10 Most Affordable Places to Live in Florida in 2026

This article was originally published on February 28, 2023 and updated in October 2026.

Florida draws millions of new residents every year with warm weather, no state income tax, and a lifestyle that ranges from beach bungalows to lakeside retreats.

The state added 196,680 residents between July 2024 and July 2025, second only to Texas, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Most of that growth now comes from abroad: net international migration added 178,674 people, while net domestic migration from other states fell to 22,517, down from 310,892 in 2022.

No state income tax and year-round warm weather still draw buyers, but housing costs vary widely across the state. Florida Realtors reported a statewide median of $415,000 for single-family homes and $298,000 for condos and townhouses in August 2026. The ten communities in this guide, from Broward County condo markets to small Panhandle towns, had median sale prices between $121,370 and $196,870, less than half the statewide single-family median.

A low price is only part of the story in Florida. Insurance.com puts the state’s average homeowners premium at $8,471 a year for $300,000 of dwelling coverage, nearly three times the $2,872 national average. That is why this guide compares the full estimated monthly payment, including taxes and insurance, with what local households earn.

Methodology

We evaluated homebuying affordability by comparing median home sale prices with local median household incomes across Florida cities and unincorporated communities.

We screened 55 lower-priced Florida cities and unincorporated communities. To limit small-market swings, we kept places with at least 10 reported sales in August 2026 and price summaries covering the three months ending August 2026. From the 15 lowest-priced places that qualified, the 10 with the smallest income gaps made this list.

Home prices come from Redfin’s August 2026 market updates for all home types, with price summaries covering the three months ending August. Local incomes use the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 American Community Survey five-year estimates, as reported by Data USA. These income figures are historical estimates, rather than measurements of 2026 earnings.

For each community, we estimated the monthly cost of buying a median-priced home using a 20% down payment, a 30-year fixed mortgage and the interest rate, property-tax and insurance assumptions detailed in the table. We then calculated the gross annual income needed to keep that payment at 28% of household income.

Places are ranked by their income gap:

Income gap = Estimated required annual income − Local median household income

A smaller gap indicates a smaller estimated income shortfall. A negative gap means local median household income exceeds the modeled income target; none of the ten communities in this guide has a negative gap. The separate price ranking shows which communities have the lowest purchase prices.

This comparison includes incorporated cities and unincorporated communities, such as Beverly Hills, Brent and West Pensacola. It does not measure total living costs or guarantee mortgage eligibility. HOA fees, condo special assessments, flood insurance, utilities, maintenance and closing costs are excluded, and small-market prices and income estimates can fluctuate.

1. Lauderdale Lakes (Broward County)

• Median sale price: $131,163
• Affordability Rank: 1
• Price Rank: 2

Lauderdale Lakes is the rare South Florida city where a typical sale still lands in the low six figures, and it tops this guide on affordability. The city’s Cypress Preserve Conservation Park packs butterfly gardens, a half-mile walking trail, interpretive signage and two pavilions into a small natural area, a welcome break in one of Florida’s most built-up counties.

Redfin’s August market update reports a median sale price of $131,163, down 19.3% year over year, with 78 reported August sales and an average of 101 days on market, down from 127 a year earlier. Our model puts the monthly payment at about $1,184, which leaves an income gap of just $736, the smallest on this list. That low median largely reflects condos and co-ops. Under Florida’s 2025 condo law, associations must complete structural integrity reserve studies for buildings three or more habitable stories tall, and boards can levy special assessments for required repairs without a membership vote.

2. Graceville (Jackson County)

• Median sale price: $121,370
• Affordability Rank: 2
• Price Rank: 1

Graceville is a small Panhandle city just south of the Alabama line, and it is home to the flagship campus of the Baptist University of Florida. Each fall, the free Graceville Harvest Festival fills downtown with live music, arts and crafts, a parade, the Harvest Hustle 5K and more than 200 antique and classic cars.

At $121,370, Graceville has the lowest median sale price of any Florida place that passed our screen. Redfin reports prices up 13.4% year over year, with 10 August sales (exactly our minimum) and an average of 50 days on market. Jackson County’s 0.75% effective tax rate is among the lowest in this guide, and the modeled payment comes to about $1,026 a month, an income gap of $2,321.

