Where should you live in Cape Canaveral, FL?
Cape Canaveral sorts into three areas: ocean side condominiums along Ridgewood Avenue and the beach blocks, river and west side condominiums off Bayside and Lake Drive, and three small detached pockets. Medians run $435,000 to $850,000.
This is a small place. Cape Canaveral counted 9,972 residents in 2020 and an estimated 9,962 in 2025, according to Census QuickFacts, on a strip of barrier island with the Atlantic to the east, the Banana River to the west, Port Canaveral at the north end and the Cocoa Beach line to the south. A1A, called Astronaut Boulevard here, runs the length of it.
Sixteen communities sit inside those boundaries and you can drive past all of them in half an hour. What separates them is not distance. It is which water you face, what decade your building went up, and whether you pay a monthly fee or maintain a roof yourself. Here they are, grouped the way I would drive them with you.
The ocean side
East of A1A, mostly along Ridgewood Avenue and the streets running to the sand. Older buildings, higher fees, and the highest price per square foot in the city.
Solana Shores
Solana Shores is the top address in the city, oceanfront, built in 2000, an $850,000 median on three bedrooms of 1,921 to 2,562 square feet. Fits a buyer who wants the largest oceanfront unit here and is not shopping on monthly cost.
Ocean Oaks
Ocean Oaks is oceanfront from 1994 and 1995, a $600,000 median, 1,590 to 2,114 square feet, flat $991 fee. Fits somebody who wants a newer ocean side structure and a fee that does not change by unit.
The Villages of Seaport
The Villages of Seaport on Mystic Drive is the busiest address in town, mostly oceanfront, built 1985 to 2006, every unit a three bedroom, $505,000 median. Fits a buyer who wants choice and can move fast on a 19 day market.
Shorewood
Shorewood is mostly oceanfront from 1996 to 1998, a $445,000 median at about $236 per square foot with sales starting at $360,000. Fits the buyer who wants the Atlantic at the lowest cost per foot available in the city.
Sand Dunes Oceanfront
Sand Dunes Oceanfront on Buchanan Avenue is a $600,000 median from 1997 and 1998, all three bedrooms, mostly waterfront, selling in a 13 day median at 97 percent of asking. Fits a decisive buyer, because hesitating loses here.
Canaveral Sands
Canaveral Sands is a 1981 oceanfront building with one 1,222 square foot plan and a $560,000 median. Fits somebody who wants every unit identical, every sale a comparable, and a $730 fee they intend to examine closely.
Canaveral Towers
Canaveral Towers is a 1975 oceanfront tower, one 1,145 square foot plan, $463,000 median, 256 days on market and closings near 84 percent of asking. Fits a patient buyer with comparables in hand and questions for the board.
Royal Mansion
Royal Mansion is a 1988 ocean side building, one 1,058 square foot plan, $435,000, with the lowest tax bill in the city at about $2,773 and a $960 to $1,252 fee spread on identical units. Fits a buyer who reads paperwork before falling in love.
The river and west side
West of A1A, toward the Banana River. Newer construction across the board, larger units, and the lowest price per square foot in either beach city.
Solana on the River
Solana on the River on Marbella and Sevilla is riverfront, built 2004 and 2005, 1,918 to 2,206 square feet at a $462,500 median. Fits a buyer who wants sunsets and square footage and accepts sellers holding near 97 percent of asking.
Puerto Del Rio
Puerto Del Rio is waterfront on the river side, built 2003 to 2007, every unit a three bedroom of 1,840 to 2,436 square feet at a $450,000 median. Fits anyone whose first priority is space per dollar on the water.
Solana Lake
Solana Lake on Lake Drive is mostly waterfront, built 2001 to 2003, consistent 1,698 to 1,956 square foot units at a $436,250 median with the lowest waterfront fee in the city, $695 to $750. Fits a buyer optimizing the monthly.
Bayside
Bayside on Bayside Drive was built 2002 to 2005, a $446,250 median, some units on water and some not. Its $3,120 median annual tax bill is the lowest of any community in either city. Fits the buyer whose ceiling is a payment rather than a price.
Bayport
Bayport on Casa Bella and Villanova was built 2005 and 2006, none of its recent properties on water, but five of ten had a private pool and units reach 2,615 square feet at a $458,000 median. Fits a buyer who wants a pool and a big floor plan more than a view.
Where the houses are
Three pockets, about sixteen detached properties changing hands in a year, none reporting an association.
