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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Families relocating within Florida face a complex equation: income, housing costs, healthcare, and quality schools. We ran the numbers on 22 cities. Jacksonville — index 98, rent $1,576/mo, healthcare index 101 — ranks #1 on our family-weighted model.
Families relocating within Florida face a complex equation: income, housing costs, healthcare, and quality schools. We ran the numbers on 22 cities. Jacksonville — index 98, rent $1,576/mo, healthcare index 101 — ranks #1 on our family-weighted model.
Our family scoring model prioritizes four dimensions: household income above $60K (supporting a family-sized budget), cost index under 100 (keeping daily expenses manageable), healthcare index under 110 (critical for pediatric care and family premiums), and population above 200K (ensuring access to quality schools and youth programs). Jacksonville leads because it scores across all four. Cape Coral and Tallahassee follow with different strengths in income and population.
The #1 spot goes to Jacksonville, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,576/month — and yes, that's adjusted for the region — — saving renters $3,828 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Utilities is the standout at index 90, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Healthcare at 101. A 28% rent-to-income ratio keeps most households inside the safe zone.
What to do with this data: use the ranking as a shortlist, then dig into the city profiles for trend lines and category breakdowns. The difference between #1 and #5 is often smaller than the difference between "good on paper" and "actually fits my life." Compare your top picks with our calculator to see real take-home numbers.
#1 Ranked: Jacksonville — cost index 98, rent $1,576/mo, income $66,981
$861/mo rent gap across the ranking
Family-weighted scoring: income $66,981, healthcare index 101, population 985,843 — balancing career, care, and schools
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
985,843 residents · Florida
A closer look at Jacksonville: the cost index of 98 breaks down to a Utilities index of 90 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 101 (weakest). Median rent is $1,576/month — 17% below the national median — while household income sits at $66,981, meaning locals spend about 28% of income on rent. That's within the recommended 30% threshold, though it doesn't leave much room.
224,455 residents · Florida
Why Cape Coral ranks #2: the numbers tell a clear story. At 106 on the cost index, residents save roughly 6% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,898/month while the median household pulls in $76,062/year. The Utilities category is particularly strong at 97, though Housing (114) lags behind. Home prices average $335,921 — $131,449 below the national median.
202,221 residents · Florida
Why Tallahassee ranks #3: the numbers tell a clear story. At 97 on the cost index, residents save roughly 15% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,484/month while the median household pulls in $55,931/year. The Utilities category is particularly strong at 89, though Healthcare (100) lags behind. Home prices average $286,955 — $180,415 below the national median.
403,364 residents · Florida
A closer look at Tampa: the cost index of 108 breaks down to a Utilities index of 100 (strongest category) and a Housing index of 121 (weakest). Median rent is $1,968/month — 4% above the national median — while household income sits at $71,302, meaning locals spend about 33% of income on rent. That exceeds the recommended 30% threshold — affordability here depends on earning above the median.
320,742 residents · Florida
The #5 spot goes to Orlando, and the breakdown explains why. And for many people, renters here pay $1,857/month — saving renters $456 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Utilities is the standout at index 98, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Housing at 117. The 32% rent-to-income ratio is a pressure point — for median earners, housing takes more than recommended.
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacksonville | 98 | $1,576 | Details |
| 2 | Cape Coral | 106 | $1,898 | Details |
| 3 | Tallahassee | 97 | $1,484 | Details |
| 4 | Tampa | 108 | $1,968 | Details |
| 5 | Orlando | 107 | $1,857 | Details |
| 6 | St Petersburg | 109 | $2,048 | Details |
| 7 | Port St Lucie | 115 | $2,350 | Details |
| 8 | Gainesville | 99 | $1,604 | Details |
| 9 | Palm Bay | 104 | $1,866 | Details |
| 10 | Lakeland | 101 | $1,678 | Details |
| 11 | Clearwater | 106 | $1,904 | Details |
| 12 | Fort Lauderdale | 126 | $2,718 | Details |
| 13 | Pembroke Pines | 124 | $2,582 | Details |
| 14 | Hollywood | 116 | $2,237 | Details |
| 15 | Miramar | 125 | $2,565 | Details |
| 16 | Coral Springs | 122 | $2,373 | Details |
| 17 | West Palm Beach | 114 | $2,256 | Details |
| 18 | Pompano Beach | 113 | $2,302 | Details |
| 19 | Miami Gardens | 125 | $2,756 | Details |
| 20 | Davie | 121 | $2,330 | Details |
| 21 | Miami | 134 | $2,964 | Details |
| 22 | Hialeah | 119 | $2,437 | Details |
Our persona scoring model weights cost of living, income, rent, healthcare costs, tax burden, and population size differently based on what matters most to families. Each factor contributes 10-25 points to a 0-100 composite score. Cities with the highest composite rank first. All data is sourced from federal agencies and verified research institutions. Cost of living indices are normalized to 100 (national median) using Zillow rent as the primary signal, with sub-category adjustments derived from regional BLS price data. Rankings are updated monthly as new data is released.
Jacksonville ranks #1 in Florida for this analysis with a cost index of 98 and median income of $66,981.
Jacksonville scores highest for families due to its below-average cost of living, median rent of $1,576/mo, and competitive median income of $66,981.
Our cost of living index uses real Zillow rent data as the foundation, indexed to 100 (national median). Sub-categories (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) are derived from the overall index with regional adjustments. Data is updated monthly.
Jacksonville (ranked #1) has a cost index of 98 and rent of $1,576/mo, while Hialeah (ranked #22) has a cost index of 119 and rent of $2,437/mo — a 21-point difference in cost of living.
City data is refreshed monthly from Census Bureau population estimates, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary data, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Last updated: 2026.
The median 1-bedroom rent in Jacksonville is $1,576/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $319 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Jacksonville is $282,367, which is 4.2× the local median income. It's on the edge of affordability for median-income households. The national median home price is $467,370.
Florida has a 0% state income tax rate — one of the states with no income tax. Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.05%, and the effective property tax rate is 0.8%.
This ranking was generated using data current as of early 2026. Population and income data comes from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (5-year estimates). Rent and home price data is from Zillow's monthly releases. Tax rates are from the Tax Foundation's 2025 edition. Rankings are refreshed monthly.