Pros and Cons of Living in Florida
No income tax and 3,100 hours of sunshine a year, against the highest homeowners insurance in the country and a real hurricane season. The balanced version, from a broker who sells here every day and will tell you what is actually worse.
Short answer: Florida's biggest advantages are financial and climate: no state income or estate tax, close to 3,100 hours of sunshine a year in Miami, and job growth that ranked among the top states in the country in 2026. The real trade-offs are the highest average homeowners insurance premium in the country, a hurricane season that runs June through November, condo rules that got much stricter after the 2021 Surfside collapse, and summer heat that sits near 88°F for months. It is worth it for a lot of the people I work with. It is not automatically worth it for everyone, and I would rather tell you that up front.
- $0Florida state income and estate tax.
- ~3,100 hrsAnnual sunshine in Miami, about 70% of possible daylight hours.
- $2,677Average FL homeowners premium (2022, latest official data), highest in the U.S.
- 8 landfallsFlorida hurricane landfalls, 2017-2025, with zero in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2025.
The pros
No state income tax, no estate tax
The Florida Constitution bars a state income tax on individuals, so wages, self-employment income, pensions, Social Security, capital gains and dividends are not taxed at the state level. Florida also has no estate tax and no inheritance tax. See the full worked examples on my Florida income tax page.
Weather that is a real lifestyle input, not a slogan
Miami sees the sun roughly 70% of possible daylight hours, totaling more than 3,100 hours a year, with around 74 mainly-clear days annually. January's average high is 73.6°F. That is the trade-off that makes the summer heat, covered below, worth it for a lot of people.
State parks and beaches
Florida's state park system runs to roughly 175 parks, trails and historic sites across nearly 800,000 acres and about 100 miles of sandy beach, figures the state park system uses in its own materials, as reproduced by secondary guides; other sources put the park count at 174 or 176.
Job growth
Florida's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.5% in August 2026, and the state added 20,700 net payroll jobs that month, tying for third among all states for 12-month percentage job growth. The Miami metro area alone added 42,600 jobs over the year through June 2025.
The homestead exemption and assessment cap
A primary residence gets up to $50,000 off its assessed value ($50,722 for 2025), and once homesteaded, the assessed value can rise at most 3% a year, or the CPI change if lower (2.9% for 2025) under the Save Our Homes cap. Long-time owners in Miami are often paying property tax on a fraction of what their home is actually worth.
Flights and connectivity
Two major airports serve the area. Fort Lauderdale (FLL) has nonstop New York service on JetBlue and Delta at roughly 3 hours 16 minutes gate to gate, and Miami (MIA) has nonstops from JFK at about 2 hours 32 minutes on American and Delta, with LaGuardia and Newark nonstops in the 2.5 to 3.25 hour range. Those times come from airline-schedule aggregators, so treat them as directionally right rather than to the minute. For a family that still has parents, clients or a second office in the Northeast, that is the difference between a weekend trip and a production.
Sales tax holidays
Florida runs a back-to-school sales tax holiday most years (July 20 to August 20 in 2026) covering clothing, school supplies and computers up to set price caps, and has made its disaster-preparedness exemption on batteries, generators, tarps and similar items permanent year-round rather than a seasonal window.
The cons
Homeowners insurance
The latest finalized official data (NAIC, 2022, via the Insurance Information Institute) puts Florida's average homeowners premium at $2,677 a year, the highest of any state, against a $1,569 national average. Current market-rate estimates for 2025-2026 run considerably higher, some quoting $5,500 to $11,000-plus depending on the property, though those come from carrier surveys rather than an official regulator figure, so treat any single "the average is $X" number with skepticism. The trend is at least improving: after roughly 31% to 34% cumulative increases from 2022 through 2025, the pace has slowed to about 4.1% over the most recent 12 months, and the state's own regulator reported the average premium falling in 51 of 67 counties over its last two reports. Citizens Property Insurance, the state-backed insurer of last resort, had 294,894 policies in force as of April 30, 2026, down from a peak of about 1.42 million in October 2023, as more than 428,000 policies shifted to private carriers since January 2024.
Hurricanes
Florida had 8 hurricane landfalls between 2017 and 2025: Irma (2017, Category 4), Michael (2018, Category 5), Ian (2022, Category 4), Nicole (2022, Category 1), Idalia (2023, Category 3), Debby (2024, Category 1), Helene (2024, Category 4) and Milton (2024, Category 3), with zero hurricane landfalls in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2025. Ian is the deadliest of the period at roughly 150 deaths statewide. In response, the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone covering Miami-Dade and Broward counties carries the strictest wind code in the country, with design wind speeds around 175 mph in Miami-Dade, requiring impact-rated glazing or shutters on every exterior opening.
Condo rules since Surfside
After the 2021 Surfside collapse, Florida passed SB 4-D, requiring condo and co-op buildings three stories and taller to complete milestone structural inspections on an age-based schedule, with structural integrity reserve studies due by the end of 2025. Associations can no longer vote to waive or underfund reserves for major structural components on budgets adopted since the end of 2024. The result has been real special assessments on older, deferred-maintenance buildings, while newer and well-managed towers are largely unaffected. Ask for the milestone status and reserve study before buying any Florida condo.
Heat and humidity
Miami's average high runs 87.8°F in July and 88.1°F in August, with the humidity that comes with a subtropical climate. It is the flip side of the winter weather that draws people here; plan on five or six months of real heat.
