Cost of Living in Florida (2026): What Renters Should Budget

Updated September 2026. Rent figures reflect Apartment List's August 2026 estimates.

Florida's statewide median rent was $1,508 in August 2026, according to the Apartment List Rent Index: 8.5% above the national median of $1,390, and lower than a year earlier for the 40th month in a row. At the median one-bedroom rent of $1,273, rent takes 30% of an annual income of about $50,920 before taxes.

Florida's statewide median is a starting point for your search. Fifteen of the 18 Florida metros covered by Apartment List have lower medians, so check your target area before deciding what rent to budget. The tables below show where each of those metros and selected cities fall, what those rents mean for income, and what electricity and taxes add in a state with no personal income tax.

Florida Cost of Living at a Glance

Rent figures are Apartment List statewide medians for August 2026; the extra-rent and equal-split rows are derived from them and compare statewide medians. Electricity is the EIA's 2024 average residential bill. Income tax status is from the Florida Department of Revenue.

How to use these numbers: Start with the statewide rent for your unit size, find your metro in the tables below, add the planning estimates that apply to you, then replace them with the listing's actual rent and charges.

Is Florida an Expensive State to Live In?

Florida's median rent is 8.5% above the national median. At $1,508, the statewide median ranks 17th highest of the 50 state-level markets in Apartment List's August 2026 data, $118 above the U.S. figure and $202 above Georgia's. Within the state, the Miami metro's median is $304 above the statewide figure, and 15 of the 18 metros shown are below it.

Apartment List medians across all apartment sizes, August 2026. Percentages use Florida's median as the base. Metro and statewide medians are separate measures, shown together so you can see where each sits; the table compares medians only.

Beyond Rent: Taxes, Electricity, and Insurance

Taxes. Florida levies no personal income tax, so no state income tax is withheld from wages (Florida Department of Revenue). The general state sales tax rate is 6%, and grocery food bought for home preparation is generally exempt. Many counties add a discretionary sales surtax of 0.5% to 2% (Florida Department of Revenue).

Electricity. Florida's lower electricity price per kilowatt-hour did not translate into a lower average bill. Households used more electricity on average, bringing the 2024 average monthly residential bill to $156 versus $142 nationally, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, averaged across all housing types. For an apartment you're considering, ask which utilities are included and whether recent usage or bills are available.

Insurance and property taxes. The property owner pays the property-tax bill and insures the building. Renters insurance covers your belongings and other protections specified in your policy (Florida Department of Financial Services). Check flood coverage separately; a separate policy may be needed to protect your belongings against flooding.

How Rent Changes Across Florida

Only three of the 18 metros shown have medians above the statewide $1,508: the Miami metro, Naples-Marco Island, and Orlando. Metro figures cover a broader area than the named city. If you're considering several communities around a city, start with the metro figure. If your search is limited to city limits, use the city tables below. Both describe a broader market than any particular neighborhood or building.

Metros are grouped here into four regions for this guide. Rents in the tables are Apartment List monthly medians for August 2026; "vs. FL" compares each overall median with the statewide $1,508.

South Florida and the Treasure Coast

Southwest Florida

Central Florida

North Florida and the Panhandle

Every Florida metro in the data sits entirely within the state.

Every North Florida and Panhandle metro shown is below the statewide median. South Florida and the Treasure Coast spans the widest range, from the Miami metro at 20.2% above to Sebastian-Vero Beach at 16.2% below, and Southwest Florida runs from Naples-Marco Island at 3.4% above to Punta Gorda at 30.4% below. In Central Florida, Orlando and Tampa sit within 2% of the statewide figure.

Rent by City

Apartment List monthly medians, August 2026, for the 12 largest Florida cities by population in the city-level data, listed by overall median.

Cities above the statewide median ($1,508)

Cities at or below the statewide median

Five of the seven cities above the statewide median are in the Miami metro, so the first table is concentrated in one part of the state. Miami's citywide median of $1,927 is above its own metro's $1,812, so the metro and city tables can give different answers for the same name. Jacksonville, the largest city, is 12.3% below the statewide figure, and among all 57 Florida cities in the data, medians run from $1,096 in Winter Haven to $2,419 in Boca Raton.

How Much Income Do You Need to Rent in Florida?

