Moving to Florida from Texas

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What to Expect

Considering a move from Texas to Florida? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.

If you moved from Texas to Florida, you would find that Florida is 14.9% more expensive than Texas. A $75,000 salary in Texas would need to be roughly $86,200 in Florida to maintain the same lifestyle. Houston and Jacksonville are about 820 mi apart.

Thinking of moving to Florida? Get a shortlist of towns in Florida that match your priorities: size, cost, taxes, safety, disaster risk, hospitals and transport. Find my towns →

Is Florida cheaper than Texas?

How key spending categories compare

Restaurants

pay 12.5% more

Groceries

pay 12.5% more

Transportation

pay 0.7% more

Housing

pay 33.5% more

Childcare

pay 6.4% less

Entertainment and Sports

pay 3.7% more

See full cost of living breakdown

Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.

What salary do you need in Florida?

What does your salary buy?

$75,000 → $86,200

To maintain the same standard of living in Florida

Calculate with your salary →

Cost of living by city

Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).

On average, cities in Florida cost about 27% more than cities in Texas.

Texas

Dallas 66%
McKinney 62%
Plano 61%
Frisco 61%

Compare cities head-to-head

Key Indicator Comparison

The numbers behind daily life in Florida compared to Texas.

Is it safe?

Violent crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

TX
391
FL
280
Property crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

TX
2153
FL
1461

Florida performs significantly better than Texas across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Uninsured rate US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of people without health insurance

TX
16.0%
FL
11.0%
Adult obesity rate Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), 2022

share of adults with obesity

TX
36.8%
FL
32.6%

Florida performs significantly better than Texas across all health & wellbeing metrics.

What about housing?

Median home value US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical price of a home

TX
$260,400
FL
$325,000
Median rent US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical monthly gross rent

TX
$1,339
FL
$1,564

Texas generally does better on what about housing?, though Florida leads in homeownership rate.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Internet access US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of households with internet

TX
90.1%
FL
90.4%
Average commute US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

minutes each way to work

TX
27 min
FL
28 min

Texas generally does better on infrastructure, though Florida leads in internet access.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

TX
3.9%
FL
4.4%
GDP per capita Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024

a broad measure of economic output per person

TX
$70,071
FL
$57,636

Texas generally does better on employment & economy, though Florida leads in poverty rate.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy OECD Regional Demography, 2020

average years of life at birth

TX
76.5 yrs
FL
77.5 yrs
Bachelor's degree or higher US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of adults with a 4-year college degree

TX
20%
FL
22%

Florida performs significantly better than Texas across all family life metrics.

Weather in Florida vs Texas

Monthly averages — select a city to compare.

Houston Rain: 49.8 in/yr (1264 mm)
80° / 60°F

Avg. annual high / low

Jacksonville Rain: 51.7 in/yr (1312 mm)
78° / 59°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Houston Jacksonville
Jan–Mar 67°/48°F (20°/9°C) 68°/47°F (20°/8°C)
Apr–Jun 86°/67°F (30°/19°C) 83°/64°F (28°/18°C)
Jul–Sep 93°/73°F (34°/23°C) 88°/73°F (31°/22°C)
Oct–Dec 73°/53°F (23°/11°C) 73°/54°F (23°/12°C)
View all months
Month Houston Jacksonville
Jan 63°/43°F (17.2°/6.2°C) 64°/44°F (18.0°/6.6°C)
Feb 66°/47°F (19.1°/8.1°C) 67°/46°F (19.5°/7.9°C)
Mar 73°/53°F (22.8°/11.4°C) 72°/52°F (22.4°/10.9°C)
Apr 80°/59°F (26.4°/15.2°C) 78°/56°F (25.4°/13.6°C)
May 86°/68°F (30.2°/19.8°C) 84°/64°F (28.9°/17.7°C)
Jun 91°/73°F (33.0°/22.9°C) 88°/71°F (31.2°/21.7°C)
Jul 94°/75°F (34.3°/23.9°C) 90°/73°F (32.4°/22.7°C)
Aug 94°/75°F (34.7°/23.8°C) 89°/74°F (31.9°/23.1°C)
Sep 90°/70°F (32.1°/21.0°C) 86°/71°F (30.1°/21.6°C)
Oct 82°/61°F (27.8°/16.1°C) 80°/63°F (26.4°/17.1°C)
Nov 72°/52°F (22.5°/11.2°C) 73°/53°F (22.9°/11.8°C)
Dec 64°/45°F (17.9°/7.0°C) 66°/46°F (19.0°/7.9°C)

Data: National Weather Service National Weather Service

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to live in Florida than Texas?

On average Florida is around 15% pricier than Texas, with notable variation by city.

How much money do I need to move to Florida?

Budget about $21,550 for 3 months in Florida (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.

Is Florida safe?

Florida performs significantly better than Texas across all safety metrics.

How is healthcare in Florida compared to Texas?

Florida performs significantly better than Texas across all health & wellbeing metrics.

What's the weather like in Florida compared to Texas?

The average high temperature in Jacksonville is 78°F, compared to 80°F in Houston. Jacksonville receives around 51.7 in of rainfall per year, while Houston gets 49.8 in.

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