The 10 Best Places To Buy A House In Florida For 2023


The best places to buy a house in Florida are Freeport and Daytona Beach Shores for 2023 based on Saturday Night Science.

By: Chris Kolmar | About HomeSnacks
Last Updated: October 27, 2023
Editor’s Note: This is not investment advice, and we are not financial advisers.

Suppose real estate is the most significant investment a majority of people make in their lifetime. In that case, it’s best to understand the places in Florida with best potential return on investment.

After working in real estate adjacent roles for over a decade, I had the hypothesis that the best place to buy for a return on investment would be up-and-coming cities. Smaller cities where crime might be high now, but people still move to.

To test my hypothesis, we are going to look at places in Florida that are growing faster than average, but where home prices are below average, and crime rates are higher than average.

In everyday terms, these might be “deals”. The best deal in Florida at the moment according to Saturday Night Science? That would be Freeport.

Here’s a look at the top ten places to buy a home in Florida for 2023 based on this logic.

The methodology that wen’t into this can be a bit complicated, so we’ll break it down for you in as much detail as we can below.

For more Florida reading:

Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table

The 10 Best Cities To Buy A House In Florida For 2023

1. Freeport

Freeport, FL

Source: Wikipedia User Skye Marthaler | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 5,478
Median Home Price: $275,100
Population Change: 124.9%
Home Price Change: 4.7%
More on Freeport:  | Real Estate | Data

2. Daytona Beach Shores

Daytona Beach Shores, FL

Source: Wikipedia User Gamweb | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 5,086
Median Home Price: $341,300
Population Change: 11.7%
Home Price Change: 5.3%
More on Daytona Beach Shores: Crime Report | Real Estate | Data

3. Dundee

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 5,122
Median Home Price: $166,200
Population Change: 8.1%
Home Price Change: 10.6%
More on Dundee:  | Real Estate | Data

4. Belleview

Belleview, FL

Source: Wikipedia User Ebyabe | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 5,314
Median Home Price: $102,000
Population Change: 5.7%
Home Price Change: 5.6%
More on Belleview: Crime Report | Cost Of Living | Real Estate | Data

5. Flagler Beach

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 5,064
Median Home Price: $380,000
Population Change: -0.0%
Home Price Change: 14.7%
More on Flagler Beach: Crime Report | Cost Of Living | Real Estate | Data

6. South Pasadena

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 5,319
Median Home Price: $226,600
Population Change: 4.5%
Home Price Change: 14.7%
More on South Pasadena: Crime Report | Cost Of Living | Real Estate | Data

7. Kenneth City

Source: Public Domain
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 5,046
Median Home Price: $179,900
Population Change: -1.4%
Home Price Change: 3.7%
More on Kenneth City: Crime Report | Cost Of Living | Real Estate | Data

8. Starke

Starke, FL

Source: Wikipedia User Michael Rivera | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 5,669
Median Home Price: $93,600
Population Change: 4.7%
Home Price Change: -3.6%
More on Starke: Crime Report | Cost Of Living | Real Estate | Data

9. Davenport

Davenport, FL

Source: Wikipedia User Ebyabe | CC BY-SA 2.5
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 9,049
Median Home Price: $234,600
Population Change: 67.0%
Home Price Change: 16.5%
More on Davenport: Crime Report | Cost Of Living | Real Estate | Data

10. Okeechobee

Okeechobee, FL

Source: Wikipedia User No machine-readable author provided. Bastique assumed (based on copyright claims). | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 5,279
Median Home Price: $152,000
Population Change: -5.3%
Home Price Change: 9.6%
More on Okeechobee: Crime Report | Cost Of Living | Real Estate | Data

Methodology: How do you determine the best places to buy a home in Florida for 2023?

We were in real estate for almost five years and have worked on this site for another 8. Suffice it to say we’ve put a lot of thought into finding an excellent place to buy a home.

So all that thinking has come to this moment where we get to spell out how we’d approach finding an up-and-coming place to live in Florida. Put differently, the analysis will try to find places in Florida with undervalued homes relative to pent-up demand using Saturday Night Science.

To do that, we looked at the most recent American Community Survey Census data for 2017-2021 and compared it to the previous vintage. Specifically, we used the following criteria:

  • Y-o-Y Change In Population (People want to live here)
  • Y-o-Y Change In Median Home Prices (People are willing to pay for it)
  • Home Prices Relative To The State Average (It’s still kinda cheap)

We want places that are growing, have seen home prices increase in recent years, and are still “cheap” for Florida with the following caveats:

So of the 0 cities and towns in Florida, only 220 places made it through our initial filters to even be considered.

We then ranked each place from 1 to 220 for the above criteria, with 1 being the best. We averaged the rankings to create a “best place to buy” index, with the place having the lowest index being the best.

Turns out that Freeport is the best potential gem in the not-so-rough in the Sunshine State.

Best Places To Retire In Florida

Summary: The Best Places To Purchase A House In Florida for 2023

There’s our analysis of the best places to buy a house in Florida. And, to be clear, we aren’t necessarily saying these places are the best places to live, just that it looks like they might be in a couple of years based on the data.

In fact, every place in the following table meets our criteria, so even though it may not look super long, remember we started off with all 0 places in the state.

So if we’d could rent or buy in these cities, we’d definitely buy.

