Is Jacksonville a good place to live? The short answer
Jacksonville is a good place to live if you want big-city jobs, the Atlantic beaches and the St. Johns River at a lower price than most large Florida metros. Zillow's typical home value was $285,103 in August 2026, down 0.8% in a year, and typical rent was $1,601, up 2.0%. That compares with $377,566 in Tampa and $371,120 in Orlando in the same Zillow data.
Four numbers sum it up:
- $285,103: Zillow's typical Jacksonville home value, August 2026.
- $1,601 a month: Zillow's typical rent, August 2026.
- $22.24 an hour: MIT's living wage for one adult with no children in Duval County, or $46,251 a year before tax.
- 1,017,689 residents: the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate for the city, up 7.2% since the 2020 base.
The trade-offs are real. Summers are long, hot and wet, hurricanes and flooding need checking home by home, and the city covers so much land that where you live decides your commute. The sections below take each pro and con in turn, then cover climate, salary, migration, retirement and where to live.
Pros of living in Jacksonville
Home prices below other big Florida metros
Zillow's typical home value in Jacksonville was $285,103 in August 2026, against $377,566 in Tampa, $371,120 in Orlando and $409,878 in Sarasota. Nearby towns outside Duval County sit higher too: $445,587 in Fleming Island and $610,615 in Fernandina Beach. The citywide figure hides a wide spread, from $106,323 in ZIP 32209 to $489,045 in 32233, so use the Jacksonville ZIP code guide to price the area you want.
Buyers have room to negotiate
In Zillow's August 2026 metro data, homes sold for 97.0% of list price on average, took about 80 days to go under contract, and 28.4% of listings had a price cut. Values are up 16.7% over five years but slightly down over the last year. That is a market where offers below asking and requests for repairs or closing-cost help are normal, though it says nothing certain about where prices go next. The Jacksonville housing market report tracks the trend.
No state income tax
Florida's constitution bars a state tax on the income of residents who are natural persons, so your wages, pension and investment income are not taxed by the state. If you are moving from a state with an income tax, that can be a meaningful saving. Property tax, insurance and sales tax still apply, and the Jacksonville cost of living guide prices each one.
Atlantic beaches inside the city limits
Jacksonville has a coastline on the Atlantic, and the three beach cities of Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach and Jacksonville Beach kept their own governments after consolidation. Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park, a city park near Mayport, has about 1.5 miles of public beach and 447 acres of coastal hammock. If you want to live near the sand, compare Atlantic Beach and Jacksonville Beach, which set their own tax rates and rules.
A very large park system and the St. Johns River
Jacksonville's park system is widely described as the largest urban park system in the US, with facilities at more than 337 locations on more than 80,000 acres, including city, state and National Park Service land. The St. Johns River and its tributaries, such as the Trout River, run through the city, which is why boating, kayaking and fishing are part of daily life for many residents.
A broad job base: port, military, finance and logistics
The city is home to Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Naval Station Mayport and the Marine Corps Blount Island Command. About 23,000 civilian and active-duty personnel work at NAS Jacksonville alone. JAXPORT is Florida's largest seaport by volume, and four Fortune 500 companies have their headquarters in the city: CSX, Fidelity National Financial, FIS and Southeastern Grocers. Health care, insurance and distribution are other large employers.
A busy airport
More than 7.6 million passengers used Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) in 2024, the busiest year in its history, according to the airport. The airport has announced new nonstop routes recently, including Southwest to Austin and Avelo to the Philadelphia area. Check the airport's route map for the cities you fly to most, since that matters more than the total.
Major hospitals and medical training
Mayo Clinic has a Jacksonville campus, which also hosts programs of the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science. UF Health, the University of Florida's health system, includes hospitals in Jacksonville as part of its network across Gainesville, Jacksonville and Central Florida. For newcomers, the practical check is which hospitals and doctors are in-network for your insurance plan and how far they are from the homes on your list.
Universities and colleges
The University of North Florida, a public university opened in 1972, and Jacksonville University, a private university, both compete in NCAA Division I. Florida State College at Jacksonville runs several campuses, and Flagler College and St. Johns River State College are nearby. Beyond degrees, these bring evening classes, public lectures and sports to the city.
Pro sports and culture
The Jacksonville Jaguars play in the NFL, and the city also has minor league baseball (the Jumbo Shrimp), ECHL hockey and professional soccer. The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens and the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville, run as a cultural resource of UNF, are the best-known cultural draws. The city also hosts the annual Florida-Georgia college football game and the Gator Bowl.
