But how expensive is the price of living in Florida ? That ’ s a chic interview to ask before you replace all your winter clothes with gallons of suntan lotion and head toward the Sunshine State .
To learn if you can afford to live in Florida, you ’ d have to compare the cost of living in your stream city with the Florida city of your dreams. To help you make a confident decision, we ’ ll appearance you how a lot Florida charges for “ super fun ” grown-up stuff like housing, food, taxes and bills .
Let ’ s hit the beach !
Reading: Cost of Living in Florida
What’s the Average Cost of Living in Florida?
Despite being one of the most popular vacation and retirement destinations in the U.S., Florida can be low-cost. In fact, the average cost of know in Florida is not even 1 % higher than the national average, according to a cost of Living Index. 1 But there ’ randomness hush a broad range—some Florida cities rank 8 % lower to 18 % higher in monetary value when compared to the average U.S. city. 2
Find adept agents to help you buy your home in Florida .
To get these numbers, we use a price of Living Index that compares a twelve cities in Florida with the average U.S. city for several expense categories. An total below 100 means Florida has a lower cost of surviving than the U.S. average for that category—take a count !
| Cost of Living | Florida | U.S. |
| sum | 100.7 | 100 |
| Housing | 99.7 | 100 |
| Utilities | 105.8 | 100 |
| Groceries | 106.4 | 100 |
| department of transportation | 100.8 | 100 |
| Health care | 97.8 | 100 |
| many-sided | 98.1 | 100 3 |
To better understand this index, let ’ s take a closer expression at each category .
Housing Costs in Florida
Okay, let ’ s begin with house costs. In the summer of 2021, median home plate prices in Florida were more than $ 382,000—just a tad lower than the home median of $ 385,000 ! 4
unfortunately, it ’ s a different history for rent : The median monthly rip for a two-bedroom apartment in Florida was more than $ 1,500—nearly 27 % higher than the national median of $ 1,200 ! 5
Keep in judgment, not all of Florida costs the same. When you consider entire housing cost factors, Florida ranges all the means from 17 % lower than the national average in Daytona Beach to 51 % higher in Fort Lauderdale ! 6
To find the Florida city that fits your budget, check out the cost differences between these cities :
| City in Florida | Average Home Price | Average Apartment Rent |
| miami | $ 442,258 | $ 2,227 |
| pensacola | $ 326,566 | $ 1,054 |
| orlando | $ 305,622 | $ 1,181 |
| tampa | $ 281,455 | $ 1,291 |
| Jacksonville | $ 280,161 | $ 1,281 7 |
Utilities
utility costs like energy and phone habit in Florida range from 13 % lower than the home average in Tallahassee, to 56 % higher in Gainesville. 8 Miami is somewhere in the center compass among Florida cities for utility costs and is pretty much the like as the national modal. Trust us, you ’ re going to want to crank up the AC. They ’ re not called the Miami Heat for nothing .
Groceries
Grab your grocery store haul, we ’ ra headed to Publix ! This popular Southeastern supermarket chain was founded and is headquartered in Florida, so there ’ mho a probability you ’ ll buy some oranges and samara calcium oxide pies there if you move to the cheery state of matter. Groceries in Florida range from 4 % lower than the national average in Pensacola, to 19 % higher in Miami. 9
meanwhile, Tampa sits somewhere in the center price stove among Florida cities. In Tampa, you can purchase a picnic worth of fry wimp, bread, boodle, chips and coke for about $ 12—which is 4 % more than the national average. 10 But hey, a field day on the beach is credibly worth the extra change .
Transportation
Rev up your engines ! Florida transportation costs range from 12 % lower than the national average in Jacksonville, to 11 % higher in Fort Myers. 11
public speaking of department of transportation, Daytona Beach—home of all things motorsports, including NASCAR ’ s headquarters and the Daytona 500—drifts into the middle range for fare costs among most Florida cities, which is about 2 % lower than the national average. 12
Since Florida is by and large a drive express, you ’ ll want to keep department of transportation costs low by getting the right coverage. Try bundling your car indemnity for a discount by talking to one of the independent indemnity agents we recommend .
