10 Florida Spots Listed Among The 'Cheapest Beach Towns' To Live In

Rising expenses are motivating Americans to look for more affordable places to live. While some people opt for smaller cities and humble towns, others are setting their sights on coastal communities. They have a reputation for being pricey, especially for tourists, but there are plenty of beach towns that offer a comfortable cost of living.

For those looking for an affordable beach town for their next home, GOBankingRates revealed the "cheapest" ones to live in. Out of 35 entries on the list, 10 of them are located in the Sunshine State. Here are the ones that made the cut plus their median home cost:

• Pensacola ($240,000)
• Carrabelle ($250,400)
• Daytona Beach ($245,100)
• Fort Pierce ($274,000)
• Panama City ($252,800)
• Vero Beach ($349,200)
• Fort Walton Beach ($322,200)
• Port Saint Joe ($271,500)
• Ruskin ($350,000)
• Clearwater ($338,400)

Analysts also revealed how they determined the list:

"To find the cheapest beach towns you can afford to live in, GOBankingRates gathered a list of beach towns from across the United States, and for each city, a number of factors were found from Sperlings BestPlaces: [1] Grocery Cost of Living Index, [2] Healthcare Cost of Living Index, [3] Housing Cost of Living Index, [4] Utilities Cost of Living Index, [5] Transportation Cost of Living Index, [6] Miscellaneous Cost of Living Index. Each index was multiplied by its respective national average annual expenditure cost from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey for all consumers. Then, GOBankingRates was able to calculate the total annual expenditure cost for each city, sorting them to show the cheapest beach towns you can afford to live in. The beach towns’ overall cost of living index and median home value were also included as supplemental data. All data is up-to-date as-of August 4th, 2023."

Want more recommendations on affordable beach towns? Check out the full report on gobankingrates.com.