Investing in Volusia County, FL Real Estate: The Actual Numbers

Considering rental property in Volusia County, FL? The typical home ($326,543, Zillow) against typical rent ($1,762/mo, Zillow Observed Rent Index) works out to a 6.5% 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.

Volusia County yield at a glance

6.5%

Gross cap rate

$326,543

Typical value (Zillow)

$1,762/mo

Typical rent (ZORI)

15.4

Price-to-annual-rent

4.00%

After tax + insurance (approx.)

The investor cost stack, worked

Start with $21,147 of gross annual rent. Property tax: investors get NO homestead exemption and no 3% cap — at Volusia County’s typical 19.21 mills on a $326,543 assessment, roughly $6,274 a year (non-homestead assessments can still rise up to 10% annually). Insurance: Citizens averages about $1,807/yr here, and landlord (DP-3) policies typically price above owner-occupied. That already takes the yield to about 4.00% 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 +0.5% (Zillow index). On demand, IRS migration data shows a net 8,035 people per year into the county; on supply, builders pulled 2,826 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 undervalued by 0.4% versus income-and-rent fundamentals.

Where investors actually buy here

Community-level medians, days on market and price trends for every tracked Volusia 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 Volusia County market, in context

Volusia County is value-priced coastal Florida between Jacksonville and Orlando — Daytona Beach and its world-famous Speedway, the surf town of New Smyrna Beach, Embry-Riddle's aviation campus, and a growing inland corridor around Deltona and DeLand. It offers some of the most affordable beach living on Florida's Atlantic coast.

The economy behind the market: {'drivers': 'healthcare, education and aviation, tourism and motorsports, manufacturing, and insurance', 'summary': "Volusia's economy mixes healthcare (Halifax Health and AdventHealth), a notable education-and-aviation cluster led by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Daytona State College, and a tourism-and-motorsports engine centered on Daytona International Speedway and NASCAR. Brown & Brown, one of the largest insurance brokerages in the country, is headquartered in Daytona Beach, and B. Braun Medical anchors manufacturing.", 'employers': ['Volusia County Schools', 'Halifax Health', 'AdventHealth', 'Brown & Brown Insurance (Daytona Beach HQ)', 'Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University', 'NASCAR / Daytona International Speedway', 'B. Braun Medical', 'Daytona State College'], 'jobNote': "Brown & Brown is headquartered in Daytona Beach; Embry-Riddle is the nation's leading aviation university; Daytona hosts NASCAR's flagship Speedway."}

What could change it: Coastal hurricane and flood exposure is the main risk — Hurricanes Ian and Nicole (2022) caused notable beach erosion and damage in Daytona Beach Shores and Wilbur-by-the-Sea — along with rising insurance and ongoing beach-erosion concerns. Inland Volusia carries lower risk, and some areas have softer income profiles than the coastal high end.

Near-term outlook: Expect steady, value-driven demand over the next 12 months from Orlando spillover, remote workers, and retirees (Latitude Margaritaville remains a strong draw). Prices stay among the more affordable on the Atlantic coast, with modest growth and the usual coastal insurance caution near the water.

Run the numbers in Volusia County

Common questions

What is the cap rate in Volusia County, FL?

About 6.5% gross - typical Zillow value against typical ZORI rent. After typical property tax (no homestead benefits for investors) and average insurance, roughly 4.00% before vacancy, maintenance and management.

Do investors pay more property tax in Florida?

Effectively yes: non-homestead property gets no $25-50K exemption and no 3%% Save Our Homes cap - assessments can rise up to 10%% per year, and the assessment resets to roughly your purchase price when you buy.

Is Volusia County a good place to buy rental property?

That depends on your basis, financing and operations - this page gives the inputs: 6.5% gross yield, the tax-and-insurance stack, +0.5% rent growth, and migration and permit data. Not investment advice; run your own underwriting.

Figures from Zillow research series, Zillow Observed Rent Index, verified county millage, Citizens Property Insurance, IRS SOI migration and Census permits, as of 2026-06-16; deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Informational only - not investment, tax or legal advice. Equal Housing Opportunity.