Traffic
The Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metro's mean commute is 30.2 minutes, about 10% above the national average of 27.2 minutes. In the 2025 INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard, Miami drivers lost 75 hours to congestion for the year, ranking 6th worst among U.S. urban areas, tied with Atlanta and behind Chicago, New York City, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Boston.
Car dependence and car insurance
Outside a handful of walkable pockets (Brickell, South Beach, downtown Fort Lauderdale), you need a car. Florida full-coverage car insurance averages about $311 a month, roughly 50% above the $208 national average and among the three most expensive states, versus about $226 in New York and $221 in California.
Migration has slowed, and Florida loses people too
Florida's net domestic migration was about 22,500 for the year ending June 30, 2025, down sharply from about 311,000 in 2022. What gets left out of the "everyone is moving to Florida" headline: roughly 506,200 people left Florida for another state in 2024, essentially flat versus about 510,000 in 2023, with Georgia, Texas and North Carolina the top destinations for people leaving. Florida still posted positive net migration because 573,900 moved in during 2024, but it is simultaneously the top in-migration state and the second-highest out-migration state in the country. It is a big, high-turnover state, not a one-way street.
Property tax resets when you buy
The Save Our Homes cap is a real benefit, but only to the seller who has held the home for years. As the buyer, your tax bill is based on your purchase price, at roughly 0.81% in Miami-Dade or 0.96% in Broward, minus the homestead exemption once you file it, not the number on the seller's current tax bill.
Who this is right for, and who it isn't
In my experience, Florida is a strong move if you are coming from a high state-income-tax state and the savings actually change your household budget, if you want an outdoor lifestyle and can handle five months of real heat, and if you go in with eyes open on insurance and buy accordingly, meaning a newer building or a house with a recent roof and impact windows rather than the cheapest option on the market. It is a harder fit if you are extremely rate sensitive on insurance, if you are buying an older coastal condo without checking its reserve study first, or if you genuinely need four seasons to feel settled somewhere. I have clients on both sides of that line, and the honest conversation up front saves everyone time.
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Related guides
Frequently asked questions
What are the pros and cons of living in Florida?
The main pros: no state income or estate tax, roughly 3,100 hours of sunshine a year in Miami, strong recent job growth, and a homestead exemption plus assessment cap that rewards long-term owners. The main cons: the highest average homeowners insurance in the country, hurricane season, stricter condo rules and special assessments since the 2021 Surfside collapse, summer heat and humidity, and traffic that ranks among the worst in the country in South Florida specifically.
Is living in Florida worth it?
For a lot of the buyers I work with, yes, mainly because of the tax savings and the weather, but it depends on how you weigh insurance cost and hurricane risk against that. If you are moving from a high-tax state and can absorb a higher insurance bill, the math usually works. If you are extremely rate sensitive on insurance or dislike heat and humidity for five months a year, think harder about it.
What are the biggest downsides of moving to Florida?
Homeowners insurance, hurricane season, and, if you are buying a condo, the post-Surfside inspection and reserve rules that have produced real special assessments on older buildings. Traffic in South Florida is also worse than people expect: Miami ranked 6th worst among U.S. metro areas for congestion in the 2025 INRIX scorecard.
Are people still moving to Florida?
Yes, but at a much slower pace than the 2021-2023 surge. Florida's net domestic migration was about 22,500 for the year ending June 30, 2025, down from about 311,000 in 2022. Florida is simultaneously the top state for people moving in and the second-highest for people moving out, because it is simply a large, high-turnover state.
What is it like living in Florida?
In South Florida specifically: hot, humid summers with a real hurricane season from June through November, a car-dependent lifestyle outside a few walkable pockets, no state income tax, and a lot of sunshine. It is a different day-to-day than a four-season state, and it suits people who prioritize outdoor living and lower taxes over seasons and lower insurance costs.
Weighing a move to Florida?
Tell me what you are weighing it against and what matters most to you, taxes, weather, family, or a specific job, and I will give you a straight answer on whether South Florida fits, along with homes that match your budget. No pressure, no drip campaign.
Kevin Poler · Broker, The Poler Team · Optimar International Realty, 18246 Collins Ave, Sunny Isles Beach, FL 33160Sources
- Florida Constitution, Article VII, Section 5 (income and death taxes). Text.
- Insurance Information Institute, homeowners insurance average premiums by state (NAIC 2022 data). iii.org.
- Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, "Policies in Force," April 30, 2026. citizensfla.com.
- Wikipedia, "List of Florida hurricanes (2000-present)," compiling NOAA/National Hurricane Center Tropical Cyclone Reports. Wikipedia; primary reports at nhc.noaa.gov.
- U.S. Census Bureau, "U.S. Population Growth Slows Due to Historic Decline in Net International Migration," January 27, 2026. census.gov.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, State Employment and Unemployment news release, August 2026. bls.gov.
- Florida Department of Revenue, Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday guidance and permanent disaster-preparedness exemption. floridarevenue.com.
- INRIX 2025 Global Traffic Scorecard, as covered by CNBC, December 8, 2025.
- Tax Foundation, Property Taxes by State and County (2024 ACS data). taxfoundation.org.
- Miami-Dade Property Appraiser, Homestead Exemption and Save Our Homes. miamidadepa.gov.
- FlightsFrom.com, AirportOverview.com and TravelMath schedule aggregators for FLL and MIA nonstop times (secondary, not airline schedule pages).