How Much Houses Cost in the 20 Best Florida Suburbs To Raise a Family

Even if you’re waiting for home prices and mortgage rates to drop further before buying in Florida, you probably want to determine where you can afford to live in the Sunshine State.

According to Redfin, there were 197,286 Florida homes for sale in June, an increase of 39.2% over the previous June. However, the number of homes sold decreased by 15.2%.

Additionally, mortgage rates have declined slightly, which is good news if you’re looking for a family home in Florida.

This quick guide can give you an idea of how much houses cost in 20 of the best Florida suburbs to raise a family. 

Niche, a company specializing in data solutions for the real estate and education industries, considers the following suburbs to be some of the best in Florida for families. Niche compiles data on public school systems, cost of living, family-friendly amenities, crime rates and more to determine its top picks.

Here’s an overview of the housing markets in these suburbs, including average housing costs.

• Average housing cost: $702,295

A suburb of Jacksonville, Nocatee is part of the coastal community of Ponte Verde, with a population of about 23,000 and a highly rated school district. Home prices start in the $400,000 range, and in June, about 300 homes were on the market. According to Zillow, about 75% of Nocatee homes sell for below their listing price.

Pictured: Jacksonville, Florida

• Average housing cost: $572,282

Westchase, a suburb of Tampa, is a master-planned, deed-restricted community of about 3,500 homes with a population of about 24,891. Like all of the suburbs on this list, it has an excellent public school system.

Westchase properties range from $99,000 to $1.8 million, but about 65% of homes sell for below their original listing price. The average Westchase home is on the market for about 85 days.

Pictured: Tampa, Florida

• Average housing cost: $887,332

More than 26,000 residents live in Keystone, a Tampa suburb with a rural feel. The community includes about 9,700 properties ranging from smaller homes on golf courses to horse farms with lots of land. Niche gives the area’s school district an A rating.

Currently, there are about 100 homes for sale in Keystone, with homes selling in about 67 days, longer than the national average of 44 days.

Pictured: Tarpon Springs, Florida

• Average housing cost: $864,753

Palm Valley, a suburb of Jacksonville with an A-plus school rating and a population of almost 20,000, is a large metro area surrounded by coastal plains and rivers. Niche describes the area as having a “sparse suburban feel.”

In June, 383 Palm Valley homes were for sale, of which 89 were new listings. Although the median listing price is $969,750, 80.3% of homes sell for less than the list price.

Pictured: Jacksonville, Florida

• Average housing cost: $557,067

Another family-friendly Jacksonville suburb is Fruit Cove, with a population of 35,333. Fruit Cove is a large metro area with a rural feel on the St. Johns River.

Fruit Cove properties range in price from $259,900 to $2.8 million and spend about 33 days on the market before being sold. The median discount is 3% off the original list price on most sold properties.

• Average housing cost: $516,882

One of the Orlando suburbs that made Niche’s list is Oviedo, a metro area of only 15 square miles and a population of 39,552 that sits among flatlands and lakes. Seminole County schools have an A rating.

There were 218 Oviedo properties for sale in June. Homes typically sell within 37 days, and about 60.6% of Oviedo homes are sold under the original list price.

Pictured: Orlando, Florida

• Average housing cost: $450,578

The Fleming Island school district is one of the highest rated by Niche, with an A-plus rating, and is considered a family-based community.

The Jacksonville suburb sits on a 23-square-mile peninsula that’s accessible only by bridge or boat and has a population of just under 30,000. Fleming Island homes range from $85,000 to $3 million.

Most homes stay on the market for only 39 days, with 61.3% selling for less than the list price. As of June, 165 Fleming Island homes were available for sale.

Pictured: Jacksonville, Florida

• Average housing cost: $756,017

The Weston community is a Fort Lauderdale suburb bordered by the Florida Everglades. Niche describes it as having a dense suburban feel with its Mediterranean-style homes and 68,029 residents.

Weston home values have increased 8.0% over the past year, but 71.2% of homes sell for under the list price. In June, there were 332 homes for sale in the area. Most remain on the market for about two months.

• Average housing cost: $463,769

Tampa suburb Pebble Creek has a population of 10,976. It’s a low-fee homeowners association community in a highly ranked school district — ranked as Tampa’s 17th-friendliest neighborhood by NextDoor.

According to Homes.com, Pebble Creek home prices range from “$280,000 for a townhouse to $645,000 for a contemporary five-bedroom home.”

