Lakeland vs Tampa leftover
You'd keep $243 more a month in Tampa
$2,305/mo leftover in Tampa vs $2,062 in Lakeland after tax and rent ($243 more). +$2,916 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Lakeland leftover
$2,062
a month after tax and rent
Tampa leftover
$2,305
+$243 vs Lakeland
Compare Lakeland to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Lakeland.
Monthly gap
Lakeland → Tampa
$243
more / month in Tampa
$2,305 in Tampa · $2,062 in Lakeland · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
In 2022-2023, 3,007 households moved Lakeland → Tampa (avg AGI $56,241). 4,286 went the other way. The whole move →
+$243 / mo
| Per month | Lakeland | Tampa | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $6,625 | $7,327 | +$702 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,265 | $1,473 | +$208 |
| Take-home pay | $5,360 | $5,853 | +$494 |
| Rent | $1,333 | $1,506 | +$173 |
| Getting around | $563 | $592 | +$29 |
| Groceries | $387 | $400 | +$13 |
| Healthcare | $435 | $450 | +$15 |
| Utilities | $242 | $250 | +$8 |
| Everything else | $338 | $350 | +$12 |
| Left over | $2,062 | $2,305 | +$243 |
To break even in Tampa, you'd need to earn
$84,000
Household gross, versus $79,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Lakeland does now.
The tax difference alone
$0
A year, in state and local income tax. Florida has no wage income tax.
More about Tampa
Lakeland, FL in full
No state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,587 and 253 sunny days; commutes average 30 minutes.
Tampa, FL in full
No income tax and beaches, but insurance costs are the hidden line item.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Tampa on Tampa wages.
Tampa → Lakeland →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Tampa than Lakeland?
A one-bedroom is about $1,333 in Lakeland versus $1,506 in Tampa. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $243 a month higher in Tampa. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Tampa have state income tax?
Tampa is in Florida, which has no state income tax.
What changes if you move from Lakeland to Tampa?
Take-home pay is recalculated under Florida tax, rent is priced at the same bedroom count, and leftover is the gap. The from-to page also lists IRS households that already made the move, when that data exists.
Leftover is take-home after federal, state and city wage tax, minus asking rent at the bedroom count you set, minus a modelled month of groceries, utilities, healthcare, transport and childcare. It is not a cost-of-living index and not a moving quote. The dollar gap between Lakeland and Tampa moves when you change the job, remote versus local pay, or bedrooms. How the math works · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.