City comparison
Beaumont, TX vs Port St. Lucie, FL
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in Port St. Lucie, FL are 11.3% higher than in Beaumont, TX. Someone earning $100,000 in Beaumont, TX would need about $111,300 in Port St. Lucie, FL to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $1,467 a month in Port St. Lucie, FL versus $898 in Beaumont, TX. On $100,000, that's 22% of take-home pay in Port St. Lucie, FL and 14% in Beaumont, TX.
- Estimated state income tax on $100,000 is close: $0 a year in TX and $0 in FL.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by +6.5% moving from Beaumont, TX to Port St. Lucie, FL ($106,437 → $113,356), while prices change by +11.3%. Net effect of the transfer: −4.3% in real buying power.
- Beaumont, TX: price level 90.0 (much cheaper)
- Port St. Lucie, FL: price level 100.2 (about average)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Beaumont, TX | Port St. Lucie, FL | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 90.0 | 100.2 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $111,308 in Port St. Lucie | $89,841 in Beaumont |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $898/mo | $1,467/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $79,180 | $79,180 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $0 (TX) | $0 (FL) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 14% | 22% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $48,630 | $46,490 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Rest of U.S. | Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale, FL |
Rent areas: Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX MSA and Port St. Lucie, FL MSA. Metro areas: Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX and Port St. Lucie, FL.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Beaumont | Port St. Lucie |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 70.9 | 113.6 |
| Goods | 93.8 | 96.2 |
| Utilities | 83.1 | 87.0 |
| Other services | 96.2 | 98.9 |
| Overall | 90.0 | 100.2 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Beaumont, TX → Port St. Lucie, FL
Same pay buys less
Buying power −10.2%; rent takes 22% of take-home; state tax +$0/yr.
38 Weak offer
Port St. Lucie, FL → Beaumont, TX
Same pay goes further
Buying power +11.3%; rent takes 14% of take-home; state tax +$0/yr.
100 Strong offer
On the GS pay scale?
Beaumont, TX is in the Rest of U.S. pay area; Port St. Lucie, FL is in Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale, FL. The last column shows what a transfer from Beaumont, TX to Port St. Lucie, FL at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Beaumont, TX | Port St. Lucie, FL | Real change, Beaumont → Port St. Lucie |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $61,722 | $65,735 | −4.3% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $74,678 | $79,533 | −4.3% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $89,508 | $95,326 | −4.3% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $106,437 | $113,356 | −4.3% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $125,776 | $133,953 | −4.3% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Beaumont, TX | Port St. Lucie, FL | Port St. Lucie pay in Beaumont dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $60,260 | $53,610 | $48,164 (−20.1%) |
| Software Developers | $124,470 | $128,510 | $115,455 (−7.2%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $76,680 | $79,430 | $71,361 (−6.9%) |
| Registered Nurses | $81,180 | $82,090 | $73,751 (−9.2%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.