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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Let's be honest: Florida isn't cheap. But within that premium market, there are cities where your dollar stretches meaningfully further. Jacksonville proves it with a cost index of 92, the lowest in Florida, and we've ranked all 22 contenders to help you find the best deal in an expensive landscape.
Let's be honest: Florida isn't cheap. But within that premium market, there are cities where your dollar stretches meaningfully further. Jacksonville proves it with a cost index of 92, the lowest in Florida, and we've ranked all 22 contenders to help you find the best deal in an expensive landscape.
Jacksonville comes in at #1. Rent is $1,576 a month. Household income is $66,981. The cost of living index is 92. That tracks.
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 92, rent $1,576/mo, income $66,981
Jacksonville is a clear outlier at index 92
6 of 22 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 111
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
985,843 residents · Florida
Here's Jacksonville by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 92. Rent: $1,576/month. Income: $66,981/year. Home price: $282,367. Population: 985,843. The strongest category is Housing at 92; the most expensive is Healthcare at 98. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $3,828 per year vs. the national median. For dual-income households, this multiplies into serious savings.
455,924 residents · Florida
The #2 spot goes to Miami, and the breakdown explains why. That tracks. Renters here pay $2,964/month — costing renters $12,828 more per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Healthcare is the standout at index 115, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Housing at 173. The 60% rent-to-income ratio is a pressure point — for median earners, housing takes more than recommended.
403,364 residents · Florida
Why Tampa ranks #3: the numbers tell a clear story. At 115 on the cost index, residents spend roughly 4% more than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,968/month while the median household pulls in $71,302/year. The Healthcare category is particularly strong at 103, though Housing (115) lags behind. Home prices average $369,079 — $98,291 below the national median.
320,742 residents · Florida
A closer look at Orlando: the cost index of 108 breaks down to a Healthcare index of 102 (strongest category) and a Housing index of 108 (weakest). Median rent is $1,857/month — 2% below the national median — while household income sits at $69,268, meaning locals spend about 32% of income on rent. That exceeds the recommended 30% threshold — affordability here depends on earning above the median.
263,553 residents · Florida
Here's St Petersburg by the numbers — and there's a lot to like. Cost index: 120. Rent: $2,048/month. Income: $73,118/year. Home price: $345,243. Population: 263,553. The strongest category is Healthcare at 104; the most expensive is Housing at 120. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are costing renters $1,836 more per year vs. the national median. That's a difference you notice every single month.
#1-ranked Jacksonville has a cost index 30 points lower than the top-5 average of 122. That's not a marginal lead — it's a category of its own.
Jacksonville (index 92) and Davie (index 136) sit 44 points apart on the cost index — proof that Florida is far from monolithic in affordability.
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacksonville | 92 | $1,576 | Details |
| 2 | Miami | 173 | $2,964 | Details |
| 3 | Tampa | 115 | $1,968 | Details |
| 4 | Orlando | 108 | $1,857 | Details |
| 5 | St Petersburg | 120 | $2,048 | Details |
| 6 | Port St Lucie | 137 | $2,350 | Details |
| 7 | Cape Coral | 111 | $1,898 | Details |
| 8 | Hialeah | 142 | $2,437 | Details |
| 9 | Tallahassee | 87 | $1,484 | Details |
| 10 | Fort Lauderdale | 159 | $2,718 | Details |
| 11 | Pembroke Pines | 151 | $2,582 | Details |
| 12 | Hollywood | 131 | $2,237 | Details |
| 13 | Gainesville | 94 | $1,604 | Details |
| 14 | Miramar | 150 | $2,565 | Details |
| 15 | Palm Bay | 109 | $1,866 | Details |
| 16 | Coral Springs | 138 | $2,373 | Details |
| 17 | West Palm Beach | 132 | $2,256 | Details |
| 18 | Lakeland | 98 | $1,678 | Details |
| 19 | Clearwater | 111 | $1,904 | Details |
| 20 | Pompano Beach | 134 | $2,302 | Details |
| 21 | Miami Gardens | 161 | $2,756 | Details |
| 22 | Davie | 136 | $2,330 | Details |
| City | State Tax | Sales Tax | Property Tax | Est. Take-Home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1Jacksonville | 0% | 7.05% | 0.8% | $52,068 |
2Miami | 0% | 7.05% | 0.8% | $52,068 |
3Tampa | 0% | 7.05% | 0.8% | $52,068 |
4Orlando | 0% | 7.05% | 0.8% | $52,068 |
5St Petersburg | 0% | 7.05% | 0.8% | $52,068 |
6Port St Lucie | 0% | 7.05% | 0.8% | $52,068 |
7Cape Coral | 0% | 7.05% | 0.8% | $52,068 |
8Hialeah | 0% | 7.05% | 0.8% | $52,068 |
9Tallahassee | 0% | 7.05% | 0.8% | $52,068 |
10Fort Lauderdale | 0% | 7.05% | 0.8% | $52,068 |
Jacksonville ranks #1 in Florida for this analysis with a cost index of 92 and 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 92 and rent of $1,576/mo, while Davie (ranked #22) has a cost index of 136 and rent of $2,330/mo — a 44-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.