Where Is the Cheapest Place to Live in Palm Beach County? (2026)

The cheapest area to live in Palm Beach County is the western inland region known as the Glades — Belle Glade, Pahokee, and South Bay, roughly 40 miles inland along Lake Okeechobee — where the Census Bureau puts median home values between $142,300 (South Bay) and $163,100 (Belle Glade) and median rent between $898 (Belle Glade) and $1,116 (Pahokee) a month. On the coastal side of the county, Palm Springs and Greenacres are the cheapest mainstream cities to buy in, and Lake Worth Beach has the lowest in-place rent among the larger cities compared here outside the Glades. Which one is actually cheapest for you depends on three different questions — what it costs to buy, what it costs to rent, and how that price compares to what people there earn — and most “cheapest places” lists blur all three together.

Quick answers (as of September 2026):

• Cheapest to buy: South Bay ($142,300 Census median value), Pahokee ($152,300), Belle Glade ($163,100).
• Cheapest to buy on the coastal side: Palm Springs (about $270,000 by Census, about $297,000 in recent sales) and Greenacres (about $291,000 by Census, about $283,000 in recent sales).
• Cheapest to rent: Belle Glade ($898 median), South Bay ($1,085), Pahokee ($1,116). Among the larger cities compared here outside the Glades, Lake Worth Beach ($1,545).
• Cheapest relative to local income: South Bay (2.8 times income), Pahokee (2.9x), Belle Glade (3.4x). Best of the larger coastal-side cities: Greenacres (4.1x).
• Cheapest neighborhood inside West Palm Beach: The Villages of Palm Beach Lakes (about $225,000 recent median sale price, condos listed around $205,000).
• Cheapest way in overall: a 55+ condo at Century Village in West Palm Beach — around $107,000 median — with monthly fees of $250–$827 that change the math.
• County benchmark: the countywide median sale price is $522,239 per our July 2026 market report, so every city below is measured against roughly half a million dollars.

“Cheapest” Means Three Different Things

When someone tells me they want the cheapest place in the county, the first thing I ask is which cheapest they mean, because the winners change.

Cheapest to buy is about the price tag: the lowest median home value or sale price. Cheapest to rent is about monthly cost, and it splits again into what long-time tenants pay (Census figures) versus what a new lease costs today (asking rents). Most affordable is about the price relative to what local households earn — a place can be cheap in dollars and still stretch a local paycheck, or look expensive and feel manageable because incomes are high.

The Numbers for 16 Cities

The table uses the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024 five-year estimates), the only source that covers every city on the same basis. Price-to-income is median home value divided by median household income; rent burden is a year of median rent as a share of median household income.

City	Median home value	Median rent	Median household income	Price ÷ income	Rent burden
South Bay	$142,300	$1,085	$51,417	2.8x	25.3%
Pahokee	$152,300	$1,116	$53,359	2.9x	25.1%
Belle Glade	$163,100	$898	$48,001	3.4x	22.4%
Palm Springs	$269,800	$1,669	$61,739	4.4x	32.4%
Greenacres	$291,000	$1,756	$70,491	4.1x	29.9%
Boynton Beach	$351,100	$2,041	$70,074	5.0x	35.0%
Riviera Beach	$354,500	$1,702	$68,060	5.2x	30.0%
Lake Park	$394,400	$1,600	$70,954	5.6x	27.1%
Lantana	$396,200	$1,758	$70,012	5.7x	30.1%
Lake Worth Beach	$401,200	$1,545	$61,200	6.6x	30.3%
West Palm Beach	$414,200	$1,772	$73,446	5.6x	29.0%
Delray Beach	$420,300	$1,961	$82,041	5.1x	28.7%
Royal Palm Beach	$437,700	$2,273	$96,027	4.6x	28.4%
Wellington	$599,400	$2,562	$115,632	5.2x	26.6%
Jupiter	$608,600	$2,381	$110,240	5.5x	25.9%
Boca Raton	$722,700	$2,508	$106,273	6.8x	28.3%

Three things jump out that no simple price list shows.