For more Florida reading, check out:

Best Places To Buy A Home In Florida

Rank City Median Home Price Population Change Home Price Increase
1 Freeport $275,100 124.9% 4.7%
2 Daytona Beach Shores $341,300 11.7% 5.3%
3 Dundee $166,200 8.1% 10.6%
4 Belleview $102,000 5.7% 5.6%
5 Flagler Beach $380,000 -0.0% 14.7%
6 South Pasadena $226,600 4.5% 14.7%
7 Kenneth City $179,900 -1.4% 3.7%
8 Starke $93,600 4.7% -3.6%
9 Davenport $234,600 67.0% 16.5%
10 Okeechobee $152,000 -5.3% 9.6%
11 Surfside $628,800 0.0% 1.5%
12 Bay Harbor Islands $386,300 0.8% -17.1%
13 High Springs $201,600 5.8% 14.6%
14 Lake Alfred $180,800 3.4% 33.5%
15 Mascotte $185,100 10.0% 12.0%
16 Newberry $230,000 19.4% 6.7%
17 Tequesta $445,200 -0.1% 6.6%
18 Fort Meade $117,400 -16.8% 26.4%
19 Pahokee $97,700 -12.4% -10.2%
20 Marianna $86,200 -2.4% -1.6%
21 South Bay $99,900 -5.7% 8.4%
22 Defuniak Springs $125,900 -12.3% 0.0%
23 Lauderdale-By-The-Sea $481,500 -7.0% 7.1%
24 Gulf Breeze $436,900 -7.1% 18.6%
25 Macclenny $181,600 7.2% 3.6%
26 Perry $107,800 0.0% 12.9%
27 Treasure Island $416,600 -4.2% 5.2%
28 Live Oak $104,400 -2.3% 8.0%
29 St. Augustine Beach $443,900 -4.6% 2.4%
30 Fort Myers Beach $465,900 -19.9% -1.9%
31 Belle Isle $367,500 -2.3% 1.7%
32 Neptune Beach $462,200 -4.6% 8.0%
33 Quincy $78,600 11.1% -1.1%
34 Dade City $150,700 -1.7% 28.6%
35 Longboat Key $756,500 2.0% 4.4%
36 Wildwood $300,100 100.9% 37.8%
37 Sanibel $730,400 -12.8% 3.8%
38 Inverness $120,100 0.3% 13.7%
39 Clewiston $124,300 -5.9% -0.3%
40 Southwest Ranches $698,100 -4.2% 4.2%
41 North Bay Village $340,100 -0.6% 4.6%
42 West Miami $363,700 -13.0% 4.6%
43 Arcadia $120,400 -8.9% 6.0%
44 Green Cove Springs $192,600 12.9% 7.2%
45 Brooksville $67,900 4.2% 5.3%
46 Indian Harbour Beach $321,600 4.5% 4.1%
47 Lake Park $264,800 5.0% 13.6%
48 Marathon $586,500 10.0% 13.4%
49 Orange Park $217,100 -0.9% 7.8%
50 Palm Beach $1,523,100 4.5% 25.7%
51 Springfield $115,500 -6.4% -3.1%
52 Fruitland Park $265,200 -14.2% 7.3%
53 St. Pete Beach $531,400 -6.7% 9.6%
54 Alachua $217,600 6.4% 6.9%
55 Milton $148,100 -2.1% 9.8%
56 Miami Shores $590,100 11.4% 6.1%
57 Palatka $82,400 0.1% 10.5%
58 Cape Canaveral $270,100 -4.1% 2.0%
59 Sebring $117,400 3.6% 12.7%
60 Avon Park $84,700 -7.7% 5.3%
61 Satellite Beach $342,800 0.8% 6.5%
62 Lighthouse Point $541,500 -6.3% 7.2%
63 Cocoa Beach $350,400 -3.0% 6.2%
64 Florida City $196,100 8.3% 13.9%
65 Lantana $260,700 -3.7% -0.1%
66 South Miami $577,500 0.3% 1.5%
67 Lake City $133,400 1.3% 13.7%
68 Minneola $288,900 12.2% 11.6%
69 Orange City $179,000 4.2% 24.5%
70 Holly Hill $131,100 4.7% 11.1%
71 Gulfport $252,500 -4.1% 15.1%
72 Wilton Manors $425,000 -8.4% 10.9%
73 Fernandina Beach $356,600 0.6% 7.2%
74 Panama City Beach $290,700 40.3% 8.9%
75 Key Biscayne $1,246,700 12.9% -12.8%
76 North Palm Beach $366,400 0.0% 6.1%
77 South Daytona $154,500 -0.9% 7.0%
78 Palmetto $172,500 -2.7% 6.9%
79 Atlantic Beach $435,400 -3.1% 9.6%
80 Miami Springs $436,700 -1.1% 2.4%
81 Mount Dora $268,800 11.5% 4.5%
82 Destin $357,400 -5.0% 3.3%
83 Callaway $162,500 -7.0% 5.6%
84 Oldsmar $272,800 -0.2% 7.6%
85 West Park $251,300 0.1% 29.1%
86 St. Augustine $312,700 -7.1% 6.1%
87 Groveland $247,300 18.4% 8.1%
88 Longwood $241,900 -2.8% 5.3%
89 Niceville $269,800 -0.6% 8.7%
90 Lady Lake $161,500 -0.1% 3.1%
91 Opa-Locka $197,400 1.9% 16.2%
92 Zephyrhills $124,900 4.9% 6.6%
93 Auburndale $190,400 -3.2% -0.3%
94 Stuart $224,600 6.1% 9.1%
95 Lake Wales $189,700 -2.1% 5.0%
96 New Port Richey $113,500 -1.2% 14.1%
97 Lake Mary $350,700 -3.1% 6.4%
98 Vero Beach $287,500 -5.3% 6.6%
99 Tavares $172,500 6.2% 10.9%
100 Maitland $424,700 7.9% 6.7%
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.

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