What it's like to live in Cocoa Beach
Cocoa Beach is a small city in Florida with air quality that stays clean most of the year, a highly educated workforce, and schools with class sizes near the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Cocoa Beach deals with home prices well above the national average, a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin, hot summers, and above-average rainfall.
The good
- Clean air
- Highly educated workforce
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- High home prices
- High rent burden for renters
- Hot summers
- Above-average rainfall
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
How Cocoa Beach compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Cocoa Beach
Based on Cocoa Beach's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,138
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $62,760 a year
- 51% of Cocoa Beach renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$100,640
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $50,320
- Homes cost 5.7× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 11% above US
$1,569/mo median rent
Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,569 a month median. Not a bargain, not a budget-buster. About typical for a city this size. Home prices are steep, with a median around $503,200. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.
Median home value $503,200 · 51% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.2% county unemployment
Unemployment in Brevard County is 4.2%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Brevard County (county-wide)
SafetyNear US average
408 violent crimes per 100k
Crime runs about typical for a city this size. Some neighborhoods are safer than others, and one overall rate doesn't tell the whole story, so a neighborhood-level look matters more than the headline stat.
Property crime 2244/100k · Cocoa Beach Police Department · 2020 data
Getting aroundNear US average
26 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 25.5 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 7 in 10 workers drive to work; 25% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 90°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 52°F. It's a wet climate overall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 3.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▲ 38% above US
50% bachelor's degree or higher
The population is well-educated, with 50% holding college degrees. That points to a strong professional base and generally a healthy local economy.
Schools
4 public schools inside the boundary
There are 4 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 17:1, close to the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Canaveral National Seashore (32 miles away).
Bottom line
Cocoa Beach's strongest points are air quality that stays clean most of the year and a highly educated workforce; the main tradeoffs are home prices well above the national average and a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin. A year of median rent ($1,569/mo) equals 21% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (25% of workers here already work from home) and college-educated professionals.
Other places near Cocoa Beach
All Florida guides →Moving to Merritt Island →
5 mi away · pop. 34,992
Rent $1,441/mo · Income $94,012
Compare with Cocoa Beach →Moving to Rockledge →
7 mi away · pop. 29,133
Rent $1,820/mo · Income $84,255
Compare with Cocoa Beach →Moving to Viera East →
7 mi away · pop. 12,570
Rent $1,681/mo · Income $92,467
Compare with Cocoa Beach →Not sure Cocoa Beach is the one?
Put it side by side with another city.