Cape Canaveral Beach Gardens
Cape Canaveral Beach Gardens off Central Boulevard is the priciest detached pocket at a $760,000 median, built 1965 to 2002, four of six recent properties carrying a private pool and a $3,506 median tax bill. Fits a buyer who wants a pool house with no dues.
Harbor Heights
Harbor Heights on Harbor Drive and Coral Drive runs 1960 to 1988 at a $656,000 median, with the deepest detached inventory in the city and closings near 89 percent of asking. Fits a buyer who wants choice and leverage, and who has budgeted for a $6,536 tax bill.
Avon by the Sea
Avon by the Sea runs along Harrison, Monroe and the president streets, a mix of detached houses and small condominium buildings from 1956 to 2015, at a $500,000 median. Fits a buyer who wants to walk to the Atlantic and does not need a uniform street.
All sixteen Cape Canaveral communities compared
| Community | Area | Housing type | Median price | Year built |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solana Shores | Ocean side | Oceanfront condominium | $850,000 | 2000 |
| Cape Canaveral Beach Gardens | Central | Single-family | $760,000 | 1965 to 2002 |
| Harbor Heights | West, near the port | Single-family | $656,000 | 1960 to 1988 |
| Ocean Oaks | Ocean side | Oceanfront condominium | $600,000 | 1994 to 1995 |
| Sand Dunes Oceanfront | Ocean side | Condominium, mostly waterfront | $600,000 | 1997 to 1998 |
| Canaveral Sands | Ocean side | Oceanfront condominium | $560,000 | 1981 |
| The Villages of Seaport | Ocean side | Condominium, mostly oceanfront | $505,000 | 1985 to 2006 |
| Avon by the Sea | North, ocean blocks | Mixed detached and condominium | $500,000 | 1956 to 2015 |
| Canaveral Towers | Ocean side | Oceanfront condominium | $463,000 | 1975 |
| Solana on the River | River side | Riverfront condominium | $462,500 | 2004 to 2005 |
| Bayport | West side | Condominium, not on water | $458,000 | 2005 to 2006 |
| Puerto Del Rio | River side | Waterfront condominium | $450,000 | 2003 to 2007 |
| Bayside | West side | Condominium, some waterfront | $446,250 | 2002 to 2005 |
| Shorewood | Ocean side | Condominium, mostly oceanfront | $445,000 | 1996 to 1998 |
| Solana Lake | West side | Condominium, mostly waterfront | $436,250 | 2001 to 2003 |
| Royal Mansion | Ocean side | Condominium, mostly oceanfront | $435,000 | 1988 |
How to narrow sixteen down to three
Answer three questions in order and the list collapses. First, house or attached. That alone removes thirteen communities or three, and it is the only irreversible choice here.
Second, which water. The Atlantic costs $300 to $458 per square foot outside of Shorewood. The river side runs $216 to $250 for larger units. If you have a number and want maximum room inside it, the west side wins every time.
Third, your monthly rather than your price. Fees range from $695 to $1,252 and tax bills from $2,773 to $6,536, so two communities with matching medians can be hundreds of dollars apart every month. That question is worked through on the condos page and the waterfront page.
One thing that applies everywhere: the City of Cape Canaveral is its own incorporated municipality with its own zoning, building and code compliance departments, entirely separate from the city of Cocoa on the mainland. Whatever your association does or does not require, city code still applies to the parcel.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cape Canaveral a good place to live?
It suits people who want the beach without Cocoa Beach pricing, and who are comfortable in a condominium, because that is most of the housing stock. The port and the space industry anchor the local economy. See living in Cape Canaveral for the day to day picture.
What is the cheapest place to live in Cape Canaveral?
Royal Mansion at a $435,000 median and Solana Lake at $436,250 are the lowest medians in the city, though Shorewood had sales starting at $360,000. On monthly cost rather than price, Bayside is the cheapest to hold.
Should I buy in Cape Canaveral or Cocoa Beach?
Cape Canaveral runs cheaper for comparable housing, and the clearest proof is Avon by the Sea, where one plat splits across the line at $500,000 on the Cape Canaveral side and $675,000 in Cocoa Beach. Read Cocoa Beach versus Cape Canaveral next.
Let's Drive All Sixteen
An orientation drive is the best hour you can spend before touring units, and I do it for free. We will loop the ocean side, the river side and the three detached pockets, and you will leave with a short list instead of a spreadsheet. Call or text (321) 212-7676, and whether you are moving from out of state or over from Merritt Island, my partner Nichole and I got your back. If the move is still in the planning stage, start with moving to Brevard County and the Cape Canaveral buyers guide.
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