3. Perry (Taylor County)

• Median sale price: $134,911
• Affordability Rank: 3
• Price Rank: 3

Perry calls itself a timber town, and it means it. Forest Capital Museum State Park keeps the area’s forestry heritage alive with a Florida Cracker homestead and a museum devoted to the longleaf pine, and every October the park hosts the Florida Forest Festival, complete with a parade and the “World’s Largest Free Fish Fry.” Downtown has a restored train station and a self-guided historic walking tour, and the Gulf coast at Hagens Cove draws scallopers in season.

Redfin reports a median sale price of $134,911, down 17.7% year over year, with 14 August sales. Homes are taking longer to sell: an average of 114 days on market, nearly double the 58 days a year earlier. The modeled payment is about $1,140 a month, with an income gap of $7,969.

4. Lauderhill (Broward County)

• Median sale price: $169,888
• Affordability Rank: 4
• Price Rank: 6

Lauderhill brings big-venue culture to a mid-priced Broward market. The Lauderhill Performing Arts Center, which opened in January 2016, hosts music, theater, dance and film inside Central Broward Regional Park. The same park is home to a cricket stadium with 5,000 covered seats and room for about 10,000 more spectators, which Broward County described in 2017 as the only International Cricket Council-certified cricket stadium in the United States.

Redfin reports a median sale price of $169,888, down 32.7% year over year, with 157 August sales, the most on this list, and an average of 89 days on market. The modeled payment is about $1,534 a month, an income gap of $14,558. That steep drop most likely reflects a shift toward condo sales rather than falling values; Redfin’s single-month average for August was about $330,000. Compare condos with condos and houses with houses. First-time buyers who work in health care, education, public safety or the military may qualify for Florida’s Hometown Heroes program, which offers up to 5% of the first mortgage ($10,000 to $35,000) as a 0%, deferred second mortgage.

5. Beverly Hills (Citrus County)

• Median sale price: $173,185
• Affordability Rank: 5
• Price Rank: 7

Beverly Hills began as one of Florida’s original planned retirement towns. According to the Citrus County Historical Society, developer Samuel J. Kellner started building in 1962, selling compact homes for $8,370 alongside paved roads, a central water system, pools and a golf course. By 1975 the community had about 3,000 homes and more than 5,000 residents, making it the largest in the county. Today the Central Ridge Library on West Roosevelt Boulevard anchors the community, with study rooms, a computer lab and a seed library.

Redfin reports a median sale price of $173,185, down 6.4% year over year, with 56 August sales. At an average of 48 days on market, Beverly Hills is the fastest-moving market in this top 10. The modeled payment is about $1,467 a month, an income gap of $16,366, just $19 less than Lake City’s.

6. Lake City (Columbia County)

• Median sale price: $196,870
• Affordability Rank: 6
• Price Rank: 10

Lake City markets itself as the heart of Florida’s Springlands, where spring water stays about 72 degrees year-round. Ichetucknee Springs State Park offers a natural lazy-river float, Rum Island Spring carries a moonshine-era backstory, and downtown’s Lake DeSoto and Olustee Park host walks, picnics and Food Truck Wednesday. Its spot at the junction of I-75 and I-10 puts Jacksonville about an hour away.

Redfin reports a median sale price of $196,870, down 26.3% year over year, with 22 August sales. Homes averaged 132 days on market, up from 89 a year earlier and the slowest pace in this top 10. Lake City has the highest median price on the list, but its median household income of $56,472, also the highest here according to Data USA, lifts it to sixth. The modeled payment is about $1,700 a month, an income gap of $16,385.

7. Marianna (Jackson County)

• Median sale price: $159,894
• Affordability Rank: 7
• Price Rank: 4

Marianna offers one of Florida’s rarest experiences: a walk through dry limestone caves. The city’s visitor guide points to guided cavern tours at the 1,300-acre Florida Caverns State Park, paddling on the Chipola River, and about 291 acres of trails and picnic areas at the Hinson Conservation and Recreation Area. In summer, residents cool off at Blue Springs Recreation Area.

