Even on the area’s higher pay, Lely Resort costs more to live in than 97% of U.S. towns
It ranks #553 of 637 in Florida for affordability.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Naples-Marco Island, FL metro area ($90K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Lely Resort’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($90K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up better than renters: 29% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 58% of renters.
In dollars
- $2,090a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 103prices across the Naples metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 129)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 7.4 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$90K, Naples-area income
- 28%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 58%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Florida: 60%Census 2020–24
- 29%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Lely Resort, in brief
A second-home town
30% of Lely Resort’s homes are seasonal or vacation homes, empty for much of the year. Property taxes ↓
Mostly newer homes
Half of Lely Resort’s homes were built after 2007, against 1988 for Florida as a whole. Property taxes ↓
Written from the data on this page. There’s no Zillow index for Lely Resort, so the typical value is an estimate: the Census median carried forward with the federal house price index; sales and supply are Redfin’s for May 2026; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Lely Resort’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Lely Resort is more affordable than 3% of U.S. towns, #553 of 637 in Florida. Home prices pull the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Home prices up 74% in 5 years
The federal house price index for the ZIP code around Lely Resort rose 74% over the past 5 years, faster than across Florida (60%). Prices were about flat last year. Carrying the Census median home value forward with that index puts the typical Lely Resort home at roughly $744,000 today.
Carrying the Census median forward with the index puts a typical home at about $744K.
Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (annual) for the ZIP codes around Lely Resort, weighted by land area. It tracks repeat sales of the same homes, so it shows how prices changed, not what homes cost.
A balanced market
About 5.8 months of supply: neither buyers nor sellers have a clear edge.
Under ~4 months of supply favors sellers; over ~6 favors buyers.
Redfin Data Center, all residential sales, May 2026.
A typical home costs 7.4 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Lely Resort’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $383K short of a typical Lely Resort home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $2,090 a month here, $2,240 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Lely Resort’s typical property tax (0.68% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $2,090
Renters already here pay a median of $2,078.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Naples-Marco Island, FL MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
High tax bills, but a low tax rate
The median bill is $4,552 (Florida: $2,730), because homes cost more. As a share of value it’s 0.68% a year, against 0.76% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
The rest of a budget near Lely Resort
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Naples-Marco Island, FL metro area, or Florida. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 103 | FL 103 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 96 | FL 98 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 88 | FL 90 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 99 | FL 101 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
Price levels: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024 (metro area and state). Electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A.
Lely Resort vs. its neighbors
Zillow publishes no value for Lely Resort. Naples Manor and Lely have no Zillow value, so they are in the table only.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, latest | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lely Resort | D− | — | $667K | 0.68% | $2,090 |
| Lely | C− | — | $326K | 0.58% | $2,090 |
| Naples Manor | C | — | $340K | 0.60% | $2,090 |
“—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures.
Questions about the cost of living in Lely Resort
Is Lely Resort expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Lely Resort costs more than 97% of U.S. towns: a D− for cost of living, #553 of 637 in Florida. The typical home costs 7.4 years of the median household income of the Naples-Marco Island, FL metro area ($90K).
How much is rent in Lely Resort?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $2,090 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $2,078 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Lely Resort?
The median bill is $4,552 a year, 0.68% of the median home value (Florida: $2,730, 0.76%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What Lely Resort buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, May 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Price trend: Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.