Health Care
Florida health care costs range from 16 % lower than the national average in Jacksonville, to 10 % higher in Vero Beach. 13 meanwhile, Tampa, on the Gulf Coast, sits in the middle roll among Florida cities, with health manage costs closely 2 % lower than the home average—not excessively shabby. 14
hera ’ s a dislocation of how Tampa health wish costs compare to the modal city in the country :
| Health Care Type | Tampa, FL Cost | Average U.S. City Cost | Cost Difference |
| General doctor of the church | $ 99 | $ 116 | 14 % |
| dentist | $ 106 | $ 100 | 6 % |
| Eye repair | $ 98 | $ 109 | 9 % |
| ibuprofen | $ 11 | $ 10 | 9 % |
| Prescription drug | $ 443 | $ 471 | 6 % 15 |
Taxes
Can you guess how much income tax Florida charges ? Zilch, zip up, nothing, nothing ! 16 That ’ s right, folks, the Sunshine State doesn ’ t take any of the hard-earned money out of your paycheck or retirement income—one of the many perks that makes Florida such a popular place to retire .
Keep in mind, Florida still has a country sales tax rate of 6 % —or 7.08 % if you include its average local tax rate. 17 That ’ sulfur not besides bad, though, considering the share only ranks Florida as the 22nd highest in the area for sum sales tax. 18
But the downside is that Florida has one of the highest taxes in the state on cellular telephone use and gas—along with some other limited taxes. 19 If all this tax talk makes you feel dizzy, don ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate worry. You can find out precisely how moving to Florida will impact your taxes by connecting with one of our trust tax advisors .
Miscellaneous Goods and Services
assorted costs refer to a wide range of goods and services including things like park restaurant foods, dress, entertainment, activities and personal care. In Florida, these costs range from 8 % lower than the national average in Palm Coast, to 8 % higher in Fort Myers. 20
Gainesville represents most Florida cities for assorted costs, which are 3 % less than the home average. In Gainesville, the distinctive “ Florida Man ” can regulate a pizza for $ 9, get a haircut for $ 22, and buy a newfangled shirt for $ 24. For reference, those prices are $ 11, $ 19 and $ 31 for the average U.S. city. 21
How Much Do You Need to Live Comfortably in Florida?
In Florida, the median family income is $ 55,660. 22 But if you make that much, it doesn ’ t automatically mean you can afford to live anywhere in Florida—at least not comfortably .
If you want to live comfortably in the Sunshine State, first make sure you can afford your biggest expenses—namely, your housing costs .
Whether you decide to rent or buy in your newfangled city, stick to the 25 % rule—never act into a home that comes with a monthly requital that ’ south more than 25 % of your monthly take-home pay .
For home buyers who are getting a mortgage, that 25 % restrict includes star, interest, place taxes, home indemnity and private mortgage policy ( PMI ) —and wear ’ triiodothyronine forget to consider homeowners association ( HOA ) fees. Use our mortgage calculator to enter your down payment sum and try out different home prices within your budget .
For a mortgage you can pay off fast, talk to our friends at Churchill Mortgage about getting a 15-year fixed-rate conventional lend. Any early type of mortgage will cost you supernumerary in interest and fees and keep you in debt for decades .
Trust us, following the 25 % rule will give you enough room in your budget to balance house costs and your other know expenses with relief .
Compare the Cost of Living in Florida With Your Current City
now you know the cost of living in Florida—but can you afford it ? If you want to be certain, try our free monetary value of Living Calculator to determine how much more or less expensive it would be for you to live in the Florida city that ’ s calling your appoint .
If Florida has a higher cost of living than you can presently afford, not all hope is lost. Try one of these ideas :
Read more: What Is a Debt Management Plan? – NerdWallet
- Adjust your standard of living
- Try to bump up your salary when you find a new job
- Move to an affordable zip code that’s within range of your desired city
Ready to Move to Florida?
If you ’ re able to afford life in Florida, congrats ! The future tone on your move journey is to handle your housing. For an clamant direction to find very estate agents we trust in Florida and your current city, try our second local Providers ( ELP ) course of study. We merely recommend top agents who are on a deputation to help you crush your resettlement goals .
Find a Florida real estate of the realm agent we trust !
Where Did We Get Our Data?
The datum that drives most of these numbers and our price of Living Calculator comes from the monetary value of Living Index published by the Council for Community and Economic Research ( C2ER ). Since the monetary value of know in any area is constantly changing, you can always check our calculator to find the most recent data. If you want to learn more about C2ER, get the soap here .