Cheap in dollars is not always cheap for the people who live there. Lake Worth Beach has one of the lowest rents in the county, but its median household income ($61,200) is also among the lowest, which pushes its price-to-income ratio to 6.6x — the second highest in the table, behind only Boca Raton. Boynton Beach carries the heaviest rent burden of any city listed, 35%, because its median rent ($2,041) sits well above what its median household income ($70,074) comfortably supports.

Expensive-looking cities can be easier on the paycheck. Jupiter and Wellington have rents above $2,300, yet their rent burdens (25.9% and 26.6%) are lower than most of the “cheap” cities, because local incomes run above $110,000. That doesn’t make them cheap to move into, but it explains why residents there feel less squeezed than the headline rent suggests.

The Glades are in a category of their own. Three cities have both the lowest prices and the lowest ratios, and the next section explains what that price buys.

Cheapest to Buy: The Glades — Inland and Western Communities

Three of the county’s 39 municipalities — Belle Glade, Pahokee, and South Bay — sit roughly 40 miles west of the coast along Lake Okeechobee, in what’s known as the Glades. It is the county’s agricultural heartland: sugar cane and winter vegetables grown across roughly 500,000 acres of muck soil, a different economy and character than the coastal cities. Our guide to all 39 Palm Beach County cities covers the region in detail.

The Census numbers are real and stark. South Bay’s median home value is $142,300 on a median household income of $51,417; Pahokee’s is $152,300 against $53,359; Belle Glade’s is $163,100 against $48,001. Belle Glade is also the rent leader: a median $898 a month, the lowest of all 16 cities compared here, and current asking rents run around $1,300, per RentCafe’s Belle Glade rent data.

The honest trade-off is distance, not the price itself. You are a long drive from the beaches and from the coastal job centers in West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, and Jupiter, so a second car and a real commute budget belong in the calculation. Job opportunities and everyday amenities are also more limited than on the coast, which is a large part of why prices here sit so far below the rest of the county. Check the flood zone of any specific property before you fall for the price — the flood zones guide explains how — and, for public safety and city services, go directly to each city’s official site rather than a third-party score. This is the right fit for buyers who work in the Glades, work remotely, or genuinely prioritize the lowest possible housing cost over proximity to the coast. It is the wrong fit for anyone who assumed “Palm Beach County” means a short drive to the ocean.

Cheapest on the Coastal Side: Affordable Coastal and Central Suburbs

Most people asking this question want to be within reach of the beaches and jobs. On that side of the county, the answer changes from city to city — and here it matters which price you trust, because Census values and current sale prices tell somewhat different stories.

Palm Springs. The Village of Palm Springs sits in the middle of the county, just inland from Lake Worth Beach. Its Census median value is $269,800, and Redfin’s latest published figures put the median sale price at about $297,000 over the trailing three months, up 12.2% from a year earlier, at roughly $178 per square foot. Median rent is $1,669 on a household income of $61,739. On both measures it is the cheapest mainstream city to buy in.

Greenacres. The City of Greenacres is one of the largest cities in the county’s low-price tier, with more than 44,000 residents. Its Census median value is $291,000, and Redfin’s trailing three-month median sale price is about $283,000, down 7.3% year over year, at about $222 per square foot. The 4.1x price-to-income ratio is the best of any larger city outside the Glades. In-place rent is $1,756 but RentCafe’s current asking average is about $1,987, so a new renter should budget the higher number.

Riviera Beach. The City of Riviera Beach has a Census median value of $354,500 and a median rent of $1,702. Redfin’s most recent monthly median was much higher, around $505,000, because the city includes waterfront and newer development alongside its inland neighborhoods — a good example of why one month’s median should not be treated as the city’s price. Asking rents average about $2,102.

Lake Park. The Town of Lake Park has a Census median value of $394,400 and one of the lowest rents of the cities compared, $1,600. It is also one of the fastest-changing markets in the county — a 38.7% projected jump in taxable value is covered in our guide to rising sub-markets — so “cheap now” may not hold for long.

Lantana. The Town of Lantana shows a Census median value of $396,200 and a recent Redfin median of about $383,000 at roughly $259 per square foot, with in-place rent of $1,758. It sits just south of Lake Worth Beach, with the Atlantic a short drive east.

