Is Florida Actually Cheaper? The Honest Cost of Living Breakdown for St. Johns County

By Ben Cote | NE Florida Realtor | eXp Realty

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What You'll Learn From This Post

• Whether "Florida is cheap" is actually true — and where the myth breaks down
• The real cost of housing and property taxes in St. Johns County
• Why homeowners insurance is the number that catches people off guard
• How the no-state-income-tax advantage actually works — and who it helps most
• An honest side-by-side with high-tax Northeast states
• How to figure out your real number before you move

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There's a belief that follows almost every conversation about moving to Florida: it's cheaper down there.

Sometimes that's true. Sometimes it's very true. And sometimes people move here expecting a bargain, get their first insurance quote, and wonder what happened.

The honest answer is that Florida's cost of living is more nuanced than the reputation. There are real, significant savings — and there are real costs that catch people off guard because nobody warned them. If you're planning a move to St. Johns County, you deserve the whole picture, not the brochure version.

Let's break it down honestly.

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The Big One: No State Income Tax

This is the headline, and it's genuinely a big deal.

Florida is one of only nine states with no state personal income tax. For someone relocating from a high-tax Northeast state, that difference isn't theoretical — it shows up in your take-home pay every single month.

Consider the contrast. A single filer earning $250,000 in Vermont faces an effective tax rate that, by one analysis, lands near 33% when all is said and done. Move that same income to Florida and the state portion of that burden goes to zero. Even at more typical household incomes, the swing from a state that taxes income at 5-9% to one that taxes it at 0% is thousands of dollars a year staying in your pocket.

This is the single biggest reason the cost-of-living math often works in Florida's favor — and it's why no-income-tax states like Florida gained hundreds of thousands of residents in recent years while high-tax Northeast states saw slower growth or decline.

But — and this is the part the "Florida is cheap" crowd skips — no income tax doesn't mean no taxes. Florida makes up revenue in other ways, and the full picture matters.

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Housing: Higher Than You Might Expect for the Area

Here's where expectations often need adjusting.

St. Johns County is not a bargain housing market by Florida standards. It's one of the more desirable — and therefore more expensive — counties in Northeast Florida. As of mid-2026, the typical home value in the county sits in roughly the $490,000 range, with median sale prices depending on the source and the specific area landing somewhere between the low $400,000s and around $500,000.

That premium is not random. You're paying for the top-ranked school district in Florida, coastal access, master-planned communities, and a quality of life that keeps demand strong. Compared to neighboring Jacksonville (Duval County), St. Johns County runs meaningfully higher.

Now — here's the context that matters for a Northeast transplant. Compared to what you'd pay for a comparable home in much of Massachusetts, Connecticut, or the desirable parts of Vermont and New Hampshire, that same money often stretches considerably further in St. Johns County — newer construction, more square footage, a yard, and amenities you simply couldn't touch at that price up north. So "expensive for Florida" and "a relative value for a relocating New England family" can both be true at the same time. It depends entirely on where you're coming from.

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Property Taxes: Lower Rate, But Read the Fine Print

Florida property tax rates are moderate — but there are nuances that trip people up, and one that specifically catches new residents.

St. Johns County's total millage rate runs around 13.47 mills, which works out to an effective rate a little above 1% of assessed value in many cases. On a $350,000 home with the standard homestead exemption, that's roughly $350 a month in year one. Actual bills across the county vary widely — depending on the specific area, home value, and assessment, annual bills range from the mid-$2,000s on the lower end well into the $6,000-plus range for higher-value homes.

Two things every relocating buyer needs to understand:

The Save Our Homes cap. Once you own and homestead your primary residence in Florida, the state caps how fast your assessed value can rise — at 3% per year. This is a genuine long-term protection. It means your tax bill can't balloon unpredictably the way it can in some states, and longtime owners often pay far less than the market would suggest.

The trap new buyers fall into. When you buy, your home gets reassessed at the current market value — you do not inherit the seller's capped, lower tax bill. Buyers routinely look at a listing's current tax figure, assume that's what they'll pay, and get surprised at their actual year-one bill. Always calculate your tax based on your purchase price, not the seller's history.

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The Number Nobody Warns You About: Homeowners Insurance

If there's one line item that breaks the "Florida is cheap" myth, it's this one.

Florida homeowners insurance premiums run well above the national average, and they swing the true cost of living far more than groceries or utilities ever will. Most standard cost-of-living calculators barely account for it — which is exactly why people get blindsided.

The market has been genuinely difficult in recent years. Carriers pulled back, premiums rose, and many homeowners ended up with Citizens, the state-backed insurer of last resort. Premiums vary significantly based on the home's age, construction, roof, and proximity to the coast.

The takeaway isn't "don't move here." It's "budget for this honestly before you fall in love with a house." Insurance — homeowners plus flood, where required — is the single most important variable in your real monthly cost, and it deserves a real quote on a specific property early in your search, not a guess at the end. (I've written a full breakdown of Florida insurance eligibility and what drives your premium if you want to go deeper.)

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The Everyday Stuff: Roughly Average

Here's the good news on the day-to-day: groceries, utilities, and general expenses in Florida land close to the national average — less dramatic in either direction than housing or insurance.

Groceries see relatively little state-to-state variation. Utilities can actually compare favorably to the Northeast in one specific way that matters to transplants: you're trading months of expensive winter heating for summer air conditioning costs. For a lot of families coming from Vermont or Massachusetts, losing the oil or propane heating bill is a real and underappreciated saving — though you'll want to budget for AC running hard from roughly June through September.

The everyday costs won't make or break your budget. Housing, taxes, and insurance will. That's where to focus your math.

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The Honest Side-by-Side With the Northeast

So does the move actually save you money? For most relocating New England families, the honest answer is: often yes, but not for the reason people assume.

It's usually not that individual things are dramatically cheaper. It's the combination — no state income tax keeping more of every paycheck, a capped property tax that protects you long-term, housing that stretches further than comparable Northeast markets, and the loss of winter heating costs. Stack those together and the total picture frequently favors Florida.

But it's not automatic, and the people who get burned are the ones who assumed it would be. The insurance line can eat a chunk of the income-tax savings. An expensive home in a flood zone changes the math. A buyer who doesn't budget for the real year-one tax bill gets an unpleasant surprise.

The families who come out ahead are the ones who ran their actual numbers — their income, their target price range, a real insurance quote, and the true tax bill — instead of relying on a reputation.

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How to Figure Out Your Real Number

Before you move, build your honest monthly picture:

Your actual take-home pay increase from eliminating state income tax — run your real income, not a rule of thumb.

The year-one property tax on your target price range, calculated at purchase value with the homestead exemption, not the seller's current bill.

A real homeowners insurance quote — and a flood quote if the property requires it — on a specific home, not a ballpark.

Your realistic housing cost compared honestly to what you'd pay for a comparable home where you are now.

The everyday stuff — groceries, utilities, factoring in losing winter heating but adding summer cooling.

Put those together and you'll have something the "Florida is cheap" crowd never has: an actual answer for your situation.

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Florida can absolutely be more affordable than the high-tax Northeast — sometimes dramatically so. But it's a math problem, not a slogan, and the answer is different for every family. If you want help running your real numbers for a move to St. Johns County, that's exactly the kind of honest conversation I have with relocating families every week. I'd rather you go in with clear eyes than a pleasant surprise that turns into an expensive one.

👉 thecotecollective.com/relocate

thecotecollective.com

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Ben Cote | NE Florida Realtor | eXp Realty | 802.734.2397

This post is general information, not financial or tax advice. Tax rates, insurance costs, and home values change — verify current specifics for your situation with the appropriate licensed professional.