At Florida's median one-bedroom rent of $1,273, rent takes 30% of an annual income of about $50,920 before taxes, or about $4,240 a month. For a median-priced two-bedroom at $1,505, the same share of income is about $60,200 a year for the household, or $30,100 each when two renters split the rent equally.

These calculations use Apartment List's August 2026 rent estimates and cover rent alone, so treat them as rent-affordability benchmarks rather than a full budget. The 30% share is the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) affordability standard, and HUD's version counts rent and utilities together: adding the 2024 average electric bill of $156 a month to the one-bedroom rent raises the household figure by about $6,200 a year, or about half that per renter when two split the bill.

The tables apply the same calculation to each of the 18 metros shown, grouped by the same regions as the rent tables above.

Estimated annual household income before taxes, with rent at 30% of income (statewide: $50,920 for a one-bedroom, $60,200 for a two-bedroom)

South Florida and the Treasure Coast

Southwest Florida

Central Florida

North Florida and the Panhandle

Rent x 12 / 0.30, using Apartment List's August 2026 metro medians, rounded to the nearest $10; rent alone. Two renters splitting a two-bedroom equally would each need half the two-bedroom figure.

On the one-bedroom median, the range runs from $31,360 in the Punta Gorda metro to $59,760 in the Miami metro. At $55,000 a year before taxes, a rent-only 30% budget is $1,375 a month. That covers the one-bedroom median in 17 of the 18 metros shown; the Miami metro is the exception. Use this to narrow your search, then account for utilities and your other expenses before setting a rent limit.

The statewide two-bedroom median is $232, or 18.2%, above the one-bedroom median. Two renters splitting the $1,505 two-bedroom equally pay about $753 each before utilities and fees, about $520 a month less per renter than the $1,273 one-bedroom median. Sharing a median-priced two-bedroom brings the rent benchmark to about $30,100 in annual income per renter. Use that as an equal-split example; your actual share depends on the apartment's rent and how you divide it.

The Apartment List Cost of Living Calculator uses after-tax income and costs beyond rent, so it produces a different estimate.

Are Florida Rents Rising or Falling?

Florida's median rent was 1.6% lower in August 2026 than a year earlier, according to Apartment List. It was also 7.6% below its July 2022 peak, though still 27.2% above March 2020.

If you last searched during the 2022 peak, today's statewide median is lower. If you're comparing with a pre-pandemic budget, rents are still substantially higher. Check current listings in your target area before carrying either expectation into your search.

August marked the 40th consecutive month with rent below its year-earlier level. The annual decline narrowed from 3.0% in March and April to 1.6% in August. Within the state, 13 of the 18 metros shown had lower medians than a year earlier, led down by Punta Gorda (6.8%) and Cape Coral-Fort Myers (6.1%); Pensacola rose 1.8%, and the other four were within 0.2% of a year earlier (Apartment List, August 2026).

The Short Answer on Florida's Cost of Living

Florida's median rent of $1,508 is 8.5% above the national median, and 15 of the 18 metros shown have lower medians. On rent alone at the 30% benchmark, a one-bedroom corresponds to about $50,920 a year in household income statewide, from about $31,360 in the Punta Gorda metro to about $59,760 in the Miami metro.

Start with the rent for your target metro or city and the bedroom size you need. Then check what the listing includes and compare the remaining costs with your take-home pay. Florida's lack of state personal income tax is one part of that calculation; the rent you choose and the expenses you pay separately determine how the budget works for you.

To compare a specific Florida city with where you live now, the Apartment List Cost of Living Calculator works from after-tax income and covers costs beyond rent. For weather, daily life, and moving considerations, see our guide to living in Florida.

Appendix: Methodology and Data Sources

Apartment List reports median rents on new leases. Each geography and bedroom size has a separate series. South Florida and the Treasure Coast, Southwest Florida, Central Florida, and North Florida and the Panhandle are editorial groupings of the 18 Florida metros covered by Apartment List, used in this guide.

