Investing in Nassau County, FL Real Estate: The Actual Numbers
Considering rental property in Nassau County, FL? The typical home ($485,655, Zillow) against typical rent ($2,193/mo, Zillow Observed Rent Index) works out to a 5.4% gross cap rate. Gross is where analysis starts, not ends — below is the investor cost stack that turns it into a real number, and the demand-and-supply data that decides whether the rent holds.
Nassau County yield at a glance
The investor cost stack, worked
Start with $26,313 of gross annual rent. Property tax: investors get NO homestead exemption and no 3% cap — at Nassau County’s typical 13.28 mills on a $485,655 assessment, roughly $6,447 a year (non-homestead assessments can still rise up to 10% annually). Insurance: Citizens averages about $1,159/yr here, and landlord (DP-3) policies typically price above owner-occupied. That already takes the yield to about 3.85% before vacancy, maintenance, management and any HOA — the line items that separate real operators from spreadsheet optimists.
Will the rent hold? Demand and supply
Rent growth here is running +3.1% (Zillow index). On demand, IRS migration data shows a net 2,988 people per year into the county; on supply, builders pulled 1,060 residential permits in 2025. Rising rents plus positive migration plus a restrained pipeline is the configuration that protects yields; the reverse erodes them. Our valuation model currently reads the county as overvalued by 11.1% versus income-and-rent fundamentals.
Where investors actually buy here
Community-level medians, days on market and price trends for every tracked Nassau County community are on the county’s community and lifestyle pages — start with the affordability ranking and the county rent page (full rent-versus-own math).
The Nassau County market, in context
Nassau is Northeast Florida's high-end beach county — anchored by Amelia Island's Ritz-Carlton-and-Omni resort luxury and historic Fernandina Beach, with explosive value growth in Yulee and the Wildlight master plan as Jacksonville expands north.
The economy behind the market: {'drivers': 'tourism and resorts, paper and advanced-materials manufacturing, healthcare, the port, and a large Jacksonville commuter base', 'summary': "Nassau's economy runs on two engines. Tourism is the largest job creator, led by the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island and the Omni Amelia Island Resort, which draw visitors to the island year-round. Industry is anchored by Rayonier Advanced Materials and WestRock, whose mills near the Port of Fernandina are among the county's largest employers. Healthcare (Baptist and a new UF Health presence at Wildlight) is growing fast, and a large share of residents commute to Jacksonville's job market.", 'employers': ['Rayonier Advanced Materials (Fernandina mill)', 'WestRock (Fernandina mill)', 'Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island', 'Omni Amelia Island Resort', 'Nassau County School District', 'Baptist Medical Center Nassau', 'UF Health (Wildlight)'], 'jobNote': "Tourism (the Ritz-Carlton and Omni resorts) is Nassau's largest job creator; the Rayonier and WestRock mills anchor industry near the Port of Fernandina."}
What could change it: Coastal flood and storm-surge exposure on Amelia Island is the primary risk — the barrier island felt Hurricanes Matthew and Irma — along with rising insurance on the coast and the growing pains of rapid Yulee/Wildlight development straining roads and schools. Industrial-mill proximity is a localized factor in parts of Fernandina.
Near-term outlook: Expect firm demand over the next 12 months: Amelia Island luxury holds its premium on limited supply, while Yulee and Wildlight capture value-seeking growth from Jacksonville's northward expansion. Nassau remains one of the pricier Northeast Florida markets, with the island and the mainland moving at different speeds.
Next: current homes for sale in Nassau County, DSCR loans in Florida, 1031 exchanges into Florida, Florida tax deed sales.
Run the numbers in Nassau County
- Find the best agent in Nassau County
- Get a cash offer in Nassau County
- Nassau County housing scorecard
- What would selling net you
- Buyer closing costs calculator
Common questions
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Is Nassau County a good place to buy rental property?
Figures from Zillow research series, Zillow Observed Rent Index, verified county millage, Citizens Property Insurance, IRS SOI migration and Census permits, as of 2026-09-11; deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Informational only - not investment, tax or legal advice. Equal Housing Opportunity.