Sod installation cost in Palm Bay, FL
Local estimate from BLS wage data and BEA price levels. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Typical range (1,500 sq ft)
- $1,400 – $3,150
- Per sq ft
- $0.95 – $1.90
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- −5%
- US $2,400
- Rank of 300 metros
- #194
- 1 = most expensive
If you want to lay sod in Palm Bay, plan on $1,400 to $3,150 for 1,500 sq ft, all in. Per sq ft, that is $0.95 to $1.90 for materials and labor, with the permit on top. The local midpoint runs 5% lower than the national one. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers earn a median of $17.58 an hour in the Palm Bay area, 7% below the US median of $18.82.
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Estimated cost for 1,500 sq ft in Palm Bay, FL, standard level
$1,950 to $2,650
About $1.25 to $1.60 per sq ft before permits. Labor is about 46% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $940 | $1,250 |
| Labor | $910 | $1,200 |
| Permits and fees | $90 | $210 |
| Total | $1,950 | $2,650 |
Cost breakdown for 1,500 sq ft in Palm Bay, FL
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $720 | $1,100 | $1,450 | 47% |
| Labor | $700 | $1,050 | $1,400 | 46% |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $150 | $300 | 7% |
| Total | $1,400 | $2,300 | $3,150 | 100% |
Why Palm Bay prices look the way they do
Labor is 46% of the midpoint bill here, against 47% nationally. The mix of trades behind this job is landscaping and groundskeeping workers (80%), construction laborers (20%). We weight each trade's local median wage by that share and compare it with the national median. In Palm Bay the blended ratio comes out at 0.94.
On the materials line, the BEA goods price index for the Palm Bay metro is 96.2 (US = 100). The midpoint materials bill for 1,500 sq ft comes to $1,100, compared with $1,150 at national prices. Permit and inspection fees are scaled by the broader index (100.0) and land at $0 to $300.
Why two Palm Bay quotes can differ
Site prep
The cost listed here assumes leveled, cleared ground. Grading and soil amendments are extra.
Permit
Sodding permits cost $40-$300 where required, mostly for large lawns or those next to a public road.
Old grass removal
Removing an old lawn first adds $0.50-$2.00 per sq ft, and a full remove-and-resod runs $1.50-$4.00 per sq ft (HomeGuide).
Climate in Palm Bay: timing your sod lawn job
We use NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals for Palm Bay (5 miles from the city center). These are 30-year monthly averages, not forecasts.
September through May is the stretch where digging, grading and setting material in the ground runs into the fewest weather problems in Palm Bay (9 of 12 months). June, July and August have an average daytime high of 90°F or more.
Palm Bay gets about 56 inches of precipitation in a normal year. The wettest months are June, August and September (8.0 inches in September). Inside the workable window, February and December are the driest, at 2.4 and 2.5 inches. The station averages about 102 days a year at 90°F or above.
Does the season change the price? Probably, but we do not have a sourced seasonal price curve, so the estimator shows a year-round figure and does not adjust by month. When you collect quotes, ask whether scheduling in a slower month gets a better rate.
| Month | Avg high °F | Avg low °F | Precip (in) | For this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 73 | 49 | 2.6 | Workable |
| Feb | 75 | 52 | 2.4 | Workable |
| Mar | 79 | 55 | 3.0 | Workable |
| Apr | 83 | 60 | 2.8 | Workable |
| May | 87 | 65 | 4.4 | Workable |
| Jun | 90 | 71 | 7.6 | Hot |
| Jul | 91 | 73 | 6.6 | Hot |
| Aug | 92 | 73 | 7.1 | Hot |
| Sep | 89 | 72 | 8.0 | Workable |
| Oct | 85 | 67 | 5.6 | Workable |
| Nov | 79 | 59 | 3.0 | Workable |
| Dec | 75 | 52 | 2.5 | Workable |
How Palm Bay compares
Of the five closest metros, all are cheaper than Palm Bay. Lakeland is the lowest at about $2,250 (midpoint, 1,500 sq ft), 65 miles away.
