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.

Down paymentRate%

Sanibel$4,750/mo

Typical home $800K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.83% · or rent about $811/mo · Housing →

Captiva$8,120/mo

Typical home $1.2M (Zillow) · tax rate est. 1.8% · Housing →

The difference: $3,370 a month, about $40,400 a year, between Captiva and Sanibel.

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.

Where they are

Sanibel and Captiva share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

SanibelCaptiva

Sanibel ↔ Captiva6.3 miles apart · They share a border

Who commutes between them

2 Captiva residents work in Sanibel (2.4% of its workers)

Work & commute in Captiva →

Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

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.

Schools

CSanibelBetter than 29% of districts in the state –CaptivaNot graded

Health

A−SanibelHealthier than 84% of U.S. towns –CaptivaNot graded

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

SanibelCaptiva

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)89th 91st

Outdoors & history

SanibelCaptiva

Trails33 mi 1 mi

Conserved land31.5%6.5%

Settled1884 —

National Register places2 2

Archive photos12 —

Famous people born here1 —

Community

SanibelCaptiva

Library hours a week—22 hrs

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

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.

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.

Only big differences vs Florida average

SanibelCaptiva

People

Population 6,418Highest 99Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -1.3%Highest FL: +14.6% -45.5%Lowest FL: +14.6%

Median age 67.3±3.2Highest 58% above FL 36.4±20Lowest 15% below FL

Kids under 18 5.3%±1.5Highest FL: 19.5% 0%±42.9Lowest FL: 19.5%

Sanibel and Captiva are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 54.9%±9.4Highest FL: 21.3% 32.3%±46.2Lowest FL: 21.3%

Sanibel and Captiva are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 61%Lowest FL: 34.1% 68%Highest FL: 34.1%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.1%±1.7Highest FL: 6.1% 0%±21.4Lowest FL: 6.1%

Sanibel and Captiva are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $108,644±$30k 46% above FL —

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $957,300±$130k 167% above FL —

Rentmedian gross, monthly $811±$111 51% below FL —

Property taxmedian, yearly $7,956 191% above FL —

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 26.2%±34.7 FL: 60.1% —

Below poverty line 11.6%Lowest FL: 12.6% 47.5%Highest FL: 12.6%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 89.9%Lowest FL: 67.6% 100%Highest FL: 67.6%

Typical home builtmedian year 1983Lowest 5 yrs older than FL 1985Highest 3 yrs older than FL

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 21 min 24% below FL —

Work from home 31.1%±9.6Lowest FL: 15.7% 70%Highest FL: 15.7%

Work in townworking residents 19.5%Highest 7.3%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 26.3 miLowest 32.3 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.31Lowest 3.63Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Fort Myers (7%)Fort Myers (6%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Captiva2% work in Sanibel

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 31.5%Highest 6.5%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 32.6 miHighest 0.7 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.0 miHighest 0.4 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 8Highest 1Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 14.6Lowest 27.4Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #2 of 488 in FL—

School district LEE—

High school in town None in town—

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.

Sanibel neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Sanibel’s Town Square.

Captiva neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Captiva’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Sanibel and Captiva

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

Towns like Sanibel

+ Compare

Highland Beach4,311 people · $909K homes

+ Compare

Holmes Beach3,047 people · $681K homes

+ Compare

Longboat Key7,539 people · $1.02M homes

+ Compare

Lauderdale-by-the-Sea6,232 people · $681K homes

Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks Florida towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

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.

Sanibel vs Captiva

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $3,370 more a month in Captiva

Sanibel and Captiva share a border

Grades and rankings, side by side

What daily life feels like in each

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Sanibel and Captiva

Towns like Sanibel

Post to Sanibel

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