Salaries in Daytona Beach, FL

Here’s something you won’t see in the tourism brochures: Daytona Beach’s median household income is just $50,442, but its cost of living sits at 98.7—practically the national average. For a mid-sized coastal city with 82,000 people, that’s a tight squeeze most don’t talk about.

Let’s get real about purchasing power. That 1BR rent at $1,152 doesn’t sound terrible until you remember the median income. You’re looking at roughly $4,200 a month gross, so housing eats up a bigger slice of your pie than you’d expect for a place that’s not Miami or Tampa. The COL index being slightly below average helps, but it’s not the bargain it seems on paper. You’ll feel it more if you’re coming from the Midwest.

Who actually thrives here? It’s not the service workers keeping the bars on the boardwalk busy. The top earners are in marketing—think digital roles for the racing and hospitality giants—and healthcare, with pharmacists doing especially well. The big local employers, like Halifax Health and Daytona International Speedway, anchor these fields. Construction managers also do well, likely tied to the constant flow of new condos and renovations. You’ll notice the education numbers are low—only 28.1% have a bachelor’s degree—so if you’ve got one, you’re already in a smaller, better-paid pool.

Here’s the honest catch: wages for most roles aren’t keeping up with the creeping inflation in housing and insurance. The city works best for dual-income households or remote workers earning coastal salaries. If you’re in a top-paying field, you can live very comfortably. If you’re not, it’s a struggle.

The data below breaks down the top-paying jobs, what you’d actually take home after adjusting for costs, and how the average salary stacks up against the rent.