Best Small Towns in Florida

Ranked by the numbers, the top 10 are Lady Lake ($225,000 median), Yulee ($453,170 median), DeFuniak Springs ($254,900 median), San Antonio ($409,990 median), Eustis ($348,340 median), Newberry ($320,890 median), Gulf Breeze ($421,450 median), Poinciana ($295,950 median), Alachua ($332,500 median), Lithia ($566,441 median). 135 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.

135 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. Lady Lake Lake	58.0	$225,000	$1,545	32%	+5.9%	+18.9%	4.3	174
2. Yulee Nassau	57.6	$453,170	$2,870	39%	+8.5%	+17.5%	4.2	199
3. DeFuniak Springs Walton · list-based	55.1	$254,900	$1,638	38%	+2.9%	+21.2%	18% pending	217
4. San Antonio Pasco	54.5	$409,990	$2,728	42%	+8.0%	+15.3%	2.1	141
5. Eustis Lake	54.3	$348,340	$2,349	46%	+4.2%	+18.9%	5.0	209
6. Newberry Alachua	54.2	$320,890	$2,107	25%	+3.8%	+7.1%	3.4	159
7. Gulf Breeze Santa Rosa	53.8	$421,450	$2,765	34%	+4.4%	+13.7%	3.4	209
8. Poinciana Polk · list-based	53.7	$295,950	$2,013	39%	+3.8%	+13.8%	20% pending	162
9. Alachua Alachua	53.7	$332,500	$2,182	33%	+5.7%	+7.1%	4.1	158
10. Lithia Hillsborough	53.7	$566,441	$3,737	37%	+8.5%	+8.0%	2.5	156
11. Palm Springs Palm Beach · list-based	53.7	$170,000	$1,206	24%	+5.3%	+4.2%	5% pending	145
12. Ocoee Orange	53.6	$474,990	$3,147	42%	+9.3%	+9.0%	2.1	150
13. Cantonment Escambia - Fl	53.6	$359,900	$2,487	35%	+7.3%	+3.8%	3.8	140
14. Cutler Bay Miami-Dade · list-based	52.6	$378,838	$2,585	41%	+6.6%	-1.1%	25% pending	104
15. Fruitland Park Lake · list-based	52.6	$325,000	$2,197	42%	+4.2%	+18.9%	10% pending	82
16. Fleming Island Clay	52.5	$460,000	$2,976	30%	+4.6%	+7.8%	2.9	122
17. Estero Lee · list-based	52.4	$325,000	$2,218	27%	+2.3%	+10.3%	43% pending	207
18. Mary Esther Okaloosa · list-based	52.3	$324,900	$2,184	36%	+2.7%	+6.7%	24% pending	102
19. Lake Mary Seminole	52.2	$417,250	$2,738	29%	+4.6%	+4.4%	2.9	203
20. Bartow Polk · list-based	52.2	$314,735	$2,134	41%	+3.8%	+13.8%	14% pending	152
21. Navarre Santa Rosa · list-based	52.2	$537,000	$3,481	42%	+3.7%	+13.7%	24% pending	100
22. Ave Maria Collier · list-based	52.2	$325,000	$2,101	44%	+4.8%	+6.5%	33% pending	67
23. Keystone Heights Clay · list-based	52.1	$279,900	$1,825	30%	+3.9%	+7.8%	10% pending	101
24. Sorrento Lake · list-based	52.1	$539,000	$3,593	44%	+4.2%	+18.9%	11% pending	85
25. West Melbourne Brevard · list-based	51.9	$371,750	$2,523	35%	+3.6%	+7.6%	19% pending	80

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.

The top 10, in detail

1. Lady Lake, Lake County

Recorded median sale $225,000 (+1.1% year over year), 265 sales in 12 months, 4.3 months of supply (balanced market), median 41 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $1,545 a month, 32% of the local median household income of $57,536; typical rent is $1,557. Prices compounded +5.9% 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

2. Yulee, Nassau County

Recorded median sale $453,170 (+4.2% year over year), 427 sales in 12 months, 4.2 months of supply (balanced market), median 55 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,870 a month, 39% of the local median household income of $89,270; typical rent is $2,077. Prices compounded +8.5% 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

3. 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

4. San Antonio, Pasco County

Recorded median sale $409,990 (-6.0% year over year), 216 sales in 12 months, 2.1 months of supply (balanced market), median 44 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,728 a month, 42% of the local median household income of $77,950; typical rent is $2,033. Prices compounded +8.0% a year over five years; the county grew +15.3% in population over five years. market data · Pasco County property tax

5. Eustis, Lake County

Recorded median sale $348,340 (+0.3% year over year), 210 sales in 12 months, 5.0 months of supply (balanced market), median 49 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,349 a month, 46% of the local median household income of $60,750; typical rent is $1,779. Prices compounded +4.2% 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

6. Newberry, Alachua County

Recorded median sale $320,890 (-3.4% year over year), 213 sales in 12 months, 3.4 months of supply (balanced market), median 93 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,107 a month, 25% of the local median household income of $102,335; typical rent is $2,225. Prices compounded +3.8% 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. Gulf Breeze, Santa Rosa County

Recorded median sale $421,450 (-2.2% year over year), 373 sales in 12 months, 3.4 months of supply (healthy market), median 47 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $2,765 a month, 34% of the local median household income of $97,139; typical rent is $1,964. Prices compounded +4.4% 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

8. Poinciana, Polk County

Median asking price $295,950 across 162 current listings, 20% of active-plus-pending under contract, median 25 days on market; the county's Zillow index moved -2.7% over the past year. Owning the median costs about $2,013 a month, 39% of the local median household income of $62,373; typical rent is $1,925. Prices compounded +3.8% a year over five years; the county grew +13.8% in population over five years. market data · Polk County property tax

9. 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 $2,182 a month, 33% of the local median household income of $79,983. 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

10. Lithia, Hillsborough County

Recorded median sale $566,441 (+4.3% year over year), 379 sales in 12 months, 2.5 months of supply (healthy market), median 42 days to contract. Owning the median costs about $3,737 a month, 37% of the local median household income of $121,769; typical rent is $2,585. Prices compounded +8.5% a year over five years; the county grew +8.0% in population over five years. moving guide · cost of living · best neighborhoods · market data · Hillsborough County property tax

Questions people ask

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

Lady Lake ranks first on our composite: $225,000 median, about $1,545 a month to own (32% of local median income), +5.9% 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 $1,206 a month on a $170,000 median, including the county's property tax and average insurance.

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

Ocoee, at +9.3% a year compounded over five years; over the past twelve months it moved -0.1%.

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.