Punta Gorda vs Rotonda

Which is the better fit for you?

Punta Gorda, FL
46
Area Score
Bottom 11% nationally
Rotonda, FL
49
Area Score
Bottom 18% nationally

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Rotonda receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.

If you are moving

What the difference in prices, rent, homes and weather comes to, using the published figures for the two places. Add your income to see what it would take to keep pace.

Moving from Punta Gorda to Rotonda

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Everyday prices
About the same
Regional price level 98.8 against 98.8 (US = 100). Both places sit in the same price region, so the index cannot tell them apart.
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Enter your household income to see it.
A new two-bedroom lease
−$100 a month
HUD benchmarks it at $1,370 in Rotonda against $1,470 in Punta Gorda.
The median home
25% less
$389,400 in Rotonda against $518,100 in Punta Gorda.
The weather you would swap
Similar winters
Normal January lows are 51°F in Rotonda against 51°F in Punta Gorda; July highs are 93°F against 93°F (summers the same).

These are differences between published figures, not a forecast of your budget. Income and sales taxes, commuting, schools, insurance and the job you would actually get are not in them, and a price index describes a metropolitan area, so two places in one metro read the same. HUD’s rent is a benchmark for a new lease, not a listing.

Signals

Punta Gorda
Rotonda
Opportunity: Punta Gorda is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
49 · Bottom 35%
vs
46 · Bottom 28%
Growth: Rotonda is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
55 · Top 39%
vs
65 · Top 21%
Climate
80 · Top 18%
vs
80 · Top 18%
Physical resilience
4 · Bottom 1%
vs
4 · Bottom 1%
Housing affordability: Rotonda is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
34 · Bottom 6%
vs
44 · Bottom 14%
Schools: Rotonda is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
51 · Top 47%
vs
62 · Top 34%
Access: Punta Gorda is the more favorable of the two.
Access
85 · Bottom 29%
vs
80 · Bottom 22%
Economic stability
45 · Bottom 28%
vs
45 · Bottom 28%

Measured values

MetricPunta GordaRotondaSource period
Population20,27810,3522024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income — the two are too close to separate$85,779 ±$9,907$74,573 ±$16,2382024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income$58,036 — more favorable$48,1602024 ACS 5-Year
Population density1,313/sq mi971/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$518,100$389,4002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent — the two are too close to separate$1,410 ±$323$1,155 ±$5372024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$1,470$1,370 — more favorableFY2026
Cost of living index98.898.82023
Homeownership rate81.7%86.2%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate5.8%5.8%July 2026
Employment change (year over year)−1.1%−1.1%July 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher41.7% — more favorable35.1%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate — the two are too close to separate8.2% ±2%5.8% ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)1013,18612 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents5.015.8 — more favorable12 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)−33.6%−10.5%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high93°F93°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low51°F51°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation53.0"53.0"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport31 mi — more favorable39 miNASR current cycle
Average commute — the two are too close to separate27.5 min ±3.0 min29.7 min ±4.2 min2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age66.368.22024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools522024-25 school year
Students per teacher20.215.5 — more favorable2024-25 school year
Math proficiency63.2%64.4% — more favorable2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency56.4%57.6% — more favorable2018-19 school year
Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility38.8%40.4%2024-25 school year

A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.

4 rows above show both figures with a ± margin and neither in bold. Those come from the American Community Survey, which samples rather than counts, and the gap between the two is smaller than the uncertainty on the figures themselves — so the survey did not find a difference to report, and calling either one the winner would be reading a result out of noise.

The number of units permitted is not marked because the larger place always permits more; the per-resident rate is the fair comparison. The year-over-year change is not marked either: a percentage on fewer than 300 units swings on a handful of permits.

Physical risk tradeoff

Punta Gorda

Elevated or high exposure: hurricane, coastal flooding.

Rotonda

Elevated or high exposure: hurricane, coastal flooding.

Your best match

Weight what matters to you. Your preferences stay in this browser and never change either Area Score.

Punta Gorda
—
Punta Gorda: Your Score
46
Area Score
Rotonda
—
Rotonda: Your Score
49
Area Score

Select your priorities to see which of the two fits them better.

Full profiles: Punta Gorda, FL · Rotonda, FL · How this is calculated: methodology