Moving from New Jersey to Florida: taxes, costs, cities

Is it worth moving to Florida from New Jersey?

On housing costs, clearly yes for most owners. New Jersey tops the Tax Foundation's 2024 ranking of effective property tax rates, and the gap is large enough to change a monthly budget on its own. Add the income tax you stop paying and cheaper homes, and the savings usually outweigh Florida's higher insurance.

Where it is closer: if you are 62 or older with modest income, New Jersey already excludes much of your pension income from tax, so the income tax saving is smaller than the headline rates suggest. And if most of your family stays in the Northeast, factor in travel.

You would not be alone in going. Adding up the Census Bureau's 2024 state-to-state estimates, about 216,090 people moved from New Jersey to another state that year and about 150,011 moved in, a net loss of roughly 66,000. Only California, New York and Illinois lost more people to other states on that measure.

New Jersey vs Florida: the numbers side by side

	New Jersey	Florida
Income tax rates (2025 and 2026)	1.4% to 10.75% (top rate over $1 million)	No personal income tax
Effective property tax rate, 2024	1.88% (highest in the US)	0.78% (27th)
Typical home value, Zillow, August 2026	$580,353	$375,470
Change over 12 months	+3.9%	-1.5%
Average homeowners insurance premium, 2022	$1,417	$2,677
Estate tax	None for deaths after January 1, 2018 (inheritance tax still applies to some heirs)	None

Property tax is the headline

At New Jersey's average effective rate, a home at the state's typical value of $580,353 carries about $10,911 a year in property tax. At Florida's average rate, the typical Florida home at $375,470 comes to about $2,929. Even buying at New Jersey prices in Florida, 0.78% of $580,353 is about $4,527. Local bills vary widely in both states, so check the actual millage on our Florida property tax guide and the county pages it links.

A worked example of the yearly difference

Say you sell a New Jersey home at the state's typical value, $580,353, and buy a Florida home at the typical $375,470. At each state's average effective rate, property tax falls from about $10,911 to about $2,929, a drop of roughly $7,982 before Florida's homestead exemption. Insurance moves the other way: using the 2022 state averages, about $1,260 more a year. That leaves around $6,700 a year in Florida's favor before you count any income tax saving, and before flood insurance, HOA fees or CDD assessments on the Florida side, which vary by address.

Income tax

New Jersey's 2025 schedule for single filers starts at 1.4% up to $20,000 and rises through 1.75%, 3.5%, 5.525% and 6.37% to 8.97% above $500,000 and 10.75% above $1 million. Joint filers have wider brackets. Florida has no personal income tax, so everything after the date you become a Florida resident is free of state income tax.

The pension exclusion changes the math for some retirees

New Jersey lets filers aged 62 or older with income of $150,000 or less exclude pension and retirement income: up to $100,000 for joint filers and $75,000 for single filers when income is $100,000 or less, with smaller percentages between $100,001 and $150,000. If that covers most of your income today, your New Jersey income tax bill may already be low, and property tax is where your savings come from.

Insurance

NAIC figures for 2022, published by the Insurance Information Institute, show an average homeowners premium of $1,417 in New Jersey and $2,677 in Florida, the highest of any state. Flood insurance is a separate policy in both. Quote the actual address, and see our Florida homeowners insurance guide for how wind mitigation and roof age affect price.

Home prices

Zillow's typical New Jersey value rose 3.9% in the year to August 2026 while Florida's fell 1.5%. Selling in New Jersey now and buying in Florida means selling into a stronger market than the one you buy in.

Where New Jerseyans settle in Florida

New Jersey movers lean to the southeast coast and the Gulf coast. Census county-to-county estimates for 2016 to 2020 show about 31,754 people a year moving from New Jersey to Florida. In 2024 the state-level estimate was 22,646, making Florida the third most common destination for people leaving New Jersey after Pennsylvania and New York. About 12,121 people moved the other way, from Florida to New Jersey, the same year.

County	New Jersey movers a year	Share	Zillow typical value	1-year change
Palm Beach	3,199	10.1%	$474,416	+1.2%
Broward	2,795	8.8%	$423,492	-2.1%
Hillsborough	2,445	7.7%	$377,121	-1.4%
Lee	2,278	7.2%	$335,409	-4.4%
Orange	1,983	6.2%	$400,602	-1.2%
Sarasota	1,534	4.8%	$396,714	-2.9%
Miami-Dade	1,507	4.7%	$521,012	0.0%
Polk	1,381	4.3%	$295,824	-2.4%

County flows are survey estimates with margins of error; the ranking is more reliable than the exact counts.

