homesbycounty

County housing intelligence

Florida Housing Market by County

Florida is not one housing market. Across 67 counties, the median county home value is $276,000 and the median county rent is $1,302/mo. The useful question is not whether Florida is cheap. It is which county fits your income, tax tolerance, and buy-versus-rent plan.

County median home value

$276,000

Median of county medians, less distorted by the largest metros.

County median rent

$1,302/mo

Gross rent includes rent plus utilities where Census reports it.

Counties compared

67

Every county with available ACS housing data in this state.

Market brief

The state-level housing signal

These benchmarks use the median county in the state, not one metro-weighted average. That makes the brief better for county comparison and rural-to-urban screening.

Purchase price

State county median vs national benchmark

Near benchmark
State$276,000
U.S.$281,900

Rent

State county median vs national benchmark

12% pressure
State$1,302
U.S.$1,163

Owner cost

State county median vs national benchmark

33% better
State$1,122
U.S.$1,672

Income base

State county median vs national benchmark

10% pressure
State$67,500
U.S.$74,755

Tax rate

State county median vs national benchmark

29% better
State0.72%
U.S.1.02%

The Florida Pattern

These are the signals a statewide average hides. Start here before choosing counties to compare.

Price geography

Monroe County, Collier County, St. Johns County sit at the top of the purchase market, while Holmes County, Hamilton County, Taylor County anchor the lower-cost end.

Rent reality

Monroe County, St. Johns County, Palm Beach County lead on rent, while Dixie County, Hamilton County, Calhoun County show where monthly lease costs are lowest.

Decision lens

Hamilton County, Holmes County, Liberty County screen best for purchase affordability when home values are measured against local household income.

Best Counties by Housing Goal

Different households need different rankings. Price alone is not enough, so these groups compare rent, income, owner costs, and tax exposure.

Cheapest to buy

Lowest median home values. Useful for purchase-price screening.

Best buy affordability

Lowest home-value-to-income ratios. Better than price alone.

  1. 1. Hamilton County

    2.2x home-value-to-income

  2. 2. Holmes County

    2.2x home-value-to-income

  3. 3. Liberty County

    2.2x home-value-to-income

  4. 4. Taylor County

    2.3x home-value-to-income

  5. 5. Madison County

    2.4x home-value-to-income

Cheapest to rent

Lowest median gross rent among counties with ACS rent data.

Lowest rent burden

Where typical renters spend the smallest share of income on rent.

  1. 1. Lafayette County

    19.9% rent burden

  2. 2. Suwannee County

    22.3% rent burden

  3. 3. Liberty County

    24.0% rent burden

  4. 4. Baker County

    24.8% rent burden

  5. 5. Gilchrist County

    25.4% rent burden

Lowest tax-rate signal

Lowest effective property-tax rates in the state data.

  1. 1. Walton County

    0.45% effective tax rate

  2. 2. Washington County

    0.46% effective tax rate

  3. 3. Jackson County

    0.50% effective tax rate

  4. 4. Calhoun County

    0.51% effective tax rate

  5. 5. Monroe County

    0.53% effective tax rate

Owner-cost advantage

Counties where median owner costs are furthest below median rent.

  1. 1. Taylor County

    $518/mo cheaper to own than rent

  2. 2. Sarasota County

    $515/mo cheaper to own than rent

  3. 3. Flagler County

    $443/mo cheaper to own than rent

  4. 4. Lake County

    $429/mo cheaper to own than rent

  5. 5. Marion County

    $416/mo cheaper to own than rent

Income-backed value

Higher-income counties that still hold a reasonable value-to-income profile.

  1. 1. Liberty County

    $58,671 income, 2.2x value-to-income

  2. 2. Wakulla County

    $81,895 income, 3.2x value-to-income

  3. 3. Santa Rosa County

    $91,922 income, 3.6x value-to-income

  4. 4. Lafayette County

    $62,757 income, 2.5x value-to-income

  5. 5. Baker County

    $79,836 income, 3.2x value-to-income

Tradeoffs to Check

The best page is not the one that crowns a winner. It is the one that shows where a county can surprise you after the headline price looks attractive.

SignalCountyWhat it means
Cheap price, weaker income baseHolmes County

$110,200 home value, $49,343 income

Low purchase prices can still feel tight when local wages are also low.
Affordable homes, higher tax rateHamilton County

$111,200 home value, 0.73% tax rate

A low home price can be offset by the annual property-tax bill.
Renter pressureHamilton County

$724/mo rent, 44.60% rent burden

Monthly rent alone does not show whether renters can comfortably absorb the cost.
Expensive, but income-supportedMonroe County

$780,600 home value, $87,738 income

Some high-price counties also have stronger incomes, so affordability depends on both sides of the equation.

Compare Every Florida County

Sorted by home-value-to-income ratio so the first rows are not just cheap counties, but counties where purchase prices look smaller relative to local income.

