Cost of Living in Boynton Beach, FL (2026): The Real Numbers

Short answer: the median Boynton Beach home ($478,000) costs roughly $3,249/month to own — principal & interest, property tax, and insurance combined — before a single utility bill, the lowest ownership cost of any submarket the site tracks. Renting instead runs roughly $1,800–$2,636/month. Here’s the full breakdown for Palm Beach County’s best value play — housing, renting, insurance, taxes, cash-to-close — and why “affordable” here still means real money, not a bargain-basement number.

Boynton Beach, At a Glance

Median home price	$478,000
Est. property tax (0.89% effective rate)	$4,254/year ($355/mo)
Est. homeowner’s insurance (planning estimate)	$4,200/year ($350/mo)
Est. monthly cost to own (20% down, 7% rate)	$3,249/mo
Year-over-year appreciation	4.8%
Walk Score	54
School rating	B

Cost-to-own assumes 20% down, a 7% 30-year mortgage rate, and the property tax/insurance figures above — run your own down payment, rate, and target price with the Cost of Living Calculator. Insurance is a planning estimate, not a quote — Boynton Beach’s mostly-inland housing stock keeps premiums below the county’s coastal submarkets; actual premiums vary by roof age, flood zone, and construction type.

Housing

Boynton Beach carries the county’s most accessible price floor along with real upside — median price $478,000, up 4.8% year-over-year, though it’s also the slowest-moving market the site tracks at 56 days on market and 3.8 months of supply, meaningfully more breathing room for buyers than the tighter markets to the north. Product type breaks out as:

• Older condos: $150,000–$350,000 — the most affordable owned housing in the entire county
• New construction townhomes: $380,000–$550,000
• Single-family, western Boynton: $420,000–$650,000
• Single-family, eastern Boynton: $500,000–$850,000

Boynton’s older-condo tier is genuinely the lowest price-of-entry to homeownership anywhere in Palm Beach County the site tracks — a real option for buyers priced out of every other submarket’s condo floor.

East Boynton vs. West Boynton: The Real Price Split

Boynton Beach’s own property-type data reflects a real east-west divide, and it’s a wider gap here than in most of the county’s other submarkets. Eastern Boynton, closer to the Intracoastal and the beach, runs $500,000–$850,000 for single-family homes — noticeably above the $420,000–$650,000 range for comparable homes to the west. The western half is where most of the city’s newer, more affordable master-planned development has concentrated, generally on larger, more suburban lots at a lower price per square foot, in exchange for a longer drive to the water. For buyers specifically chasing Boynton’s reputation as the county’s value play, the western half is where that value actually concentrates most; the eastern half is priced closer to what you’d find in the more established parts of Delray Beach or West Palm Beach.

Renting in Boynton Beach

Real 2026 asking rents, per multiple market trackers (Rent.com, RentHop, Apartments.com):

• One-bedroom apartment: roughly $1,800–$2,175/month
• Two-bedroom apartment: roughly $2,385–$2,636/month, up about 9.5% year-over-year — one of the faster-rising rent markets the site tracks even as home price appreciation here runs the slowest

That gap between fast-rising rents and slower home-price growth is worth noting specifically: it’s a real signal that buying, if you can clear the down payment, is currently gaining relative ground on renting here faster than in most of the county. Run the actual numbers before assuming either side of that trade automatically wins — a household planning to stay fewer than three to five years may still come out ahead renting even with rents rising, once cash-to-close and transaction costs are factored against the shorter holding period; a household planning to stay longer sees the math tilt further toward buying every year rents keep outpacing home-price growth.

Utilities

Typical ranges for a single-family home or condo in Boynton Beach:

• Electricity: $115–$175/month (higher June–September)
• Water & sewer: $30–$55/month
• Internet: $60–$100/month for high-speed plans

Transportation

Boynton Beach’s Walk Score (54) sits in the middle of the county’s range — more walkable than Palm Beach Gardens or Jupiter, less than Delray Beach or West Palm Beach. Palm Beach International Airport is about 30 minutes away, and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International is a genuinely viable alternative given Boynton’s more southern position in the county. Tri-Rail serves Boynton Beach directly, and Palm Tran bus service covers the city at the same roughly $2/ride, $70/month pass structure used countywide — a real, underused advantage for a submarket priced as the county’s value option but still carrying genuine transit access most suburban submarkets lack.