Palm Beach and Broward

About 19% of New Jersey movers chose these two counties. Boca Raton, in southern Palm Beach County, has a typical value of $576,824, up 3.7% on the year, and we have guides to its 55+ communities and gated communities. The Palm Beach County tax page shows the local millage.

Tampa

Hillsborough County ranks third. Tampa's typical value is $377,566, about 35% below New Jersey's statewide typical value. Suburbs such as Valrico and Lutz have their own guides.

Cape Coral and Lee County

Lee County drew 7.2% of New Jersey movers and is the lowest-priced county in the top five at $335,409. Cape Coral's typical value is $335,825. Canal homes mean flood zone, seawall and utility assessment checks; start with the Cape Coral utility assessments guide.

Sarasota

Sarasota's typical value is $409,878, down 2.7%. Our guides cover barrier-island areas such as Siesta Key and Longboat Key and inland areas such as Palmer Ranch. Flood exposure differs sharply between the islands and the mainland, so check each address.

Lakeland and Polk County

Polk County, between Tampa and Orlando, is the lowest-priced county on this list at $295,824. Lakeland's typical value is $309,954.

Ending New Jersey residency

How New Jersey defines domicile

The Division of Taxation describes domicile as the place you consider your permanent home, where you intend to return after an absence. You have only one, even if you have several places to live. It does not change until you move with the intent to make the new place your permanent home and to abandon your New Jersey domicile. Living elsewhere for a long time does not change it if you plan to come back.

The 183-day rule for people who keep a New Jersey home

Even without a New Jersey domicile, you file as a resident if you kept a permanent home in New Jersey and spent more than 183 days in the state during the year. If you keep a Shore house or the family home, count your days.

Your move-year returns

For the year you move, you file Form NJ-1040 as a part-year resident for the months you lived in New Jersey, and Form NJ-1040NR if you had New Jersey-source income after you left, such as rent from a property you kept. The Division's publication GIT-6 covers part-year residents.

Selling your New Jersey home after you move

If you sell New Jersey property once you are a nonresident, the closing involves Form GIT/REP-1, the Nonresident Seller's Tax Declaration, and an estimated tax payment that you later reconcile on your NJ-1040NR. Selling before you change domicile avoids that step. Ask your closing attorney which applies.

Setting up Florida residency, step by step

1. File a Declaration of Domicile

Florida Statutes section 222.17 lets you sign a sworn Declaration of Domicile at the clerk of the circuit court's office in your new county. It records your Florida address and the New Jersey town and county you came from. Keep a copy with your tax papers.

2. Switch your license and plates

Florida gives you 30 days to get a Florida license after you start a job or enroll a child in a public school, and 10 days to register your car. Expect a VIN inspection for an out-of-state title and, for many cars, a $225 initial registration fee. Your Florida auto policy needs at least $10,000 of personal injury protection and $10,000 of property damage liability.

3. Register to vote

Use your new license number to register online; the books close 29 days before each election.

4. Claim homestead

Title and residence on January 1, application to the county property appraiser by March 1. For 2026 the homestead exemption can reduce assessed value by up to $51,411, and the Save Our Homes cap keeps later increases at 3% or inflation, whichever is lower. Our homestead exemption guide covers the forms.

How much it costs to move from New Jersey

What is the cheapest way to move from NJ to Florida?

A rental truck, if you can load and drive it yourself. moveBuddha's 2026 data for the 1,117-mile route, based on 1,206 quotes, puts a 2 to 3 bedroom home at $770 to $1,770 for a rental truck, $1,650 to $3,390 for a moving container and $2,600 to $5,860 with full-service movers. Containers run about 40% below full-service movers and trucks about 70% below, before fuel, tolls and a night or two on the road.

Renting before you buy

If you are unsure between the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, a year's lease is a cheap test. Zillow's typical rents for August 2026 are $2,949 in Boca Raton, $2,175 in Sarasota, $1,957 in Tampa, $1,949 in Cape Coral and $1,722 in Lakeland. You can still file a Declaration of Domicile and get a Florida license while renting; homestead waits until you own the home you live in on January 1.

