Fort Myers' city tax rate was 6.5000 mills for 2025, against 5.1471 in Cape Coral, 1.0294 in Fort Myers Beach and 0.7300 in Estero.
Last checked Oct. 9, 2026. Sources: the Florida Department of Revenue’s Lee County levy table and 2025 Property Tax Data Book, the Lee County Property Appraiser, the Florida Department of Education’s 2026 school grades, the Zillow Home Value Index, the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey and each city’s own website.
Fort Myers’ nearest incorporated neighbors are Cape Coral, about 10 miles away across the Caloosahatchee River, the Village of Estero, about 14 miles south, and the Town of Fort Myers Beach, also about 14 miles, measured between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place. All four are in Lee County and share the county government and The School District of Lee County. This page lines up only official figures, one topic at a time, with the same year for all four.
What this means for you
- City tax rate, 2025: Fort Myers 6.5000 mills, Cape Coral 5.1471, Fort Myers Beach 1.0294, Estero 0.7300. County-wide rates of 9.3700 mills are added in all four.
- Typical home value, August 2026: from $305,650 in Fort Myers to $486,185 in Fort Myers Beach, according to Zillow.
- Schools: one district for all four, with choice zones that do not follow city lines.
Property tax rates
From the Florida Department of Revenue’s comparison of taxes levied for Lee County, the rates each city adopted for the 2025 tax year (fiscal 2025-26), in mills. A mill is $1 of tax for every $1,000 of taxable value.
| City | City operating rate, 2025 | Rolled-back rate | City tax on $200,000 taxable value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Myers | 6.5000 | 6.4475 | $1,300 |
| Cape Coral | 5.1471 | 5.1471 | $1,029 |
| Fort Myers Beach | 1.0294 | 0.8954 | $206 |
| Estero | 0.7300 | 0.6969 | $146 |
Every parcel in all four also carries the county-wide levies, from the state’s 2025 data book:
| County-wide levy, 2025 | Mills |
|---|---|
| Lee County government operating | 3.7623 |
| School Board operating | 5.3190 |
| Independent special districts levied county-wide | 0.2887 |
| Total county-wide | 9.3700 |
Fire districts, library, lighting and other special districts add rates that differ by address. Estero and Fort Myers Beach are served by fire districts that levy their own rates, while Fort Myers and Cape Coral run city fire departments, so the city rate alone is not the whole bill. The full list is on each owner’s TRIM notice.
For 2026, the Fort Myers City Council adopted 6.9000 mills, up from 6.5000; see our property taxes guide.
City tax rates compared
Homestead and senior exemptions
Florida’s homestead exemption is the same in all four: the first $25,000 of assessed value is exempt from all property taxes, and up to $26,411 more applies to value over $50,000 for non-school taxes. Cities choose whether to add the limited-income senior exemption for owners 65 and older. The property appraiser lists what each adopted:
| City | Senior exemption on city taxes | 25-year resident senior exemption |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Myers | $25,000 | Not adopted |
| Cape Coral | $50,000 | Not adopted |
| Estero | $50,000 | Up to $250,000 |
| Fort Myers Beach | $50,000 | Up to $250,000 |
Home values
The Zillow Home Value Index for each city, August 2026, all homes, middle tier. It is a modeled typical value for the middle third of homes, not a sale price.
| City | Typical home value, Aug. 2026 | Change from Aug. 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Myers | $305,650 | down 5.0% |
| Cape Coral | $335,825 | down 3.9% |
| Estero | $485,717 | down 3.5% |
| Fort Myers Beach | $486,185 | down 0.9% |
Home values compared
More on Fort Myers in our home prices guide.
People, income and commute
From the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimates (profile tables DP03, DP04 and DP05). QuickFacts pages: Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Estero and Fort Myers Beach.
| City | Population | Median household income | Median value, owner-occupied homes | Mean travel time to work |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Myers | 95,051 | $63,732 | $384,500 | 25.2 minutes |
| Cape Coral | 215,536 | $78,104 | $373,500 | 29.9 minutes |
| Estero | 37,858 | $104,102 | $461,900 | 26.0 minutes |
| Fort Myers Beach | 5,513 | $91,291 | $642,400 | 20.7 minutes |
The Census median value is what owners estimate their homes are worth, averaged over five years, so it differs from Zillow’s current index.
High schools
All four are served by The School District of Lee County, and families rank schools within choice zones that cross city lines, so a city’s own high schools are not automatically its students’ schools. These are the high schools located inside each city’s limits, from the federal school directory, with the state’s grades from the Florida Department of Education:
| City | High school | 2026 grade | 2025 grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Myers | Fort Myers High | A | B |
| Fort Myers | Dunbar High | C | C |
| Cape Coral | Cape Coral High | B | B |
| Cape Coral | Ida S. Baker High | B | B |
| Cape Coral | Island Coast High | C | C |
| Cape Coral | Mariner High | C | C |
| Cape Coral | Oasis Charter High | A | A |
| Estero | Estero High | B | B |
Fort Myers Beach has no high school; its public school, Fort Myers Beach Elementary, earned a B. More in our schools guide.
Who provides city services
| Service | Fort Myers | Cape Coral | Estero | Fort Myers Beach |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Police | Fort Myers Police Department | Cape Coral Police Department | Lee County Sheriff’s Office | Lee County Sheriff’s Office |
| Fire | Fort Myers Fire Department | Cape Coral Fire Department | Estero Fire Rescue (central and south) and San Carlos Fire Protection and Rescue (north) | Fort Myers Beach Fire Control District |
| Trash | City Solid Waste Division | Waste Pro, under city contract | Lee County’s contracted hauler | Waste Management |
How to check an address
- Look up the parcel on the Lee County Property Appraiser’s property search. It shows the parcel’s taxing authorities, including the city if there is one, and its TRIM notice lists every rate on the bill. Many “Fort Myers” mailing addresses are outside the city.
- Check the school zones on the district’s School Enrollment Zones map.
- Find exemptions and deadlines on the appraiser’s exemptions page; bills and payments are handled by the Lee County Tax Collector.
The three neighbors here are the incorporated places nearest Fort Myers by the Census Bureau’s gazetteer. Our neighborhoods guide breaks Fort Myers itself into 11 areas.
Frequently asked questions
Are property taxes higher in Fort Myers or Cape Coral?
The city rate is higher in Fort Myers: 6.5000 mills for the 2025 tax year, against 5.1471 in Cape Coral, according to the state’s Lee County levy table. Both also pay the same county-wide rates, 9.3700 mills in 2025, plus other district rates that vary by address.
What is the typical home value in Fort Myers, Cape Coral and Estero?
In August 2026 the Zillow Home Value Index was $305,650 in Fort Myers, $335,825 in Cape Coral, $485,717 in Estero and $486,185 in Fort Myers Beach. It is a modeled typical value, not a sale price.
Do Estero and Fort Myers Beach have their own police?
No. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office provides law enforcement in both, according to the village and town. Fort Myers and Cape Coral run their own police and fire departments.
How do I find out which city a Lee County address is in?
Look the parcel up on the Lee County Property Appraiser’s property search. It shows the taxing authorities for the parcel, and the TRIM notice lists every rate on the bill.
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