Groceries & Dining

Groceries and dining both run at or below the county average — Boynton’s retail mix skews toward standard chains rather than the premium grocers concentrated in Boca Raton or Palm Beach Gardens, and dining is correspondingly more casual, with a full sit-down dinner for two commonly running $15–20 less than an equivalent meal on Atlantic Avenue or in Mizner Park. For buyers prioritizing day-to-day cost over dining-scene prestige, that gap adds up over a full year — on a household eating out even a few times a month, it’s a real, recurring difference on top of the lower housing cost above, not just a rounding error.

Cash to Close: What You Actually Need Up Front

The monthly cost-to-own figure above doesn’t answer a different, equally practical question: how much cash does buying the median Boynton Beach home actually require on day one? On a $478,000 purchase, 20% down comes to $95,600 — the lowest of any submarket the site tracks. Florida buyer closing costs — lender fees, title insurance, appraisal, inspection, and prepaid items — typically run 2–4% of the purchase price, per Houzeo’s and Amerisave’s 2026 breakdowns, adding roughly $9,560–$19,120 on top of the down payment. All in, budget somewhere between $105,200 and $114,700 in cash to close — meaningfully lower than any of the county’s higher-priced submarkets, and a real reason Boynton Beach is frequently the realistic entry point for first-time relocating buyers.

Healthcare & Insurance — What Generic Indices Miss

Boynton Beach has solid hospital access nearby. Two separate insurance line items matter, and Boynton’s mostly-inland housing stock keeps both closer to the county’s lower end.

Homeowner’s insurance runs below the county’s coastal submarkets here — Boynton’s beach distance (10 minutes) is comparable to Jupiter’s, but its housing stock skews more inland and less waterfront-heavy overall, which is a real, direct premium driver independent of home price. Older condo buildings are the exception worth watching closely: Boynton’s low-price condo tier includes some of the county’s oldest association stock, and those buildings are exactly where Florida’s post-2021 reserve-fund requirements are landing hardest. There’s genuine good news moving the other direction countywide too: Florida’s Office of Insurance Regulation approved a statewide average rate decrease for Citizens Property Insurance policyholders effective June 1, 2026, the first reduction since 2015. The insurance cost guide covers what actually drives the number on a specific address.

Health insurance is moving the opposite direction in 2026. Florida’s ACA marketplace saw an approved weighted-average rate increase of 31.5% for individual and family plans this year, per healthinsurance.org’s Florida marketplace guide. A Silver-tier plan for a 40-year-old runs roughly $550–$860/month unsubsidized — the number to budget if you’re relocating and losing employer coverage before new coverage is confirmed active.

Childcare

Infant center-based daycare across Palm Beach County runs roughly $1,300–$1,900/month, above Florida’s statewide average of about $1,050/month, per Daycare Cost Guide’s 2026 breakdown — worth factoring in specifically here, since it can represent a larger share of a Boynton Beach household’s total housing-plus-childcare budget than it would in a higher-income submarket.

Taxes — The Line Item That Changes the Whole Calculation

Florida charges 0% state income tax. Once Florida domicile is established, the Homestead Exemption reduces a primary residence’s taxable value by up to $50,000, and the Save Our Homes cap limits annual assessed-value growth to 3%. For relocating households, this is usually the largest single line-item change in the entire move, and it applies at Boynton Beach’s price point exactly the same as it does at Boca Raton’s — the percentage savings on income tax doesn’t scale down just because the home price does. Run the actual numbers with the Tax Savings Calculator, or read the full tax savings guide.

