Best Places to Live in Central Florida

Ranked by the numbers, the top 10 are Lady Lake ($225,000 median), Wesley Chapel ($437,500 median), Tavares ($329,990 median), St. Cloud ($414,990 median), Brooksville ($305,000 median), Winter Park ($447,000 median), Lakeland ($329,900 median), Orlando ($407,500 median), Davenport ($385,000 median), Groveland ($375,990 median). 127 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.

127 cities in Central Florida, 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. Lady Lake Lake	58.0	$225,000	$1,545	32%	+5.9%	+18.9%	4.3	174
2. Wesley Chapel Pasco	57.3	$437,500	$2,907	32%	+5.6%	+15.3%	4.7	709
3. Tavares Lake	57.2	$329,990	$2,229	43%	+7.2%	+18.9%	4.6	261
4. St. Cloud Osceola	57.0	$414,990	$2,739	38%	+3.4%	+20.2%	4.8	1,142
5. Brooksville Hernando	56.6	$305,000	$2,104	45%	+10.2%	+10.3%	5.8	479
6. Winter Park Orange	56.0	$447,000	$2,965	36%	+8.4%	+9.0%	4.2	323
7. Lakeland Polk · list-based	55.8	$329,900	$2,233	28%	+3.8%	+13.8%	10% pending	1,222
8. Orlando Orange	55.7	$407,500	$2,707	41%	+5.2%	+9.0%	4.2	4,128
9. Davenport Polk · list-based	55.6	$385,000	$2,590	42%	+4.0%	+20.2%	13% pending	1,714
10. Groveland Lake	55.5	$375,990	$2,530	37%	+4.4%	+18.9%	3.5	253
11. Clermont Lake	55.4	$438,065	$2,934	40%	+5.2%	+18.9%	3.3	725
12. Holiday Pasco	55.2	$224,999	$1,529	38%	+4.0%	+15.3%	4.4	314
13. New Port Richey Pasco	55.1	$270,000	$1,821	42%	+3.1%	+15.3%	5.0	1,021
14. Apopka Orange	55.1	$394,745	$2,624	30%	+5.7%	+9.0%	3.0	543
15. Zephyrhills Pasco	54.8	$434,990	$2,891	62%	+10.7%	+15.3%	5.2	627
16. Sanford Seminole	54.8	$386,990	$2,545	41%	+9.4%	+4.4%	3.9	458
17. Kissimmee Osceola	54.7	$394,500	$2,608	46%	+1.5%	+20.2%	6.2	2,918
18. Ocala Marion · list-based	54.5	$294,900	$1,866	45%	+4.7%	+11.3%	14% pending	2,772
19. Riverview Hillsborough	54.5	$367,000	$2,452	30%	+3.0%	+8.0%	4.5	748
20. Haines City Polk · list-based	54.5	$312,450	$2,120	42%	+3.8%	+13.8%	25% pending	538
21. Altamonte Springs Seminole	54.5	$344,950	$2,276	41%	+11.1%	+4.4%	3.3	341
22. San Antonio Pasco	54.5	$409,990	$2,728	42%	+8.0%	+15.3%	2.1	141
23. Tampa Hillsborough	54.4	$437,000	$2,903	44%	+5.3%	+8.0%	3.7	3,518
24. St. Petersburg Pinellas	54.4	$454,000	$3,144	53%	+14.4%	+0.3%	4.1	2,394
25. Leesburg Lake	54.4	$286,057	$1,943	43%	+2.4%	+18.9%	4.9	618

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 2026-09-07; deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

Counties covered: Brevard, Citrus, Hardee, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lake, Marion, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Seminole, Sumter, Volusia.

The top 10, in detail

1. Lady Lake, Lake County

Recorded median sale $225,000 (+1.1% year over year), 265 sales in 12 months, 4.3 months of supply (balanced market), median 41 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $1,545 a month, 32% of the local median household income of $57,536; typical rent is $1,557. Prices compounded +5.9% a year over five years; the county grew +18.9% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Lake County property tax

2. Wesley Chapel, Pasco County

Recorded median sale $437,500 (-5.5% year over year), 702 sales in 12 months, 4.7 months of supply (balanced market), median 48 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,907 a month, 32% of the local median household income of $107,565; typical rent is $2,289. Prices compounded +5.6% a year over five years; the county grew +15.3% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Pasco County property tax

3. Tavares, Lake County

Recorded median sale $329,990 (-2.2% year over year), 325 sales in 12 months, 4.6 months of supply (buyer's market), median 68 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,229 a month, 43% of the local median household income of $61,815; typical rent is $2,095. Prices compounded +7.2% a year over five years; the county grew +18.9% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Lake County property tax

4. St. Cloud, Osceola County

Recorded median sale $414,990 (-1.0% year over year), 1,837 sales in 12 months, 4.8 months of supply (balanced market), median 46 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,739 a month, 38% of the local median household income of $86,900; typical rent is $2,301. Prices compounded +3.4% 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. Brooksville, Hernando County

Recorded median sale $305,000 (-0.6% year over year), 329 sales in 12 months, 5.8 months of supply (buyer's market), median 77 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,104 a month, 45% of the local median household income of $56,365; typical rent is $1,825. Prices compounded +10.2% a year over five years; the county grew +10.3% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Hernando County property tax

6. Winter Park, Orange County

Recorded median sale $447,000 (-3.3% year over year), 357 sales in 12 months, 4.2 months of supply (balanced market), median 31 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,965 a month, 36% of the local median household income of $100,213; typical rent is $2,137. Prices compounded +8.4% 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

7. Lakeland, Polk County

Median asking price $329,900 across 1,222 current listings, 10% of active-plus-pending under contract, median 40 days on market; the county's Zillow index moved -2.7% over the past year. Owning the median costs about $2,233 a month, 28% of the local median household income of $96,723; typical rent is $2,129. Prices compounded +3.8% a year over five years; the county grew +13.8% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Polk County property tax

8. Orlando, Orange County

Recorded median sale $407,500 (-2.2% year over year), 4,823 sales in 12 months, 4.2 months of supply (balanced market), median 42 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,707 a month, 41% of the local median household income of $80,177; typical rent is $1,994. Prices compounded +5.2% 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

9. Davenport, Polk County

Median asking price $385,000 across 1,714 current listings, 13% of active-plus-pending under contract, median 50 days on market; the county's Zillow index moved -3.6% over the past year. Owning the median costs about $2,590 a month, 42% of the local median household income of $74,485; typical rent is $1,785. Prices compounded +4.0% a year over five years; the county grew +20.2% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Polk County property tax

10. Groveland, Lake County

Recorded median sale $375,990 (-3.0% year over year), 257 sales in 12 months, 3.5 months of supply (healthy market), median 43 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,530 a month, 37% of the local median household income of $82,478; typical rent is $2,352. Prices compounded +4.4% a year over five years; the county grew +18.9% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Lake County property tax

Questions people ask

What is the best place to live in Central Florida by the numbers?

Lady Lake ranks first on our composite: $225,000 median, about $1,545 a month to own (32% of local median income), +5.9% 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 Central Florida?

Holiday has the lowest estimated cost to own on this list at about $1,529 a month on a $224,999 median, including the county's property tax and average insurance.

Where are home prices rising fastest in Central Florida?

St. Petersburg, at +14.4% a year compounded over five years; over the past twelve months it moved +0.3%.

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 2026-09-07 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.