Cons of living in Jacksonville
Insurance is a large and rising part of the budget
Citizens Property Insurance, the state-backed insurer, reported an average multi-peril homeowners (HO-3) premium of $2,426 in Duval County on policies in force at April 30, 2025. Its December 2025 filing recommended an average of $2,406 for policies from June 1, 2026. That is below the statewide Citizens average of $3,506, but it is still a large monthly cost, and private insurers price each home on its roof, age and location. Flood cover is a separate policy on top.
Hurricane and flood exposure
Direct hurricane landfalls on Jacksonville have been rare, but storms passing nearby still do damage. Hurricane Matthew in 2016 flooded parts of Jacksonville and the beach cities, and Hurricane Irma in 2017 brought record flooding along the St. Johns River. FEMA reports that nearly 44% of 2024 flood damage nationally happened outside high-risk flood zones. Check the parcel's flood zone, the seller's flood disclosure and your evacuation zone using the Jacksonville flood zone guide.
Long, hot and wet summers
NOAA's 1991-2020 normals for Jacksonville International Airport show an average July high of 91.9°F and about 80 days a year at 90°F or above. June through September each average between 6.77 and 7.60 inches of rain, and the annual normal is 53.40 inches. Air conditioning runs for much of the year, which shows up in electric bills.
A huge city where most people drive
The Census Bureau puts Jacksonville's land area at 747.29 square miles, the largest of any city in the contiguous US. The mean commute for city residents was 24.1 minutes in the 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey, but your time depends on which side of the St. Johns River you live and work on and which bridges you need. JTA runs buses, the free downtown Skyway and a river ferry, but outside downtown you should plan on needing a car.
Wages have to cover a higher living wage
MIT's living wage for one adult with no children in Duval County is $22.24 an hour, while MIT lists Florida's minimum wage at $14.00 as of January 2026. A household with one working adult and one child needs $37.27 an hour on MIT's estimate. Compare any job offer against those figures, and against the rent or mortgage in the area you want, before you move.
Big differences between areas
Home values, flood risk and school grades vary sharply across the city, so a citywide average tells you little about a specific street. In the state's 2025-26 school grades, 64 Duval schools earned an A, but grades range widely by school. Check the zoned schools for the exact address with the Jacksonville schools guide.
Rent is rising while prices ease
Zillow's typical rent rose 2.0% in the year to August 2026 while the typical home value fell 0.8%. If you plan to rent while you learn the city, budget for increases at renewal. If you plan to buy, the monthly cost of owning is not only the mortgage: tax, insurance and any HOA or CDD fees can add several hundred dollars.
Property tax rules are in flux
The City Council kept the city millage at 11.1919 for the coming year partly because of uncertainty over Amendment 3, a statewide property tax measure on the November 2026 ballot. Duval voters will also decide whether to extend the voter-approved 1-mill school tax, which is due to expire in June 2027. Either result could change future bills, so don't assume the seller's current bill is what you will pay. See the Duval County property tax guide.
What Jacksonville is like day to day
Winter and spring
Winters are mild. NOAA's normals for the airport give January an average high of 65.5°F and an average low of 42.9°F, with about 14 nights a year at or below freezing. Spring warms quickly: the average April high is 79.8°F and May reaches 85.9°F, while April and May are relatively dry at around 3 inches of rain each.
Summer and fall
Summer is the wet season. Highs average 89.9°F in June, 91.9°F in July and 90.8°F in August, with short, heavy afternoon storms. September is still one of the wettest months at 7.56 inches on average and sits at the peak of hurricane season, which runs June 1 to November 30. October and November cool off to average highs of 80.9°F and 73.2°F, and November is the driest month.
Getting around
Interstate 95 runs north to south through the city and I-295 forms a beltway, with I-10 heading west. Outside downtown, plan on driving for most trips. The Jacksonville Transportation Authority charges $1.75 for a regular bus fare and $65 for a 31-day pass, runs the free Skyway monorail downtown and a St. Johns River ferry, and lets riders 65 and older ride free with a valid ID. Test your commute at rush hour before you buy.
Things to do
Weekends often center on the water: the ocean beaches, the St. Johns River, and preserves such as the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve. In town you have Jaguars and Jumbo Shrimp games, the zoo, the Cummer Museum, MOCA Jacksonville and concerts at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena and Daily's Place, the amphitheater next to the stadium. Historic neighborhoods such as Riverside and Avondale and San Marco have walkable shopping streets.
What salary do you need to live in Jacksonville?
