Fort Myers vs Port St. Lucie
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Fort Myers edges it, 64 to 63, winning 1 of the 9 factors. Fort Myers is stronger on getting there & around; Port St. Lucie on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Fast-growing Gulf-coast hub with a historic River District and the RSW airport
Full Fort Myers profile →Plan a trip to Fort Myers →Fast-growing Treasure Coast city of golf, spring baseball and canals
Full Port St. Lucie profile →Plan a trip to Port St. Lucie →Where they differ
- Getting there & around. Fort Myers leads on getting there & around, 16 to 6, against Port St. Lucie. Non-stop airport destinations: 78 vs 41.
Where they are close. Within five points on internet, cost of living, air quality, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.
Pick Fort Myers if you want
- more flights and easier getting around
Pick Port St. Lucie if you want
- to spend about $63 less a month
- faster internet (118.3 Mbps measured)
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Fort Myers | Port St. Lucie |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 20 | 21 ✓ |
| Safety | 51 | 51 |
| Healthcare | 85 | 85 |
| Internet | 84 | 88 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 61 | 61 |
| Getting there & around | 16 ✓ | 6 |
| Climate | 67 | 67 |
| Air quality | 95 | 95 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 96 | 96 |
Cost
| Metric | Fort Myers | Port St. Lucie |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one person | $3,070 | $3,007 ✓ |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Fort Myers | Port St. Lucie |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 5.76 | 5.76 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 60.3 | 60.3 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 88 | 88 |
| Life expectancy | 78.5 yrs | 78.5 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Fort Myers | Port St. Lucie |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 94.5 Mbps | 118.3 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 18.5 Mbps | 22.4 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Fort Myers | Port St. Lucie |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | home country | home country |
| Entry, EU passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) |
| Entry, UK passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Fort Myers | Port St. Lucie |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 78 ✓ | 41 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 ✓ | 1 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 1 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Fort Myers | Port St. Lucie |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 8 | 8 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 7.3 µg/m³ | 7.1 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Fort Myers or Port St. Lucie?
- Port St. Lucie is cheaper: about $3,007 per month versus $3,070 for one person.
- Is Fort Myers or Port St. Lucie safer?
- Fort Myers and Port St. Lucie score the same on safety (51), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Fort Myers or Port St. Lucie?
- Port St. Lucie: a measured median of 118.3 Mbps versus 94.5 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- Fort Myers vs Naples (Florida)
- Fort Myers vs Tampa
- Port St. Lucie vs Corpus Christi
- Port St. Lucie vs Huntsville
- All comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (all items); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.