The True Monthly Cost of Living in St. Johns County: HOA, CDD, Insurance and More

By Ben Cote | NE Florida Realtor | eXp Realty

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What You'll Learn From This Post

• The full stack of monthly costs beyond your mortgage in a St. Johns County community
• What a CDD fee actually is — and why it's on your property tax bill, not the listing
• Real FY2027 CDD figures for Nocatee, RiverTown and Fleming Island
• Whether SilverLeaf's "no CDD" really means cheaper
• What to budget for taxes, insurance, flood and the hurricane deductible
• How to get the real number for a specific house before you make an offer

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When a family moving down from the Northeast sends me a Florida listing, the first thing they point to is the price and the monthly mortgage estimate. Fair enough — that's the big number.

But the mortgage is line one. In a St. Johns County master-planned community, there's a whole stack underneath it, and one of those lines doesn't even show up on the listing. It shows up on your property tax bill, it can be larger than your HOA, and it just went up double digits in some communities for the coming year.

This is the budget conversation I have with every relocating family before we tour a single house. Let's run through it honestly.

This post is general information, not tax, financial or insurance advice.

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What Does a Home in St. Johns County Really Cost Per Month Beyond the Mortgage?

Here's the full stack. Your real monthly housing cost is made of:

• Mortgage (principal and interest)
• Property tax
• HOA dues
• CDD assessment (more on this — it's the one people miss)
• Homeowners insurance
• Flood insurance (sometimes required, often worth it anyway)
• A cash reserve for your hurricane deductible

Northeast buyers consistently miss the CDD line, and it's not their fault. A CDD is a Florida special-district tool. It doesn't appear in the listing's HOA field — it lands on your annual property tax bill, in a section called "non-ad valorem assessments." If you're only looking at the mortgage estimate and the HOA dues, you're missing it entirely.

The simplest way to get your real number: take each annual figure, add them up, and divide by 12. That's your true monthly housing cost — and it's the number to compare across communities, not the sticker price.

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What Is a CDD Fee, and Why Is It on My Property Tax Bill?

A CDD — Community Development District — is a special-purpose local government that finances and maintains the infrastructure of a master-planned community: roads, drainage, amenities, common areas. It funds that work through assessments that appear on your property tax bill.

A CDD assessment often has two parts:

1. Operations and maintenance (O&M) — the ongoing cost of running and maintaining the community's amenities and common areas.
2. Debt service — repayment of the bonds that originally built the infrastructure. Some lots have had this debt paid off, so they pay only O&M.

That second part is why two identical-looking homes in the same community can carry different CDD amounts — it can depend on the village, the lot width, and whether that lot's bond debt has been paid down.

Florida law takes this seriously enough that it requires a bold disclosure in the sales contract (Statute 190.048) stating that the CDD "may impose and levy taxes or assessments… in addition to county and other local governmental taxes." If you're buying in a CDD community, you will sign that disclosure — read it.

(For the bigger-picture version of how master-planned communities are structured, I broke that down in this post.)

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How Much Are CDD Fees in Nocatee, RiverTown and Fleming Island?

Here are the actual FY2027 figures, pulled from each district's adopted budget. These are the amounts landing on the November 2026 tax bills.

Nocatee (Tolomato CDD) — FY2027 O&M by lot width, per year:

Lot width	Annual O&M	~Monthly O&M
40 ft	$599.06	~$50
50 ft	$665.61	~$55
60 ft	$732.18	~$61
70 ft	$798.74	~$67
80 ft	$865.30	~$72

That's the maintenance portion. Many Nocatee lots also carry bond debt on top. For example, from the Tolomato resident lookup: a 40-foot lot in Greenleaf Village runs about $1,824 a year total (debt + O&M, roughly $152/month), and an 80-foot Greenleaf lot about $2,499 a year (roughly $208/month). Some Tolomato lots show no debt at all — O&M only — because the bonds were paid off. The lookup also excludes paydowns made after August 1, 2026 and lots platted after January 1, 2026, so always confirm the specific parcel.

