Best Places to Live in North Florida

Ranked by the numbers, the top 10 are Yulee ($405,000 median), Jacksonville ($304,990 median), St. Augustine ($439,900 median), Keystone Heights ($275,000 median), Orange Park ($320,000 median), Middleburg ($315,000 median), Fernandina Beach ($565,000 median), Green Cove Springs ($355,000 median), Palm Coast ($359,990 median), Newberry ($355,000 median). 27 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.

27 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	56.8	$405,000	$2,684	35%	+7.7%	+21.4%	4.2	176
2. Jacksonville Duval	55.9	$304,990	$2,142	37%	+5.2%	+10.7%	3.9	4,460
3. St. Augustine St. Johns	55.3	$439,900	$2,897	27%	+4.1%	—	4.0	1,292
4. Keystone Heights Clay	54.8	$275,000	$1,872	30%	+9.7%	+9.8%	7.0	91
5. Orange Park Clay	54.5	$320,000	$2,172	27%	+4.7%	+9.8%	3.9	336
6. Middleburg Clay	54.2	$315,000	$2,139	30%	+4.8%	+9.8%	4.1	343
7. Fernandina Beach Nassau	53.7	$565,000	$3,728	45%	+5.0%	+21.4%	5.1	231
8. Green Cove Springs Clay	53.5	$355,000	$2,406	34%	+3.9%	+9.8%	4.5	402
9. Palm Coast Flagler	53.4	$359,990	$2,465	35%	+5.4%	+18.1%	22.7	1,208
10. Newberry Alachua	53.4	$355,000	$2,430	29%	+3.3%	+8.5%	4.6	173
11. Alachua Alachua	53.2	$328,495	$2,249	31%	+3.6%	+8.5%	5.0	159
12. Williston Levy	52.9	$239,900	$1,699	33%	+4.3%	+13.6%	6.6	103
13. St. Johns St. Johns	52.7	$548,182	$3,574	28%	+4.7%	—	2.8	405
14. Fleming Island Clay	52.5	$450,000	$3,040	31%	+5.5%	+9.8%	2.5	108
15. Gainesville Alachua	52.2	$312,500	$2,141	42%	+3.8%	+8.5%	4.2	838
16. Bunnell Flagler · list-based	51.2	$299,350	$2,062	43%	+1.1%	+18.1%	14% pending	73
17. Ponte Vedra St. Johns	50.8	$689,950	$4,462	41%	+6.4%	—	2.7	221
18. Starke Bradford	50.5	$283,000	$1,957	37%	+6.9%	+3.4%	8.2	76
19. Palatka Putnam	50.3	$246,325	$1,723	43%	+4.7%	+3.3%	6.0	121
20. Ponte Vedra Beach St. Johns	49.6	$900,000	$5,776	56%	+10.6%	—	3.2	228
21. High Springs Alachua	49.5	$321,000	$2,237	32%	-1.4%	+7.1%	4.2	72
22. Interlachen Putnam · list-based	49.4	$198,450	$1,396	37%	+2.6%	+3.3%	9% pending	72
23. Jacksonville Beach Duval	49.1	$660,000	$4,595	47%	+4.0%	+10.7%	3.7	178
24. Flagler Beach Flagler · list-based	47.8	$539,990	$3,660	56%	+1.1%	+18.1%	8% pending	139
25. Lake City Columbia · list-based	47.7	$362,575	$2,493	49%	+4.9%	+2.4%	10% pending	60

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.

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 $405,000 (+1.2% year over year), 532 sales in 12 months, 4.2 months of supply (balanced market), median 57 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,684 a month, 35% of the local median household income of $93,161; typical rent is $2,030. Prices compounded +7.7% 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

2. Jacksonville, Duval County

Recorded median sale $304,990 (+0.8% year over year), 12,683 sales in 12 months, 3.9 months of supply (balanced market), median 43 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,142 a month, 37% of the local median household income of $69,638; typical rent is $1,594. Prices compounded +5.2% a year over five years; the county grew +10.7% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Duval 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. Keystone Heights, Clay County

Recorded median sale $275,000 (+1.9% year over year), 199 sales in 12 months, 7.0 months of supply (buyer's market), median 45 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $1,872 a month, 30% of the local median household income of $74,213. Prices compounded +9.7% a year over five years; the county grew +9.8% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Clay County property tax

5. Orange Park, Clay County

Recorded median sale $320,000 (-4.2% year over year), 932 sales in 12 months, 3.9 months of supply (balanced market), median 39 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,172 a month, 27% of the local median household income of $97,455; typical rent is $1,877. Prices compounded +4.7% a year over five years; the county grew +9.8% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Clay County property tax

6. Middleburg, Clay County

Recorded median sale $315,000 (+3.3% year over year), 938 sales in 12 months, 4.1 months of supply (balanced market), median 46 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,139 a month, 30% of the local median household income of $84,431; typical rent is $1,958. Prices compounded +4.8% a year over five years; the county grew +9.8% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Clay 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. Green Cove Springs, Clay County

Recorded median sale $355,000 (+0.6% year over year), 1,078 sales in 12 months, 4.5 months of supply (balanced market), median 55 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,406 a month, 34% of the local median household income of $84,145; typical rent is $2,220. Prices compounded +3.9% a year over five years; the county grew +9.8% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Clay 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. Newberry, Alachua County

Recorded median sale $355,000 (+1.4% year over year), 402 sales in 12 months, 4.6 months of supply (balanced market), median 99 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,430 a month, 29% of the local median household income of $99,548; typical rent is $2,280. Prices compounded +3.3% a year over five years; the county grew +8.5% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Alachua 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: $405,000 median, about $2,684 a month to own (35% of local median income), +7.7% 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 $1,396 a month on a $198,450 median, including the county's property tax and average insurance.

Where are home prices rising fastest in North Florida?

Ponte Vedra Beach, at +10.6% a year compounded over five years; over the past twelve months it moved -9.5%.

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 2026-11-07 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.