Cape Coral, FL · Updated Oct 2026

What a Cape Coral house pays

Property tax, water, trash and energy from public rates. Look up your address to make it yours, and see how to pay less.

Sent only to free public map services to find who serves it. Not stored unless you save your house.

Example · a Cape Coral house

$13,946a year · $1,162 a month

Starts at the typical market value, $373,500; your assessed value is often lower. Typical use.

Property tax$5,075
1.532% of $373,500, less $25,000 homestead exemption and less $26,411 additional homestead exemption
Flat charges on the tax bill$678
Stormwater fee, 1 ERU (FY 2027) $163 · Fire protection assessment, average single-family home (FY 2027) $515
Electricity$2,000
1177 kWh a month $2,000
Water and sewer$2,232
7,000 gallons a month on City of Cape Coral: water $67, sewer $119 a month
Trash$384
City totes (one flat rate), $32 a month
Home insurance$3,576
Typical premium $3,576

A Cape Coral house at the typical market value ($373,500) pays about $13,900 a year: $5,750 property tax and charges, $2,230 water and sewer, $380 trash, $2,000 electricity, $3,580 home insurance. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.

Rates checked Oct 20, 2026. Insurance: what you enter, or a typical premium until you do. Sources are listed at the bottom.

Ways to pay less

Nothing here applies to every house automatically. These are worth checking:

Seniors 65+ with limited income: up to $50,000 more offUp to $50,000 off city and county taxable value
Homeowners 65 or older whose household income is under the state limit can get up to $50,000 more off their taxable value. Cape Coral adopted $50,000 for city taxes and Lee County $50,000 for all county millages.
How: Apply to the Lee County Property Appraiser by March 1; income paperwork (Form DR-501SC) can follow by June 1.
$5,000 exemptions for widows, widowers, blind and disabled residents$5,000 off taxable value
Florida residents who are widowed, blind or disabled can each take a $5,000 exemption, and so can disabled ex-service members.
How: Apply to the Lee County Property Appraiser by March 1.
Pay your tax bill in November for 4% off4% off the whole bill
Lee County gives 4% off for paying in November, 3% in December, 2% in January and 1% in February.
How: Pay the Lee County Tax Collector in November; bills go out in November.
Ask for a leak or pool-fill adjustment
After a leak on your property, you may qualify for a leak adjustment once every 12 months; filling a pool may qualify for a sewer adjustment once every 12 months.
How: Use the city's adjustment form.
LCEC load management credit
LCEC gives a monthly billing rebate to customers enrolled in its demand side management program who use at least 500 kWh in the billing period.
How: Enroll in the LCEC demand side management program.
Hardship deferral of utility-extension assessments
Owner-occupied homestead homes with household income within HUD guidelines can defer 10% to 100% of certain city special assessments until the home is sold, transferred or refinanced. The deferral is a lien.
How: Apply to Customer Billing Services between February 1 and April 15; reapply each year.
Free appliance pickup
Waste Pro picks up white goods such as stoves, washers, refrigerators and other large appliances at no charge.
How: Call Waste Pro at 239-337-0800 to schedule a special pickup.

Money dates

Feb 1 – Apr 15in 101 daysWindow to apply for the city's hardship deferral of special assessments.
Mar 1Deadline to apply for homestead and other exemptions with the Lee County Property Appraiser.
Mar 31Property taxes due.
Apr 1Unpaid real estate taxes become delinquent and a 3% interest charge is added.

Who serves this house

Water: City of Cape Coral; City of Cape Coral rate schedule effective October 1, 2026: a monthly capacity charge plus a residential commodity charge per thousand gallons
Property tax: 1.53% of value; 2026 tax year, Lee County district 057 (City of Cape Coral)
Garbage: Waste Pro (city contract); On your property tax bill: $384.25 a year per dwelling unit (FY 2026-2027)
Sewer: City of Cape Coral; Wastewater: $32.83 monthly capacity charge plus $12.85 per 1,000 gallons
Electricity: LCEC (Lee County Electric Cooperative); $20 a month customer charge plus a tiered energy charge
Schools: Lee County public schools; 5.2710 mills of the property tax (2.2480 local board + 3.0230 state law)

Pay or manage your bills

Your water

Source: Groundwater from the Upper Floridan Aquifer, from 56 wells about 700 to 800 feet deep, treated by reverse osmosis.
Hardness: Soft to moderately hard: 5.5 to 6.5 grains per gallon. You don't need a water softener on city water.
PFAS: Not detected in the 2025 federal UCMR5 sampling (samples reported in March and September 2025).
Lead: 90th-percentile tap result 1.4 ppb against the 15 ppb action level (August 2023 sampling, one site above it); no violation.