| Area | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palm Bay, FLthis page | $1,400 – $3,150 | $2,300 | |
| Orlando, FL40 miles | $1,400 – $3,100 | $2,250 | −1% |
| Sebastian, FL40 miles | $1,400 – $3,150 | $2,300 | level |
| Lakeland, FL65 miles | $1,400 – $3,050 | $2,250 | −2% |
| Deltona, FL70 miles | $1,400 – $3,150 | $2,300 | level |
| Port St. Lucie, FL75 miles | $1,400 – $3,150 | $2,300 | level |
| Florida (statewide) | $1,450 – $3,200 | $2,300 | +2% |
| United States | $1,500 – $3,300 | $2,400 | +5% |
Across 300 US metros, Palm Bay comes in at #194 from the top. The priciest is Kahului, HI at $2,900; the cheapest is Brownsville, TX at $2,000 (midpoints, 1,500 sq ft). Statewide, Palm Bay is 1% below the Florida figure.
Other Florida metros
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami, FL | 2,819,940 jobs | $1,500 – $3,350 | $2,400 | +6% |
| Tampa, FL | 1,447,120 jobs | $1,450 – $3,150 | $2,300 | level |
| Orlando, FL | 1,411,730 jobs | $1,400 – $3,100 | $2,250 | −1% |
| Jacksonville, FL | 765,930 jobs | $1,450 – $3,150 | $2,300 | level |
| North Port, FL | 339,940 jobs | $1,450 – $3,200 | $2,300 | +1% |
| Cape Coral, FL | 304,790 jobs | $1,400 – $3,150 | $2,300 | level |
Cities with a workforce like Palm Bay's
Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is Palm Bay against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lancaster, PA | 252,230 jobs | $1,500 – $3,300 | $2,400 | +5% |
| Trenton, NJ | 240,190 jobs | $1,600 – $3,500 | $2,550 | +11% |
| Scranton, PA | 255,620 jobs | $1,500 – $3,250 | $2,350 | +3% |
| Augusta, GA | 231,930 jobs | $1,400 – $3,100 | $2,250 | −1% |
What nearby projects cost in Palm Bay
Because every project leans on different trades, Palm Bay's wage level does not move all prices equally. Against the US midpoint, French drain runs −6% and gravel driveway −8%.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| French drain | 60 linear ft | $570 – $2,000 | −6% |
| Sprinkler system | 4,000 sq ft of lawn | $3,750 – $9,400 | −6% |
| Retaining wall | 200 sq ft of wall face | $6,600 – $12,700 | −6% |
| Gravel driveway | 1,000 sq ft | $2,300 – $9,450 | −8% |
| Inground pool | 450 sq ft | $33,700 – $105,500 | −7% |
Pick a size, pick a tier: sod installation pricing in Palm Bay
Three bands are cut from the same cited range and localized for Palm Bay wages and prices. They overlap on purpose: a good standard job and a modest premium job can cost the same. The grid below prices the same bands at 3 common sizes.
Basic
$1,400 to $2,100
Basic grass on cleared, level ground
Standard
$1,950 to $2,650
Better grass type with some grading
Premium
$2,450 to $3,150
Premium sod, soil work, difficult slopes
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| small yard (1,000 sq ft) | $950 – $1,450 | $1,300 – $1,800 | $1,700 – $2,200 |
| average yard (1,500 sq ft) | $1,400 – $2,100 | $1,950 – $2,650 | $2,450 – $3,150 |
| large yard (4,000 sq ft) | $3,800 – $5,450 | $5,050 – $6,650 | $6,250 – $7,900 |
Palm Bay labor market for sod lawn
Wages are the part of this estimate that changes most from town to town. 2 trades carry the job here, and each is compared with its US median. The weighted result for Palm Bay is 0.94 times the national level.