MIT's Living Wage Calculator, last updated February 15, 2026, estimates what a household needs to cover basic costs in Duval County with no savings or extras. These are pre-tax figures for full-time work:
| Household | Living wage per hour | Annual income before tax |
|---|---|---|
| 1 adult, no children | $22.24 | $46,251 |
| 1 adult, 1 child | $37.27 | $77,524 |
| 2 adults (1 working), no children | $29.63 | $61,629 |
| 2 adults (both working), 1 child | $21.25 each | $88,406 |
| 2 adults (both working), 2 children | $25.43 each | $105,795 |
For comparison, MIT's single-adult figure is $24.09 an hour for Florida as a whole and $24.69 in Hillsborough County (Tampa), so Jacksonville's basic cost of living sits below the state average on this measure.
Is $50,000 enough to live in Jacksonville?
For one adult with no children, $50,000 is above MIT's $46,251 living wage, so it covers the basics. It is tight for housing, though. Zillow's typical rent of $1,601 would take about 38% of a $50,000 gross income, above the common guideline of spending no more than 30% on housing. Sharing costs, choosing a lower-priced ZIP code or renting a smaller unit makes it work.
What salary do you need to live comfortably?
Using the 30% guideline, typical rent of $1,601 needs a gross income of about $64,000. Buying the typical $285,103 home with 10% down at Freddie Mac's 7.03% rate means principal and interest of about $1,712 a month, before property tax, insurance and any HOA or CDD fees. Once those are added, a household income of roughly $80,000 to $100,000 gives more breathing room, depending on the area and the home. That range is our estimate from these figures, not an official threshold.
Why people are moving to (and leaving) Jacksonville
The Census Bureau estimated Jacksonville's population at 1,017,689 in July 2025, up from 949,607 in the 2020 estimates base, a rise of 7.2%. Growth has come from several sources at the county level:
- Net domestic migration (people moving from elsewhere in the US) added 15,947 people to Duval County over the five years to July 2025. It peaked at 8,777 in the year to July 2022 and slowed to 101 in the year to July 2025.
- Net international migration added 35,877 over the same five years, including 4,753 in the latest year.
- Natural increase (births minus deaths) added 12,420.
Much of the region's domestic in-migration now lands in the surrounding counties. In the year to July 2025, net domestic migration was 12,549 in St. Johns County, 2,578 in Nassau County and 1,977 in Clay County, against 101 in Duval. That fits the pattern of new master-planned communities south and north of the city, which the Jacksonville new construction guide covers.
The Census counts do not record why people move. The reasons people most often give for choosing the area, such as prices, jobs, the coast and the lack of a state income tax, line up with the pros above, and the reasons some leave, such as insurance costs and summer weather, line up with the cons.
Is Jacksonville a good place to retire?
Jacksonville has several things retirees often look for: no state income tax on pensions or retirement account withdrawals, home prices below other large Florida metros, and access to major hospitals including Mayo Clinic's Jacksonville campus. JTA lets riders aged 65 and older ride its buses free with a Florida ID, driver's license or Senior STAR card.
The costs to plan for are insurance, flood risk near the coast and river, and the heat. Florida's homestead exemption takes up to $50,000 off the taxable value of a primary residence, and the Save Our Homes cap limits annual increases in a homestead's assessed value to 3% or the change in CPI, whichever is less. That cap resets when you buy, so your bill may be higher than the seller's.
For age-restricted housing, the new 55+ communities in the region are outside Duval County: Del Webb Saint Johns and WaterSong at RiverTown in St. Johns County, and Del Webb Wildlight in Nassau County. Our Jacksonville 55+ communities guide compares them and explains the legal 55+ rules.
Where to live in Jacksonville
Where you live changes the answer more than the city itself. A quick snapshot:
- Historic and close to downtown: Riverside and Avondale, San Marco and Ortega, with early 1900s homes and historic district rules.
- Established suburbs: Mandarin in the south, Southside near the office corridors and Arlington to the east.
- At the coast: Atlantic Beach and Jacksonville Beach, which are separate cities with their own tax rates.
- Master-planned communities: Nocatee, SilverLeaf and Julington Creek in St. Johns County, and Oakleaf in Clay County, where HOA and CDD fees are common.
The Jacksonville neighborhood guide compares them in more detail.
Should you move to Jacksonville?
This is a checklist of trade-offs to weigh, not a recommendation. Jacksonville tends to work out when most of these line up for you:
- Your income clears the living wage with room to spare. Compare your pay with MIT's $46,251 single-adult figure or the one for your household, then add your housing cost.
- You have priced insurance on real addresses. Get homeowners and flood quotes during your inspection period, not after closing.
