If you live in Florida, you know it can be hard to find a city or town with low cost of living that’s still safe enough to raise a family. At some point we’ve all wished we could live in a nice place that didn’t cost an arm and a leg. To tackle this question, we used data from the site www.areavibes.com to round up some towns that are both affordable (for our state) and much safer than most places in Florida. In the end we put together this list of the cheapest places to live in Florida!
This city of around 13,000 people located in the Panhandle really lives up to its name. The cost of living and gasoline are below the average for the state, and the crime is much lower. Though the student-to-teacher ratio is high, the high school graduation rate is still 8% higher than the rest of the state. Niceville hosts the annual Boggy Bayou Mullet Festival in October, which is a great time to go check the city out.
Valparaiso is a small city in northwest Florida. It boasts a crime rate about 70% lower than the rest of the state, a lower-than-average cost of living and cost of gas, along with a 9% higher graduation rate.
Port Orange is the largest city on this list, at around 60,000 people. The crime rate isn't as low as some of the smaller towns on this list, but it's still lower than the average, and the violent crimes are 80% lower than the rest of the state. The cost of living is average, but the cost of housing is good for Florida. It's only six miles from Daytona Beach, but has a much lower crime rate and some small-town charm.
Oriole Beach is an unincorporated community of fewer than 2,000 way out on the west end of the Panhandle. It has a relatively low cost of living and housing, and an excellent high school graduation rate. Plus, it has some beautiful scenery.
Dunedin is a uniquely small and charming city in Pinellas County. Though it has a population of only 35,000, this town features fun traditions and festivals, lower-than-average crime rates, and better-than-average cost of living and graduation rates.
Temple Terrace is a city of around 25,000 near Tampa. Its crime rate is not as low as some of these small towns, but it's lower than the state average. It has a good cost of living and high school graduation rate, and it's about 10 miles from Tampa and all of its attractions.
Apalachicola is a much-loved small town in Franklin County. If you're not worried about graduation rates or employment (if you're retired for example) Apalachicola has a very low cost of living and housing, along with a very low crime rate. Even if you don't move there, it's a great place to visit.
Do you live in any of these towns and want to tell us about them? Are there any others you think should’ve made the list? Let us know in the comments below!
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