West Melbourne vs Myrtle Grove

Which is the better fit for you?

West Melbourne, FL
60
Area Score
Top 46% nationally
Myrtle Grove, NC
62
Area Score
Top 39% nationally

Want a third or fourth place beside these? Open them in the shortlist and add more.

Myrtle Grove 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 West Melbourne to Myrtle Grove

It stays in this browser and is never sent anywhere.

Everyday prices
6% lower
Regional price level 95.4 against 101.3 (US = 100)
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Enter your household income to see it.
A new two-bedroom lease
+$69 a month
HUD benchmarks it at $1,659 in Myrtle Grove against $1,590 in West Melbourne.
The median home
16% more
$439,100 in Myrtle Grove against $377,100 in West Melbourne.
The weather you would swap
Winters 16°F colder
Normal January lows are 36°F in Myrtle Grove against 52°F in West Melbourne; July highs are 90°F against 90°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.

33 occupations have a published median wage in both places. Start typing, or choose from the list.

Median wages are the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ metro figures for that occupation, not a job offer, and the price level is the regional index; neither includes taxes, benefits or how senior you are.

Signals

West Melbourne
Myrtle Grove
Opportunity: Myrtle Grove is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
62 · Top 37%
vs
65 · Top 32%
Growth
52 · Top 47%
vs
52 · Top 47%
Climate
83 · Top 10%
vs
83 · Top 11%
Physical resilience: Myrtle Grove is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
19 · Bottom 12%
vs
28 · Bottom 22%
Housing affordability: Myrtle Grove is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
68 · Top 45%
vs
72 · Top 33%
Schools: West Melbourne is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
71 · Top 23%
vs
67 · Top 27%
Access: West Melbourne is the more favorable of the two.
Access
98 · Top 21%
vs
97 · Top 31%
Economic stability: Myrtle Grove is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
62 · Top 43%
vs
64 · Top 38%

Measured values

MetricWest MelbourneMyrtle GroveSource period
Population28,79512,6372024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income$92,986$113,463 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income$42,080$51,786 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Population density2,647/sq mi1,884/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$377,100$439,1002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent$1,845$1,463 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$1,590 — more favorable$1,659FY2026
Cost of living index101.395.4 — more favorable2023
Homeownership rate72.9%83.6%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate4.4%3.4% — more favorableJuly 2026
Employment change (year over year)−1.3% — more favorable−2.2%July 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher42.0%46.4% — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate — the two are too close to separate5.9% ±2%6.2% ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)871,99412 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents3.08.5 — more favorable12 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)−50.8%−19.5%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high90°F90°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low52°F36°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation50.8"60.1"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport4 mi — more favorable10 miNASR current cycle
Average commute — the two are too close to separate24.3 min ±1.6 min22.2 min ±1.5 min2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age39.442.72024 ACS 5-Year
Students per teacher15.5 — more favorable15.62024-25 school year
Math proficiency64.2%49.9%2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency65.4%52.6%2018-19 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.

2 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.

Florida and North Carolina do not give the same test. Each state writes its own assessment and sets its own passing score, so the two proficiency rows above are not directly comparable — the difference between them partly measures which standard is harder. Students per teacher and the school count are unaffected, and each profile ranks its own proficiency within its own state.

Physical risk tradeoff

West Melbourne

Elevated or high exposure: hurricane.

Myrtle Grove

Elevated or high exposure: hurricane.

Your best match

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

West Melbourne
—
West Melbourne: Your Score
60
Area Score
Myrtle Grove
—
Myrtle Grove: Your Score
62
Area Score

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

Full profiles: West Melbourne, FL · Myrtle Grove, NC · How this is calculated: methodology