Best Places to Live in The Florida Panhandle

Ranked by the numbers, the top 10 are Freeport ($385,471 median), Milton ($319,900 median), Gulf Breeze ($427,000 median), DeFuniak Springs ($251,400 median), Pace ($374,902 median), Crestview ($321,973 median), Miramar Beach ($777,500 median), Navarre ($494,900 median), Mary Esther ($319,900 median), Niceville ($530,000 median). 18 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.

18 cities in the Florida Panhandle, 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. Freeport Walton	55.7	$385,471	$2,476	38%	+3.2%	+21.2%	5.4	379
2. Milton Santa Rosa	55.0	$319,900	$2,186	31%	+4.6%	+13.7%	2.9	411
3. Gulf Breeze Santa Rosa	53.8	$427,000	$2,867	35%	+4.5%	+13.7%	3.6	222
4. DeFuniak Springs Walton · list-based	53.6	$251,400	$1,657	39%	+2.3%	+21.2%	17% pending	206
5. Pace Santa Rosa	53.4	$374,902	$2,536	34%	+4.6%	+13.7%	2.0	285
6. Crestview Okaloosa	53.3	$321,973	$2,218	37%	+4.6%	+6.7%	4.2	427
7. Miramar Beach Walton	52.8	$777,500	$4,871	61%	+9.0%	+21.2%	10.1	677
8. Navarre Santa Rosa · list-based	52.6	$494,900	$3,299	40%	+3.4%	+13.7%	22% pending	118
9. Mary Esther Okaloosa	52.6	$319,900	$2,204	36%	+3.7%	+6.7%	4.4	71
10. Niceville Okaloosa	52.3	$530,000	$3,543	40%	+6.7%	+6.7%	3.4	179
11. Fort Walton Beach Okaloosa	51.9	$357,612	$2,445	46%	+4.4%	+6.7%	4.7	408
12. Tallahassee Leon · list-based	51.3	$205,000	$1,332	32%	—	—	0% pending	343
13. Panama City Beach Bay · list-based	51.0	$369,900	$2,447	39%	+3.3%	-0.6%	24% pending	791
14. Shalimar Okaloosa · list-based	49.9	$452,000	$3,046	37%	+2.4%	+6.7%	33% pending	60
15. Santa Rosa Beach Walton	48.1	$975,000	$6,077	72%	+4.1%	+21.2%	6.7	844
16. Panama City Bay · list-based	47.4	$349,600	$2,319	38%	+3.3%	-0.6%	46% pending	258
17. Destin Okaloosa	44.2	$730,000	$4,817	62%	+2.7%	+6.7%	9.1	603
18. Inlet Beach Walton · list-based	41.9	$1,925,000	$11,880	97%	+2.3%	+21.2%	19% pending	294

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.

Counties covered: Bay, Calhoun, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Leon, Liberty, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Wakulla, Walton, Washington.

The top 10, in detail

1. Freeport, Walton County

Recorded median sale $385,471 (-3.2% year over year), 608 sales in 12 months, 5.4 months of supply (buyer's market), median 70 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,476 a month, 38% of the local median household income of $77,500; typical rent is $1,789. Prices compounded +3.2% a year over five years; the county grew +21.2% in population over five years. moving guide · market data · Walton County property tax

2. Milton, Santa Rosa County

Recorded median sale $319,900 (+2.1% year over year), 645 sales in 12 months, 2.9 months of supply (healthy market), median 63 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,186 a month, 31% of the local median household income of $84,957; typical rent is $1,941. Prices compounded +4.6% a year over five years; the county grew +13.7% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Santa Rosa County property tax

3. Gulf Breeze, Santa Rosa County

Recorded median sale $427,000 (+1.4% year over year), 418 sales in 12 months, 3.6 months of supply (healthy market), median 45 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,867 a month, 35% of the local median household income of $97,139; typical rent is $1,920. Prices compounded +4.5% a year over five years; the county grew +13.7% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Santa Rosa County property tax

4. DeFuniak Springs, Walton County

Median asking price $251,400 across 206 current listings, 17% of active-plus-pending under contract, median 88 days on market; the county's Zillow index moved +0.4% over the past year. Owning the median costs about $1,657 a month, 39% of the local median household income of $51,604. Prices compounded +2.3% a year over five years; the county grew +21.2% in population over five years. moving guide · market data · Walton County property tax

5. Pace, Santa Rosa County

Recorded median sale $374,902 (+1.3% year over year), 338 sales in 12 months, 2.0 months of supply (healthy market), median 54 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,536 a month, 34% of the local median household income of $89,137; typical rent is $1,967. Prices compounded +4.6% a year over five years; the county grew +13.7% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Santa Rosa County property tax

6. Crestview, Okaloosa County

Recorded median sale $321,973 (+0.5% year over year), 571 sales in 12 months, 4.2 months of supply (balanced market), median 71 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,218 a month, 37% of the local median household income of $72,521; typical rent is $1,938. Prices compounded +4.6% a year over five years; the county grew +6.7% in population over five years. moving guide · market data · Okaloosa County property tax

7. Miramar Beach, Walton County

Recorded median sale $777,500 (+3.7% year over year), 375 sales in 12 months, 10.1 months of supply (soft market), median 107 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $4,871 a month, 61% of the local median household income of $96,269; typical rent is $3,507. Prices compounded +9.0% a year over five years; the county grew +21.2% in population over five years. moving guide · market data · Walton County property tax

8. Navarre, Santa Rosa County

Median asking price $494,900 across 118 current listings, 22% of active-plus-pending under contract, median 41 days on market; the county's Zillow index moved +1.3% over the past year. Owning the median costs about $3,299 a month, 40% of the local median household income of $99,501; typical rent is $2,085. Prices compounded +3.4% a year over five years; the county grew +13.7% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Santa Rosa County property tax

9. Mary Esther, Okaloosa County

Recorded median sale $319,900 (-3.7% year over year), 145 sales in 12 months, 4.4 months of supply (balanced market), median 69 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,204 a month, 36% of the local median household income of $73,762; typical rent is $2,098. Prices compounded +3.7% a year over five years; the county grew +6.7% in population over five years. moving guide · market data · Okaloosa County property tax

10. Niceville, Okaloosa County

Recorded median sale $530,000 (-4.8% year over year), 246 sales in 12 months, 3.4 months of supply (healthy market), median 41 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $3,543 a month, 40% of the local median household income of $105,858; typical rent is $2,220. Prices compounded +6.7% a year over five years; the county grew +6.7% in population over five years. moving guide · market data · Okaloosa County property tax

Questions people ask

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

Freeport ranks first on our composite: $385,471 median, about $2,476 a month to own (38% of local median income), +3.2% 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 the Florida Panhandle?

Tallahassee has the lowest estimated cost to own on this list at about $1,332 a month on a $205,000 median, including the county's property tax and average insurance.

Where are home prices rising fastest in the Florida Panhandle?

Miramar Beach, at +9.0% a year compounded over five years; over the past twelve months it moved +3.7%.

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.