Only 41 of the community’s 1,473 homes were for sale in June, with the average home selling in about 35 days.

Pictured: Tampa, Florida

• Average housing cost: $1,110,659

Parkland is a Fort Lauderdale suburb with a rural feel. Its large homes sit on oversized lots. Parkland has a population of 34,832 and, according to Homes.com, is in an exceptional school district.

Parkland home prices range from $245,000 to $8 million. In June, there were 234 homes on the market.

About 80% of Parkland home sellers fail to secure their asking prices. The median discount off the original list price is 5.0%.

Pictured: Nearby Pompano Beach, Florida

• Average housing cost: $802,014

Heathrow is a gated neighborhood that’s 20 miles north of downtown Orlando with a population of more than 7,000. It’s in an A-rated school district, and most homes are large, with four or five bedrooms.

About 17 Heathrow homes are currently for sale. Property prices range from $299,000 to $4.5 million.

Pictured: Orlando

• Average housing cost: $2,134,345

Pinecrest is a Miami suburb with 18,279 residents. The community’s estate-style homes are on half-acre to full-acre lots with plenty of trees.

Pinecrest has an extensive range of property values, from $282,000 to $23 million. The median Pinecrest single-family home price is $3.3 million, and homes spend about 85 days on the market.

• Average housing cost: $1,070,463

Palmetto Bay, another Miami suburb, has more than 24,000 residents and lower housing prices than neighboring Pinecrest.

The average Palmetto Bay home price is about half that of the average Pinecrest home. Many of Palmetto Bay’s ranch-style and Mediterranean-style homes were built in the mid-20th century.

As of June, Palmetto Bay had 134 homes listed for sale. The median time until they receive a pending contract is 43 days.

Pictured: Miami

• Average housing cost: $501,355

Gotha is a central Florida suburb that’s home to only about 1,640 residents. It’s just minutes from downtown Orlando but has a small-town, rural feel.

Niche rates the school district an A-minus. Gotha home prices range from $329,900 to $5 million.

Because of the community’s small size, there are only a few dozen homes for sale, with most selling within 49 days.

Pictured: Orlando

• Average housing cost: $480,318

Lake Mary is an Orlando suburb with excellent schools, the lowest property tax rate in its county and 16,636 residents.

In June, Lake Mary had 208 homes for sale, with a median price of $500,000 for single-family homes. Some homes are priced as high as $4.5 million.

Pictured: Orlando

• Average housing cost: $527,851

According to Niche, the Fish Hawk community is a suburban and rural mix with a population of 25,179.

It’s part of the Tampa suburb Lithia and has A-rated schools, with home prices ranging from around $225,000 to more than $2 million.

Realtor.com has 115 listings for Fish Hawk homes, which spend an average of 47 days on the market.

Pictured: Tampa

• Average housing cost: $498,862

Lutz, another large Tampa suburb, has 24,721 residents.

Niche gives it an A rating for schools, and according to Homes.com, the community is a mix of “rural and suburban living.”

In June, 106 Lutz homes went on the market. Homes take about 48 days to sell, and 66.7% sell for below the original list price.

Pictured: Tampa

• Average housing cost: $490,985

Gulf Breeze, a Pensacola suburb, is home to 6,372 residents on Florida’s Emerald Coast.

Like most coastal communities in Florida, Gulf Breeze is vulnerable to floods and hurricanes. Almost 400 Gulf Breeze properties were on the market in June.

The median single-family home price is $449,000, although some homes are valued as high as $4.5 million.

Pictured: Pensacola, Florida

• Average housing cost: $691,624

Horizon West is an Orlando suburb with a population of just under 60,000. It’s so close to Walt Disney World that many Horizon West residents can see the nightly fireworks at Disney’s Magic Kingdom.

Niche.com rates its school system as an A-minus. Home sizes range from small three-bedroom abodes to sprawling six-bedroom estates.

The average Horizon West home price is about 33.5% more expensive than the national average, and 24.6% higher than the average Florida home. Typically, homes in the area sell in about 59 days. 

Pictured: Orlando

• Average housing cost: $450,683

Northdale, with its A-rated schools and almost 27,000 residents, is located just outside Tampa.

The 70-plus homes listed for sale on Realtor.com range in price from about $249,000 to $1.5 million, and housing prices in the area are up 6.3% over the past year.

A home’s median time on the Northdale market is 34 days. Most homes sell for just below the listing price.

Pictured: Tampa