Other FL cities

How these numbers are made

Florida tax bills are public, but we calculate yours from public rates and the value you enter.
Property tax: 15.3250 mills in total for Lee County district 057 (City of Cape Coral), 2026 tax year: county 3.7623, schools 5.2710, city 5.1471 plus 0.1554 parks bond, library 0.4218, water management 0.2301, mosquito, hyacinth, navigation and all-hazards districts. Homestead takes $25,000 off all taxes and up to $26,411 more off non-school taxes (we apply the full $26,411, which every home assessed at $76,411 or more gets).
Non-ad valorem charges on the Nov 2026 bill (FY 2027, final resolutions on the Aug 26, 2026 City Council agenda): solid waste $384.25 per dwelling unit, stormwater $163 per ERU (one ERU is 10,000 sq ft of lot), fire protection $341.63 per parcel plus $3.16 per $5,000 of structure value; we use the city's $515.43 for an average single-family home (average structure value $275,697). Lots in a Utilities Extension Project area also pay a line-extension assessment that is not included.
Water (5/8" meter, from October 1, 2026): $25.36 a month plus $5.44 per 1,000 gallons up to 5,000, $8.14 to 10,000, $10.86 to 15,000, $14.92 to 20,000 and $19.00 above. Wastewater: $32.83 a month plus $12.85 per 1,000 gallons.
Electricity: LCEC rate RS, $20.00 a month plus 11.29¢, 12.06¢ and 12.82¢ per kWh by block, plus the October 2026 power cost adjustment of $0.00613 per kWh. We apply these to every month; LCEC resets the power cost adjustment monthly, so your bill will move with it. Taxes on the bill are not included. Typical use, 1,177 kWh a month, is LCEC's 2024 residential sales divided by its residential customers (EIA).
Not modeled: city irrigation water (a flat $13.40 a month for single-family homes where connected), and homes the Utilities Extension Project has not reached yet, which are on wells and septic tanks and pay a line-extension assessment instead of monthly sewer. The typical value is a market value; the Save Our Homes cap limits a homestead's yearly assessed-value increase to 3% or inflation, so your assessed value may be lower. Insurance: Florida OIR's Lee County average homeowners premium with wind coverage ($3,576, March 2026); flood insurance is a separate policy and is not included.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How Cape Coral compares

A typical Cape Coral house against the 53 Florida cities we cover, using the same default numbers as the total above.

Per year	Cape Coral	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	1.53%	1.78%	lower than 45 of the other 52 Florida cities we cover
Water	$800	$515	higher than 42 of the other 52 Florida cities we cover
Sewer and utility-bill fees	$1,432	$901	higher than 49 of the other 51 Florida cities we cover
Trash	$384	$364	higher than 31 of the other 51 Florida cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$2,000	$1,953	higher than 39 of the other 52 Florida cities we cover
Home insurance	$3,576	$3,733	lower than 26 of the other 51 Florida cities we cover
Total	$13,946	$12,935	higher than 31 of the other 52 Florida cities we cover

Cities bill differently (some put trash on the tax bill, some cover more services), so a higher number isn't necessarily worse. The property tax rate is compared instead of dollars because house values differ.

Questions to ask your candidates

Each one starts from a number above. Any candidate can answer them.

1. Property tax rate

The fact: Cape Coral's property tax rate is 1.53%, lower than 45 of the other 52 Florida cities we cover. The rate adds up every agency on the bill, not only the city.

Ask: "Property tax in Cape Coral is 1.53%, lower than 45 of the other 52 Florida cities we cover. What should that money pay for first, and would you change anything about how it is set?"

2. Water

The fact: Water here costs about $800 a year at typical use, higher than 42 of the other 52 Florida cities we cover.

Ask: "Water here costs about $800 a year at typical use, higher than 42 of the other 52 Florida cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

3. Sewer and utility-bill fees

The fact: Sewer and flat utility-bill charges here come to about $1,432 a year, higher than 49 of the other 51 Florida cities we cover. Some cities bill sewer on the property tax bill instead, which is not counted here.

Ask: "Sewer and flat utility-bill charges here cost about $1,432 a year, higher than 49 of the other 51 Florida cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

4. Electricity and gas

The fact: Electricity and gas for a typical house here cost about $2,000 a year, higher than 39 of the other 52 Florida cities we cover. Rates are set mostly by the utility and the state.

Ask: "Electricity and gas here cost about $2,000 a year for a typical house, higher than 39 of the other 52 Florida cities we cover. Which parts of that can the city influence, and what would you do about them?"

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Common questions about Cape Coral house costs

What is the property tax rate in Cape Coral?

About 1.53% of the value before exemptions a year (2026 tax year, Lee County district 057 (City of Cape Coral)), plus flat charges on the same bill (Stormwater fee, 1 ERU (FY 2027) $163, Fire protection assessment, average single-family home (FY 2027) $515).

How much is property tax on a $500,000 house in Cape Coral?

About $7,692 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions with the homestead exemption, including $678 of flat charges.

How much is the water bill in Cape Coral?

About $186 a month for water and sewer at typical use (7,000 gallons a month) on City of Cape Coral.

How much does trash pickup cost in Cape Coral?

$32 a month for a house.

When is property tax due in Cape Coral?

Mar 31: Property taxes due.

Can seniors lower their property tax or bills in Cape Coral?

Yes. Seniors 65+ with limited income: up to $50,000 more off: Homeowners 65 or older whose household income is under the state limit can get up to $50,000 more off their taxable value. Cape Coral adopted $50,000 for city taxes and Lee County $50,000 for all county millages.

Where can I get help paying utility bills in Cape Coral?

Hardship deferral of utility-extension assessments: Owner-occupied homestead homes with household income within HUD guidelines can defer 10% to 100% of certain city special assessments until the home is sold, transferred or refinanced. The deferral is a lien. Apply to Customer Billing Services between February 1 and April 15; reapply each year.

How much does a house in Cape Coral cost to run each year?

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