Redfin reports a median sale price of $159,894, down 8.6% year over year, with 17 August sales, up from 10 a year earlier, and an average of 83 days on market. Marianna has the fourth-lowest price in our shortlist but ranks seventh on affordability, because its median household income of $40,414 is one of the lowest on the list. The modeled payment is about $1,351 a month, an income gap of $17,502.

8. Brent (Escambia County)

• Median sale price: $186,876
• Affordability Rank: 8
• Price Rank: 8

Brent is an unincorporated suburb of about 24,000 residents, and its name is part of the official Pensacola–Ferry Pass–Brent metro area. That metro’s single-family median was $332,900 in August, according to Florida Realtors, so Brent’s all-home-types median comes in at about 44% below the metro benchmark. Family life centers on youth sports: Escambia County Parks and Recreation partners with Brent associations for baseball, T-ball, football and cheerleading.

Redfin reports a median sale price of $186,876, up 6.8% year over year, with 46 August sales and an average of 56 days on market. It is one of the few places on this list where prices rose. The modeled payment is about $1,595 a month, an income gap of $19,190. Insurance is a bigger line item in coastal Escambia County: Citizens’ 2026 filing put its average HO-3 premium there at $3,836, compared with $2,127 in inland Jackson County (Citizens Property Insurance 2026 Rate Kit).

9. West Pensacola (Escambia County)

• Median sale price: $166,890
• Affordability Rank: 9
• Price Rank: 5

West Pensacola is an unincorporated community just west of the city, with a nature preserve almost on its doorstep. Escambia County has targeted about 1,300 acres of the Jones Creek watershed for the Jones Swamp preserve, where the Glynn Key boardwalk, lined with signs identifying native plants and animals, links to Lexington Terrace Park and its paved trail, playground, community center, pavilions and dog park.

Redfin reports a median sale price of $166,890, up 5.0% year over year, with 54 August sales and an average of 60 days on market, down from 87 a year earlier. It has the fifth-lowest price in our shortlist but ranks ninth on affordability, since the median household income is $40,511. The modeled payment is about $1,424 a month, an income gap of $20,536.

10. Chipley (Washington County)

• Median sale price: $191,698
• Affordability Rank: 10
• Price Rank: 9

Chipley, the Washington County seat, sits a few miles from Florida’s tallest waterfall. At Falling Waters State Park, a small stream drops 73 feet into a sinkhole 100 feet deep and 20 feet wide, when rainfall cooperates. A boardwalk Sinkhole Trail, camping, swimming, a butterfly garden and ranger programs round out the park.

Redfin reports a median sale price of $191,698, down 1.4% year over year, with 14 August sales. Homes averaged 83 days on market, up from just 28 a year earlier. The modeled payment is about $1,625 a month, and the income gap of $23,449 is the largest in this top 10. With so few sales, comparable homes tell more than the citywide median.

Home Prices vs. Local Incomes in Florida’s 10 Cheapest Places

Data checked: October 7, 2026. Prices are Redfin’s August 2026 figures for all home types, with market trends reported over three months. The list includes incorporated cities and unincorporated communities.

Financing. 20% down, a 30-year fixed mortgage and 7.28% interest, Freddie Mac’s national average for October 1, 2026. No private mortgage insurance is included.

¹ Estimated monthly payment. Principal, interest, estimated property taxes and homeowners insurance. Tax estimates use county median effective property-tax rates compiled by Ownwell: Broward 1.44%, Columbia 0.97%, Escambia 0.85%, Washington 0.78%, Citrus 0.77%, Jackson 0.75% and Taylor 0.75%. These are county benchmarks, not individual property tax quotes, and they reflect current owners, many of whom pay less because of Florida’s homestead caps. New buyers’ tax bills are often higher.

Insurance. 2.824% of the purchase price per year, based on Insurance.com’s Florida average of $8,471 a year for $300,000 of dwelling coverage, used as an estimating allowance. Actual premiums vary by county, home age, roof condition and wind-mitigation features. HOA dues, condo special assessments, flood insurance, maintenance and utilities are excluded.

² Required annual income. Gross household income needed to keep the estimated payment at 28% of income, calculated as monthly payment × 12 ÷ 0.28. Calculations use unrounded payments, so displayed figures may not reproduce the totals exactly.