Hiring a mover

The FMCSA's moving checklist says to confirm the interstate mover is registered and has a USDOT number, check it with the Better Business Bureau, and get the booklet Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move. Get the estimate in writing and note any damage on the inventory before you sign at delivery.

Costs after you arrive

Plan for insurance paid a year ahead at closing, HOA or condo dues, and any CDD assessment in newer communities. The Florida closing costs guide lists buyer costs.

A New Jersey to Florida timeline

Before you list the New Jersey house

Decide whether to sell before or after you change domicile, since that decides whether the sale goes on a resident return or needs the nonresident seller's declaration. Get Florida insurance quotes on the homes you are considering so the budget is real before you make an offer.

Closing and moving week

Line up the Florida closing so you can move straight in. Take personal records, valuables and anything you would call irreplaceable with you rather than leaving them in New Jersey storage; where your belongings are is part of the domicile picture.

The first month in Florida

License, plates, Declaration of Domicile and voter registration, in that order, since the license number is needed for the others. Move your primary bank account, doctors and any professional licenses, and send change-of-address notices to the IRS, Social Security and your pension payer.

January and after

Be living in the home on January 1 and file for homestead by March 1. The following spring, file your part-year NJ-1040 and, if you kept New Jersey income, the NJ-1040NR.

Day-to-day life after New Jersey

Weather

You trade snow and a real autumn for long, humid summers and mild winters. Air conditioning runs most of the year, and Florida taxes electricity at 6.95% rather than the 6% general rate, so ask sellers for a year of power bills.

Hurricane season

The Atlantic season runs June 1 to November 30. Learn your evacuation zone, which is separate from your flood zone, and budget for shutters or impact glass if the home lacks them. Our Florida flood zones guide explains the difference.

Condos and 55+ communities

Many New Jersey movers buy into condos or age-restricted communities. Florida condo buildings have their own inspection and reserve rules; read buying a condo in Florida before you make an offer, and the downsizing guide if you are moving from a larger house.

Is it better to live in Florida or New Jersey?

It depends on what you weigh most. Florida wins on property tax, income tax and home prices. New Jersey wins on insurance cost, proximity to New York and Philadelphia, and four-season weather. Florida's Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, summers are long and humid, and most of the state is built around the car. A week in Florida in August tells you more than a February vacation.

Common questions

Is it worth moving to Florida from New Jersey?+

For most homeowners the numbers work. New Jersey's effective property tax rate is 1.88%, the highest in the US, against 0.78% in Florida, Florida has no income tax, and the typical Florida home is $204,883 cheaper on Zillow's August 2026 data. The main offset is homeowners insurance, which averaged $2,677 in Florida against $1,417 in New Jersey in 2022.

What is the 3 year rule in NJ?+

We could not find a rule by that name in the New Jersey Division of Taxation's residency guidance. New Jersey decides residency on domicile, and on the 183-day test for people who keep a permanent home in the state, not on a set number of years. If someone has cited a three-year rule to you, ask a New Jersey tax adviser which rule they mean before relying on it.

Is it better to live in Florida or New Jersey?+

Florida is cheaper for property tax, income tax and home prices, while New Jersey has lower homeowners insurance, four seasons and easy access to New York and Philadelphia. Which is better depends on whether you value lower running costs or proximity to Northeast family and jobs, and how you handle Florida's summer heat and hurricane season.

What is the cheapest way to move from NJ to Florida?+

Driving a rental truck yourself. moveBuddha's 2026 quote data puts a 2 to 3 bedroom move at $770 to $1,770 by rental truck, against $1,650 to $3,390 for a moving container and $2,600 to $5,860 with full-service movers. Add fuel, tolls and lodging to the truck figure.

Where do people from New Jersey move to in Florida?+

Census county-to-county data for 2016 to 2020 shows Palm Beach County as the top choice, with 10.1% of New Jersey movers, followed by Broward (8.8%), Hillsborough (7.7%), Lee (7.2%) and Orange (6.2%). Sarasota, Miami-Dade and Polk counties complete the top eight.

Do I have to pay New Jersey tax when I sell my house after moving to Florida?+

If you sell New Jersey property as a nonresident, the closing requires Form GIT/REP-1, the Nonresident Seller's Tax Declaration, with an estimated tax payment that you reconcile on Form NJ-1040NR. Selling while you are still a New Jersey resident puts the sale on your resident return instead. Your closing attorney will confirm which form applies.

Moving from New Jersey to Florida: property tax, costs and where to live

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