Region preview · 2027 Edition

Moving to the Space Coast and Daytona: what to know

The Atlantic coast between Orlando's latitude and the Treasure Coast: Daytona Beach and its speedway, the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral, Melbourne and Palm Bay's tech jobs, and quieter Vero Beach.^1,3,4,5,6,7 Real ocean beaches, rocket launches you can watch from the yard, and Orlando about an hour inland.^1,5

Counties: Volusia, Brevard, Indian River. Includes Daytona Beach, Titusville, Cocoa, Melbourne, Vero Beach.

69° / 49°¹January high / low, Daytona Beach

90° / 74°¹July high / low

51 in¹rain a year, wettest September

$339,600²median home value, Brevard County

26.5%²aged 65 and over, Brevard County

$78,476²median household income

Weather

Mild winters with occasional cold snaps, and long, hot, humid summers with afternoon storms. Ocean breezes take the edge off on the beach side; inland gets hotter.^1,5¹

Storms and hazards

Hurricanes and beach erosion. In November 2022 Nicole hit the same stretch Ian had damaged six weeks earlier; nearly 50 Volusia County condos, homes and hotels collapsed or were left in danger of collapsing as the beach washed out from under them.^1,5,8,9
Rip currents on Atlantic beaches: swim near a lifeguard.^1,5
Storm surge on the barrier islands and along the Indian River Lagoon. Look up both your evacuation zone and your flood zone.^10,11,12

See every hurricane near the Space Coast and Daytona since 1851, mapped

Who it suits

Our judgment, from the facts in the full profile.

Engineers, aerospace and defense workers
Beach people who want the Atlantic without South Florida prices
Racing fans
Retirees, especially around Vero Beach, where more than a third of residents are 65-plus

A few things to see

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex³
A rocket launch from the beach or a causeway^1,5
Daytona International Speedway, and the Daytona 500 in February^1,4

Only in Florida

NASCAR was born in a bar: talks at the Ebony Bar in Daytona's Streamline Hotel in December 1947 led to its founding in February 1948.^1,4,13

Visitor information

The official, non-commercial places to ask about things to do, events and local services.^14,15 Many tourism offices also offer a free visitor guide.

County tourism offices

Volusia County: Daytona Beach Area CVB
Brevard County: Florida's Space Coast Office of Tourism
Indian River County: Visit Indian River County

State-certified visitor information centers

Visit Indian River County Visitor Center, 1216 21st Street, Vero Beach
Sebastian River Area Chamber Visitor Information Center, 700 Main Street, Sebastian
Titusville Area Chamber of Commerce Visitor Information Center, 419 South Hopkins Avenue, Titusville
New Smyrna Beach Visitors Bureau Visitor Information Center, 2238 SR 44, New Smyrna Beach

The full Space Coast and Daytona profile is in Choosing Your Place

Every county's people, income, home value and rent
Costs, insurance, hospitals, getting around, jobs, culture and history
66 town cards for this region, each with home value, rent, median age and the nearest 24-hour ER and airport
Side-by-side compare with any other region, and the monthly-cost calculator

Get Choosing Your Place · $9.99 What's inside

Moving here for sure? Living Here & Staying Ready has Space Coast and Daytona's county emergency and special-needs numbers, and a household plan. Get the Complete Edition for $19.99.

Written by Charles Squires, North Port, Florida. 40 years living in Florida, in eight places.

I've lived in Coral Gables, Fort Walton Beach and Destin, Pasco County, St. Petersburg, Tallahassee, Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte and North Port, and called on thousands of schools across the state for Books Are Fun.

More about the author and how this manual is made

Towns in the Space Coast and Daytona

Free basics for each of the 66 places with 1,000 or more people: home value, rent and the nearest ER.

Cape Canaveral · Cocoa · Cocoa Beach · Cocoa West · Daytona Beach · Daytona Beach Shores · De Leon Springs · DeBary · DeLand · DeLand Southwest · Deltona · Edgewater · Fellsmere · Florida Ridge · Gifford · Glencoe · Grant-Valkaria · Holly Hill · Indialantic · Indian Harbour Beach · Indian River Shores · June Park · Lake Helen · Malabar · Melbourne · Melbourne Beach · Merritt Island · Micco · Mims · New Smyrna Beach · North DeLand · North Merritt Island · Oak Hill · Orange City · Ormond Beach · Ormond-by-the-Sea · Palm Bay · Palm Shores · Patrick AFB · Pierson · Ponce Inlet · Port Orange · Port St. John · Rockledge · Roseland · Samsula-Spruce Creek · Satellite Beach · Sebastian · Seville · Sharpes · South Beach · South Daytona · South Patrick Shores · Titusville · Tropical Park · Vero Beach · Vero Beach South · Vero Lake Estates · Viera East · Viera West · Wabasso · Wabasso Beach · West DeLand · West Melbourne · West Vero Corridor · Winter Beach

Other regions: Southwest Florida · Tampa Bay · Central Florida · Heartland · North Central Florida · Northeast Florida · Southeast Florida · Florida Keys · Big Bend and Nature Coast · Panhandle