What It Costs to Retire in Florida: 20 Popular Places Ranked by Monthly Budget

One thing on almost everyone's mind when they move to Florida is what it's actually going to cost to live here.

Most cost of living rankings give you an index number, like “Ocala scores 87.” That's fine for comparing places, but it doesn't answer the question retirees really ask: how much money do I need each month?

So for this update, I switched to data built specifically for older adults, and I'm showing you monthly dollar figures for 20 of Florida's most popular retirement spots, closely mirroring my list of the Best Places to Retire in Florida.

Here's the headline: for a retired couple who owns their home outright, covering the basics in Florida costs about $3,034 a month, roughly 6% below the national average of $3,244. A single retiree needs about $2,038 a month.

If you've read earlier versions of this article, some rankings have shifted. That's because I switched to data built specifically for retirees, which weighs things like Medicare costs differently than general cost of living indexes do.

Cost of Living in 20 Popular Florida Retirement Spots

Place (County)	Couple	Single	vs. U.S.
Ocala (Marion)	$2,744	$1,763	85%
Tampa (Hillsborough)	$2,850	$1,915	88%
Kissimmee / St. Cloud (Osceola)	$2,861	$1,901	88%
Citrus Hills (Citrus)	$2,902	$1,879	89%
Jacksonville (Duval)	$2,933	$1,926	90%
Clearwater / St. Pete (Pinellas)	$2,951	$2,022	91%
Daytona Beach (Volusia)	$2,963	$1,975	91%
Orlando / Winter Garden (Orange)	$3,010	$2,015	93%
Port St. Lucie (St. Lucie)	$3,014	$1,999	93%
Palm Coast (Flagler)	$3,017	$1,994	93%
Florida average	$3,034	$2,038	94%
St. Augustine (St. Johns)	$3,036	$2,026	94%
The Villages (Sumter)	$3,148	$2,066	97%
Melbourne / Viera (Brevard)	$3,186	$2,082	98%
Babcock Ranch (Charlotte)	$3,191	$2,125	98%
Fort Myers (Lee)	$3,206	$2,168	99%
Sarasota / Venice (Sarasota)	$3,230	$2,186	100%
U.S. average	$3,244	$2,162	100%
Delray Beach (Palm Beach)	$3,281	$2,284	101%
Naples (Collier)	$3,473	$2,452	107%
Key West (Monroe)	$4,032	$2,603	124%

Monthly cost for a retired homeowner with no mortgage, in good health. Source: Elder Index (2025 data), Gerontology Institute, UMass Boston. See methodology below.

Least Expensive Places to Live in Florida

Here are the least expensive places I found. Keep in mind that I'm using places that appear on my best places to retire list. There might be cheaper places in Florida, but they might not be that appealing for retirement.

Ocala – $2,744/month

Ocala was the cheapest place on my list last time, and it still is. Marion County has the lowest housing and transportation costs of any county I looked at. It's home to the ever-popular On Top of the World and several other 55+ communities.

Tampa – $2,850/month

This one surprised me. Hillsborough County has some of the lowest health care costs on the list and moderate housing costs, which pushes it well below the Florida average. City living in Tampa can still be pricey, but for retirees covering the basics, the county as a whole comes in low. Here's my guide to Tampa 55+ communities.

Kissimmee / St. Cloud – $2,861/month

Osceola County comes in just behind Tampa, with low health care and housing costs. You're close to everything in the Orlando area without paying Orlando prices.

Citrus Hills – $2,902/month

About 45 minutes from Ocala, Citrus County offers similarly low housing costs. It's home to the Villages of Citrus Hills.

Jacksonville – $2,933/month

Duval County has some of the lowest housing costs in the state for homeowners, and Jacksonville offers big-city amenities for a much lower price tag than South Florida. Here's my guide to Jacksonville 55+ communities.

Most Expensive Places to Live in Florida

Key West – $4,032/month

The Keys are still in a class by themselves, at 24% above the national average. Interestingly, the biggest driver here isn't housing. It's health care, which runs nearly double what it costs in most of the state. If you're thinking about retirement in the Florida Keys, budget accordingly.

Naples – $3,473/month

Collier County has the highest housing costs on the list. For homeowners, it's over $1,000 a month before a mortgage, more than double what it costs in Ocala.

Delray Beach – $3,281/month

Palm Beach County lands just above the national average, driven by the second-highest housing costs on the list. You'll find similar costs in nearby Boca Raton and Boynton Beach.

