Rental market data · 2024 Census estimates
Cape Coral, FL rental yield and cash flow
In the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL metro, the median owner-occupied home was valued at $396,500 and the median gross rent was $1,871 a month in 2024. That is a gross rent yield of 5.66%, rank 11 of the 100 largest metros we track.
Does the median home cash flow at today's rate?
We priced a hypothetical rental at the metro medians: $396,500 purchase, $1,871 rent, 25% down, a 30-year loan at 7.28% (Freddie Mac's 30-year average for the week of October 1, 2026), $3,087 in annual property taxes, insurance at 0.5% of price, and 5% vacancy, 10% repairs and 8% management.
At these assumptions the median-priced home runs about $1,017 a month short of covering its costs (DSCR 0.50). Rent would need to reach about $3,191, 71% above the median, to break even, or the price would need to be near $173,236 for a 1.25 DSCR. Net operating income is about $12,218 a year, a 3.08% cap rate, against $24,416 of annual debt service.
Investment-property loans usually price above the owner-occupant average this survey reports, and your insurance quote, tax bill and rent will differ from a metro median. Change any input below.
Run your own numbers for Cape Coral
How Cape Coral compares
Metros with the nearest gross yields among the 100 we track. * Cash flow uses the same assumptions as above.
| Rank | Metro | Median value | Median rent | Gross yield | Price-to-rent | Cash flow / mo* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Lakeland, FL | $305,400 | $1,484 | 5.83% | 17.1 | -$739 |
| 9 | Birmingham, AL | $263,900 | $1,262 | 5.74% | 17.4 | -$604 |
| 10 | Augusta, GA-SC | $262,100 | $1,243 | 5.69% | 17.6 | -$623 |
| 11 | Cape Coral, FL | $396,500 | $1,871 | 5.66% | 17.7 | -$1,017 |
| 12 | New Orleans, LA | $267,900 | $1,262 | 5.65% | 17.7 | -$651 |
| 13 | Pittsburgh, PA | $230,300 | $1,083 | 5.64% | 17.7 | -$675 |
| 14 | Memphis, TN-MS-AR | $282,900 | $1,330 | 5.64% | 17.7 | -$704 |
What these numbers leave out
Census gross rent includes utilities when the tenant pays them, so it can overstate what a landlord collects. Median value describes owner-occupied homes, not the rental stock, and a metro median hides wide neighborhood differences. Treat this page as a screen, then underwrite the specific property.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 1-year estimates, table B25064 (median gross rent)
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 1-year estimates, table B25077 (median value, owner-occupied housing units)
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 1-year estimates, table B25103 (median real estate taxes paid)
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 1-year estimates, table B25003 (housing tenure)
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 1-year estimates, table B01003 (total population)
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (30-year fixed average, week of October 1, 2026)
Data snapshot October 7, 2026. Methodology: all metros.