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Moving to
Lehigh Acres.
Lehigh Acres is an unincorporated community in Lee County, FL. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.
What it's like to live in Lehigh Acres
Lehigh Acres is a large unincorporated community in Florida with home prices that remain within reach. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Lehigh Acres deals with rent well above the national average, household incomes below the national average, long average commutes, and college degree attainment below the national average.
The good
- Affordable home prices
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- Below-average household incomes
- Long commutes
- Low college degree attainment
- High student-teacher ratio
- High rent burden for renters
How Lehigh Acres compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Lehigh Acres
Based on Lehigh Acres's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,314
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $66,280 a year
- 56% of Lehigh Acres renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$58,480
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $29,240
- Homes cost 4.4× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 17% above US
$1,657/mo median rent
Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,657 a month median. Whether that premium makes sense usually comes down to the local job market and what it pays. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $292,400. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $292,400 · 56% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.3% county unemployment
Unemployment in Lee County is 4.3%, 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.
Lee County (county-wide)
Safety
188 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Lehigh Acres doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Lee County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction as a whole, which runs below the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.
Property crime 746/100k · Policed by Lee County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 47% above US
38 min average commute
Traffic is a real factor here. The 38.2 minute average means plenty of commuters are pushing 45 to 60 minutes on a bad day. Proximity to work matters more here than it might elsewhere. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 11% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 91°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 56°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 2.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 60% below US
14% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.
Schools
14 public schools inside the boundary
There are 14 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 23:1, above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Big Cypress National Preserve (56 miles away). There are 3 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Lehigh Acres's strongest point is home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and household incomes below the national average. A year of median rent ($1,657/mo) equals 30% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It may be a harder fit for people who dread long commutes and anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Lehigh Acres
All Florida guides →Moving to Fort Myers →
11 mi away · pop. 95,051
Rent $1,580/mo · Income $63,732
Compare with Lehigh Acres →Moving to San Carlos Park →
13 mi away · pop. 19,159
Rent $1,715/mo · Income $85,952
Compare with Lehigh Acres →Moving to Villas →
14 mi away · pop. 13,644
Rent $1,695/mo · Income $58,413
Compare with Lehigh Acres →Moving to North Fort Myers →
15 mi away · pop. 44,993
Rent $1,255/mo · Income $56,261
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