How we calculated the estimates

• Income: Monthly rent × 40 gives annual household income before taxes at the rent-only 30% benchmark, rounded to $10. Conversely, $55,000 × 30% ÷ 12 gives a $1,375 monthly rent budget.
• Sharing: Half the statewide two-bedroom median is $752.50 per renter, corresponding to $30,100 in annual income each. Compared with the one-bedroom median, the rent difference is $520.50 per renter.
• Bedroom difference: $1,505 − $1,273 = $232, or 18.2% of the one-bedroom median.
• Electricity: EIA's 2024 averages per residential account: Florida, $156.09 a month on 1,104 kWh at 14.14 cents per kWh; United States, $142.26 on 863 kWh at 16.48 cents. Averages cover all housing types.
• Electricity and income: The published 2024 bill adds $156.09 × 40 = $6,244 to the annual income benchmark, rounded to $6,200. An equal split halves that increase.
• Rent changes: Annual changes compare the same month a year earlier and use overall rent medians. Growth since March 2020 comes directly from Apartment List's summary data.

Income figures are planning calculations covering rent, plus electricity where specified. They are not measured incomes or complete living budgets.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Cost of Living in Florida

Is Living in Florida Expensive?

Florida's median rent of $1,508 is 8.5% above the national median of $1,390 as of August 2026, according to the Apartment List Rent Index, ranking 17th highest of the 50 state-level markets in that month's data. Fifteen of the 18 metros Apartment List covers have median rents below the statewide figure. Florida has no state income tax, and its 2024 average electric bill of $156 was above the national average of $142 (EIA).

What Salary Is Needed to Live Comfortably in Florida?

On rent alone, Florida's median one-bedroom rent of $1,273 corresponds to about $50,920 a year in income before taxes, with rent at 30% of income. The $1,505 two-bedroom median corresponds to about $60,200 in household income. Two renters splitting that two-bedroom equally would each need about $30,100 (Apartment List, August 2026).

On the same calculation, one-bedroom medians across the 18 metros Apartment List covers correspond to about $31,360 a year in the Punta Gorda metro, $44,680 in the Jacksonville metro, $49,760 in the Tampa metro, $51,560 in the Orlando metro, and $59,760 in the Miami metro. These are rent-affordability benchmarks; a comfortable salary also depends on utilities, transportation, savings, and everything else in your budget.

What Is the Median Rent in Florida in 2026?

As of August 2026, $1,508 a month across all apartment sizes, according to the Apartment List Rent Index; the median one-bedroom is $1,273 and the median two-bedroom $1,505.

Does Florida Have a State Income Tax?

No. Florida levies no personal income tax, so no state income tax is withheld from wages (Florida Department of Revenue). Florida's general state sales tax rate is 6%, and many counties add a local surtax of 0.5% to 2%.

Is Miami More Expensive Than the Rest of Florida?

Yes, by a wide margin on rent. The Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach metro's median of $1,812 is 20.2% above the statewide $1,508, and the city of Miami's $1,927 is 27.8% above it (Apartment List, August 2026). No other metro Apartment List covers is more than 3.4% above the statewide median, and 15 of the 18 are below it.

Where in Florida Is Rent Lowest?

Among the 18 Florida metros covered by Apartment List's August 2026 estimates, Punta Gorda has the lowest median at $1,049, 30.4% below the statewide median, followed by Lakeland-Winter Haven ($1,168) and Gainesville ($1,169), both 22.5% below. All six North Florida and Panhandle metros covered are below the statewide figure. Among the 57 Florida cities in the data, Winter Haven is lowest at $1,096 and Boca Raton highest at $2,419.

How Much Is Electricity in Florida?

Florida's average residential electric bill was $156 a month in 2024, averaged across all housing types, above the national average of $142 (EIA). Florida's price per kilowatt-hour is below the national average, but its average household uses more electricity. For an apartment you're considering, ask which utilities are included and whether recent bills are available.

Do Renters Pay Florida's Property Taxes and Home Insurance?

No bill for either comes to renters. The property owner pays the property-tax bill and insures the building. Renters insurance covers your belongings and other protections specified in your policy, and a separate policy may be needed to protect your belongings against flooding.

Is 30% of Income a Hard Limit for Rent?

No. It is a planning benchmark. HUD calls households spending more than 30% of income on housing cost-burdened and more than 50% severely cost-burdened; Apartment List's research found that about 51.8% of U.S. renter households spent more than 30% and 26.1% more than 50%, based on 2024 American Community Survey data. The question is what the rest of your budget can absorb.