³ Local median household income. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024), table B19013, as reported by Data USA. These are historical estimates, not measurements of 2026 earnings, and small-town estimates carry wide margins of error.

⁴ Income gap. Required annual income minus local median household income. A positive number indicates an estimated income shortfall. The table is sorted by this gap, smallest first; price rank runs from the lowest median sale price to the highest among the 15 places shortlisted.

What Makes These Florida Communities Affordable

Housing costs

The ten communities in this guide have median sale prices ranging from $121,370 in Graceville to $196,870 in Lake City, based on Redfin’s figures for the three months ending August 2026. For statewide context, Florida Realtors reported August 2026 medians of $415,000 for existing single-family homes and $298,000 for condos and townhouses. Those statewide figures cover a single month and separate property types, while this guide’s medians combine all home types over three months. Lower purchase prices can reduce the down payment and mortgage balance, but insurance, property taxes, maintenance and association fees still affect the monthly budget.

Utilities and transportation

Florida offers some savings on electricity. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the state’s average residential electricity price was 15.03 cents per kilowatt-hour in July 2026, compared with 18.31 cents nationally, about 18% lower. Actual bills depend on consumption, including air-conditioning use. Transportation costs depend more on location. Census estimates for 2020–2024 put Florida’s average commute at 28 minutes each way, compared with 26.4 minutes nationally. Buyers should consider the distance to work, schools, shops and medical appointments when comparing communities.

Groceries and everyday expenses

Lower home prices do not automatically mean lower costs across the household budget. The Bureau of Economic Analysis’s regional price parities, released in February 2026, put Florida’s goods index at 98.1 in 2024, about 1.9% below the national level. This category includes groceries and other goods; it is not a grocery-only measure. Florida’s overall index, including housing and services, was 103.4, about 3.4% above the national level. These statewide averages provide context, while actual expenses vary by community and household.

Quality of Life in Affordable Florida Communities

Education

Access to college and career training can add value to a community. Florida’s public College System includes 28 institutions offering academic and workforce education. Colleges serving areas in this guide include Broward College, Chipola College, the College of Central Florida, Florida Gateway College, North Florida College and Pensacola State College, according to the Florida Department of Education’s directory. Graceville is also home to the private Baptist University of Florida. Families should compare individual schools, attendance boundaries and available programs rather than assume that every lower-priced community offers the same educational experience.

Healthcare

Several communities have local hospitals and clinics, although available services differ. Jackson Hospital in Marianna describes itself as a 100-bed community healthcare system. Northwest Florida Community Hospital in Chipley includes a 25-bed critical access hospital, a 34-bed long-term care facility and affiliated clinics, including two in Graceville. Before choosing a community, check the distance to emergency care, the availability of any specialists you need and whether local providers accept your insurance.

Recreation and natural beauty

These communities offer outdoor activities beyond Florida’s beaches. Near Chipley, Falling Waters State Park has a stream that drops 73 feet into a 100-foot-deep sinkhole when rainfall allows, along with hiking, camping and swimming. Marianna offers limestone cave tours at Florida Caverns State Park and paddling on the Chipola River. In Lauderdale Lakes, Cypress Preserve Conservation Park has butterfly gardens, two pavilions and a half-mile walking trail.

Community engagement

Local events, libraries and recreation programs offer ways to meet neighbors and take part in community life. Jackson County’s tourism council lists the 43rd Annual Graceville Harvest Festival among its 2026 events, with free admission, live music, crafts, more than 200 antique and classic cars and a downtown parade. Lake City’s official tourism guide also lists recurring activities, including Food Truck Wednesday in downtown Olustee Park. Visiting local events and public spaces can help buyers judge whether a community suits their interests and daily routine.

Conclusion

Florida’s lower-priced housing markets offer different paths to homeownership, from Broward County condos to small Panhandle towns. In this comparison, Graceville has the lowest median sale price, while Lauderdale Lakes ranks first when modeled housing costs are compared with local household income.

Whether you’re a young professional, a growing family, or a retiree seeking the perfect place to call home, Florida’s most affordable cities offer an inviting and enriching lifestyle. Explore these cities and discover the unique opportunities each one has to offer, making your dream of living in the Sunshine State a reality.

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