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Compare towns

Cocoa vs Stuart

88 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (3.1× in Stuart) and home values (+34% in Stuart).

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Cocoa, FLHomes around $298KFlorida · 19,554 people
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Stuart, FLHomes around $374KFlorida · 18,520 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $430 more a month in Stuart

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Cocoa$1,730/mo
Typical home $298K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.67% · or rent about $1,274/mo · Housing →
Stuart$2,160/mo
Typical home $374K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.63% · or rent about $1,586/mo · Housing →

The difference: $430 a month, about $5,200 a year, between Stuart and Cocoa.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Stuart places higher on 14 of 22 FL lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Florida ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
CocoaStuart
Snow a year0″0″
January low50°F56°F
July high90°F91°F
Growing season (days)362d365d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)87th89th
Outdoors & history
CocoaStuart
Trails8 mi4 mi
Conserved land2.3%2.9%
Settled1860—
National Register places44
Archive photos612
Famous people born here—24
Community
CocoaStuart
Library hours a week57 hrs55 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

88 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Cocoa ↔ Stuart88 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

CocoaStuart
People
Population 19,554Highest 18,520Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +11.1%Lowest FL: +14.6% +11.7%Highest FL: +14.6%
Median age 44.9±3.1Lowest 5% above FL 48.6±5Highest 14% above FL
Stuart and Cocoa are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 17.5%±3.3Highest FL: 19.5% 17.4%±2.9Lowest FL: 19.5%
Cocoa and Stuart are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 21.8%±2.6Lowest FL: 21.3% 29.1%±3.1Highest FL: 21.3%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 27.4%Lowest FL: 34.1% 35.1%Highest FL: 34.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.8%±1.5Lowest FL: 6.1% 5.2%±1.5Highest FL: 6.1%
Stuart and Cocoa are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $63,105±$10kHighest 15% below FL $60,225±$8kLowest 19% below FL
Cocoa and Stuart are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $246,100±$19kLowest 31% below FL $329,400±$33kHighest 8% below FL
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,274±$123Lowest 24% below FL $1,586±$99Highest 5% below FL
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,645Lowest 40% below FL $2,063Highest 24% below FL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 61.5%±9.4Lowest FL: 60.1% 69.3%±10.1Highest FL: 60.1%
Stuart and Cocoa are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 13.1%Lowest FL: 12.6% 17.3%Highest FL: 12.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 63.5%Highest FL: 67.6% 58.9%Lowest FL: 67.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1975Lowest 13 yrs older than FL 1982Highest 6 yrs older than FL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 26 minHighest 9% below FL 25 minLowest 12% below FL
Work from home 9.1%±2.5Lowest FL: 15.7% 12.4%±3.4Highest FL: 15.7%
Stuart and Cocoa are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 8.8%Lowest 23.8%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 20.8 miHighest 16.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.35Lowest 4.18Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Rockledge (7%)Port St. Lucie (5%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in StuartFew work in Cocoa
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 2.3%Lowest 2.9%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 8.2 miHighest 3.9 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.6 miHighest 0.4 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 9Lowest 24Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 56.9Lowest 84.1Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #460 of 488 in FL#188 of 488 in FL
School district BREVARDMARTIN
High school in town Cocoa High SchoolMartin County High School
Students per teacherat that high school 16.1Lowest 22.1Highest
Florida average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Cocoa neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Cocoa’s Town Square.

Stuart neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Stuart’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Cocoa and Stuart

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Cocoa

Towns like Cocoa

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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