Lake Worth Beach. The City of Lake Worth Beach has a Census median value of $401,200 and, at $1,545, the lowest in-place rent among the larger cities compared here outside the Glades. It also has the county’s most arts-driven downtown, with galleries, studios, and a historic pier, which is why it draws creative buyers who have been priced out of Delray Beach. Asking rents are higher than the Census figure — about $2,230 on RentCafe’s Lake Worth data. Our own tracked submarket median is $492,000, while Redfin’s recent monthly figures run between about $365,000 and $410,000, and the reason is property mix: condos and older cottages, which sell for far less than single-family homes, carry more weight in a short window. The price bands tell the useful story — condos $150,000–$350,000, historic cottages $350,000–$550,000, single-family near downtown $450,000–$750,000. Schools run below the county average (a C+ rating in our data), and the Lake Worth Beach neighborhood guide covers the block-by-block differences.

Boynton Beach. The City of Boynton Beach has a Census median value of $351,100 and our tracked median is $478,000, again reflecting a wide range: older condos $150,000–$350,000, new-construction townhomes $380,000–$550,000, single-family in the west $420,000–$650,000. Its 36% cash-buyer rate is the lowest of the eight submarkets we track, meaning financed buyers face less competition here than almost anywhere else. The cost of living in Boynton Beach guide has the monthly numbers, and the rent burden noted above is the caution: a purchase can make more sense than a rental here.

West Palm Beach. Larger and pricier than the cities above (West Palm Beach median value $414,200), but our own data shows workforce housing in the eastern part of the city starting around $250,000, and our cost of living in West Palm Beach guide covers what a real budget looks like there. The next section covers the lowest-priced neighborhoods inside the city.

Cheapest Neighborhoods Inside West Palm Beach

Google’s AI answer for this question points to two West Palm Beach neighborhoods — the Villages of Palm Beach Lakes and Grandview Heights — as lower-cost than downtown high-rises. One holds up on the numbers. The other needs a caveat.

The Villages of Palm Beach Lakes is genuinely inexpensive. Redfin’s latest published figures put its median sale price at about $225,000, up 5.7% from a year earlier, at roughly $208 per square foot, with homes taking about 77 days to sell. Condos are listed at a median of about $205,000 and townhouses at about $302,000 — well below both the citywide Census value of $414,200 and the $542,000 median in our own tracked data. It is a condo-and-townhome neighborhood, so the same diligence applies as anywhere: association fees, reserve funding, and what financing the association allows (the HOA guide lists the questions to ask).

Grandview Heights is where the numbers disagree. Neighborhood trackers put its median value anywhere from about $347,000 to $480,000, and Redfin’s most recent one-month median sale price was about $915,000, down more than a third from a year earlier. That spread reflects a neighborhood that mixes budget condos and rentals near downtown with historic single-family homes that sell for far more. In practice, Grandview Heights can be a reasonable place to rent or buy a condo compared with a downtown high-rise, but it is not a cheap place to buy a house, and no single neighborhood median should be trusted without checking the actual property type.

Why Two Price Numbers Disagree — and Which One to Use

The Census figure is what homeowners say their home is worth, averaged across a five-year window and dominated by people who bought years ago. It is stable and comparable across every city, which is why the ranking above uses it. Redfin’s figures are the median of homes that actually sold recently, which is what you would pay today — but in a small city, a handful of sales can swing the number dramatically.

The clearest example is Belle Glade, where Redfin’s latest monthly median showed a jump of several hundred percent from a year earlier on very few transactions. It would be a mistake to conclude Belle Glade prices quadrupled. The practical rule: use Census values to compare cities, use recent sale prices for a specific budget, and never rely on a single month’s median for a small city. The countywide picture, for reference, is $522,239 in our data and about $538,000 on Redfin’s trailing three months.

Cheapest Condos and 55+ Living: The Real Floor of the Market

The lowest entry price in the entire county is not in the Glades — it is in older condos, and especially 55+ communities. Century Village in West Palm Beach is the clearest example: recent sales put the median condo price around $107,000, with individual units ranging from about $48,000 to $280,000, and monthly association fees running $250–$827. It is age-restricted (55+), so it is only an option for a specific buyer.

