Where to Live in Florida (2026): The Chooser
Pick the ranking that matches what you care about, then compare the top cities on their own pages. Right now the cheapest ranked city to own in is Lauderdale Lakes ($903 a month), the top beach town is Longboat Key, the top big city is St. Cloud, and the overall leader is St. Cloud.
Start with the question
| If you care most about | Start here | Top result right now |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest monthly cost | Cheapest places | Lauderdale Lakes |
| Living on the beach | Best beach towns | Longboat Key |
| Beach on a budget | Cheapest beach towns | Daytona Beach |
| Jobs and a deep market | Best big cities | St. Cloud |
| A small town | Best small towns | Yulee |
| Retiring on a fixed budget | Best places to retire | Daytona Beach |
| Growth | Fastest-growing cities | Eagle Lake |
| The overall balance | Best places to live | St. Cloud |
By region
South Florida · Central Florida · North Florida · Southwest Florida · The Panhandle · The Gulf Coast
By metro
Suburbs of Jacksonville · Suburbs of Orlando · Suburbs of Tampa · Suburbs of Miami
Questions people ask
Where should I live in Florida?
How do I compare two Florida cities?
Every ranking in this series
- Best places to live in Florida
- Best big cities
- Cheapest and most affordable places
- Best beach towns
- Cheapest beach towns
- Best small towns
- Best places to retire
- Fastest-growing cities
- Most expensive cities
- South Florida
- Central Florida
- North Florida
- Southwest Florida
- The Panhandle
- The Gulf Coast
- Suburbs of Jacksonville
- Suburbs of Orlando
- Suburbs of Tampa
- Suburbs of Miami
- Is Florida a good place to live? Pros and cons
- Where to live in Florida: the chooser
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 2026-11-05 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.