Cost comparison
Compare rent, housing, utilities, groceries, salary needs, and move score across the city profiles currently available in LifeAtlas.
Florida
Lakeland is a supplemental starter city profile for the I-4 corridor affordability market in Florida, useful for route coverage and starter comparisons around rent, housing, utilities, wages, benefits, insurance, and moving costs.
Florida
Tampa is the Florida launch comparison market, with major-metro access and a cost profile that is often easier to evaluate for households priced out of South Florida.
Comparison
Lakeland has the lower salary-needed estimate, while Lakeland has the lower starter rent. Differences are shown as Tampa minus Lakeland.
| Metric | Lakeland | Tampa | Difference | Advantage | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,654 | $1,725 | +$71 | Lakeland | Lakeland has the lower median rent. |
| Home price | $312,001 | $405,000 | +$92,999 | Lakeland | Lakeland has the lower home price. |
| Utilities | $277/mo | $352/mo | +$75/mo | Lakeland | Lakeland has the lower utilities. |
| Groceries index | 100 | 84 | -16 | Tampa | Tampa has the lower groceries index. |
| Salary needed | $70,873 | $78,040 | +$7,167 | Lakeland | Lakeland has the lower salary needed. |
| Move score | 79/100 | 79/100 | 0 | Even | Move score is the same in both cities. |