Best Places to Live in North Florida

Ranked by the numbers, the top 10 are Yulee ($453,170 median), Jacksonville ($309,450 median), Middleburg ($312,500 median), Fernandina Beach ($530,000 median), St. Augustine ($453,314 median), Newberry ($320,890 median), Gainesville ($370,000 median), Alachua ($332,500 median), Green Cove Springs ($357,291 median), St. Johns ($520,000 median). 23 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.

23 cities in North 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. Yulee Nassau	57.6	$453,170	$2,870	39%	+8.5%	+17.5%	4.2	199
2. Jacksonville Duval	56.5	$309,450	$2,085	37%	+5.5%	+9.0%	3.7	4,036
3. Middleburg Clay	56.1	$312,500	$2,033	30%	+5.9%	+7.8%	4.6	371
4. Fernandina Beach Nassau	55.6	$530,000	$3,350	41%	+5.4%	+17.5%	5.0	236
5. St. Augustine St. Johns	54.5	$453,314	$2,981	29%	+4.5%	—	3.2	1,069
6. Newberry Alachua	54.2	$320,890	$2,107	25%	+3.8%	+7.1%	3.4	159
7. Gainesville Alachua	53.9	$370,000	$2,427	48%	+7.8%	+7.1%	4.4	816
8. Alachua Alachua	53.7	$332,500	$2,182	33%	+5.7%	+7.1%	4.1	158
9. Green Cove Springs Clay	53.4	$357,291	$2,320	34%	+4.4%	+7.8%	3.5	416
10. St. Johns St. Johns	53.4	$520,000	$3,398	28%	+5.6%	—	2.8	369
11. Orange Park Clay	53.2	$330,000	$2,145	34%	+5.4%	+7.8%	3.2	261
12. Fleming Island Clay	52.5	$460,000	$2,976	30%	+4.6%	+7.8%	2.9	122
13. Ponte Vedra St. Johns	52.4	$669,900	$4,336	41%	+7.7%	—	3.2	234
14. Keystone Heights Clay · list-based	52.1	$279,900	$1,825	30%	+3.9%	+7.8%	10% pending	101
15. Williston Levy · list-based	51.4	$269,838	$1,829	39%	+4.8%	+10.8%	11% pending	101
16. Jacksonville Beach Duval	51.1	$624,500	$4,172	45%	+5.0%	+9.0%	4.6	182
17. Ponte Vedra Beach St. Johns	50.7	$855,000	$5,495	54%	+11.5%	—	3.7	260
18. Palm Coast Flagler · list-based	49.8	$489,500	$3,186	49%	+2.1%	+13.6%	22% pending	105
19. High Springs Alachua · list-based	49.7	$330,000	$2,166	37%	+3.6%	+7.1%	10% pending	73
20. Macclenny Baker · list-based	48.6	$319,000	$2,054	37%	+4.3%	+1.4%	9% pending	75
21. Lake City Columbia · list-based	48.4	$384,025	$2,485	—	+5.4%	+2.4%	11% pending	64
22. Interlachen Putnam · list-based	48.3	$220,000	$1,481	39%	+3.3%	+2.0%	13% pending	67
23. Palatka Putnam · list-based	48.2	$262,200	$1,757	44%	+3.3%	+2.0%	14% pending	121

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: Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lafayette, Levy, Madison, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union.

The top 10, in detail

1. Yulee, Nassau County

Recorded median sale $453,170 (+4.2% year over year), 427 sales in 12 months, 4.2 months of supply (balanced market), median 55 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,870 a month, 39% of the local median household income of $89,270; typical rent is $2,077. Prices compounded +8.5% 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

2. Jacksonville, Duval County

Recorded median sale $309,450 (-2.1% year over year), 8,892 sales in 12 months, 3.7 months of supply (balanced market), median 43 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,085 a month, 37% of the local median household income of $68,363; typical rent is $1,627. 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

3. Middleburg, Clay County

Recorded median sale $312,500 (+2.1% year over year), 666 sales in 12 months, 4.6 months of supply (balanced market), median 46 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,033 a month, 30% of the local median household income of $82,410; typical rent is $2,003. Prices compounded +5.9% a year over five years; the county grew +7.8% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Clay County property tax

4. Fernandina Beach, Nassau County

Recorded median sale $530,000 (-1.0% year over year), 282 sales in 12 months, 5.0 months of supply (balanced market), median 56 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $3,350 a month, 41% of the local median household income of $97,756; typical rent is $2,585. Prices compounded +5.4% 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

5. St. Augustine, St. Johns County

Recorded median sale $453,314 (-2.4% year over year), 2,623 sales in 12 months, 3.2 months of supply (balanced market), median 52 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,981 a month, 29% of the local median household income of $122,655; typical rent is $2,215. Prices compounded +4.5% a year over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · St. Johns County property tax

6. Newberry, Alachua County

Recorded median sale $320,890 (-3.4% year over year), 213 sales in 12 months, 3.4 months of supply (balanced market), median 93 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,107 a month, 25% of the local median household income of $102,335; typical rent is $2,225. Prices compounded +3.8% a year over five years; the county grew +7.1% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Alachua County property tax

7. Gainesville, Alachua County

Recorded median sale $370,000 (-2.7% year over year), 2,863 sales in 12 months, 4.4 months of supply (balanced market), median 51 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,427 a month, 48% of the local median household income of $60,182; typical rent is $1,617. Prices compounded +7.8% a year over five years; the county grew +7.1% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Alachua County property tax

8. Alachua, Alachua County

Recorded median sale $332,500 (-2.7% year over year), 203 sales in 12 months, 4.1 months of supply (balanced market), median 66 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,182 a month, 33% of the local median household income of $79,983. Prices compounded +5.7% a year over five years; the county grew +7.1% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Alachua County property tax

9. Green Cove Springs, Clay County

Recorded median sale $357,291 (-3.1% year over year), 784 sales in 12 months, 3.5 months of supply (balanced market), median 58 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,320 a month, 34% of the local median household income of $80,698; typical rent is $2,185. Prices compounded +4.4% a year over five years; the county grew +7.8% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Clay County property tax

10. St. Johns, St. Johns County

Recorded median sale $520,000 (-2.3% year over year), 1,374 sales in 12 months, 2.8 months of supply (healthy market), median 48 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $3,398 a month, 28% of the local median household income of $144,168; typical rent is $2,054. Prices compounded +5.6% a year over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · St. Johns County property tax

Questions people ask

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

Yulee ranks first on our composite: $453,170 median, about $2,870 a month to own (39% of local median income), +8.5% 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 North Florida?

Interlachen has the lowest estimated cost to own on this list at about $1,481 a month on a $220,000 median, including the county's property tax and average insurance.

Where are home prices rising fastest in North Florida?

Ponte Vedra Beach, at +11.5% a year compounded over five years; over the past twelve months it moved +2.4%.

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.