Southwest Florida · Lee County

Living in Cape Coral, Florida

Cape Coral is a city in Lee County, with about 215,536 people.1 It feels suburban, at 2,029 people per square mile.1,3

215,5361people
$373,5001median home value
$1,858/mo1median rent
48.61median age

Nearest 24-hour emergency room

Cape Coral Hospital, listed in Cape Coral.2

Straight-line distance from the town's center; driving is longer. Freestanding ERs and urgent care aren't counted.

Life in Southwest Florida

Gulf beaches, warm dry winters and an older population.

Hazards: Storm surge is the biggest risk: Hurricane Ian came ashore in Lee County as a Category 4 in 2022, and Milton made landfall near Siesta Key in 2024.4,5

Visitor information

Lee County's official tourism office: Visit Fort Myers (Lee County).6 Ask about local events, things to do and a free visitor guide, if they offer one.

Read the free Southwest Florida preview, including the region's state-certified visitor centers.

The full Cape Coral town card

Choosing Your Place has the complete card for Cape Coral and 779 other places:

Get Choosing Your Place · $9.99See a full sample card

Other places in Lee County

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

I've lived in Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte and North Port, where I live now, and called on schools from Sarasota to Fort Myers and Naples.

More about the author and how this manual is made

"Median" means half are above and half below. Figures are U.S. Census Bureau estimates for Cape Coral as a Census-defined place; the area a mailing address calls Cape Coral can be larger.

Notes

  1. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024
  2. CMS Hospital General Information (Care Compare)
  3. U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer files (places)
  4. Babcock Ranch kept power through Hurricane Ian (WTOP)
  5. Siesta Beach (Wikipedia)
  6. County tourism office websites, each opened or confirmed 2026-11-05