Boynton Beach vs. the Rest of Palm Beach County

Submarket	Median Price	YoY Appreciation	Walk Score	School Rating
Boca Raton	$895,000	6.2%	62	A
Jupiter	$884,000	7.3%	44	A+
Palm Beach Gardens	$812,000	5.9%	48	A
Delray Beach	$742,000	8.1%	74	B+
Wellington	$689,000	—	32	A
West Palm Beach	$542,000	9.2%	82	B
Lake Worth Beach	$492,000	—	—	C+
Boynton Beach	$478,000	4.8%	54	B

Only Lake Worth Beach runs cheaper on median price, and Boynton Beach’s B school rating and 54 Walk Score both beat Lake Worth Beach’s on the county’s own tracked metrics — a real argument for Boynton as the stronger value play between the two most affordable submarkets. Boynton also sits directly between Delray Beach and Lake Worth Beach geographically, which makes it a realistic compromise for buyers who want proximity to Delray’s lifestyle amenities without paying Delray’s price premium. For the direct comparison against the county’s other value-and-lifestyle submarket, Delray Beach vs. Boynton Beach breaks down that exact trade-off, and the complete relocation guide covers named communities, schools, and lifestyle beyond the cost numbers on this page.

What You Need to Earn to Afford Boynton Beach

The Living Wage & Cost Calculator breaks down what a household actually needs to earn in Palm Beach County by size and composition, sourced from MIT’s Living Wage Calculator, and cross-references it against real local salary data by occupation — Boynton Beach is a genuinely useful starting point for that comparison given it sits closest to the county’s actual median household budget.

Methodology & Sources

Median home price, appreciation, Walk Score, and school ratings: internal market data, updated 2026-01-01. Property tax: Palm Beach County’s published effective rate (0.89%) applied to median price. Insurance: mid-range planning estimate reflecting Boynton Beach’s inland-leaning profile, not a quote — actual premiums vary by property. Mortgage: 7% 30-year rate, 20% down, principal & interest only. Rent figures: Rent.com, RentHop, and Apartments.com, mid-2026. Health insurance: healthinsurance.org’s Florida marketplace guide, 2026 filed rates. Childcare: Daycare Cost Guide, 2026. Closing costs: Houzeo and Amerisave, 2026. This page is updated periodically — last updated August 2, 2026.

FAQ

Is Boynton Beach the cheapest place to live in Palm Beach County? It’s the second-cheapest by median home price, just above Lake Worth Beach, but it beats Lake Worth Beach on school rating and walkability — a real argument for Boynton as the stronger overall value.

How much does it cost to rent an apartment in Boynton Beach FL? Roughly $1,800–$2,175/month for a one-bedroom and $2,385–$2,636/month for a two-bedroom — with two-bedroom rents up about 9.5% year-over-year, among the faster-rising rent markets the site tracks.

What does it cost to own the median home in Boynton Beach? Roughly $3,249/month combining principal & interest (20% down, 7% rate), property tax, and a mid-range insurance estimate on the $478,000 median home price — the lowest monthly ownership cost of any submarket the site tracks.

Does Boynton Beach have state income tax? No — Florida charges 0% state income tax, the same percentage benefit relocating households get regardless of home price.

How much cash do I need up front to buy in Boynton Beach? Budget roughly $105,200–$114,700 total on the median $478,000 home — $95,600 for a 20% down payment plus another $9,560–$19,120 in typical Florida buyer closing costs (2–4% of purchase price) — the lowest cash-to-close figure of any submarket the site tracks.

Is West Boynton cheaper than East Boynton? Yes, generally. Single-family homes in western Boynton Beach run $420,000–$650,000 versus $500,000–$850,000 for comparable homes in eastern Boynton, closer to the Intracoastal and the beach — a real, structural price gap tied directly to proximity to the water.

Is renting or buying better in Boynton Beach right now? It depends on your timeline. Rents have risen faster (about 9.5% year-over-year on two-bedrooms) than home prices (4.8% year-over-year) recently, which tilts the math toward buying for anyone planning to stay several years — but a shorter stay of under three to five years can still favor renting once cash-to-close and transaction costs are factored in.