Best Beach Towns in Florida

Ranked by the numbers, the top 10 are Delray Beach ($359,500 median), Naples ($425,000 median), Boynton Beach ($410,000 median), St. Augustine ($433,500 median), Boca Raton ($665,000 median), New Smyrna Beach ($497,000 median), Fernandina Beach ($470,000 median), Fort Lauderdale ($477,500 median), Pompano Beach ($394,999 median), Jupiter ($644,000 median). 70 places qualified with at least 60 homes for sale; the score blends what it costs to own the median home against local income, five-year appreciation, county population growth, market balance, inventory depth and the own-versus-rent gap, all printed in the table.

70 Florida beach towns, ranked

Place	Score	Median price	Cost to own / mo	Share of income	Citizens avg premium	Condos for sale	5-yr appreciation / yr	Homes for sale
1. Delray Beach Palm Beach	57.4	$359,500	$2,533	41%	$1,753	831	+9.0%	1,572
2. Naples Collier · list-based	55.5	$425,000	$2,775	35%	$2,147	1,756	+4.2%	1,961
3. Boynton Beach Palm Beach	54.8	$410,000	$2,879	45%	$1,753	536	+7.1%	1,419
4. St. Augustine St. Johns	54.8	$433,500	$2,857	28%	—	142	+3.4%	1,273
5. Boca Raton Palm Beach	54.6	$665,000	$4,627	59%	$1,753	895	+10.5%	1,831
6. New Smyrna Beach Volusia	54.4	$497,000	$3,498	42%	$1,807	222	+6.7%	603
7. Fernandina Beach Nassau	54.1	$470,000	$3,050	37%	$1,159	55	+2.6%	259
8. Fort Lauderdale Broward	53.9	$477,500	$3,366	48%	$1,561	1,189	+7.3%	2,228
9. Pompano Beach Broward	53.9	$394,999	$2,792	51%	$1,561	762	+9.9%	1,147
10. Jupiter Palm Beach	53.9	$644,000	$4,483	52%	$1,753	211	+11.8%	590
11. Bonita Springs Lee · list-based	53.9	$442,250	$3,047	30%	$2,197	396	+1.6%	450
12. Gulf Breeze Santa Rosa	53.8	$427,000	$2,867	35%	$2,444	19	+4.5%	214
13. Miramar Beach Walton	53.5	$777,500	$4,871	61%	$1,942	412	+9.0%	675
14. Pensacola Escambia - Fl	53.3	$330,500	$2,348	42%	—	151	+5.9%	990
15. Stuart Martin	53.0	$380,302	$2,655	42%	$2,580	269	+6.8%	648
16. Navarre Santa Rosa · list-based	53.0	$476,100	$3,180	38%	$2,444	6	+3.4%	112
17. Palm Coast Flagler · list-based	52.4	$390,000	$2,616	40%	$1,626	174	+1.6%	1,213
18. St. Pete Beach Pinellas	52.4	$510,000	$3,603	44%	$1,911	90	+8.6%	168
19. Deerfield Beach Broward · list-based	51.9	$219,900	$1,576	35%	$1,561	489	+4.5%	765
20. Fort Walton Beach Okaloosa	51.9	$357,612	$2,445	46%	$2,644	177	+4.4%	412
21. Ponte Vedra Beach St. Johns	51.8	$849,000	$5,457	53%	—	73	+9.7%	275
22. Clearwater Pinellas	51.7	$312,500	$2,238	42%	$1,911	612	+3.8%	1,250
23. Tarpon Springs Pinellas	51.7	$424,800	$3,014	54%	$1,911	79	+8.8%	313
24. Cocoa Beach Brevard	51.7	$585,000	$3,989	56%	$2,348	168	+7.7%	210
25. Daytona Beach Volusia · list-based	51.6	$266,746	$1,910	38%	$1,807	480	+3.2%	973

How to read it: median price is the recorded MLS sale median for the past 12 months where our feeds carry sold records (at least 120 sales), otherwise the median asking price of current listings (rows marked list-based; appreciation and price change then come from the county Zillow index); cost to own is principal and interest on 80% of that median at the county’s current rate, plus non-homestead property tax at the county’s verified millage (less the $50,000 homestead exemption) and the county’s average Citizens premium; share of income is that annual cost against the Census median household income pooled over the ZIPs where the city’s homes are listed; 5-yr appreciation is the compound annual change in recorded medians; county pop. growth is the county’s five-year Census change.

