Palm Beach County Cities: Where to Live, Town by Town
June 24, 2026 · 7 min read · By Onias Derilus, Broker
Palm Beach County has 39 municipalities, from oceanfront enclaves to western suburbs and farm towns. Here is a plain guide to the Palm Beach County cities worth knowing.
Palm Beach County is the largest county in Florida by land area, and its 39 municipalities run from oceanfront enclaves to fast-growing western suburbs to farm towns near Lake Okeechobee. This guide sorts out the Palm Beach County cities and where you would actually want to live. It groups them by area and tells you what each one is known for.
Key Takeaways
- Palm Beach County has 39 incorporated municipalities plus large unincorporated areas.
- The coastal cities (Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Jupiter, the Town of Palm Beach) carry the highest prices and the beach lifestyle.
- Central and western suburbs (Wellington, Royal Palm Beach, Greenacres) offer more space and value.
- The Glades towns out west (Belle Glade, Pahokee, South Bay) are the county's agricultural heart and most affordable corner.
- West Palm Beach is the county seat and the urban core.
The coastal cities
The eastern edge of Palm Beach County is where the marquee names sit. Boca Raton anchors the south end with Mediterranean architecture, country clubs, and a strong corporate base. Just north, Delray Beach trades on a walkable downtown and Atlantic Avenue's restaurants and galleries. Boynton Beach and Lake Worth Beach offer more attainable coastal living between the two. The Town of Palm Beach, the barrier island itself, remains one of the wealthiest addresses in the country, with Worth Avenue and oceanfront estates.
To the north, Jupiter draws families and boaters with its inlet, lighthouse, and laid-back marine culture. Palm Beach Gardens pairs golf with upscale shopping at the Gardens Mall. It is home to the PGA of America. Smaller coastal towns like Juno Beach, Tequesta, North Palm Beach, and Highland Beach round out the shoreline.
West Palm Beach and the urban core
West Palm Beach is the county seat and its largest city, with a real downtown, the Brightline station, Clematis Street and Rosemary Square, and a mix of historic neighborhoods and new high-rises. It is the most urban option in the county and a natural landing spot for buyers who want walkability and a shorter commute. If you are weighing the move, our guide to the cost of living in West Palm Beach breaks down housing, taxes, and insurance.
Central and western suburbs
Head inland and the county opens up. Wellington is famous for equestrian sport (the Winter Equestrian Festival) and offers large lots and top-rated schools. Royal Palm Beach and Loxahatchee Groves nearby give you suburban and semi-rural space at lower prices. Greenacres, Palm Springs, Lake Park, and Lantana are practical, established suburbs with solid value. Westlake, incorporated in 2016, is the county's newest city and one of its fastest-growing master-planned communities.
The Glades
Far to the west, along the southeastern shore of Lake Okeechobee, sit the Glades communities: Belle Glade, Pahokee, and South Bay. This is the agricultural engine of the county, sugarcane and vegetable country, and the most affordable housing in Palm Beach County. It is a different pace of life, rural and tight-knit, a long drive from the coast.
How to choose among Palm Beach County cities
Start with three questions: how close to the beach do you need to be, what is your budget per square foot, and how long a commute can you tolerate. The coast costs the most and gives you lifestyle and walkability. Western suburbs trade beach access for space and value. In the Glades you trade both for affordability. Compare current listings and market data on our Palm Beach County page, dig into West Palm Beach or Boca Raton directly, or browse the full city directory for the rest of our service area.
Frequently asked questions
How many cities are in Palm Beach County?
Palm Beach County has 39 incorporated municipalities, plus sizable unincorporated communities like The Acreage. It is the third most populous county in Florida.
What is the most expensive city in Palm Beach County?
The Town of Palm Beach, the barrier island, is consistently the most expensive, followed by coastal enclaves like Manalapan, Gulf Stream, and Highland Beach. Boca Raton and Jupiter lead the larger cities.
What is the most affordable part of Palm Beach County?
The Glades towns out west, Belle Glade, Pahokee, and South Bay, offer the lowest home prices. Among the eastern suburbs, Greenacres and Lake Worth Beach tend to be the most attainable.
