Best Small Towns in Florida

Ranked by the numbers, the top 10 are Yulee ($405,000 median), Belleview ($265,990 median), DeFuniak Springs ($230,000 median), Sorrento ($419,000 median), Keystone Heights ($275,000 median), South Palm Beach ($472,500 median), Umatilla ($313,990 median), Wildwood ($284,495 median), Navarre ($439,900 median), Reunion ($294,000 median). 138 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.

138 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. Yulee Nassau	56.8	$405,000	$2,684	35%	+7.7%	+21.4%	4.2	176
2. Belleview Marion	56.2	$265,990	$1,764	35%	+9.0%	+14.8%	5.7	161
3. DeFuniak Springs Walton	55.8	$230,000	$1,555	36%	+5.3%	+25.9%	6.8	197
4. Sorrento Lake	55.0	$419,000	$2,929	35%	+3.4%	+23.1%	5.0	77
5. Keystone Heights Clay	54.8	$275,000	$1,872	30%	+9.7%	+9.8%	7.0	91
6. South Palm Beach Palm Beach · list-based	54.8	$472,500	$3,366	27%	+4.7%	+6.1%	1% pending	70
7. Umatilla Lake	54.6	$313,990	$2,214	37%	+3.4%	+23.1%	4.8	74
8. Wildwood Sumter	54.4	$284,495	$1,926	35%	+4.0%	+18.5%	6.7	178
9. Navarre Santa Rosa	54.4	$439,900	$3,004	34%	+6.7%	+16.4%	2.9	107
10. Reunion Osceola	54.3	$294,000	$2,048	32%	+3.2%	+26.2%	11.4	154
11. Fruitland Park Lake	54.3	$295,990	$2,092	38%	+3.4%	+23.1%	6.6	79
12. Lady Lake Lake	54.0	$304,900	$2,152	44%	+3.4%	+23.1%	4.7	167
13. Ocoee Orange	53.8	$435,000	$3,010	37%	+8.3%	+11.4%	3.2	153
14. Minneola Lake	53.8	$501,145	$3,488	40%	+3.4%	+23.1%	3.3	124
15. Gibsonton Hillsborough	53.7	$307,750	$2,157	32%	+3.5%	+10.4%	4.8	65
16. Eagle Lake Polk	53.6	$277,740	$2,007	34%	+3.0%	+13.8%	4.4	79
17. Bartow Polk	53.5	$298,000	$2,110	40%	+3.0%	+18.2%	4.2	163
18. Palm Springs Palm Beach · list-based	53.5	$167,500	$1,237	24%	+4.7%	+6.1%	4% pending	134
19. Inverness Citrus	53.4	$249,888	$1,721	36%	+3.0%	+13.5%	5.4	197
20. Newberry Alachua	53.4	$355,000	$2,430	29%	+3.3%	+8.5%	4.6	173
21. Oxford Sumter · list-based	53.4	$356,600	$2,390	31%	+3.4%	+18.5%	6% pending	74
22. San Antonio Pasco	53.3	$360,489	$2,510	39%	+2.6%	+19.8%	6.2	166
23. Alachua Alachua	53.2	$328,495	$2,249	31%	+3.6%	+8.5%	5.0	159
24. Gulf Breeze Santa Rosa	53.1	$419,900	$2,874	34%	+3.9%	+16.4%	2.6	181
25. Ellenton Manatee · list-based	53.1	$230,000	$1,674	31%	+2.3%	+15.0%	6% pending	103

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.

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. Belleview, Marion County

Recorded median sale $265,990 (+2.3% year over year), 335 sales in 12 months, 5.7 months of supply (buyer's market), median 73 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $1,764 a month, 35% of the local median household income of $60,680; typical rent is $1,450. Prices compounded +9.0% a year over five years; the county grew +14.8% in population over five years. moving guide · market data · Marion County property tax

3. DeFuniak Springs, Walton County

Recorded median sale $230,000 (+0.4% year over year), 316 sales in 12 months, 6.8 months of supply (buyer's market), median 99 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $1,555 a month, 36% of the local median household income of $52,199. Prices compounded +5.3% a year over five years; the county grew +25.9% in population over five years. moving guide · market data · Walton County property tax

4. Sorrento, Lake County

Recorded median sale $419,000 (+3.5% year over year), 157 sales in 12 months, 5.0 months of supply (healthy market), median 39 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,929 a month, 35% of the local median household income of $100,573. Prices compounded +3.4% a year over five years; the county grew +23.1% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Lake County property tax

5. 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

6. South Palm Beach, Palm Beach County

Median asking price $472,500 across 70 current listings, 1% of active-plus-pending under contract, median 109 days on market; the county's Zillow index moved +2.3% over the past year. Owning the median costs about $3,366 a month, 27% of the local median household income of $150,633; typical rent is $7,563. Prices compounded +4.7% a year over five years; the county grew +6.1% in population over five years. Palm Beach County property tax

7. Umatilla, Lake County

Recorded median sale $313,990 (-3.4% year over year), 179 sales in 12 months, 4.8 months of supply (balanced market), median 135 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,214 a month, 37% of the local median household income of $72,201; typical rent is $1,130. Prices compounded +3.4% a year over five years; the county grew +23.1% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Lake County property tax

8. Wildwood, Sumter County

Recorded median sale $284,495 (-4.6% year over year), 316 sales in 12 months, 6.7 months of supply (buyer's market), median 95 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $1,926 a month, 35% of the local median household income of $66,136; typical rent is $1,685. Prices compounded +4.0% a year over five years; the county grew +18.5% in population over five years. moving guide · market data · Sumter County property tax

9. Navarre, Santa Rosa County

Recorded median sale $439,900 (+4.7% year over year), 427 sales in 12 months, 2.9 months of supply (strong market), median 40 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $3,004 a month, 34% of the local median household income of $105,551; typical rent is $2,104. Prices compounded +6.7% a year over five years; the county grew +16.4% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Santa Rosa County property tax

10. Reunion, Osceola County

Recorded median sale $294,000 (-17.4% year over year), 160 sales in 12 months, 11.4 months of supply (soft market), median 82 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,048 a month, 32% of the local median household income of $77,755; typical rent is $1,955. Prices compounded +3.2% a year over five years; the county grew +26.2% in population over five years. moving guide · market data · Osceola County property tax

Questions people ask

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

Palm Springs has the lowest estimated cost to own on this list at about $1,237 a month on a $167,500 median, including the county's property tax and average insurance.

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

Coral Gables, at +13.6% a year compounded over five years; over the past twelve months it moved +6.6%.

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 2026-11-07 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.