Swipe sideways to compare all metrics.
CountyHome ValueRentIncomeValue/IncomeTax Rate
Hamilton County$111,200$724/mo$50,144
2.2x
0.73%
Holmes County$110,200$844/mo$49,343
2.2x
0.54%
Liberty County$127,300$943/mo$58,671
2.2x
0.90%
Taylor County$114,600$988/mo$49,073
2.3x
0.65%
Madison County$116,200$874/mo$48,485
2.4x
0.83%
Hardee County$153,600$962/mo$60,489
2.5x
0.82%
Jackson County$120,800$865/mo$49,149
2.5x
0.50%
Lafayette County$157,200$896/mo$62,757
2.5x
0.55%
Dixie County$132,000$695/mo$50,110
2.6x
0.62%
Union County$169,500$894/mo$64,146
2.6x
0.58%
Calhoun County$145,300$779/mo$50,517
2.9x
0.51%
Washington County$171,000$888/mo$58,210
2.9x
0.46%
Glades County$137,000$886/mo$45,870
3.0x
0.85%
Suwannee County$171,600$884/mo$56,658
3.0x
0.71%
Gilchrist County$199,900$926/mo$63,523
3.1x
0.65%
Baker County$256,700$1,302/mo$79,836
3.2x
0.64%
DeSoto County$174,100$932/mo$54,417
3.2x
0.83%
Wakulla County$258,300$1,108/mo$81,895
3.2x
0.64%
Columbia County$194,900$976/mo$59,205
3.3x
0.74%
Okeechobee County$193,000$1,082/mo$57,984
3.3x
0.74%
Putnam County$160,300$906/mo$47,934
3.3x
0.78%
Bradford County$212,500$863/mo$63,050
3.4x
0.55%
Highlands County$187,900$1,035/mo$54,897
3.4x
0.72%
Levy County$190,600$850/mo$56,750
3.4x
0.63%
Clay County$312,500$1,551/mo$87,820
3.6x
0.72%
Gadsden County$174,900$851/mo$48,801
3.6x
0.53%
Santa Rosa County$329,800$1,544/mo$91,922
3.6x
0.57%
Escambia County$257,200$1,321/mo$67,500
3.8x
0.58%
Jefferson County$232,600$898/mo$61,212
3.8x
0.62%
Hendry County$219,200$1,003/mo$56,393
3.9x
0.80%
Marion County$243,100$1,277/mo$61,010
4.0x
0.74%
Polk County$266,500$1,363/mo$65,978
4.0x
0.73%
Gulf County$250,000$1,187/mo$61,179
4.1x
0.63%
Bay County$310,500$1,484/mo$73,533
4.2x
0.58%
Hernando County$276,000$1,298/mo$66,058
4.2x
0.67%
Brevard County$339,600$1,556/mo$78,476
4.3x
0.68%
Citrus County$245,500$1,107/mo$56,546
4.3x
0.58%
Duval County$303,500$1,475/mo$71,277
4.3x
0.75%
Franklin County$273,300$1,049/mo$64,105
4.3x
0.63%
Nassau County$382,800$1,526/mo$89,804
4.3x
0.71%
Okaloosa County$351,200$1,612/mo$81,998
4.3x
0.57%
Pasco County$300,900$1,505/mo$70,492
4.3x
0.73%
Lake County$318,400$1,586/mo$73,161
4.4x
0.76%
Seminole County$386,900$1,783/mo$85,761
4.5x
0.67%
St. Johns County$489,200$1,922/mo$109,839
4.5x
0.76%
Volusia County$313,000$1,467/mo$70,044
4.5x
0.77%
Leon County$301,800$1,291/mo$66,287
4.6x
0.79%
Alachua County$288,800$1,339/mo$61,949
4.7x
0.96%
Charlotte County$328,900$1,464/mo$69,952
4.7x
0.85%
Flagler County$364,900$1,722/mo$77,363
4.7x
0.76%
Hillsborough County$371,500$1,667/mo$79,540
4.7x
0.81%
Indian River County$351,500$1,357/mo$73,491
4.8x
0.69%
Lee County$362,200$1,712/mo$76,107
4.8x
0.79%
Orange County$390,100$1,775/mo$79,719
4.9x
0.76%
Osceola County$353,300$1,746/mo$72,637
4.9x
0.76%
Pinellas County$355,100$1,642/mo$72,646
4.9x
0.70%
Sarasota County$411,800$1,818/mo$83,416
4.9x
0.75%
St. Lucie County$347,300$1,585/mo$71,457
4.9x
0.93%
Manatee County$391,400$1,671/mo$78,457
5.0x
0.78%
Sumter County$385,400$1,269/mo$76,508
5.0x
0.78%
Martin County$432,200$1,569/mo$82,943
5.2x
0.77%
Walton County$425,100$1,741/mo$81,986
5.2x
0.45%
Broward County$414,600$1,907/mo$77,633
5.3x
0.94%
Palm Beach County$447,300$1,916/mo$83,581
5.4x
0.86%
Collier County$540,700$1,862/mo$90,045
6.0x
0.63%
Miami-Dade County$463,000$1,829/mo$71,753
6.5x
0.81%
Monroe County$780,600$1,999/mo$87,738
8.9x
0.53%

Questions This Page Answers

Each answer is generated from the current county dataset, so it changes when the underlying ACS data changes.

What is the typical home value in Florida by county?
The median county home value in Florida is $276,000. County medians vary widely, so the best comparison is county-to-county rather than one statewide average.
What is the typical rent in Florida by county?
The median county rent in Florida is $1,302/mo. The lowest-rent counties in the current data include Dixie County, Hamilton County, Calhoun County.
Which Florida counties are most affordable to buy in?
Hamilton County, Holmes County, Liberty County have some of the lowest home-value-to-income ratios in Florida, which makes them stronger purchase-affordability screens than home value alone.
Why do cheap counties still need a closer look?
A low home value can come with lower local income, higher property-tax rates, weaker services, or thin data coverage. Check price, rent burden, income, and tax rate together before comparing counties.

Data: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates (2019-2023) — Informational only. Not financial or legal advice.