Data Analysis

The median St. Johns County house for sale showed a $5,815 property tax bill on November 5, 2026, about $2,350 below what the county's average rate implies at its $569,000 asking price.

Only 318 of 1,075 St. Johns house listings showed a tax bill under half the full-value figure, a smaller gap than most Florida counties we track.

On November 5, 2026, the median single-family house for sale in St. Johns County asked $569,000 and showed a property tax bill of $5,815, or 0.96 percent of the asking price. At the county's average rate of about 13.47 mills, a bill assessed at that price would be about $7,660 before exemptions, a median gap of $2,350 a year. Only 318 of 1,075 houses with a 2025 or 2026 tax line, 30 percent, showed a bill below half of that full-value figure. Resale houses showed 1.03 percent of price and just 21 percent under half. All MLS figures are ours, computed from Northeast Florida MLS records.

This is the St. Johns County turn in our Jacksonville area rotation, after Nassau County homes and Duval houses under $300,000. The 2026 bills went out November 1, and on November 3 voters approved Amendment 3, which raises the non-school homestead exemption starting in 2027. Our statewide property tax reset analysis explains why listed bills run low. Monthly figures are on the Jacksonville market data hub.

Why does a St. Johns listing understate a buyer's tax bill?

Under Florida's Save Our Homes rule, a homesteaded property's assessed value can rise no more than 3 percent a year or the inflation rate, whichever is lower. Section 193.155 of the Florida Statutes resets the assessment to just value on the January 1 after a change of ownership. A long-time owner's bill reflects years of capped growth, while a buyer's first full bill starts from an assessment near the price paid.

St. Johns shows a smaller gap than the Florida counties we have measured this week. Much of its housing for sale is young: 746 of the 1,075 houses with a tax line were built in 2005 or later, so fewer owners have had decades of capped growth. Many master-planned communities in the county also levy community development district assessments, which are collected on the same tax bill and can be included in a listed amount. Our St. Johns County property tax calculator uses about 13.47 mills for 2025-26, with a school share of 6.2 mills, and the St. Johns homestead exemption guide covers what an owner can claim.

How big is the gap for each type of home?

Source: Momentum Research, computed from Northeast Florida MLS records, St. Johns County active listings, snapshot November 5, 2026. Listed tax bill is the seller's annual amount as reported on the listing. Deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

New construction is the outlier. 379 new houses were listed, and 190 of them carried no tax amount at all; the 175 that did showed a median of 0.29 percent of price, because a new house is often taxed as a lot until the January 1 after it is finished. New houses were also selling at a fast clip: 380 were in a contract on November 5, about one for every new house still listed.

Which St. Johns cities show the biggest gap?

Source: Momentum Research, Northeast Florida MLS records, snapshot November 5, 2026. City follows the listing's mailing city; Ponte Vedra is the mailing city for Nocatee and nearby communities. Deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

Ponte Vedra Beach is where the classic Save Our Homes gap shows: a median ask near $2 million, a median listed bill of $11,173 and 54 percent of houses under half the full-value figure, a median gap near $14,000. In the St. Johns mailing area, which includes Beachwalk, Rivertown and Julington Creek Plantation, only 15 percent were under half, and listed bills ran 1.12 percent of price.

Does the gap grow with price?

Source: Momentum Research, Northeast Florida MLS records, snapshot November 5, 2026. In contract counts pending and active under contract houses. Share columns use listings with a 2025 or 2026 tax line. Deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

At $2 million and up, 65 percent of houses showed a bill under half the full-value figure, a median gap near $24,700, and that tier had the slowest pace, 4.6 listings per contract. The $600,000 to $999,999 band moved fastest, 1.4 listings per contract.

What does Amendment 3 change for a St. Johns buyer?

Amendment 3 raises the homestead exemption from non-school taxes from $50,000 to $150,000 on January 1, 2027, and to $250,000 in 2028. School taxes keep the $25,000 exemption. Holding today's 13.47 mills, a homesteaded buyer at the $569,000 median house price would owe about $7,150 on 2026 rules, about $6,420 on 2027 rules and about $5,690 on 2028 rules, the last just under the median seller's listed $5,815. Because the school share is a large part of the St. Johns rate, the amendment trims less here per dollar of value than in counties with heavier non-school levies. Buyers who become Florida residents after December 31, 2026 wait five years for the larger exemption, and second homes and rentals get no homestead exemption. Our Amendment 3 passed guide and Amendment 3 calculator cover the timeline. Local governments can raise millage, which these estimates do not assume.

What does this mean for buyers and sellers?

For buyers, set the tax budget from the price you expect to pay, subtract any homestead exemption you will qualify for, and ask whether the community carries a district assessment, then run the numbers in our Florida property tax calculator. On a new house, ask the builder for the estimated first full-year bill. For sellers, a buyer's lender escrows taxes on the new assessment, so the monthly cost of your house to the next owner is higher than your own bill suggests. Monthly pace is in our Northeast Florida Market Pulse, and county-level figures are on our St. Johns County page.

People also ask

What is the property tax rate in St. Johns County?

About 13.47 mills for 2025-26 as a county average, or about 1.35 percent of taxable value, of which 6.2 mills is the school levy. City and special district levies vary.

Why is the property tax on a St. Johns listing lower than what I will pay?

The seller's bill reflects Save Our Homes caps, and a new house is often still taxed as a lot. The assessment resets to market value on the January 1 after a sale. On November 5, 2026, 30 percent of St. Johns house listings showed a bill under half the full-value figure at the asking price.

Does Amendment 3 lower taxes on a house I buy in St. Johns County?

If you homestead it and already qualify as a Florida resident, the non-school exemption rises to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028. At the $569,000 median house price that is about $730 less in 2027 and $1,450 less in 2028 at today's rates.

Limitations

Tax amounts are entered on each listing and can be incomplete or out of date; listings without a 2025 or 2026 tax amount, listings under $50,000 and amounts above 6 percent of price are excluded. Some listed amounts may include non-ad valorem assessments such as community development district levies. The full-value and homestead estimates use one county average rate and ignore those assessments and city differences; actual bills are set by the St. Johns County Property Appraiser and Tax Collector. Amendment 3 results are unofficial until certified, and the estimates hold tax rates unchanged. This is a live snapshot of Northeast Florida MLS records and can differ from monthly inventory counts. Nothing here is tax or legal advice.

Sources

• Momentum Research, computed from Northeast Florida MLS records, St. Johns County active and in-contract listings, snapshot November 5, 2026. Information is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed by the MLS to be accurate.
• Florida Statutes, section 193.155 (homestead assessment limit and change of ownership).
• St. Johns County Property Appraiser and FY2025-26 adopted budgets, as used in our St. Johns County property tax calculator.
• Amendment 3 (CS/HJR 1F) terms and unofficial result, as summarized in our Amendment 3 passed guide.

Disclosure: Jon Brooks is a co-founder of Momentum Realty, a Florida real estate brokerage that owns and funds Florida Housing Intelligence. Momentum has a financial interest in Florida real estate transactions, including in markets named here. See our editorial standards.