Score = 50 + 10 × (0.35 affordability + 0.15 appreciation + 0.15 population growth + 0.10 market balance + 0.10 inventory depth + 0.15 own-versus-rent), each as a capped z-score across the ranked set. Inputs are prices, costs, incomes, growth and supply only; nothing about the people who live there. Data as of 2026-10-15; deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

The top 10, in detail

1. Delray Beach, Palm Beach County

Recorded median sale $359,500 (+0.9% year over year), 1,411 sales in 12 months, 4.7 months of supply (buyer's market), median 57 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,533 a month, 41% of the local median household income of $74,803; typical rent is $2,698. Prices compounded +9.0% a year over five years; the county grew +4.2% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Palm Beach County property tax

2. Naples, Collier County

Median asking price $425,000 across 1,961 current listings, 29% of active-plus-pending under contract, median 58 days on market; the county's Zillow index moved -2.4% over the past year. Owning the median costs about $2,775 a month, 35% of the local median household income of $94,702; typical rent is $2,632. Prices compounded +4.2% a year over five years; the county grew +6.5% in population over five years. moving guide · market data · Collier County property tax

3. Boynton Beach, Palm Beach County

Recorded median sale $410,000 (+6.4% year over year), 1,563 sales in 12 months, 4.7 months of supply (balanced market), median 52 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,879 a month, 45% of the local median household income of $76,328; typical rent is $2,454. Prices compounded +7.1% a year over five years; the county grew +4.2% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Palm Beach County property tax

4. St. Augustine, St. Johns County

Recorded median sale $433,500 (-1.7% year over year), 2,229 sales in 12 months, 5.7 months of supply (balanced market), median 47 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,857 a month, 28% of the local median household income of $122,655; typical rent is $2,169. Prices compounded +3.4% a year over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · St. Johns County property tax

5. Boca Raton, Palm Beach County

Recorded median sale $665,000 (+4.7% year over year), 2,021 sales in 12 months, 4.5 months of supply (balanced market), median 53 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $4,627 a month, 59% of the local median household income of $93,816; typical rent is $3,121. Prices compounded +10.5% a year over five years; the county grew +4.2% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Palm Beach County property tax

6. New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County

Recorded median sale $497,000 (-5.7% year over year), 146 sales in 12 months, 4.3 months of supply (buyer's market), median 105 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $3,498 a month, 42% of the local median household income of $99,260; typical rent is $3,038. Prices compounded +6.7% a year over five years; the county grew +7.7% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Volusia County property tax

7. Fernandina Beach, Nassau County

Recorded median sale $470,000 (-1.7% year over year), 261 sales in 12 months, 5.5 months of supply (buyer's market), median 47 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $3,050 a month, 37% of the local median household income of $97,756; typical rent is $2,351. Prices compounded +2.6% a year over five years; the county grew +17.5% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Nassau County property tax

8. Fort Lauderdale, Broward County

Recorded median sale $477,500 (-0.6% year over year), 1,976 sales in 12 months, 6.7 months of supply (buyer's market), median 74 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $3,366 a month, 48% of the local median household income of $84,951; typical rent is $2,518. Prices compounded +7.3% a year over five years; the county grew +1.9% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Broward County property tax

9. Pompano Beach, Broward County

Recorded median sale $394,999 (-1.4% year over year), 778 sales in 12 months, 7.0 months of supply (buyer's market), median 65 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,792 a month, 51% of the local median household income of $66,269; typical rent is $2,293. Prices compounded +9.9% a year over five years; the county grew +1.9% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Broward County property tax

10. Jupiter, Palm Beach County

Recorded median sale $644,000 (+4.8% year over year), 581 sales in 12 months, 3.6 months of supply (balanced market), median 50 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $4,483 a month, 52% of the local median household income of $104,107; typical rent is $3,926. Prices compounded +11.8% a year over five years; the county grew +4.2% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Palm Beach County property tax

Questions people ask

What is the best place to live in Florida's beach towns by the numbers?

Delray Beach ranks first on our composite: $359,500 median, about $2,533 a month to own (41% of local median income), +9.0% a year appreciation over five years. The ranking is housing economics only; the right place for you also depends on commute, lifestyle and budget, which is what an agent narrows.

What is the cheapest place to live in Florida's beach towns?

Deerfield Beach has the lowest estimated cost to own on this list at about $1,576 a month on a $219,900 median, including the county's property tax and average insurance.

Where are home prices rising fastest in Florida's beach towns?

Jupiter, at +11.8% a year compounded over five years; over the past twelve months it moved +4.8%.

How is this ranking calculated?

Score = 50 + 10 times a weighted sum of capped z-scores: affordability (annual cost to own the median home divided by median household income, 35%), five-year compound appreciation (15%), county population growth (15%), market balance (distance of months of supply from 5, 10%), sales volume (10%), and the gap between owning and renting (15%). Every input is printed in the table; the inputs are prices, costs, incomes, growth and supply only.

Which Florida beach towns have the most condos for sale?

The condos column counts current condo listings on our city pages; Naples (1,756), Miami Beach (1,599), Fort Lauderdale (1,189), Sunny Isles Beach (1,024), Boca Raton (895) lead. Read the condo guide before buying in a building over three stories.

Every ranking in this series

Homes for sale in Florida by city and county · Florida city and relocation guides

Rankings are computed from the published data sources and the formula stated on this page, with no editorial scoring; the inputs are prices, costs, incomes, growth and supply, and the rankings describe housing economics, not the character of any community. Figures are as of 2026-10-15 and change as new sales record. EAB RE Investments LLC dba Momentum Realty is a licensed Florida real estate brokerage. Listing data deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Equal Housing Opportunity.