Cost of living in Florida

Florida at a glance

Median rent

$1,669

Census ACS, B25064, monthly

Median household income

$74,568

Census ACS, B19013, yearly

Median home value

$359,000

Census ACS, B25077

Median property tax bill

$2,730

Census ACS, B25103, yearly, current owners

Mean commute

28 min

Census ACS, DP03, one way

Unemployment

4.8%

Census ACS, DP03

Florida's own published state rows, never an average of its counties. Prices overall run 3% above the national average (BEA regional price parity, 2024).

Census ACS 2024 five-year estimates, checked November 2026.

The three most populous counties in Florida

These are the most populous places in Florida, not a match to you. Set what matters to you on Find your fit and this becomes your three closest matches here. Made-up answers work too. This is a tool, not a survey.

• Miami-Dade County

  Population

  2.74M

  Rent

  $1,829

  Household income

  $71,753

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $3,744

  Set as targetPlan

• Broward County

  Population

  1.98M

  Rent

  $1,907

  Household income

  $77,633

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $3,890

  Set as targetPlan

• Palm Beach County

  Population

  1.53M

  Rent

  $1,916

  Household income

  $83,581

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $3,858

  Set as targetPlan

Florida, worth the trip

Admitted to the Union on March 3, 1845, as the 27th state. Juan Ponce de León landed in 1513 and claimed the land for Spain, whose settlement began with St. Augustine in 1565. The United States gained control of Florida in 1821.

• Everglades National Park

  Wetland, forest and marine habitat across 1.5 million acres of South Florida.

• Dry Tortugas National Park

  Seven small islands and Fort Jefferson, almost 70 miles west of Key West, reached only by boat or seaplane.

• Castillo de San Marcos National Monument

  The oldest masonry fort in the continental United States, built by the Spanish in St. Augustine.

History: Encyclopaedia Britannica. Each place links to the page of the agency that looks after it.

Property tax in Florida

Current owners in Florida pay a median 0.76% of home value a year in property tax. Example: $2,730 a year, the median bill. By county, the median bill runs from $600 in Holmes County to $4,129 in Monroe County. These are bills that current owners pay, as the Census measures them. Each county's own figure is in the table below.

A buyer in Florida should expect a higher bill than these: the Save Our Homes cap ends at sale, and the home is valued the next January 1 at its just value, Florida's term for market value. Source: Florida Department of Revenue, Save Our Homes assessment limitation.

Health in Florida

Life expectancy

78.1 yrs

County Health Rankings, from CDC NCHS vital statistics

No health insurance

13.9%

County Health Rankings, from Census SAHIE, people under 65

Poor or fair health

16.1%

County Health Rankings, from CDC BRFSS. Modeled, not counted

Injury deaths per 100K people

94

County Health Rankings, from CDC NCHS, counted deaths

Each is the figure County Health Rankings publishes for Florida as a whole, never an average of its counties. Each county's own health readings are on its page.

Natural hazards in Florida

Expected yearly loss, statewide

$8.8B

All natural hazards, an average year. Larger states lose more

Building loss rate

$2.21

Per $1,000 of building value, each year. Fair to compare between states

Costliest hazard

Hurricane

$4.3B of the expected yearly loss, the largest share of any hazard FEMA assesses

Air quality

—

The EPA publishes air quality by county and metro area, never by state. It is on each county's page

FEMA publishes a risk score for counties and none for states, so none is shown here. Each county's score is on its own page.

New homes permitted in Florida

Side by side

Miami-Dade County, FL is the largest county here. Set it beside another place, reading by reading.

The largest counties in Florida

By population, from the Census release named below. Each opens its own page.

1. 1Miami-Dade County2.74M
2. 2Broward County1.98M
3. 3Palm Beach County1.53M
4. 4Hillsborough County1.52M
5. 5Orange County1.47M
6. 6Duval County1.02M
7. 7Pinellas County963K
8. 8Lee County818K
9. 9Polk County791K
10. 10Brevard County633K

All 67 counties in Florida

Each has its published readings on its own page. Press a column to sort by it. Pick one, or open the map to see them shaded side by side.

Household income, home value and population are on each county's own page, and in this table on a wider screen.

Where these numbers come from

Each reading is the published figure, not an estimate. A dash means the source did not publish one, or published one too uncertain to print.

• State figures: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 20245-year estimates, the state's own row (tables B25064, B19013, B25077, B25103, B01003, DP03).
• County figures: the same survey, each county's own row, as on every county page.
• Price level: Bureau of Economic Analysis, regional price parities, 2024, all items, state-level.
• Health: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025, University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, the state's own row. Poor or fair health is a modeled estimate from CDC survey data. The other three are counted or calculated.
• Natural hazards: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025, state table, expected annual loss. This product uses FEMA data but is not endorsed by FEMA.
• Air quality has no state figure: the EPA publishes it by county and metro area only.
• Photographs: Wikimedia Commons and the county photo feed, each credited to its photographer under its own licence, beneath the picture.

What to do with these numbers

Every number here is public. The site adds your side of it: Florida next to your own state, by what you value.

• See Florida beside your own state

  Find your fit puts it next to where you live and the states next door, by what matters to you. Made-up answers are fine, since this is a tool, not a survey. No account needed.

  Find your fit

• Pick a county here and make it your target

  The three counties above each carry Set as target. From there the Journey lays out the runway and the steps. An account keeps it private and yours across devices.

  See the three counties