Best Cities to Live in Florida

Ranked by the numbers, the top 10 are Delray Beach ($359,500 median), Tampa ($430,000 median), Palm Bay ($318,325 median), St. Cloud ($414,990 median), Orlando ($415,000 median), Jacksonville ($310,000 median), Kissimmee ($387,990 median), Port St. Lucie ($395,000 median), Fort Myers ($235,900 median), Ocala ($292,070 median). 45 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.

Florida's 45 largest markets, ranked

Place	Score	Median price	Cost to own / mo	Share of income	5-yr appreciation / yr	County pop. growth	Months supply	Homes for sale
1. Delray Beach Palm Beach	57.4	$359,500	$2,533	41%	+9.0%	+4.2%	4.7	1,473
2. Tampa Hillsborough	56.4	$430,000	$2,926	44%	+7.8%	+8.0%	4.0	3,559
3. Palm Bay Brevard	56.3	$318,325	$2,230	37%	+6.7%	+7.6%	5.3	1,154
4. St. Cloud Osceola	56.3	$414,990	$2,806	39%	+4.1%	+20.2%	3.2	1,146
5. Orlando Orange	56.2	$415,000	$2,822	42%	+6.3%	+9.0%	4.2	4,073
6. Jacksonville Duval	56.1	$310,000	$2,138	39%	+5.5%	+9.0%	3.8	3,941
7. Kissimmee Osceola	55.6	$387,990	$2,628	47%	+2.6%	+20.2%	6.6	2,959
8. Port St. Lucie St. Lucie	55.5	$395,000	$2,886	44%	+6.6%	—	5.6	1,485
9. Fort Myers Lee · list-based	55.2	$235,900	$1,680	27%	+1.6%	+10.3%	29% pending	1,293
10. Ocala Marion	55.1	$292,070	$1,896	37%	+1.3%	+11.3%	4.4	2,681
11. Naples Collier · list-based	55.1	$425,000	$2,775	35%	+4.2%	+6.5%	32% pending	1,833
12. Clermont Lake	55.1	$438,065	$3,004	41%	+4.5%	+18.9%	3.5	733
13. West Palm Beach Palm Beach	55.0	$415,000	$2,913	57%	+12.9%	+4.2%	5.9	1,719
14. St. Petersburg Pinellas	54.9	$439,000	$3,112	54%	+11.4%	+0.3%	4.2	2,379
15. Boynton Beach Palm Beach	54.8	$410,000	$2,879	45%	+7.1%	+4.2%	4.7	1,376
16. New Port Richey Pasco	54.7	$265,000	$1,831	42%	+2.4%	+15.3%	4.8	957
17. Boca Raton Palm Beach	54.3	$665,000	$4,627	59%	+10.5%	+4.2%	4.5	1,707
18. St. Augustine St. Johns	54.2	$435,000	$2,866	28%	+3.7%	—	3.3	1,065
19. Riverview Hillsborough	54.1	$362,000	$2,477	30%	+2.5%	+8.0%	4.6	762
20. Melbourne Brevard	53.9	$385,000	$2,670	37%	+6.2%	+7.6%	3.2	714
21. Fort Lauderdale Broward	53.7	$477,500	$3,366	48%	+7.3%	+1.9%	6.7	2,151
22. Pompano Beach Broward	53.6	$394,999	$2,792	51%	+9.9%	+1.9%	7.0	1,079
23. Pensacola Escambia - Fl	53.4	$330,500	$2,348	42%	+5.9%	+3.8%	4.2	1,032
24. Lakeland Polk · list-based	53.3	$329,000	$2,280	39%	+3.3%	+13.8%	9% pending	1,159
25. Pembroke Pines Broward	53.1	$441,500	$3,115	51%	+7.4%	+1.9%	4.9	839

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 2026-09-25; 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. Tampa, Hillsborough County

Recorded median sale $430,000 (+3.6% year over year), 5,135 sales in 12 months, 4.0 months of supply (balanced market), median 38 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,926 a month, 44% of the local median household income of $79,850; typical rent is $1,898. Prices compounded +7.8% a year over five years; the county grew +8.0% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Hillsborough County property tax

3. Palm Bay, Brevard County

Recorded median sale $318,325 (-2.6% year over year), 398 sales in 12 months, 5.3 months of supply (buyer's market), median 53 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,230 a month, 37% of the local median household income of $71,827; typical rent is $1,982. Prices compounded +6.7% a year over five years; the county grew +7.6% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Brevard County property tax

4. St. Cloud, Osceola County

Recorded median sale $414,990 (+0.1% year over year), 2,213 sales in 12 months, 3.2 months of supply (healthy market), median 45 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,806 a month, 39% of the local median household income of $86,900; typical rent is $2,298. Prices compounded +4.1% a year over five years; the county grew +20.2% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Osceola County property tax

5. Orlando, Orange County

Recorded median sale $415,000 (-2.4% year over year), 6,171 sales in 12 months, 4.2 months of supply (balanced market), median 41 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,822 a month, 42% of the local median household income of $79,942; typical rent is $1,938. Prices compounded +6.3% a year over five years; the county grew +9.0% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Orange County property tax

6. Jacksonville, Duval County

Recorded median sale $310,000 (-1.8% year over year), 8,834 sales in 12 months, 3.8 months of supply (balanced market), median 43 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,138 a month, 39% of the local median household income of $65,104; typical rent is $1,601. Prices compounded +5.5% a year over five years; the county grew +9.0% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Duval County property tax

7. Kissimmee, Osceola County

Recorded median sale $387,990 (-2.6% year over year), 2,523 sales in 12 months, 6.6 months of supply (buyer's market), median 61 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,628 a month, 47% of the local median household income of $67,677; typical rent is $1,986. Prices compounded +2.6% a year over five years; the county grew +20.2% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Osceola County property tax

8. Port St. Lucie, St. Lucie County

Recorded median sale $395,000 (-2.6% year over year), 1,671 sales in 12 months, 5.6 months of supply (buyer's market), median 61 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,886 a month, 44% of the local median household income of $79,560; typical rent is $2,363. Prices compounded +6.6% a year over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · St. Lucie County property tax

9. Fort Myers, Lee County

Median asking price $235,900 across 1,293 current listings, 29% of active-plus-pending under contract, median 57 days on market; the county's Zillow index moved -4.4% over the past year. Owning the median costs about $1,680 a month, 27% of the local median household income of $73,336; typical rent is $1,754. Prices compounded +1.6% a year over five years; the county grew +10.3% in population over five years. moving guide · market data · Lee County property tax

10. Ocala, Marion County

Recorded median sale $292,070 (-1.6% year over year), 299 sales in 12 months, 4.4 months of supply (balanced market), median 67 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $1,896 a month, 37% of the local median household income of $62,150; typical rent is $1,729. Prices compounded +1.3% a year over five years; the county grew +11.3% in population over five years. moving guide · market data · Marion County property tax

Questions people ask

What is the best place to live in Florida's big cities 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 big cities?

Deerfield Beach has the lowest estimated cost to own on this list at about $1,535 a month on a $214,000 median, including the county's property tax and average insurance.

Where are home prices rising fastest in Florida's big cities?

West Palm Beach, at +12.9% a year compounded over five years; over the past twelve months it moved +0.8%.

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.

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 2026-09-25 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.