For landscaping and groundskeeping workers (37-3011, weighted 80%) the local median is $17.58 an hour, which is 7% below the national $18.82. The middle half of them earn between $16.97 and $20.95 an hour. BLS counts 1,870 of them working in the area, 76.3 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 61.3), so the local bench is deeper than average.
Construction laborers (47-2061), 20% of the weighting: a median of $21.50 an hour, 5% below the US median of $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $17.96 and $23.16 an hour. About 1,870 work in the metro. That is 76.3 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 70.5 nationally, so the supply of crews looks typical.
Quotes come from real crews, not medians. If the landscaping and groundskeeping workers on your job are paid at the 75th percentile ($20.95 an hour) instead of the median, the labor line grows by about $160. At the 25th percentile ($16.97) it shrinks by about $30. The total moves by 7.0% or 1.3%, so wages alone rarely explain a quote that is far outside our range.
For context on the local economy, BLS counts 245,170 jobs in the Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville area. That makes it the 104th largest of the 300 metros we cover, with 0.16% of US employment.
| Trade | Weight | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | US median | Ratio | Level used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Landscaping and groundskeeping workers (37-3011) | 80% | $16.97 | $17.58 | $20.95 | $18.82 | 0.93 | metro |
| Construction laborers (47-2061) | 20% | $17.96 | $21.50 | $23.16 | $22.66 | 0.95 | metro |
| Blended | 100% | 0.94 | |||||
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Detailed sod installation report for Palm Bay, FL, $9
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Sod installation in Palm Bay: your questions
+How much does it cost to lay sod in Palm Bay?
For 1,500 sq ft, expect $1,400 to $3,150 in the Palm Bay area. A standard-spec job lands at $1,950 to $2,650. Small jobs usually cost more per sq ft and large ones less.
+What is the price per sq ft for sod lawn in Palm Bay?
About $0.95 to $1.90 per sq ft for materials and labor, plus $0 to $300 for the permit if one is needed. The US range is $1 to $2.
+Is sod lawn cheaper in Palm Bay or Orlando?
Orlando is 40 miles away. The midpoint for 1,500 sq ft there is $2,250, which is 1% less than Palm Bay ($2,300). Wage and materials indexes both feed that gap.
+How much of the bill is labor in Palm Bay?
About 46% at the midpoint, or $1,050 out of $2,300. Materials are 47% and permits 7%. Nationally, labor is 47%.
+What would average yard (1,500 sq ft) cost in Palm Bay?
$1,400 to $3,150. Pick a different size in the estimator above to get your own number.
+Does sod lawn need a permit in Palm Bay?
Often, but rules are set by your city or county building office, so call before you hire. Budget $0 to $300 for fees in the Palm Bay area (our national range of $0 to $300 scaled by the local price level).
+Is Palm Bay expensive for sod lawn compared with the rest of Florida?
Palm Bay is 1% below the Florida statewide estimate ($2,300 at the midpoint). We cover 19 metros in Florida; see the state page to compare them.
+What do landscaping and groundskeeping workers earn in Palm Bay?
The BLS median is $17.58 an hour in the Palm Bay area, compared with $18.82 nationally. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $16.97 to $20.95.
+What do basic and premium sod lawn work cost in Palm Bay?
For 1,500 sq ft, basic work runs $1,400 to $2,100 and premium work $2,450 to $3,150. Basic means: basic grass on cleared, level ground. Premium means: premium sod, soil work, difficult slopes.
+When is the best time to lay sod in Palm Bay?
Based on NOAA 1991-2020 normals, the comfortable months for this kind of work are September through May. February and December are typically the driest of those months. Local contractors' schedules matter as much as the weather, so book early for the busy months.
Sod installation near Palm Bay
Where these numbers come from
Base prices are national ranges from the sources below. We scale labor by local BLS wages, materials by BEA goods prices and permits by the BEA all-items price level. Full method on the methodology page.