The national cost calculators put a concrete driveway at "$4 to $8 a square foot," which is useless in Palm Bay, where the swale apron alone can be a third of the job and where a driveway on the Compound may need a pump truck down a dirt road. Here's how it actually prices out in 2026 for a Palm Bay lot, from our own estimates across the four quadrants and the towns around us.
Per square foot
For a four-inch broom-finished driveway with fiber in the mix and welded wire on chairs, over a base we've compacted, on a lot a mixer can reach: $7.50 to $12 per square foot for the slab on your lot, including forms, steel, finishing, joints and cleanup. Below $7 a square foot in Brevard right now usually means no wire, no compaction, or a crew that won't be here when it settles. Tear-out and haul-off of an old driveway adds $2.25 to $4.25 a square foot. Stamped and integrally colored work runs $16 to $27 a square foot.
Per driveway
| Job | 2026 range | What's in it |
|---|---|---|
| New 2-car driveway, 500–650 sq ft, 4" broom finish | $4,800 – $8,200 | Slab on the lot; base compacted |
| Replacement, 2-car (tear-out + haul-off + new) | $6,200 – $10,500 | Adds demolition and disposal |
| Apron across the swale with culvert pipe and mitered ends | $2,400 – $5,200 | Public Works permit; pipe to the city spec |
| Replacement + new apron and culvert, together | $8,500 – $15,500 | The most common Palm Bay driveway job |
| Widening or boat-side extension, 150–300 sq ft | $1,700 – $3,700 | Doweled to the existing slab |
| Third-car or RV pad, 5–6" with rebar | $3,000 – $6,200 | Thicker, rebar grid |
| Stamped or colored 2-car driveway | $9,500 – $15,000 | Pattern, color, release, sealer |
| Long Compound or acreage driveway, per extra 100 sq ft | $800 – $1,350 | Pump and staged loads |
The six things that move the number here
1. The swale apron and culvert
If the driveway is new, wider, or the old apron and pipe are shot, the apron is a separate permitted job: excavation, a culvert pipe sized by the city, mitered ends, a five- to six-inch reinforced apron poured to the road grade, and the swale regraded. $2,400 to $5,200. If the old apron and pipe are sound, we reuse them and tie in, and that saves you the whole line.
2. What's under the old driveway
Muck, roots, an old septic line, uncompacted fill from the original builder. We probe on the site visit; if we find a lot of organic material the base has to be dug deeper and rebuilt, and that's a line item you'll see before we start, not after.
3. GO Roads
If your street has been reclaimed or rebuilt, the road grade probably changed and the apron has to be poured to the new grade — sometimes with a new culvert if the swale was regraded. Budget for the apron line even if the old apron looks fine. More on that here.
4. Access
A mixer truck weighs 60,000 pounds loaded. If it can't get to the driveway — a dirt street in the Compound, a septic drain field in the way, a low spot that won't hold it — we pump from the road or run a buggy, and that's $400 to $900 on the job.
5. Finish
Broom finish is the standard and the cheapest. A smooth-trowel border adds $8 to $16 a lineal foot; exposed aggregate, integral color and stamping each add a tier. Sealer after the cure is $0.50 to $1 a square foot and we recommend it.
6. Thickness and steel
Four inches with fiber and wire is right for a driveway. Where a boat, an RV or a work truck will sit, five to six inches with rebar adds about $1.50 to $2.50 a square foot on that section — cheaper than replacing a cracked pad in five years.
What isn't in the price
An engineer's drawing (not needed for a driveway), HOA fees, relocating sprinkler heads (we cap and move the ones in the way, usually $150 to $400), and the city's permit fee, which is itemized at cost. Nothing on our estimate is "to be determined."
Common questions
Is it cheaper to resurface than replace?
If the slab is sound — not cracked into pieces, not settled — a broom-texture cementitious overlay is $5 to $9 a square foot versus $10 to $16 for tear-out and new. Most Port Malabar-era driveways are past that; most 2000s driveways aren't. We'll tell you which.
Do you charge to come out?
No. Measurement, a look at the drainage and the written price are free, and the price holds for 30 days.
Why is the Palm Bay price lower than Melbourne's?
It isn't, much — the same crew and the same mix. What differs is the apron detail: Melbourne's older streets have curb and gutter more often, which skips the culvert but may add a curb cut; Palm Bay's GDC streets almost all have a swale.
Can I finance a driveway?
Yes — 12-month same-as-cash and longer fixed-rate plans through a third-party lender, subject to credit. Most financed jobs are a replacement plus apron in the $8,500 to $15,500 range. See the financing page.
Related: Concrete driveways · Culverts & swale aprons · Permits & swales guide · Financing