Best Small Towns in Florida

Ranked by the numbers, the top 10 are San Antonio ($330,000 median), Lady Lake ($231,500 median), Yulee ($454,305 median), Eustis ($372,234 median), South Palm Beach ($415,000 median), Alachua ($332,500 median), DeFuniak Springs ($248,976 median), Maitland ($502,500 median), Gulf Breeze ($427,000 median), Eagle Lake ($298,990 median). 142 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.

142 Florida small towns, 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. San Antonio Pasco	57.1	$330,000	$2,263	35%	+7.1%	+15.3%	4.4	164
2. Lady Lake Lake	56.6	$231,500	$1,624	34%	+4.6%	+18.9%	4.4	184
3. Yulee Nassau	56.5	$454,305	$2,950	40%	+7.9%	+17.5%	6.5	199
4. Eustis Lake	55.5	$372,234	$2,565	51%	+8.6%	+18.9%	7.2	213
5. South Palm Beach Palm Beach · list-based	54.5	$415,000	$2,913	23%	+5.0%	+4.2%	3% pending	73
6. Alachua Alachua	54.2	$332,500	$2,236	34%	+5.7%	+7.1%	4.1	154
7. DeFuniak Springs Walton · list-based	53.9	$248,976	$1,642	38%	+2.3%	+21.2%	18% pending	210
8. Maitland Orange	53.9	$502,500	$3,407	43%	+8.5%	+9.0%	3.6	126
9. Gulf Breeze Santa Rosa	53.8	$427,000	$2,867	35%	+4.5%	+13.7%	3.6	214
10. Eagle Lake Polk · list-based	53.7	$298,990	$2,080	27%	+3.3%	+13.8%	33% pending	79
11. Newberry Alachua	53.6	$320,890	$2,158	25%	+3.8%	+7.1%	3.4	157
12. Minneola Lake	53.5	$565,000	$3,853	47%	+6.5%	+18.9%	1.9	130
13. Cantonment Escambia - Fl	53.4	$359,900	$2,545	36%	+7.3%	+3.8%	3.8	155
14. Lithia Hillsborough	53.2	$559,000	$3,779	37%	+7.6%	+8.0%	2.5	152
15. Oldsmar Pinellas	53.0	$364,750	$2,599	37%	+7.3%	+0.3%	4.8	174
16. Navarre Santa Rosa · list-based	53.0	$476,100	$3,180	38%	+3.4%	+13.7%	23% pending	112
17. Fruitland Park Lake · list-based	53.0	$299,500	$2,078	39%	+3.8%	+18.9%	7% pending	88
18. Umatilla Lake · list-based	52.9	$347,450	$2,399	41%	+3.8%	+18.9%	12% pending	80
19. Hilliard Nassau · list-based	52.9	$367,250	$2,392	40%	+4.2%	+17.5%	12% pending	60
20. Merritt Island Brevard	52.8	$440,000	$3,033	43%	+5.7%	+7.6%	4.6	216
21. Oxford Sumter · list-based	52.8	$375,000	$2,463	33%	+3.8%	+13.7%	11% pending	73
22. Palm Springs Palm Beach · list-based	52.7	$165,000	$1,199	24%	+5.0%	+4.2%	3% pending	139
23. Cutler Bay Miami-Dade · list-based	52.7	$310,000	$2,180	34%	+6.4%	-1.1%	31% pending	82
24. Belleview Marion · list-based	52.6	$269,445	$1,753	40%	+4.2%	+11.3%	15% pending	156
25. Lake Mary Seminole	52.5	$425,000	$2,856	31%	+6.1%	+4.4%	2.6	218

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 2026-10-15; deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

The top 10, in detail

1. San Antonio, Pasco County

Recorded median sale $330,000 (-5.4% year over year), 335 sales in 12 months, 4.4 months of supply (balanced market), median 49 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,263 a month, 35% of the local median household income of $77,950; typical rent is $2,009. Prices compounded +7.1% a year over five years; the county grew +15.3% in population over five years. moving guide · market data · Pasco County property tax

2. Lady Lake, Lake County

Recorded median sale $231,500 (+3.7% year over year), 317 sales in 12 months, 4.4 months of supply (balanced market), median 46 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $1,624 a month, 34% of the local median household income of $57,536; typical rent is $1,555. Prices compounded +4.6% 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

3. Yulee, Nassau County

Recorded median sale $454,305 (+3.9% year over year), 362 sales in 12 months, 6.5 months of supply (balanced market), median 56 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,950 a month, 40% of the local median household income of $89,270; typical rent is $2,049. Prices compounded +7.9% 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

4. Eustis, Lake County

Recorded median sale $372,234 (+1.6% year over year), 193 sales in 12 months, 7.2 months of supply (buyer's market), median 52 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,565 a month, 51% of the local median household income of $60,750; typical rent is $1,648. Prices compounded +8.6% 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

5. South Palm Beach, Palm Beach County

Median asking price $415,000 across 73 current listings, 3% of active-plus-pending under contract, median 98 days on market; the county's Zillow index moved +1.2% over the past year. Owning the median costs about $2,913 a month, 23% of the local median household income of $151,121; typical rent is $6,133. Prices compounded +5.0% a year over five years; the county grew +4.2% in population over five years. Palm Beach County property tax

6. 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 $2,236 a month, 34% of the local median household income of $79,983; typical rent is $2,292. 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

7. DeFuniak Springs, Walton County

Median asking price $248,976 across 210 current listings, 18% 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 $1,642 a month, 38% 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

8. Maitland, Orange County

Recorded median sale $502,500 (-1.7% year over year), 161 sales in 12 months, 3.6 months of supply (healthy market), median 30 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $3,407 a month, 43% of the local median household income of $94,277; typical rent is $2,158. Prices compounded +8.5% a year over five years; the county grew +9.0% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Orange County property tax

9. 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

10. Eagle Lake, Polk County

Median asking price $298,990 across 79 current listings, 33% of active-plus-pending under contract, median 33 days on market; the county's Zillow index moved -2.4% over the past year. Owning the median costs about $2,080 a month, 27% of the local median household income of $93,229. Prices compounded +3.3% a year over five years; the county grew +13.8% in population over five years. market data · Polk County property tax

Questions people ask

What is the best place to live in Florida's small towns by the numbers?

San Antonio ranks first on our composite: $330,000 median, about $2,263 a month to own (35% of local median income), +7.1% 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 Florida's small towns?

Fort Mc Coy has the lowest estimated cost to own on this list at about $1,142 a month on a $172,450 median, including the county's property tax and average insurance.

Where are home prices rising fastest in Florida's small towns?

Eustis, at +8.6% a year compounded over five years; over the past twelve months it moved +1.6%.

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 2026-10-15 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.