President Trump’s tariffs are affecting homeowners’ insurance
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- Florida’s population boom, which peaked in 2022, has slowed considerably.
- Rising costs of living, including housing and insurance, are driving some residents out of Florida.
- Despite overall cost increases, Port St. Lucie, FL, ranks in the top 15 WalletHub’s 2025 list of best real estate markets.
A massive influx of new residents made Florida one of the most popular U.S. states to move to from 2021 through 2023. In 2022, it became the country’s fastest-growing state for the first time since 1957, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
But the pandemic-fueled mass migration to Florida has slowed dramatically since 2024. According to a May 2025 report on nationwide moving trends from moving and storage company PODS, massive waves of people are still moving to the Southeast — but most are opting for Appalachian states, like the Carolinas and Tennessee.
Why? Mostly financial reasons.
According to the PODS report, more people are choosing to leave Florida due to “worsening severe weather impacts,” population boom creating congestion throughout the state, the rise in the cost of living, high inflation and high home insurance premiums.
It’s no secret that Florida isn’t the cheapest place to live. Still, the cost of living varies significantly throughout the state, with some less-populated areas seeing more affordable prices than the most-populated metropolitan areas.
On Aug. 20, personal finance company WalletHub released its list of the best real estate markets in the U.S. for 2025, and one Treasure Coast city made the Top 15.
Here’s which Florida city made WalletHub’s Top 15 best real estate markets for 2025, why and the average cost of buying a house there.
Where in the US has the best real estate market?
To find the best real estate markets in the U.S., WalletHub compared 300 cities across 17 metrics in two categories: real estate market and affordability and economic environment.
“Factors like the cost of living, the potential for the value of homes to increase, the availability of recently built homes and the quality of the city’s job market are all important to consider in conjunction with asking prices and interest rates,” WalletHub Analyst Chip Lupo said in the study.
“The best cities may not always be the cheapest, but they offer excellent housing options and long-term stability.”
According to the study, the U.S. city with the best real estate market is McKinney, Texas.
Real estate markets in the US: This Florida town among Top 15
The only Florida city that ranked higher than 37th place is Port St. Lucie, Florida, which took 14th place overall. Port St. Lucie also took first place overall in WalletHub’s “affordability and economic environment” metrics.
Here are WalletHub’s Top 15 best real estate markets in the U.S. in 2025:
- McKinney, Texas
- Cary, North Carolina
- Irvine, California
- Durham, North Carolina
- Richardson, Texas
- Frisco, Texas
- Gilbert, Arizona
- Nashville, Tennessee
- Denton, Texas
- Allen, Texas
- Madison, Wisconsin
- Charlotte, North Carolina
- Raleigh, North Carolina
- Port St. Lucie, Florida
- Murfreesboro, Tennessee
What is the average cost of living in Florida?
According to 2023 Census Bureau data, the median annual income in Florida is approximately $73,000.
The cost of living in Florida varies greatly depending on where you live. Heavily populated areas like the Miami metropolitan area, Tampa or the Orlando area are all inherently more expensive than the small towns near them.
For example, according to Zillow’s housing market estimates, the average cost to buy a home in Chattahoochee (one of the most affordable towns in the U.S.) is around $116,000, while the average cost to buy a home in nearby Tallahassee is around $294,000.
According to personal finance company SoFi, the average total personal consumption cost in Florida is $50,689 per year.
Here’s how SoFi broke that cost down:
- Housing and utilities: $9,656
- Health care: $7,676
- Food and beverages (non-restaurant): $3,886
- Gas and energy goods: $909
- All other personal expenditures: $28,562
How much does it cost to buy a house in Port St. Lucie, Florida?
According to Zillow’s housing market estimates, the average cost to buy a home in Port St. Lucie, Florida, is around $389,000.