Sarasota / Venice – $3,230/month

Sarasota County sits right at the national average, with higher-than-typical housing and health care costs.

Fort Myers – $3,206/month

Lee County rounds out the top five, just under the national average. Housing costs here are among the highest on the west coast. For more on the area, see my guide to Southwest Florida retirement communities.

Key Findings

Most of Florida is cheaper than the national average for retirees. Only three places on my list (Key West, Naples, and Delray Beach) came in above the national average for couples. Sarasota sits right at it.

Groceries cost the same everywhere. The Elder Index uses the same food budget for every county, so food never tips the scales. The differences come from housing, health care, and transportation.

Housing is the biggest swing factor. Homeowner costs range from $471 a month in Marion County to $1,012 in Collier County.

Health care varies more than you'd think. It ranges from about $690 a month for a couple in Pinellas County to $1,480 in the Keys. Brevard County is also notably high at $956.

If you're buying, expect to pay more for housing than these numbers show. The housing figures reflect what current retired homeowners pay, and many of them have owned for years with capped property taxes. A new buyer pays taxes on today's full value, and today's insurance rates. HOA and amenity fees in single-family communities likely aren't fully captured either, which matters a lot in 55+ communities. Use these numbers to compare places, then get real tax, insurance, and HOA figures on any specific home you're considering.

The Villages lands mid-pack. Sumter County comes in at $3,148 a month, slightly above the Florida average. That's mostly because of higher transportation and health care estimates, and it doesn't include the monthly amenity fee. For the full picture, see my breakdown of what it costs to live in The Villages.

What Costs More in Florida Than People Expect

Averages like these smooth over the costs that tend to surprise newcomers. Based on what readers tell me, these are the ones to budget carefully for:

Homeowners insurance. This is the big one. Florida premiums are among the highest in the country, and they vary enormously depending on how close you are to the coast, the age of your roof, and how your home is built. Get real insurance quotes on a specific home before you buy. Don't rely on an online estimate.

Property taxes. Florida's property taxes aren't unusually high, but new buyers pay taxes on the current value of the home, not what the previous owner paid. Once you file for the homestead exemption, you get up to $50,000 off your assessed value, and Save Our Homes limits annual increases in your assessed value to 3% or the rate of inflation, whichever is lower. See my full breakdown of Florida property tax rates by county.

Car insurance. Many transplants are surprised to see their auto premiums go up after moving here.

HOA and CDD fees. In many 55+ communities, these cover amenities, landscaping, and sometimes cable or security. They can be a great value, but they belong in your monthly budget, and CDD bond payments often show up on your property tax bill.

Groceries. Several readers moving from the Midwest and West have told me groceries cost more here than they expected. One partial offset is that Florida doesn't charge sales tax on most grocery items.

What costs less: Florida has no state income tax, which means no state tax on Social Security, pensions, or IRA withdrawals. For many retirees, that's what makes the whole math work.

Methodology

The numbers in this article come from the Elder Index, produced by the Gerontology Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Unlike general cost of living indexes, it's designed specifically for adults 65 and older, and it's calculated for every county in the country.

The Elder Index estimates what an older adult needs each month to cover the basics:

• Housing: For homeowners, this means property taxes, homeowners insurance, utilities, and condo fees, based on what homeowners 65+ actually report paying.
• Health care: Medicare premiums plus typical out-of-pocket costs.
• Food: Groceries, based on the USDA's food plan for older adults.
• Transportation: The cost of owning and driving a car.
• Miscellaneous: Everyday essentials like clothing, household items, and phone service.

A few things to keep in mind:

• This is a floor, not a lifestyle budget. The Elder Index covers the essentials. It doesn't include travel, dining out, golf, club dues, or gifts. Think of these numbers as the minimum, and build your real budget on top.
• I used a homeowner with no mortgage in good health because that's the most common situation for the retirees I hear from. If you'll have a mortgage or you're renting, your number will be higher.
• Numbers are by county, not city. Official data isn't published for smaller places like Citrus Hills or Winter Garden, so each place is listed with its county. That also means Babcock Ranch now gets its own real number (Charlotte County) instead of a borrowed one from Punta Gorda.

Final Thoughts

No cost of living analysis will ever be perfect, because everyone's spending and definition of “expensive” are different. But looking at what it takes to cover the basics in each county, plus the Florida-specific costs that tend to catch people off guard, should give you a much clearer picture than a single index number.

Feel free to drop any questions you have in the comments section down below.