RiverTown is served by three separate CDDs — Rivers Edge, Rivers Edge II, and Rivers Edge III — each with its own budget. And here's the news peg: FY2027 maintenance assessments went up about 11% in Rivers Edge and about 22% in Rivers Edge II and III year over year.

A few FY2027 annual maintenance examples (prior year in parentheses):

• Rivers Edge, 50–59 ft lot: $2,041.83 ($1,839.49)
• Rivers Edge III, 50–59 ft lot: $2,675.90 ($2,193.36)
• Rivers Edge II, 40–49 ft lot: $1,845.70 ($1,512.86)

Important: those RiverTown figures are the maintenance portion only. Debt service may be added on top, so treat these as a floor, not the full CDD bill.

Fleming Island Plantation (Clay County) — FY2027, per unit, most villages: $1,235.43 O&M + $646.13 debt = $1,881.56 a year (roughly $157/month). A few villages (Autumn Glen, Lake Ridge North, Carrington Place) run slightly different, and prepaid lots are about $1,317.76. Fleming Island's Series 2021 bonds reach final maturity on May 1, 2031.

How to find the exact number for an address: look at the parcel's property tax bill, in the non-ad valorem section. For Nocatee specifically, the Tolomato CDD publishes a resident assessment lookup. Never assume based on the community name — the number is lot-specific.

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Does SilverLeaf Really Have No CDD?

SilverLeaf's developer, The Hutson Companies, describes it as "a master-planned community with no CDD fees." That's the developer's own statement, and it's a genuine selling point — but "no CDD" is not automatically the same as "cheaper."

Here's why: SilverLeaf still has an HOA structure made up of a master association plus neighborhood sub-associations (Brandon Lakes, Silver Falls, Silver Landing, Waterford Lakes, and others). Those dues aren't published publicly. So to compare SilverLeaf honestly against a CDD community, you have to stack the full picture — master HOA + neighborhood HOA — not just note the absence of a CDD line.

One more trap worth knowing: if you Google "SilverLeaf CDD," you may find a "Silverleaf Community Development District" — but that one is in Manatee County, a completely different community unrelated to the SilverLeaf in St. Johns County. Don't let it confuse your research.

The honest move either way: verify the specific parcel's tax bill, and request the HOA disclosure summary (Florida Statute 720.401). If the seller doesn't provide it, you generally have a 3-day right to void the contract.

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How Much Are Property Taxes in St. Johns County?

St. Johns County's 2025 certified total millage was 13.4686. For FY2027, the county adopted a budget that held the millage rate the same as FY2026. The school district's 2026–27 tentative millage is 6.264 (down slightly from 6.272 the prior year); note the school figure is tentative.

On exemptions, the homestead basics today: a $25,000 exemption from all taxes, plus up to an additional $25,000 on assessed value above $50,000 for non-school levies (that second portion is indexed to inflation).

One thing to watch: Amendment 3 is on the November 3 ballot and could change homestead exemptions for 2027 and beyond. I broke down what it would and wouldn't do — including the December 31, 2026 residency wrinkle for people moving here — in this post. For an estimate on a specific home, use the county property appraiser's estimator or talk to a tax professional.

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What Should I Budget for Homeowners Insurance, Flood and the Hurricane Deductible?

Insurance belongs in your monthly number, and in Florida it's a bigger line than most Northeast buyers expect.

Homeowners insurance. The average annual premium in St. Johns County is about $2,883 with wind coverage and $2,055 without (Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, data as of March 31, 2026). Notice the gap — wind coverage is most of the swing. An average isn't your quote, but it tells you the neighborhood you're budgeting in.

