Tampa 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 Tampa 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 Tampa: incomes, home prices, unemployment, schools, the works. The result is a no-nonsense ranking of where you actually want to live.
$106,250 median income · $667,111 median home price
Redington Shores is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Tampa area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Redington Shores.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $106,250 a year, which is the 4th highest in the Tampa region. And only 1.5% are out of work. Homes average more than $667,111 each.
$114,583 median income · $600,935 median home price
Located in
Pinellas County, Florida
St. Pete Beach is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Tampa for 2026.
It ranks 2nd for incomes in the area and only 5.3% of residents lack insurance, good for 5th best.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$98,611 median income · $776,860 median home price
Here in Indian Rocks Beach, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Tampa 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 Indian Rocks Beach.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$87,107 median income · $523,698 median home price
Located in
Pinellas County, Florida
Treasure Island ranks as the 4th best suburb of Tampa for 2026.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Treasure Island and the schools are some of the best around.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$106,830 median income · $495,956 median home price
Located in
Pinellas County, Florida
Coming in as the fifth best is Safety Harbor.
Safety Harbor gets kudos for having the 7th most expensive homes in the Tampa area, where houses sell for an average of $495,956. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$117,083 median income · $718,638 median home price
Belleair 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 5.5%.
According to online reports, Belleair is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Tampa area, meaning you need to get in soon.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$75,781 median income · $635,855 median home price
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Madeira Beach.
Madeira Beach 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 22.5 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$75,774 median income · $380,864 median home price
Located in
Pinellas County, Florida
Seminole 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 5.2% of people lack insurance, good for 3rd in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$88,333 median income · $365,724 median home price
Located in
Pinellas County, Florida
Is ‘Everything Better In Oldsmar?’
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
$53,075 median income · $304,627 median home price
And rounding out the top ten for 2026 is South Pasadena.
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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
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 Tampa suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the best suburbs around Tampa for 2026
Figuring out the best suburbs around Tampa 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 Tampa.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 23 suburbs to evaluate around Tampa.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 23 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 Tampa.” We’re lookin’ at you, Redington Shores.
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 Tampa suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
The full plate
Table: Best Tampa Suburbs
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Suburb Score | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Redington Shores | 2.86 | 2,009 | $106,250 | $667,111 |
| 2 | St. Pete Beach | 5.29 | 8,805 | $114,583 | $600,935 |
| 3 | Indian Rocks Beach | 5.71 | 3,664 | $98,611 | $776,860 |
| 4 | Treasure Island | 6.36 | 6,553 | $87,107 | $523,698 |
| 5 | Safety Harbor | 6.50 | 17,033 | $106,830 | $495,956 |
| 6 | Belleair | 7.14 | 4,428 | $117,083 | $718,638 |
| 7 | Madeira Beach | 8.57 | 3,953 | $75,781 | $635,855 |
| 8 | Seminole | 10.86 | 19,396 | $75,774 | $380,864 |
| 9 | Oldsmar | 11.43 | 14,904 | $88,333 | $365,724 |
| 10 | South Pasadena | 11.43 | 5,320 | $53,075 | $304,627 |
| 11 | Dunedin | 12.07 | 36,062 | $74,477 | $405,386 |
| 12 | Belleair Bluffs | 12.36 | 2,070 | $58,953 | $381,263 |
| 13 | Tarpon Springs | 12.93 | 25,791 | $79,529 | $388,386 |
| 14 | St. Petersburg | 13.29 | 262,732 | $75,192 | $347,964 |
| 15 | Temple Terrace | 13.93 | 27,275 | $69,252 | $325,256 |
| 16 | Gulfport | 14.43 | 11,734 | $71,203 | $349,949 |
| 17 | Largo | 15.93 | 82,617 | $62,096 | $332,210 |
| 18 | Mulberry | 16.00 | 4,188 | $57,708 | $285,079 |
| 19 | Clearwater | 16.57 | 117,247 | $66,381 | $339,488 |
| 20 | Zephyrhills | 16.64 | 19,668 | $52,108 | $304,732 |
| 21 | New Port Richey | 17.43 | 17,425 | $47,606 | $289,102 |
| 22 | Pinellas Park | 18.14 | 53,560 | $63,432 | $298,643 |
| 23 | Port Richey | 20.14 | 3,364 | $51,121 | $227,759 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 23 suburbs within 30 miles of Tampa.
Summary
Summary: Welcome to the Best Tampa ‘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 Tampa are Redington Shores, St. Pete Beach, Indian Rocks Beach, Treasure Island, Safety Harbor, Belleair, Madeira Beach, Seminole, Oldsmar, and South Pasadena.
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Tampa 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 Tampa FAQs
What is the best suburb of Tampa?
Redington Shores is the best suburb of Tampa for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. St. Pete Beach and Indian Rocks Beach are next.
What are the best suburbs of Tampa?
The best suburbs of Tampa are Redington Shores, St. Pete Beach, Indian Rocks Beach, Treasure Island, Safety Harbor, Belleair, Madeira Beach, Seminole, Oldsmar, and South Pasadena. We ranked all 23 places within commuting range.
How expensive is Redington Shores?
The median household income in Redington Shores is $106,250 and the median home costs $667,111. Top suburbs rarely come cheap; that is part of how they got there.
What counts as a suburb of Tampa?
Any place within 30 miles of Tampa qualifies. 23 towns fit that circle, and every one of them got scored.
How do you rank Tampa 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, Redington Shores, takes the crown.
