Punta Gorda Wildwood-The Villages

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Punta Gorda to Wildwood-The Villages is strongly favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 100.5 to 85.4 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $142/mo.

+$3,224
BLS median salary higher in Wildwood-The Villages
210 to 210
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
17.8:1 to 17.8:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$0
DOL infant care higher / yr in Wildwood-The Villages

BEA Regional Price Parity, HUD Fair Market Rent, BLS OEWS, FBI UCR, NCES, and DOL. The table below lets you override the composite with your own priorities.

Verdict
Strongly Favorable
Cost Index: 100.5 → 85.4
Rent Delta: -$142/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 15% lower cost of living
  • + $142/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + $3K higher median salary

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 100.5 to 85.4, so each dollar covers more in Wildwood-The Villages (ratio 0.85). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $142/mo ($1,704/yr) from $1,470 in Punta Gorda to $1,328 in Wildwood-The Villages.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 destination wins · 0 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Wildwood-The Villages sits #52 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Punta Gorda is #340/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Strongly Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $3,224 higher ($60,552 → $63,776). Labor-market size: 49,740 tracked jobs at origin vs 34,870 at destination.

Both metros sit in Florida: state retirement score 62 (C, #23/51) - tax posture does not change with this move. Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Punta Gorda
Wildwood-The Villages
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 100.5
RPP 85.4
Wildwood-The Villages
Rent (2BR)
$1,470/mo
$1,328/mo
Wildwood-The Villages
Wages
$60,552
$63,776
Wildwood-The Villages
Crime
210 per 100K
210 per 100K
Tie
Schools
17.8:1
17.8:1
Tie
Childcare
$10,505/yr
$10,505/yr
Tie
Environment
2736 violations
2736 violations
Tie

State retirement friendliness

Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.

Origin state · Florida
62 C #23/51
Income tax
100
Property tax
67
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
12

Full retirement ranking · Source composite documented on methodology (Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides + federal healthcare/climate inputs).

Salary Adjustment Calculator

Enter your current salary in Punta Gorda to see what you'd need to earn in Wildwood-The Villages to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Wildwood-The Villages
-

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA; retirement desk: Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides June 2026