The hurricane deductible. This is the one people don't reserve cash for. Florida law lets insurers offer hurricane deductibles of $500, 2%, 5%, or 10% of your dwelling limit (the $500 option isn't required at dwelling limits of $250,000 or more). The percentage matters: a 2% deductible on a $400,000 dwelling limit is $8,000 out of pocket before coverage kicks in on a hurricane claim. That's money you want sitting in reserve, not a surprise.

Flood insurance. Your homeowners policy almost certainly doesn't cover flood — it's a separate policy. In high-risk zones with a government-backed mortgage it's required; in Zone X it's not federally required but FEMA still recommends it, noting that 1 in 3 flood insurance claims come from low- and moderate-risk zones. NFIP policies typically carry a 30-day waiting period, so you can't buy it the week a storm is named. And if you're insuring through Citizens: starting January 1, 2027, flood coverage is required on all Citizens policies with wind coverage, regardless of the home's value — even outside the high-risk zones.

(I'm writing a full post on what insurance actually costs here and why quotes jump — I'll link it here once it's live. In the meantime, my insurance eligibility post covers the roof-age and flood-zone side.)

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How Do I Get the Real Number for a Specific House Before I Make an Offer?

Here's the checklist I run with buyers. Do this during your inspection period, before you're committed:

1. Pull the parcel's property tax bill and read the non-ad valorem section — that's where the CDD lives.
2. Check the CDD lookup or budget for the community (Tolomato publishes one for Nocatee).
3. Request the HOA disclosure summary — remember the 3-day void right if it's not provided.
4. Get a real homeowners and flood quote on the actual address, and ask the seller for an existing wind mitigation report and 4-point inspection.
5. Look up the FEMA flood zone for the exact address.

Do those five things and you'll know your true monthly number — not the sticker, the real one. For anything involving financing, that's a conversation for your lender.

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If you want help stacking the real monthly cost on a specific community or house before you fly down to tour, that's exactly the budget conversation I have with relocating families every week. Start with my Northeast Florida Relocation Guide, or reach out and I'll help you find the exact CDD, HOA and tax lines for an address.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is a CDD fee in Florida? A CDD (Community Development District) fee is an assessment that funds a master-planned community's infrastructure and amenities. It appears on your annual property tax bill, often in two parts: operations and maintenance, and bond debt service.

How much are CDD fees in RiverTown? RiverTown is served by three CDDs (Rivers Edge, Rivers Edge II and III). For FY2027, the maintenance portion alone runs roughly $1,800 to $3,600+ a year depending on the district and lot width, and those maintenance assessments rose about 11% to 22% year over year. Debt service may be added on top, so confirm the specific parcel's tax bill.

How much are CDD fees in Nocatee? Nocatee is in the Tolomato CDD. FY2027 maintenance runs about $599 (40-ft lot) to $865 (80-ft lot) per year, with bond debt often added on top — for example, a 40-ft Greenleaf Village lot totals about $1,824 a year. Some paid-off lots pay maintenance only.

Does SilverLeaf have a CDD? SilverLeaf's developer states it has no CDD fees. It does have a master HOA plus neighborhood associations, so compare the full cost stack and verify the specific parcel's tax bill. (A separate "Silverleaf CDD" in Manatee County is unrelated.)

Is the CDD fee included in my property taxes? The CDD assessment appears on the same property tax bill, in the non-ad valorem section, but it's a separate line from your county and school ad valorem taxes.

Do I need flood insurance in Flood Zone X in St. Johns County? It's not federally required in Zone X, but FEMA recommends it, and 1 in 3 flood claims come from low- and moderate-risk zones. Your lender may still require it, and Citizens will require flood on all wind policies starting January 1, 2027.

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This post is general information, not tax, financial or insurance advice. Figures are from the adopted FY2027 district budgets, the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, and Florida Statutes as of October 2026; assessments, rates and rules change. Verify the specific parcel's tax bill, HOA disclosure and a real insurance quote, and consult the St. Johns County Property Appraiser and a licensed professional before making a decision.

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Ben Cote | NE Florida Realtor | eXp Realty | 802.734.2397