.
- 85.4
- Cost index (US=100)
- $1,328
- 2BR rent / mo
- $63,776
- Median salary
- 60.5
- LiveAbility Score
The verdict
As of June 2026, Wildwood-The Villages ranks #52 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (60.5/100), with its strongest marks in cost of living and safety.
- #52
- of 387 US metros · Excellent
- 23,372,215
- metro-area population
- 210
- violent crimes per 100K (state-level)
- 4,029
- schools in the state (NCES)
Weakest dimension: schools (12/100). Weigh every dimension against your own priorities, use the City Finder to re-rank by what matters to you.
According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and five other federal agencies, Wildwood-The Villages has a cost-of-living index of 85.4 (100 = national average), a median 2-bedroom rent of $1,328/mo, and a median salary of $63,776. Its composite LiveAbility Score is 60.5/100, ranking #52 of 387 U.S. metros, with its strongest marks in cost of living and safety.
How Wildwood-The Villages ranks nationally
Where Wildwood-The Villages's LiveAbility Score falls among all 387 US metros scored.
Wildwood-The Villages has liveability score of 60.5. Distribution: 0 US metros at 0-10; 0 US metros at 10-20; 21 US metros at 20-30; 41 US metros at 30-40; 110 US metros at 40-50; 159 US metros at 50-60; 50 US metros at 60-70; 6 US metros at 70-80; 0 US metros at 80-90; 0 US metros at 90-100.
Wildwood-The Villages, FL: BEA RPP 85.4 (US=100), HUD 2BR rent $1,328/mo, BLS median salary $63,776, FBI violent crime 210/100K (state), NCES 4,029 schools (state), composite Life Score 66.5/100 (C+). Source methodology + Life Score formula →
Relocation decisions rarely hinge on a single number. A metro with high salaries but a steep cost of living can leave less disposable income than a cheaper market, and a low crime rate matters more to some households than school options or commute times. The composite Life Score blends federal cost, wage, safety, and education data into one comparable figure, but each underlying component is shown separately so you can weight what matters to your own situation. Read every metric against your priorities rather than chasing the highest headline score, and confirm the latest figures on the official source before you commit to a move.
Key Metrics
Housing & Rent
HUD Fair Market Rents for the Wildwood-The Villages metropolitan area. Regional housing cost index: 51.7 (100 = national average).
Wages & Employment
Wildwood-The Villages has 34,870 total employment with a median salary of $63,776.
Top Occupations by Employment
| Occupation | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Retail Salespersons | $34,290 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | $36,340 |
| Cashiers | $30,450 |
| Correctional Officers and Jailers | $67,770 |
| Registered Nurses | $77,110 |
Schools & Education
State-level education data for the Wildwood-The Villages area from NCES.
Childcare Costs
State-average childcare costs for the Wildwood-The Villages area (DOL data).
Life Score Breakdown
Wildwood-The Villages's composite Life Score is 66.5/100 (C+), computed across 7 dimensions.
LiveAbility Score
View full rankings →Wildwood-The Villages ranks #52 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 60.5/100 - a composite of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →
Wildwood-The Villages - dimension scores
Percentile vs all US metros (100 = best in the nation for that dimension)
- Cost of living
Cost of living
98 /100
- Safety
Safety
83 /100
- Climate
Climate
74 /100
- Low hazard
Low hazard
54 /100
- Housing
Housing
48 /100
- Job market
Job market
47 /100
- Schools 12
Schools
12 /100
What this shows Wildwood-The Villages's strongest dimensions are cost of living and safety; its weakest is schools at 12/100. The composite weights cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.
Compare Wildwood-The Villages To
Explore More Wildwood-The Villages Data
Dive deeper into specific dimensions for Wildwood-The Villages with these specialized data portals.
💰
Cost of Living
BEA Regional Price Parities for Wildwood-The Villages - goods, services, and rent price indexes compared to national average.
PlainCost →
🏠
Fair Market Rents
HUD Fair Market Rents by county near Wildwood-The Villages - studio through 4-bedroom, with year-over-year trends.
PlainRent →
🏫
School Quality
NCES school data near Wildwood-The Villages - enrollment, student-teacher ratios, Title I status, and chronic absenteeism.
PlainSchools →
💵
Salary Data
BLS occupational wage data for Wildwood-The Villages - 830+ occupations with median and mean salaries.
WageDex →
📊
Metro Life Score
Wildwood-The Villages composite life score across 7 dimensions, cost, safety, schools, wages, weather, health, and environment.
PlainCompare →
🔓
Crime Data
FBI UCR crime statistics for cities near Wildwood-The Villages - violent crime, property crime, and trends.
PlainCrime →
📍
ZIP Code Data
Census demographics, income, and housing data for ZIP codes near Wildwood-The Villages.
PlainZIP →
Relocation Guides for Wildwood-The Villages
Other Major Metro Areas
Explore relocation data for other major US metropolitan areas.
Compare Wildwood-The Villages Side-by-Side With Other Metros
This page is a relocation deep-dive on Wildwood-The Villages - cost of living, rent, wages, safety, schools, and more. When you're narrowing a shortlist, a side-by-side comparison across the same dimensions is faster. Put Wildwood-The Villages on the same scorecard as the metro you're weighing it against and see at a glance which move actually comes out ahead.
Thinking about Wildwood-The Villages?
How to use this profile before you commit to a move.
- Pressure-test Wildwood-The Villages against the metro you're weighing it against, same dimensions, side by side. Compare metros
- Check what your salary is actually worth here after the 85.4 cost-of-living index. Salary calculator
- Re-rank every US metro by the priorities that matter to you, turn up jobs, turn down climate. City Finder
Scores are federal-data percentiles, not a recommendation. Crime and schools use state-level data where metro-level isn't published. Always visit before you move.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Wildwood-The Villages?
What is the median salary in Wildwood-The Villages?
How safe is Wildwood-The Villages?
What are the schools like in Wildwood-The Villages?
How much does childcare cost in Wildwood-The Villages?
Is Wildwood-The Villages a good place to relocate?
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026
Related
Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from BEA, HUD, BLS, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
All federal data sources used on this page
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP) - cost-of-living indices by metro and state. bea.gov/data/regional-price-parities
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR) - metro-level fair-market rent estimates. huduser.gov/datasets/fmr
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) - wage estimates by metro. bls.gov/oes
- FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - crime statistics for safety scoring. fbi.gov/ucr
- NCES Common Core of Data - public-school quality indicators, state-level where metro-level isn't published. nces.ed.gov/ccd
- EPA AirNow + Air Quality System (AQS) - air-quality measurements, state-level where metro-level isn't published. epa.gov/outdoor-air-quality-data
- U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic + housing characteristics. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
Verify with U.S. Census Bureau → · Verify with FEMA →
Every figure on PlainRelocate is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on federal source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.