Best Neighborhoods in West Melbourne, FL
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around West Melbourne, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
West Melbourne ranks 637th of 2,098 U.S. small cities on the BestNeighborhood index, and 26th of 168 Florida small cities. It scores highest on low crime by a wide margin, and disaster risk is the weak spot.
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Map of the best neighborhoods in West Melbourne
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
West Melbourne's strengths and weaknesses
Where West Melbourne ranks high
- Crime safetyBetter than 98% of small cities
- School gradeA−, better than 93% of small cities
- Air qualityBetter than 91% of small cities
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 95% of small cities
- Local economyBetter than 81% of small cities
Where West Melbourne ranks low
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 2% of small cities
- Heat safetyBetter than only 2% of small cities
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 15% of small cities
- WalkabilityBetter than only 42% of small cities
- Low vacancyBetter than only 24% of small cities
What it costs to buy a home in West Melbourne
A household needs to earn about $90,000 a year to comfortably buy the median West Melbourne home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $93,638, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.7% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-08-20 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses West Melbourne's effective rate of 0.68%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in West Melbourne
West Melbourne's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for West Melbourne.
Who works in West Melbourne, and how
Work in West Melbourne centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 82%
- Work from home 16%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in West Melbourne
West Melbourne has more restaurants and bars per resident than 83% of small cities and more late-night spots per resident than 84% of small cities. The coast is about 12 minutes away. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of West Melbourne and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in West Melbourne, month by month
West Melbourne sees roughly 123 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 92 degrees. January highs sit near 74, with lows near 51. The comfortable stretch runs November through April.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 74° | 62° | 51° |
| April | 84° | 74° | 64° |
| July | 92° | 83° | 75° |
| October | 86° | 78° | 70° |
Flying in and out of West Melbourne
The nearest airport, Melbourne Orlando International, is about 3 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Orlando International, about 46 miles away.
The best schools in and around West Melbourne
Schools across West Melbourne average an A−, better than 93% of small cities.
Top elementary schools
- W. Melbourne Elementary School For ScienceA+ · 91% proficient
- Educational Horizons CharterA+ · 88% proficient
- Pineapple Cove Classical Academy At West MelbourneB+ · 68% proficient
Top middle schools
- Central Middle SchoolB− · 56% proficient
- Stone Magnet Middle SchoolD · 41% proficient
Top high schools
- Melbourne Senior High SchoolB · 61% proficient
- Heritage High SchoolC− · 49% proficient
- Eau Gallie High SchoolD+ · 44% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every West Melbourne school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
West Melbourne measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare West Melbourne against the other 2,097 small cities.
Who West Melbourne suits
Retirees
The weather beats 70% of small cities, health care access beats 74%, and it is quieter than 62%.
Common questions about living in West Melbourne
Is West Melbourne a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, West Melbourne ranks 637th of 2,098 small cities, and 26th of 168 Florida small cities. It scores highest on low crime, good schools, and clean air, and lowest on disaster risk and summer heat. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is West Melbourne expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $346,045. The overall cost of living runs about 9% below the national average. Set against a $93,638 median income, cost of living beats 61% of small cities.
Is West Melbourne safe?
Yes, West Melbourne is safer than 98% of small cities. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $123 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in West Melbourne?
July highs average about 92 degrees, and January highs near 74 with lows near 51. That works out to about 123 pleasant days a year, more than 70% of small cities.
Is West Melbourne good for families?
Schools beat 93% of small cities, crime safety beats 98%, and childcare runs $839 a month.
Compare West Melbourne with other small cities
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to West Melbourne. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in West Melbourne represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
West Melbourne detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for West Melbourne: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in West Melbourne: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of West Melbourne: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in West Melbourne: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
West Melbourne detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.