City housing comparison

Jacksonville vs Tampa: Housing Costs Compared

Compare Jacksonville, FL and Tampa, FL using 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year housing and income estimates.

Quick answer

Jacksonville has lower reported median rent

Median gross rent is $236 lower per month in Jacksonville. The income associated with a 30% rent target is $9,400 lower per year there.

This is a housing baseline, not an overall winner or a complete cost-of-living comparison.

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Compare housing costs using the same 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year definitions and calculations.

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Side-by-side data

Housing and income benchmarks

MetricJacksonvilleTampa
Median gross rent$1,465/mo±$17 MOE$1,701/mo±$27 MOE
Income for 30% rent target$58,600±$700 derived MOE$68,000±$1,100 derived MOE
Median household income$69,872±$1,200 MOE$75,475±$1,872 MOE
Median home value$293,700±$4,064 MOE$420,400±$8,438 MOE
Home value-to-income4.2x5.6x
Owner-occupied homes58%50%

Decision signals

What the differences mean

01

Renting baseline

Jacksonville has $236 lower reported monthly median gross rent. Keeping that rent near 30% of gross income corresponds to $9,400 less annual household income than in Tampa.

02

Household income context

Tampa reports $5,603 higher median household income. Citywide medians do not show an individual household's job offer, debt or family size.

03

Buying pressure

Jacksonville reports a $126,700 lower median home value. Jacksonville has the lower home value-to-income baseline by 1.4x. This does not include mortgage rates, taxes, insurance, maintenance or down payment requirements.

04

Ownership mix

Jacksonville has an owner-occupied share 7.2 percentage points higher. Ownership share describes occupied housing, not homes currently available for sale.

City guide

Jacksonville, FL

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City guide

Tampa, FL

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Comparison questions

Which city has lower median rent?

Jacksonville has lower reported median gross rent by $236 per month in the 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year estimates.

Which city needs less income for the 30% rent benchmark?

Jacksonville has the lower reported annual income target by $9,400.

Does this compare total cost of living?

No. It compares housing, household income and ownership measures. Food, transportation, taxes, health care and live listings are outside the current scope.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates. Latest release checked Jul 11, 2026 at 11:49 UTC. Review the definitions and methodology.