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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Premium market, smart picks: while Florida trends above the national average, the gap between the most and least expensive cities here is wider than you'd think. Jacksonville at index 98 is the standout — offering meaningful savings without leaving Florida.
985,843 residents · Florida
Here's Jacksonville by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 98. Rent: $1,576/month. Income: $66,981/year. Home price: $282,367. Population: 985,843. The strongest category is Utilities at 90; the most expensive is Healthcare at 101. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $3,828 per year vs. the national median. This is one of those rare cities where the math works from every angle.
455,924 residents · Florida
What does daily life actually cost in Miami? Start with the 60% rent-to-income ratio — stretched, especially for single earners. On the category level, Utilities (index 123) is where the real savings show up, while Housing (index 184) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $59,390 and homes at $573,963 round out a profile that ranks #2 for clear reasons.
403,364 residents · Florida
The #3 spot goes to Tampa, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,968/month — costing renters $876 more per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Utilities is the standout at index 100, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Housing at 121. The 33% rent-to-income ratio is a pressure point — for median earners, housing takes more than recommended (we double-checked this one).
320,742 residents · Florida
Dive into Orlando's numbers: cost index 107 — worth pausing on — (5 points below national average), rent $1,857/month, income $69,268, and a home price of $370,828. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Utilities is the cheapest category at 98, while Housing runs 117. With 320,742 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling).
263,553 residents · Florida
The #5 spot goes to St Petersburg, and the breakdown explains why. And roughly speaking, renters here pay $2,048/month — costing renters $1,836 more per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Utilities is the standout at index 100, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Housing at 121. The 34% rent-to-income ratio is a pressure point — for median earners, housing takes more than recommended (that's pre-tax, of course).
#1 Ranked: Jacksonville — cost index 98, rent $1,576/mo, income $66,981
10 of 22 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 112
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
| Rank | City | Population | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacksonville | 985,843 | 98 | $1,576 | Details |
| 2 | Miami | 455,924 | 134 | $2,964 | Details |
| 3 | Tampa | 403,364 | 108 | $1,968 | Details |
| 4 | Orlando | 320,742 | 107 | $1,857 | Details |
| 5 | St Petersburg | 263,553 | 109 | $2,048 | Details |
| 6 | Port St Lucie | 245,021 | 115 | $2,350 | Details |
| 7 | Cape Coral | 224,455 | 106 | $1,898 | Details |
| 8 | Hialeah | 221,300 | 119 | $2,437 | Details |
| 9 | Tallahassee | 202,221 | 97 | $1,484 | Details |
| 10 | Fort Lauderdale | 184,255 | 126 | $2,718 | Details |
| 11 | Pembroke Pines | 171,119 | 124 | $2,582 | Details |
| 12 | Hollywood | 153,859 | 116 | $2,237 | Details |
| 13 | Gainesville | 145,812 | 99 | $1,604 | Details |
| 14 | Miramar | 138,319 | 125 | $2,565 | Details |
| 15 | Palm Bay | 135,566 | 104 | $1,866 | Details |
| 16 | Coral Springs | 134,906 | 122 | $2,373 | Details |
| 17 | West Palm Beach | 124,130 | 114 | $2,256 | Details |
| 18 | Lakeland | 122,264 | 101 | $1,678 | Details |
| 19 | Clearwater | 116,850 | 106 | $1,904 | Details |
| 20 | Pompano Beach | 113,619 | 113 | $2,302 | Details |
| 21 | Miami Gardens | 110,717 | 125 | $2,756 | Details |
| 22 | Davie | 107,799 | 121 | $2,330 | Details |
Premium market, smart picks: while Florida trends above the national average, the gap between the most and least expensive cities here is wider than you'd think. Jacksonville at index 98 is the standout — offering meaningful savings without leaving Florida.
A closer look at Jacksonville: the cost index of 98 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — 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.
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.
Cities are ranked by total population from the latest Census estimates. Growing populations typically signal economic opportunity — but also rising costs. We pair population data with affordability metrics for context. 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.
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.