Not sure which Palm Beach County city fits you? Pure Equity knows these towns block by block and can match your budget and lifestyle to the right neighborhood. Contact our team to start your search.
The numbers behind the geography
Grouping the county by coast, core, suburb and Glades explains where places are. It does not explain what they cost, and in Palm Beach County the difference between neighbouring cities is often larger than the difference between counties.
Current active inventory runs from a median of about $155,000 in Palm Springs to roughly $2,450,000 on the island of Palm Beach. Both are in the same county, about fifteen minutes apart.
Where the inventory concentrates
Four cities hold most of the market. West Palm Beach carries around 1,991 active listings, Boca Raton about 1,885, Delray Beach roughly 1,621 and Boynton Beach about 1,425, out of roughly 12,580 countywide.
Smaller municipalities work differently. Ocean Ridge has about 62 active listings and Juno Beach about 82, so a buyer set on either is choosing from a very short list and should expect to wait.
A caution about median list price
Delray Beach shows a median of roughly $279,900 while Boynton Beach shows about $317,000, which looks like Delray is cheaper. It is not that simple.
Median list price reflects the mix of what happens to be for sale, and Delray's active inventory is unusually condominium heavy. Compare price per square foot instead and the two sit closer together, at roughly $236 and $232. Always check the measure before drawing a conclusion from it.
The expensive end, ranked honestly
Wellington at about $939,500, Jupiter at $899,000, Palm Beach Gardens at $864,000, Loxahatchee at $809,000 and The Acreage at $752,475 form the upper mainland tier. Each sells space rather than proximity to the ocean.
The coastal enclaves work on different arithmetic. Ocean Ridge runs about $1,789,000, Lake Park about $1,350,000, Juno Beach about $1,180,000 and Highland Beach about $980,000. Price per square foot tells the real story here: Lake Park around $891 and Highland Beach around $691, against Wellington at roughly $382. You are buying location by the foot.
Where homes move quickly
Greenacres averages about 77 days on market, Royal Palm Beach about 79 and The Acreage about 77, against a county average near 107. These are working suburbs with steady demand and comparatively little speculative pricing.
At the other end, Juno Beach averages about 187 days and Palm Beach about 185. Slow does not mean weak in those markets. It means a small pool of buyers for a small pool of homes, and a seller who prices for a quick sale in Palm Beach is usually just leaving money behind.
Choosing by cost rather than by name
If budget leads, the practical shortlist is Palm Springs, Greenacres, Lake Worth Beach and parts of West Palm Beach, which at about $315,000 is far cheaper than its reputation implies.
If space leads, look west to Loxahatchee, The Acreage and Westlake, where roughly $769,990 buys new construction on larger lots. If the ocean leads, decide early whether you want the address or the square footage, because at $600 to $900 per square foot you will not get both.
What the tax bill adds, and why it surprises people
Palm Beach County shows a median annual property tax bill near $3,600. Broward sits at about $3,610 and Miami-Dade at about $3,516, which looks strange given how differently those counties price.
The explanation is the homestead exemption and the Save Our Homes cap. Median tax reflects what long term owners actually pay on capped assessed values, not what a new buyer will pay on a fresh purchase. Your bill is set by what you pay for the property, and it resets on the January 1 after you buy.
The lower tax counties are genuinely lower. Indian River runs about $2,288, Okeechobee about $1,349 and Highlands about $1,295, reflecting both cheaper property and different local rates.
For anyone comparing cities, the practical step is to use the county property appraiser's tax estimator with your intended purchase price rather than reading the current owner's bill on the listing. That single check prevents the year two escrow shock that catches most Florida buyers.
More common questions
Which Palm Beach County city gives the most house for the money?
On price per square foot, Palm Springs at about $175 and The Acreage at around $349 for much larger lots. Greenacres is the practical middle at roughly $212.
Is West Palm Beach expensive?
Less than most people assume. Its median of about $315,000 sits below the county figure of $480,000, largely because of condominium inventory in and around downtown.
Where is new construction concentrated?
Mainly west, in Westlake, Loxahatchee and the western Boynton and Delray corridors. Expect community development district assessments in many of those neighbourhoods.
