Best Places to Live in The Gulf Coast of Florida

Ranked by the numbers, the top 10 are Milton ($320,900 median), Wesley Chapel ($437,500 median), Brooksville ($305,000 median), Fort Myers ($235,900 median), North Fort Myers ($158,000 median), Naples ($429,000 median), Holiday ($224,999 median), New Port Richey ($270,000 median), DeFuniak Springs ($254,900 median), Zephyrhills ($434,990 median). 105 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.

105 cities in the Gulf Coast of 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. Milton Santa Rosa	59.3	$320,900	$2,141	30%	+13.1%	+13.7%	3.6	308
2. Wesley Chapel Pasco	57.3	$437,500	$2,907	32%	+5.6%	+15.3%	4.7	709
3. Brooksville Hernando	56.6	$305,000	$2,104	45%	+10.2%	+10.3%	5.8	479
4. Fort Myers Lee · list-based	55.8	$235,900	$1,642	27%	+2.3%	+10.3%	30% pending	1,295
5. North Fort Myers Lee · list-based	55.7	$158,000	$1,138	25%	+2.3%	+10.3%	25% pending	351
6. Naples Collier · list-based	55.2	$429,000	$2,731	35%	+4.8%	+6.5%	34% pending	1,853
7. Holiday Pasco	55.2	$224,999	$1,529	38%	+4.0%	+15.3%	4.4	314
8. New Port Richey Pasco	55.1	$270,000	$1,821	42%	+3.1%	+15.3%	5.0	1,021
9. DeFuniak Springs Walton · list-based	55.1	$254,900	$1,638	38%	+2.9%	+21.2%	18% pending	217
10. Zephyrhills Pasco	54.8	$434,990	$2,891	62%	+10.7%	+15.3%	5.2	627
11. Parrish Manatee	54.7	$375,000	$2,562	29%	+3.1%	+11.3%	3.3	752
12. Freeport Walton · list-based	54.7	$430,950	$2,685	42%	+2.9%	+21.2%	24% pending	468
13. Riverview Hillsborough	54.5	$367,000	$2,452	30%	+3.0%	+8.0%	4.5	748
14. San Antonio Pasco	54.5	$409,990	$2,728	42%	+8.0%	+15.3%	2.1	141
15. Tampa Hillsborough	54.4	$437,000	$2,903	44%	+5.3%	+8.0%	3.7	3,518
16. St. Petersburg Pinellas	54.4	$454,000	$3,144	53%	+14.4%	+0.3%	4.1	2,394
17. Pace Santa Rosa	54.1	$372,535	$2,461	33%	+5.6%	+13.7%	2.0	226
18. Land O' Lakes Pasco	54.0	$396,240	$2,639	27%	+2.1%	+15.3%	2.3	511
19. Port Richey Pasco	53.9	$237,500	$1,610	42%	+3.8%	+15.3%	3.8	333
20. Pinellas Park Pinellas	53.8	$310,000	$2,171	47%	+11.1%	+0.3%	4.5	250
21. Gulf Breeze Santa Rosa	53.8	$421,450	$2,765	34%	+4.4%	+13.7%	3.4	209
22. Lithia Hillsborough	53.7	$566,441	$3,737	37%	+8.5%	+8.0%	2.5	156
23. Apollo Beach Hillsborough	53.6	$484,799	$3,211	34%	+5.3%	+8.0%	4.0	389
24. Pensacola Escambia	53.4	$330,500	$2,304	40%	+5.9%	+3.8%	4.2	839
25. Sarasota Sarasota · list-based	53.2	$550,000	$3,563	38%	+2.3%	+8.9%	14% pending	2,548

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: Bay, Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, Dixie, Escambia, Franklin, Gulf, Hernando, Hillsborough, Lee, Levy, Manatee, Monroe, Okaloosa, Pasco, Pinellas, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Taylor, Wakulla, Walton.

The top 10, in detail

1. Milton, Santa Rosa County

Recorded median sale $320,900 (+3.0% year over year), 684 sales in 12 months, 3.6 months of supply (balanced market), median 62 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,141 a month, 30% of the local median household income of $84,957; typical rent is $2,000. Prices compounded +13.1% 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

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. 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

4. Fort Myers, Lee County

Median asking price $235,900 across 1,295 current listings, 30% of active-plus-pending under contract, median 60 days on market; the county's Zillow index moved -5.4% over the past year. Owning the median costs about $1,642 a month, 27% of the local median household income of $73,336; typical rent is $1,777. Prices compounded +2.3% a year over five years; the county grew +10.3% in population over five years. moving guide · market data · Lee County property tax

5. North Fort Myers, Lee County

Median asking price $158,000 across 351 current listings, 25% of active-plus-pending under contract, median 64 days on market; the county's Zillow index moved -5.4% over the past year. Owning the median costs about $1,138 a month, 25% of the local median household income of $54,198; typical rent is $1,668. Prices compounded +2.3% a year over five years; the county grew +10.3% in population over five years. moving guide · market data · Lee County property tax

6. Naples, Collier County

Median asking price $429,000 across 1,853 current listings, 34% of active-plus-pending under contract, median 73 days on market; the county's Zillow index moved -3.6% over the past year. Owning the median costs about $2,731 a month, 35% of the local median household income of $94,702; typical rent is $2,575. Prices compounded +4.8% a year over five years; the county grew +6.5% in population over five years. moving guide · market data · Collier County property tax

7. Holiday, Pasco County

Recorded median sale $224,999 (-2.4% year over year), 204 sales in 12 months, 4.4 months of supply (balanced market), median 42 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $1,529 a month, 38% of the local median household income of $48,387; typical rent is $1,725. Prices compounded +4.0% 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

8. New Port Richey, Pasco County

Recorded median sale $270,000 (+1.7% year over year), 819 sales in 12 months, 5.0 months of supply (balanced market), median 45 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $1,821 a month, 42% of the local median household income of $52,396; typical rent is $1,649. Prices compounded +3.1% 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

9. DeFuniak Springs, Walton County

Median asking price $254,900 across 217 current listings, 18% of active-plus-pending under contract, median 74 days on market; the county's Zillow index moved -0.1% over the past year. Owning the median costs about $1,638 a month, 38% of the local median household income of $51,604; typical rent is $1,738. Prices compounded +2.9% a year over five years; the county grew +21.2% in population over five years. market data · Walton County property tax

10. Zephyrhills, Pasco County

Recorded median sale $434,990 (+1.0% year over year), 528 sales in 12 months, 5.2 months of supply (buyer's market), median 57 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,891 a month, 62% of the local median household income of $55,556; typical rent is $1,871. Prices compounded +10.7% 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

Questions people ask

What is the best place to live in the Gulf Coast of Florida by the numbers?

Milton ranks first on our composite: $320,900 median, about $2,141 a month to own (30% of local median income), +13.1% 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 Gulf Coast of Florida?

North Fort Myers has the lowest estimated cost to own on this list at about $1,138 a month on a $158,000 median, including the county's property tax and average insurance.

Where are home prices rising fastest in the Gulf Coast of 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.