The fee is where “cheap” gets complicated. At the top of that range, $827 a month is $9,924 a year — about 9% of a $107,000 purchase price, every year, on top of insurance and taxes. Florida’s post-Surfside condo laws (SB 4-D and HB 1203) also require associations to fund structural reserves, which is pushing fees and special assessments up in older buildings. Before buying any low-priced condo, request the association’s last two to three years of financials and meeting minutes, and confirm what financing the building accepts — our HOA and condo due-diligence guide lays out exactly what to ask. Outside 55+ communities, older condos in our tracked submarkets run $150,000–$350,000 in Boynton Beach and Lake Worth Beach, $250,000–$500,000 in Delray Beach, and $280,000–$550,000 in Boca Raton. If retirement is the plan, the retiring to Palm Beach County guide covers the tax and healthcare side.

Cheapest to Rent: What a New Lease Actually Costs

Census rent is the median paid by everyone currently renting, including long-time tenants on older leases. A new renter pays the current asking rate, which is higher almost everywhere.

City	Census median rent (in-place)	Current asking rent
Belle Glade	$898	about $1,300
Greenacres	$1,756	about $1,987
Riviera Beach	$1,702	about $2,102
Lake Worth Beach	$1,545	about $2,230
West Palm Beach	$1,772	about $2,475 (citywide average, all unit types)

Asking rents come from RentCafe’s 2026 city averages and our own West Palm Beach cost of living analysis. The gap is the point: a renter comparing Lake Worth Beach to Greenacres by the Census numbers would pick Lake Worth Beach, but on current asking rents Greenacres is about $240 a month cheaper. To keep rent under the common 30%-of-income guideline at Greenacres’ asking rent, a household needs roughly $79,500 a year. Run your own numbers with the cost of living calculator or the living wage calculator.

What “Cheap” Costs You

The purchase price is only part of the cost of a cheap home in Florida, and the parts that get missed tend to be largest on the least expensive properties.

Insurance. Older, lower-priced homes often have older roofs and construction, which is exactly what drives premiums up. A property priced at $250,000 can cost as much to insure as one priced far higher. Get a real quote before your inspection period ends — the insurance cost guide explains what moves the number.

Property tax. At the county’s 0.89% effective rate, a $300,000 home runs roughly $2,670 a year before the Homestead Exemption, which applies once you establish Florida domicile. The tax savings calculator shows your specific case.

HOA, condo, and CDD fees. Covered above — for the cheapest homes, fees are frequently the deciding number. Newer master-planned communities add Community Development District assessments on the property tax bill, a separate recurring cost worth asking about before you write an offer.

Car and commute costs. In the Glades and in western communities, a second car and a long commute can erase the savings that made the location attractive.

Schools. School quality varies block by block in the county’s affordable cities, so check the zoned school for any specific address. Our data rates schools at a B in Boynton Beach and West Palm Beach and a C+ in Lake Worth Beach, and the school districts guide explains zoned versus magnet options.

Safety. We don’t publish crime statistics or grades on this site. For crime data and alerts, go directly to the city’s official website — the links appear throughout this article.

Cities on “Cheap” Lists That Aren’t Actually Cheap

Some cities show up on affordability lists because of how the list is scored, not because they’re inexpensive. Westlake appears on several lists as an affordable new-construction option, but its Census median home value is $649,700, higher than West Palm Beach, Boynton Beach, or Delray Beach. Its newest neighborhood does offer new single-family homes starting in the high $300,000s, and nearby Arden starts in the $400,000s, but the city as a whole is not low-cost, and both carry CDD fees on top of HOA dues (see our new construction guide). Royal Palm Beach shows up as well; its median value ($437,700) and median rent ($2,273) are mid-range, and it feels affordable mainly because local incomes are high. And at least one popular ranking places Highland Beach — a Census median value of $909,200 — in its top ten “affordable” cities, because its score blends wages, safety, and school data rather than price. A list built on a blended score answers a different question than the one you asked.