- You know the flood and evacuation zones. They are different maps, and both matter.
- You have driven your commute at rush hour. In a 747-square-mile city, the side of the river matters.
- You have checked the full tax bill. Use the county's estimator with your purchase price, not the seller's bill, and watch the November 2026 ballot results.
- You can live with the summers. Visit in July or August if you can.
- You have compared renting with buying. Renting first lets you learn the areas before you commit, and the relocating to Jacksonville guide covers the move.
If you'd like help narrowing the map, we can introduce you to a local agent who knows the areas on your shortlist.
Common questions
Is it better to live in Tampa or Jacksonville?+
It depends on your budget and priorities. Jacksonville is cheaper: Zillow's typical home value was $285,103 in August 2026 against $377,566 in Tampa, and typical rent was $1,601 against $1,957. MIT's single-adult living wage is $22.24 in Duval County and $24.69 in Hillsborough County. Tampa has Gulf beaches and a denser core; Jacksonville has Atlantic beaches and far more land area.
What are the pros and cons of living in Jacksonville, FL?+
The main pros are home prices below other large Florida metros, no state income tax, Atlantic beaches, a large park system, a broad job base and a busy airport. The main cons are insurance costs, hurricane and flood exposure, hot and wet summers, a very spread-out city where most people drive, and big differences in values and schools between areas.
What salary do you need to live comfortably in Jacksonville, FL?+
MIT's living wage for one adult with no children in Duval County is $46,251 a year before tax. That covers the basics. To keep the typical $1,601 rent at 30% of income you would need about $64,000. For a household buying the typical home, an income of roughly $80,000 to $100,000 leaves more room once tax and insurance are added.
Where does Jacksonville rank in crime?+
There is no official crime ranking of US cities, and commercial rankings use their own methods and population estimates. The reliable approach is the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Transparency Portal, which publishes NIBRS offense data and a crime map updated daily. Check the blocks around a specific address over the past 12 months.
How much does a house cost in Jacksonville?+
Zillow's typical home value in Jacksonville was $285,103 in August 2026, down 0.8% in a year and up 16.7% over five years. By ZIP code the typical value ranged from $106,323 in 32209 to $489,045 in 32233. Nearby Fleming Island was $445,587 and Fernandina Beach was $610,615.
Does Jacksonville get hit by hurricanes?+
Direct hurricane landfalls on Jacksonville have been rare, but storms passing nearby regularly bring wind, rain and flooding. Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and Hurricane Irma in 2017 both caused significant flooding. Check the FEMA flood zone and evacuation zone for any home you consider, and get insurance quotes before you make an offer.
Is Jacksonville growing?+
Yes. The Census Bureau estimated the city's population at 1,017,689 in July 2025, up 7.2% from its 2020 base. Duval County gained 4,753 people from international migration and 101 from domestic migration in the year to July 2025, while neighboring St. Johns County gained 12,549 from domestic migration in the same year.
Sources
- Zillow Research: Home Value and Rent Index data (August 2026)
- U.S. Census Bureau: City and town population estimates, Florida, 2020-2025 (Vintage 2025)
- U.S. Census Bureau: County population estimates and components of change, 2020-2025
- U.S. Census Bureau: QuickFacts, Jacksonville city, Florida (land area, travel time to work)
- MIT Living Wage Calculator: Duval County, Florida (updated February 15, 2026)
- MIT Living Wage Calculator: Florida
- MIT Living Wage Calculator: Hillsborough County, Florida
- NOAA NCEI: 1991-2020 monthly climate normals, Jacksonville International Airport (USW00013889)
- NOAA NCEI: 1991-2020 annual climate normals, Jacksonville International Airport
- Florida Senate: Florida Constitution, Article VII, Section 5
- Jacksonville International Airport: news and passenger records
- Jacksonville Transportation Authority: Fares and passes
- Citizens Property Insurance: 2026 recommended rate filing (December 10, 2025)
- FEMA FloodSmart: Cost of flooding
- Florida Division of Emergency Management: Know Your Zone
- Jacksonville Today: Jacksonville City Council approves $2B budget (September 23, 2026)
- News4JAX: 2026 voter's guide, Duval County 1-mill school referendum
- Florida Department of Education: 2025-26 school grades
- Jacksonville Sheriff's Office: Transparency Portal
- UF Health: About UF Health
- Florida Department of Revenue: Property tax information for taxpayers
- Freddie Mac: Primary Mortgage Market Survey (September 24, 2026)
- Wikipedia: Jacksonville, Florida (parks, economy, military, culture, hurricane history)