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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
No second income to fall back on. Our model scored 22 cities in Florida on solo-living metrics. Jacksonville leads at index 98 with rent of $1,576/mo.
#1 Ranked: Jacksonville — cost index 98, rent $1,576/mo, income $66,981
Singles scoring: rent $1,576/mo (solo housing), cost index 98, population 985,843 — livability on one income
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
No second income to fall back on. Our model scored 22 cities in Florida on solo-living metrics. Jacksonville leads at index 98 with rent of $1,576/mo.
The numbers for Jacksonville are straightforward: 98 on the cost index, $1,576/month rent, $66,981 income. Not the most exciting entry in the list, but solid. That's more or less in line with the region.
Single-income living means absorbing 100% of housing costs. Our model weights rent under $1,300 (20pts), cost of living (15pts), and city population (10pts) — because a social scene matters when you're on your own. Jacksonville at $1,576/mo in a city of 985,843 hits the right balance. Tallahassee offers cheaper rent as a runner-up.
The state-level view adds helpful context here. And as a general rule, florida — no income tax, booming migration, and rising rents. The 22 cities we track here average a cost index of 113 and median income of $69,398. It lands right near the national baseline, which makes the differences between individual cities all the more important. The typical rent runs $2,171/month, which is $276 more than the national median.
If you're ready to act on this, three things to do next: 1) Click into the city pages for the top 3 and check rent trends — direction matters more than the snapshot. 2) Run your income through the salary calculator for a personalized cost comparison. 3) Compare your top two picks head-to-head on our comparison page. The data is here; the decision is yours.
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacksonville | 98 | $1,576 | Details |
| 2 | Tallahassee | 97 | $1,484 | Details |
| 3 | Gainesville | 99 | $1,604 | Details |
| 4 | Miami | 134 | $2,964 | Details |
| 5 | Tampa | 108 | $1,968 | Details |
| 6 | Orlando | 107 | $1,857 | Details |
| 7 | St Petersburg | 109 | $2,048 | Details |
| 8 | Port St Lucie | 115 | $2,350 | Details |
| 9 | Cape Coral | 106 | $1,898 | Details |
| 10 | Hialeah | 119 | $2,437 | Details |
| 11 | Fort Lauderdale | 126 | $2,718 | Details |
| 12 | Pembroke Pines | 124 | $2,582 | Details |
| 13 | Hollywood | 116 | $2,237 | Details |
| 14 | Miramar | 125 | $2,565 | Details |
| 15 | Palm Bay | 104 | $1,866 | Details |
| 16 | Coral Springs | 122 | $2,373 | Details |
| 17 | West Palm Beach | 114 | $2,256 | Details |
| 18 | Lakeland | 101 | $1,678 | Details |
| 19 | Clearwater | 106 | $1,904 | Details |
| 20 | Pompano Beach | 113 | $2,302 | Details |
| 21 | Miami Gardens | 125 | $2,756 | Details |
| 22 | Davie | 121 | $2,330 | Details |
985,843 residents · Florida
Why Jacksonville ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 98 on the cost index, residents save roughly 14% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,576/month while the median household pulls in $66,981/year. The Utilities category is particularly strong at 90, though Healthcare (101) lags behind. Home prices average $282,367 — $185,003 below the national median.
202,221 residents · Florida
Why Tallahassee ranks #2: 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.
145,812 residents · Florida
The #3 spot goes to Gainesville, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,604/month — saving renters $3,492 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Utilities is the standout at index 91, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Healthcare at 102. The 42% rent-to-income ratio is a pressure point — for median earners, housing takes more than recommended.
455,924 residents · Florida
Here's Miami by the numbers — and there's a lot to like. Cost index: 134. Rent: $2,964/month. Income: $59,390/year. Home price: $573,963. Population: 455,924. The strongest category is Utilities at 123; the most expensive is Housing at 184. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are costing renters $12,828 more per year vs. the national median. That's a red flag worth investigating further.
403,364 residents · Florida
Here's Tampa by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 108. Rent: $1,968/month. Income: $71,302/year. Home price: $369,079. Population: 403,364. The strongest category is Utilities at 100; the most expensive is Housing at 121. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are costing renters $876 more per year vs. the national median. From a pure purchasing-power standpoint, this is elite.
Our persona scoring model weights cost of living, income, rent, healthcare costs, tax burden, and population size differently based on what matters most to singles. 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 singles 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 Davie (ranked #22) has a cost index of 121 and rent of $2,330/mo — a 23-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.