Best Beach Towns in Florida

Ranked by the numbers, the top 10 are Longboat Key ($950,000 median), Bonita Springs ($529,900 median), St. Augustine ($439,900 median), Boca Raton ($590,000 median), Naples ($600,000 median), Navarre ($439,900 median), Fernandina Beach ($565,000 median), New Smyrna Beach ($497,000 median), Palm Coast ($359,990 median), Miramar Beach ($705,000 median). 68 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.

68 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. Longboat Key Sarasota	56.4	$950,000	$6,450	49%	$2,126	165	+20.1%	257
2. Bonita Springs Lee	55.8	$529,900	$3,694	34%	$2,197	434	+5.5%	493
3. St. Augustine St. Johns	55.3	$439,900	$2,897	27%	—	144	+4.1%	1,292
4. Boca Raton Palm Beach	55.0	$590,000	$4,186	48%	$1,753	919	+14.2%	1,905
5. Naples Collier	54.5	$600,000	$3,937	50%	$2,147	1,922	+8.2%	2,148
6. Navarre Santa Rosa	54.4	$439,900	$3,004	34%	$2,444	6	+6.7%	107
7. Fernandina Beach Nassau	53.7	$565,000	$3,728	45%	$1,159	45	+5.0%	231
8. New Smyrna Beach Volusia	53.5	$497,000	$3,560	38%	$1,807	198	+6.7%	576
9. Palm Coast Flagler	53.4	$359,990	$2,465	35%	$1,626	168	+5.4%	1,208
10. Miramar Beach Walton	53.4	$705,000	$4,515	54%	$1,942	412	+9.0%	671
11. Sarasota Sarasota	53.3	$480,000	$3,261	48%	$2,126	936	+3.1%	2,772
12. Boynton Beach Palm Beach	53.2	$316,250	$2,275	36%	$1,753	567	+3.9%	1,464
13. Clearwater Pinellas	53.1	$320,000	$2,330	42%	$1,911	639	+7.8%	1,265
14. Gulf Breeze Santa Rosa	53.1	$419,900	$2,874	34%	$2,444	17	+3.9%	181
15. Venice Sarasota	52.9	$385,000	$2,640	35%	$2,126	274	+1.5%	982
16. Deerfield Beach Broward · list-based	52.4	$219,900	$1,603	36%	$1,561	496	+4.3%	773
17. Daytona Beach Volusia · list-based	52.2	$259,900	$1,895	37%	$1,807	468	+2.9%	971
18. Englewood Charlotte	52.2	$330,000	$2,375	37%	$2,298	111	+1.5%	526
19. Delray Beach Palm Beach	51.5	$262,500	$1,900	29%	$1,753	889	-6.1%	1,647
20. Stuart Martin	51.5	$485,000	$3,404	52%	$2,580	275	+14.5%	688
21. Pompano Beach Broward	51.4	$393,750	$2,832	48%	$1,561	749	+7.8%	1,145
22. Satellite Beach Brevard	50.9	$575,000	$3,995	47%	$2,348	59	+7.7%	139
23. Panama City Beach Bay	50.5	$425,000	$2,848	42%	$1,928	662	+4.6%	696
24. Pensacola Escambia	50.4	$330,500	$2,398	40%	$2,364	143	+5.9%	967
25. Ormond Beach Volusia	50.1	$410,350	$2,951	50%	$1,807	164	+4.2%	698

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 2026-11-07; deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

The top 10, in detail

1. Longboat Key, Sarasota County

Recorded median sale $950,000 (-5.0% year over year), 499 sales in 12 months, 6.7 months of supply (buyer's market), median 82 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $6,450 a month, 49% of the local median household income of $158,030; typical rent is $8,450. Prices compounded +20.1% a year over five years; the county grew +8.9% in population over five years. moving guide · market data · Sarasota County property tax

2. Bonita Springs, Lee County

Median asking price $529,900 across 493 current listings, 22% of active-plus-pending under contract, median 75 days on market; the county's Zillow index moved -0.7% over the past year. Owning the median costs about $3,694 a month, 34% of the local median household income of $130,719; typical rent is $4,126. Prices compounded +5.5% a year over five years; the county grew +13.8% in population over five years. moving guide · market data · Lee County property tax

3. St. Augustine, St. Johns County

Recorded median sale $439,900 (+3.5% year over year), 3,765 sales in 12 months, 4.0 months of supply (balanced market), median 49 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,897 a month, 27% of the local median household income of $131,020; typical rent is $2,128. Prices compounded +4.1% a year over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · St. Johns County property tax

4. Boca Raton, Palm Beach County

Median asking price $590,000 across 1,905 current listings, 11% of active-plus-pending under contract, median 41 days on market. Owning the median costs about $4,186 a month, 48% of the local median household income of $105,540; typical rent is $3,102. Prices compounded +14.2% a year over five years; the county grew +6.1% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Palm Beach County property tax

5. Naples, Collier County

Median asking price $600,000 across 2,148 current listings, 27% of active-plus-pending under contract, median 73 days on market; the county's Zillow index moved -1.9% over the past year. Owning the median costs about $3,937 a month, 50% of the local median household income of $93,861; typical rent is $2,668. Prices compounded +8.2% a year over five years; the county grew +9.4% in population over five years. moving guide · market data · Collier County property tax

6. Navarre, Santa Rosa County

Recorded median sale $439,900 (+4.7% year over year), 427 sales in 12 months, 2.9 months of supply (strong market), median 40 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $3,004 a month, 34% of the local median household income of $105,551; typical rent is $2,104. Prices compounded +6.7% a year over five years; the county grew +16.4% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Santa Rosa County property tax

7. Fernandina Beach, Nassau County

Recorded median sale $565,000 (-4.2% year over year), 667 sales in 12 months, 5.1 months of supply (buyer's market), median 54 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $3,728 a month, 45% of the local median household income of $98,583; typical rent is $2,369. Prices compounded +5.0% a year over five years; the county grew +21.4% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Nassau County property tax

8. New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County

Median asking price $497,000 across 576 current listings, 11% of active-plus-pending under contract, median 105 days on market; the county's Zillow index moved -5.7% over the past year. Owning the median costs about $3,560 a month, 38% of the local median household income of $110,968; typical rent is $3,431. Prices compounded +6.7% a year over five years; the county grew +9.9% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Volusia County property tax

9. Palm Coast, Flagler County

Recorded median sale $359,990 (-1.4% year over year), 860 sales in 12 months, 22.7 months of supply (soft market), median 114 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,465 a month, 35% of the local median household income of $83,923; typical rent is $1,962. Prices compounded +5.4% a year over five years; the county grew +18.1% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Flagler County property tax

10. Miramar Beach, Walton County

Recorded median sale $705,000 (+2.4% year over year), 719 sales in 12 months, 10.9 months of supply (soft market), median 107 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $4,515 a month, 54% of the local median household income of $101,250; typical rent is $3,178. Prices compounded +9.0% a year over five years; the county grew +25.9% in population over five years. moving guide · market data · Walton County property tax

Questions people ask

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

Longboat Key ranks first on our composite: $950,000 median, about $6,450 a month to own (49% of local median income), +20.1% 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 $1,603 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?

Longboat Key, at +20.1% a year compounded over five years; over the past twelve months it moved -5.0%.

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 (1,922), Miami Beach (1,628), Fort Lauderdale (1,249), Sunny Isles Beach (1,007), Sarasota (936) 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 2026-11-07 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.