Living in Merritt Island, FL
Small city in Florida
Merritt Island is a small city in Florida, home to about 35,000 people, with 536,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, a car is essential. Life moves at a relaxed pace, and homes are mostly houses with yards.
Is Merritt Island a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Dog-friendly: 12 dog parks within 9 mi
- Low taxes: no state income tax, 0.66% property tax
- Strong public schools: test results well above the US average
- Easy flying: MCO is 39 mi away
👎 Cons
- Quieter on culture: few museums and attractions nearby
- Smaller job market: about 536,000 people live within 31 mi
- Fewer family amenities than most places
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Merritt Island ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Merritt Island: common questions
What is the cost of living in Merritt Island?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $388k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $2,330 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are close to the US average (index 100, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Merritt Island?
Florida has no state income tax, and homeowners here pay about 0.66% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Merritt Island safe?
Merritt Island isn't in the FBI's 2019 city crime table, so Best Life Fit Me counts its safety as average.
How are the schools in Merritt Island?
Public schools in Merritt Island test well above the US average in math and reading (2018–19 state tests, put on one national scale with NAEP), with about 17 students per teacher.
What is the weather like in Merritt Island?
Merritt Island is warm all year: winter days average around 74°F and summer days around 90°F.
Does Merritt Island get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is moderate, mainly from hurricanes and flooding: 15 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 0.45 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Merritt Island?
The nearest major airport is MCO, about 39 mi away.
How Merritt Island scores
Each bar compares Merritt Island with the other 1,990 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
Places like Merritt Island
These places have the most similar overall profile across all 24 aspects.
The circle is each place's all-round score out of 100: the average of its 15 quality scores, from red (poor) to green (excellent).
Nearby
See all the best places to live in Florida.
Is Merritt Island right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.