How Expensive is it to Live in Florida in 2026?
Learn how Florida's real estate prices, and cost of living, compare to other states.
As Florida has welcomed a large number of new residents during and post pandemic, and was recently ranked as the #2 growth state in the nation in 2025 by U-Haul, how has this accelerated growth affected Florida's real estate prices in recent years, including the cost of living, for its residents? For many, a relocation to Florida means selling your existing home and then purchasing a new residence in your desired city. Understanding how real estate and home prices compare from state-to-state will give you an approximate feel for how far your dollars will go. We also encourage you to visit our east vs west coast of Florida page where we overlay the price of Florida real estate per square foot (for each coast) on a Google map. This provides a good visualization for how much house you can afford around Florida.Key Takeaways:
| Category | Finding | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living in Florida (Overall) | Slightly Above National Average | Florida's Cost of Living Index is 101.4 (meaning 1.4% above the national average of 100). Florida is the 32nd most expensive state for cost of living (2025 Annual Data). |
| Median Florida Home Price (Statewide) | Slightly Above National Average | The median home price in Florida is $372,755, which is 3.4% above the national average of $360,591 (Zillow, Feb 28, 2026). |
| Most Expensive Markets (Single-Family) |
South Florida markets. | Naples - Immokalee - Marco Island Miami - Fort Lauderdale - West Palm Beach |
| Least Expensive Markets (Single-Family) |
Central / Inland Florida markets. | Sebring, Homosassa Springs, Ocala |
Is Florida Real Estate Expensive?
To best address the question of how expensive Florida real estate is, we analyzed the median home price of all 50 states and then compared it to the national average home price to see where Florida ranks. For the median home price of each state, we used Zillow's Home Value Index (ZHVI) which is considered one of the most accurate measures of home values as it is a seasonally adjusted number of the typical home value across a given region and looks at all home values in the 35th to 65th percentile range. At the end of February 2026, the median Florida home price (which includes single family homes and townhomes/condos) is $372,755 which is 3.4% above the national average home price of $360,591.In looking at the map of the U.S. below, we have provided a visualization of median home prices per state by color intensity. The deeper the red color, the higher the price. In February 2026, states with the highest median home prices include Hawaii, California, Massachusetts, Washington and New Jersey. Conversely, states with the lowest median home price include West Virginia, Mississippi, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Arkansas.
Comparison of Median Home Prices per State
Median home prices as of Feb 28, 2026. Source: Zillow Home Values, Feb 28, 2026 States with the Highest Home
Prices in 2026
| State | Median Home Price |
Compared to National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $823,970 | + 128% |
| California | $765,036 | + 112% |
| Massachusetts | $642,387 | + 78% |
| Washington | $592,562 | + 64% |
| New Jersey | $558,900 | + 55% |
States with the Lowest Home
Prices in 2026
| State | Median Home Price |
Compared to National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| West Virginia | $169,780 | - 53% |
| Mississippi | $189,895 | - 47% |
| Louisiana | $208,930 | - 42% |
| Oklahoma | $216,242 | - 40% |
| Arkansas | $219,754 | - 39% |
Source: Zillow Home Values, Feb 28, 2026
Florida Real Estate Prices per City Region
As we've now overviewed how the median price of a Florida home compares to other states, let's now take a look at how the median sales price of single family homes varies in price around the sunshine state itself. Below is sales activty data from Florida Realtors (March 2026) which shows the median sale price of single family homes and townhomes/condos for Florida's 22 MSA city region markets. These numbers will give you a good approximation of what a typical home will cost in your desired area of Florida upon your relocation. We have also provided a visualization of these median home prices around the state by color Intensity. The darker the color, the higher the price.Comparison of Median Home Prices per Florida City
(Plotted values are single family homes only)
Market Sales Activity - February 2026
| City Region | Median Sale Price Single Family Homes |
Median Sale Price Townhouse & Condos |
|---|---|---|
| State of Florida | $412,000 | $309,000 |
| Cape Coral-Fort Myers | $405,000 | $280,000 |
| Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin | $436,500 | $560,000 |
| Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach | $350,000 | $301,557 |
| Gainesville | $324,950 | $175,000 |
| Homosassa Springs | $280,000 | $165,000 |
| Jacksonville | $391,000 | $277,000 |
| Lakeland-Winter Haven | $312,990 | $234,990 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach | $660,000 | $340,000 |
| Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island | $860,000 | $510,000 |
| North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton | $480,000 | $320,500 |
| Ocala | $279,895 | $204,900 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford | $439,900 | $285,000 |
| Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville | $370,000 | $276,500 |
| Panama City | $360,000 | $340,000 |
| Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent | $334,800 | $249,900 |
| Port St. Lucie | $420,000 | $255,000 |
| Punta Gorda | $350,000 | $242,500 |
| Sebastian-Vero Beach | $427,500 | $287,500 |
| Sebring | $279,000 | $165,000 |
| Tallahassee | $346,000 | $180,000 |
| Tampa-St.Petersburg-Clearwater | $404,000 | $297,000 |
| The Villages | $362,860 | $304,500 |
Source: FloridaRealtors.org, March 2026
How Does Florida's Cost of Living Compare?
When moving to Florida, many often ask what the cost of living is like so as to make comparisons from where they are coming from. The cost of living is simply the amount of money that an individual needs each month to cover basic living expenses such as housing, utilities, food, transportation, healthcare and taxes for a given area. The cost of living is typically listed as an index number which represents the percentage above or below the national average number of 100. For example, a cost of living index of 110 means that the cost of living in a particular area is 10% higher than the national average. The benefit of using a cost of living index is that it allows people to make accurate comparisons of how far their income will go in different cities around the country.The Study
To review the cost of living in Florida, as compared to other states, we looked at a recent study performed by the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC) whose popular cost of living index is commonly used for comparisons. As part of their study, MERIC analyzes price data from The Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) that is collected from participating cities and metropolitan areas in a given state to compute a cost of living index for each state. View Study.The Rankings
For all of 2025, Florida's cost of living index was calculated to be 101.4 which means that the cost to live in Florida is 1.4% above the national average baseline of 100. Overall, Florida ranked 32nd in terms of its cost of living. The states with the highest cost of living include Hawaii, Massachusetts, California, Alaska. and New York. The states with the lowest cost of living include Oklahoma, Mississippi, West Virginia, Alabama and Kansas.Florida Housing Costs
For a breakdown of actual and on-going expenses associated with owning a Florida home, be sure to check out our Real Cost of Florida Home Ownership page where we provide typical monthly expense scenarios for single family homes and condos. States with the Highest Cost
of Living in 2025
| State | Cost of Living Index |
Compared to National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 183.9 | + 83.9% |
| Massachusetts | 148.5 | + 48.5% |
| California | 143.1 | + 43.1% |
| Alaska | 126.7 | + 26.7% |
| New York | 125.8 | + 25.8% |
States with the Lowest Cost
of Living in 2025
| State | Cost of Living Index |
Compared to National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma | 84.7 | - 15.3% |
| Mississippi | 86.0 | - 14.0% |
| West Virginia | 88.0 | - 12.0% |
| Alabama | 88.1 | - 11.9% |
| Kansas | 88.4 | - 11.6% |
Source: MERIC, Cost of Living Index, 2025 (Annual Data)
Discover Florida
Click below to discover the real cost of Florida home ownership as well as Florida's west and east coasts.
The Real Cost of Florida Home Ownership
Discover Florida's West Coast
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