The Salary Needed To Afford Florida’s Largest Cities

Florida’s largest cities offer a wide range of living costs, making urban life in the Sunshine State accessible across multiple income levels.

A comfortable living in one of the Florida’s four most populous cities comes with annual expenses ranging from $90,000 to $150,000. That’s according to a recent GOBankingRates analysis of data from the U.S. Census, the Zillow Home Value Index, Federal Reserve Economic Data and AreaVibes.

GOBankingRates calculated the annual salary needed for a comfortable living by doubling the average annual cost of living. This factors in the 50/30/20 rule, which holds that needs should not exceed 50% of total household income. GBR’s full methodology is included at the end of this story.

Jacksonville, Florida’s most populous city, offers a blend of high livability and relatively low living costs. Flashier Miami is significantly more expensive, while Orlando and Tampa fall in the middle of the pack.

Those four cities crack the top 75 list for the most populous U.S. cities. They’re listed below, along with their population as of 2023, AreaVibes livability scores and cost-of-living figures.

Also see the salary you need to live well in the 50 biggest cities.

• Population: 961,739
• Livability: 84
• Annual cost of living: $44,731
• Cost of comfortable living: $89,462

Jacksonville’s livability score of 84 from AreaVibes is tied for the top spot among America’s 75 largest cities (the others are Pittsburgh; Lincoln, Nebraska; and Raleigh, North Carolina.) Jacksonville is also relatively affordable — its annual cost of living is the 26^th least expensive among those 75 cities. Its household median income stood at $67,000 in 2023.

• Population: 446,663
• Livability: 81
• Annual cost of living: $73,432
• Cost of comfortable living: $146,863

As of May, the average value of a single-family home in Miami stood at $666,000. The average monthly mortgage is just shy of $2,000. Household median income came in at $59,390 for 2023.

• Population: 393,389
• Livability: 80
• Annual cost of living: $51,976
• Cost of comfortable living: $103,953

By percentage, Tampa saw the 10^th-largest increase in population among major U.S. cities between 2022 and 2023 (a boost of 1.19%). Single-family homes costing less than $400,000 are still findable here, with median values at $395,000 as of May. On median household income, Tampa’s figure for 2023 was $71,000.

• Population: 311,732
• Livability: 81
• Annual cost of living: $52,968
• Cost of comfortable living: $105,936

The home of Disney World and numerous other amusement parks, Orlando falls in the middle of the pack among major U.S. cities when it comes to annual cost of living. As of May, the average value of a single-family home here stood at $408,000. Orlando’s household median income in 2023 was $69,000.

Methodology: For this study, GOBankingRates analyzed the 75 largest U.S. cities by population and determined the salary needed to live in each location. GBR determined the top 75 cities by population using the U.S. Census American Community Survey. The single-family home value was sourced from the Zillow Home Value Index. All data was collected on and is up to date as of July 21, 2025.