Which One Fits Which Buyer

• Lowest possible price, willing to live inland: South Bay, Pahokee, or Belle Glade — budget for a longer commute.
• Lowest price with a coastal-side location: Palm Springs or Greenacres, or a condo in Boynton Beach or Lake Worth Beach.
• Renter who wants the beach nearby: compare current asking rents, not Census rents; Greenacres and Belle Glade are the two lowest of the cities checked here.
• 55+ retiree: Century Village-style condos — with the fee and reserve diligence above.
• Investor: Boynton Beach’s 5.5–7.5% gross rental yields and low cash-buyer competition are documented in our Boynton Beach guide.
• Family focused on schools: cheapest is rarely best; the best places to live comparison shows what the higher-priced, higher-rated submarkets deliver.

The Honest Trade-off

There is no single cheapest place in Palm Beach County — there is a cheapest place for each kind of buyer, and each pays for it differently. The Glades trade distance for the county’s lowest prices. Palm Springs and Greenacres trade location and amenities for coastal-side affordability. Lake Worth Beach and Boynton Beach trade school ratings and, in Boynton’s case, rent burden for their entry points. And 55+ condos trade monthly fees and age restriction for the lowest purchase prices in the county. The right question is not “where is it cheapest” but “what am I willing to trade for a lower price.” For the county-wide view, see the real cost of living in Palm Beach County.

How These Numbers Were Compiled

Median home value, median gross rent, and median household income come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–2024 five-year estimates, retrieved through Census Reporter. Price-to-income is median home value divided by median household income; rent burden is median annual rent divided by median household income. Recent sale prices are Redfin’s published trailing figures for summer 2026. Asking rents are RentCafe’s 2026 city averages. Century Village figures reflect recent sales and association-fee ranges as of mid-2026 and should be verified against current listings. Countywide and neighborhood medians are our own tracked data (July 2026). Last updated September 19, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the cheapest city to live in Palm Beach County? By Census data, South Bay is the cheapest city to buy in ($142,300 median home value), followed by Pahokee ($152,300) and Belle Glade ($163,100) — all in the Glades, about 40 miles inland. On the coastal side, Palm Springs and Greenacres are the cheapest mainstream cities.

What is the cheapest place to rent in Palm Beach County? Belle Glade has the lowest median rent ($898 in-place, about $1,300 asking). Among the larger cities compared here outside the Glades, Lake Worth Beach has the lowest in-place rent ($1,545), though current asking rents run about $2,230, so new renters should budget the higher figure.

What is the cheapest place to buy a house near the beach in Palm Beach County? Lake Worth Beach and Boynton Beach offer the most accessible coastal-side entry points, mainly through condos ($150,000–$350,000 in both) and older cottages. Single-family homes near the water run considerably higher.

Is the cheapest place the same as the most affordable place? No. Affordability compares price to local income. South Bay, Pahokee, and Belle Glade are cheapest and most affordable (2.8x–3.4x income), but Lake Worth Beach is cheap in dollars yet has a 6.6x price-to-income ratio, second highest of the cities compared.

What is the cheapest 55+ community in Palm Beach County? Century Village in West Palm Beach is among the lowest-priced, with a median condo price around $107,000 and monthly fees of $250–$827. Verify current listings, the building’s financing rules, and its reserve funding before buying.

What is the cheapest neighborhood in West Palm Beach? The Villages of Palm Beach Lakes is among the lowest-priced, with a recent median sale price around $225,000 and condos listed near $205,000. Grandview Heights is often called budget-friendly, but its figures vary widely by property type — condos and rentals are affordable there, single-family homes are not.

Are Belle Glade, Pahokee, and South Bay part of Palm Beach County? Yes — they are three of the county’s 39 municipalities, known together as the Glades, roughly 40 miles west of the coast along Lake Okeechobee.

Why do different websites give different prices for the same city? Some use Census owner-estimated values averaged over five years, others use the median of recent sales. In small cities, recent-sale medians can swing sharply on a few transactions, so compare cities using consistent data and check current listings for a specific budget.

How much income do I need to rent affordably in Palm Beach County? A common guideline is spending no more than 30% of income on rent. At Greenacres’ current asking rent of about $1,987, that means roughly $79,500 a year; at Lake Worth Beach’s asking rent of about $2,230, roughly $89,200.