Orlando has plenty to offer, but the price of admission usually comes with traffic, sky-high rent, and a calendar that fills itself.
If you want the upside of Orlando without the daily grind, the answer is almost always a good suburb. The catch: not every suburb is worth the move.
So we ranked them. Using Saturday Night Science, we pulled the numbers on every place within commuting distance of Orlando: incomes, home prices, unemployment, schools, the works. The result is a no-nonsense ranking of where you actually want to live.
$177,778 median income · $705,137 median home price
Windermere is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Orlando area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Windermere.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $177,778 a year, which is the highest in the Orlando region. And only 2.5% are out of work. Homes average more than $705,137 each.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$152,195 median income · $561,314 median home price
Oakland is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Orlando for 2026.
It ranks 2nd for incomes in the area and only 3.7% of residents lack insurance, good for 2nd best.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$105,724 median income · $464,211 median home price
Located in
Orange County, Florida
Here in Winter Park, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Orlando metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Winter Park.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$109,173 median income · $466,032 median home price
Located in
Seminole County, Florida
Lake Mary ranks as the 4th best suburb of Orlando for 2026.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Lake Mary and the schools are some of the best around.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$97,031 median income · $686,828 median home price
Coming in as the fifth best is Montverde.
Montverde gets kudos for having the 2nd most expensive homes in the Orlando area, where houses sell for an average of $686,828. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
$117,070 median income · $506,154 median home price
Located in
Seminole County, Florida
Oviedo is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 5.3%.
According to online reports, Oviedo is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Orlando area, meaning you need to get in soon.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$104,559 median income · $533,137 median home price
Located in
Orange County, Florida
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Belle Isle.
Belle Isle schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 4.6 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$92,574 median income · $424,494 median home price
Located in
Seminole County, Florida
Winter Springs is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 6.3% of people lack insurance, good for 6th in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$97,150 median income · $480,711 median home price
Located in
Orange County, Florida
Is ‘Everything Better In Maitland?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$81,481 median income · $483,107 median home price
And rounding out the top ten for 2026 is Edgewood.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Florida’s statewide median.
Florida statewide median: $74,568
Florida statewide median: $375,662
Florida statewide median: 4.8%
Florida statewide median: 12.6%
On the map
Where the best Orlando suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the best suburbs around Orlando for 2026
Figuring out the best suburbs around Orlando was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2020-2024 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Orlando.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 24 suburbs to evaluate around Orlando.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 24 in each category, where 1 was the best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near Orlando.” We’re lookin’ at you, Windermere.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best Orlando suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
The full plate
Table: Best Orlando Suburbs
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Suburb Score | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Windermere | 3.71 | 3,086 | $177,778 | $705,137 |
| 2 | Oakland | 7.29 | 3,646 | $152,195 | $561,314 |
| 3 | Winter Park | 7.36 | 30,274 | $105,724 | $464,211 |
| 4 | Lake Mary | 7.50 | 16,860 | $109,173 | $466,032 |
| 5 | Montverde | 7.57 | 2,249 | $97,031 | $686,828 |
| 6 | Oviedo | 8.07 | 40,599 | $117,070 | $506,154 |
| 7 | Belle Isle | 9.57 | 7,444 | $104,559 | $533,137 |
| 8 | Winter Springs | 9.86 | 38,951 | $92,574 | $424,494 |
| 9 | Maitland | 10.00 | 19,469 | $97,150 | $480,711 |
| 10 | Edgewood | 10.64 | 2,758 | $81,481 | $483,107 |
| 11 | Clermont | 11.07 | 46,853 | $82,306 | $429,095 |
| 12 | Winter Garden | 11.29 | 47,872 | $106,495 | $567,352 |
| 13 | Minneola | 11.43 | 16,598 | $110,902 | $440,330 |
| 14 | Longwood | 14.43 | 16,337 | $78,548 | $455,599 |
| 15 | Casselberry | 14.57 | 30,135 | $62,447 | $346,839 |
| 16 | Apopka | 14.64 | 58,232 | $96,884 | $394,963 |
| 17 | Ocoee | 14.79 | 49,033 | $98,911 | $414,464 |
| 18 | St. Cloud | 14.86 | 65,130 | $83,174 | $394,011 |
| 19 | Sanford | 16.00 | 63,730 | $66,891 | $342,584 |
| 20 | Altamonte Springs | 16.79 | 46,116 | $64,070 | $294,423 |
| 21 | Davenport | 19.07 | 13,238 | $73,685 | $341,898 |
| 22 | Kissimmee | 19.14 | 81,479 | $53,758 | $358,736 |
| 23 | Midway | 19.29 | 3,511 | $63,381 | $248,338 |
| 24 | Eatonville | 21.07 | 2,290 | $32,768 | $251,251 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 24 suburbs within 30 miles of Orlando.
Summary
Summary: Welcome to the Best Orlando ‘Burbs of 2026
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
The best suburbs of Orlando are Windermere, Oakland, Winter Park, Lake Mary, Montverde, Oviedo, Belle Isle, Winter Springs, Maitland, and Edgewood.
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Orlando but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you. Not sold on Florida? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Suburbs Of Orlando FAQs
What is the best suburb of Orlando?
Windermere is the best suburb of Orlando for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Oakland and Winter Park are next.
What are the best suburbs of Orlando?
The best suburbs of Orlando are Windermere, Oakland, Winter Park, Lake Mary, Montverde, Oviedo, Belle Isle, Winter Springs, Maitland, and Edgewood. We ranked all 24 places within commuting range.
How expensive is Windermere?
The median household income in Windermere is $177,778 and the median home costs $705,137. Top suburbs rarely come cheap; that is part of how they got there.
What counts as a suburb of Orlando?
Any place within 30 miles of Orlando qualifies. 24 towns fit that circle, and every one of them got scored.
How do you rank Orlando suburbs?
Each suburb is scored on income, home values, density, unemployment, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey data. The best combined score, Windermere, takes the crown.
