Cost of living in Lake Wales, Florida

Lake Wales, Florida has about 16,785 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $239,300.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Polk County is $1,608 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Lake Wales. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

In the Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL metro area, prices sit at 97.1 when the U.S. average is 100. That is a 2024 BEA index.

Florida does not tax wages. A typical combined sales tax is 7.0% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not Lake Wales's exact store tax.

In July 2026, a typical Florida home paid 15.03¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not Lake Wales's bill.

For the week of October 12, 2026, EIA's all-grades gasoline price in Florida was $4.084 a gallon. At 12,000 miles a year and 25 mpg, the index counts that as $1,960.32 a year. Those miles are our standard, not a Census figure, and every town in Florida shares this price.

Among 730 places we list in Florida with a rent figure, 620 have higher typical rent than Lake Wales.