Tampa, FL vs Gainesville, FL
Moving from Tampa to Gainesville? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($360,738 → $306,605 median home) and taxes.
Tampa vs Gainesville at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Tampa, FL, you'd need about $94,890 in Gainesville, FL (−$5,110).
Livability — Tampa, FL: 65 · Gainesville, FL: 70 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,564 sqft in Tampa vs 3,018 sqft in Gainesville ($195 vs $166 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Tampa, FL | Gainesville, FL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $24,216 | $20,172 | −$4,044 |
| Groceries | $4,949 | $4,813 | −$135 |
| Transportation | $4,800 | $4,800 | +$0 |
| Utilities | $1,656 | $1,656 | +$0 |
| Insurance | $4,200 | $4,200 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $4,642 | $4,548 | −$94 |
| Total | $44,463 | $40,189 | −$4,273 |
Side by side
| Metric | Tampa, FL | Gainesville, FL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 102.5 | 97.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.92% | 4.90% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 7.3% | 23.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.83 | $5.53 |
| Median home price | $360,738 | $306,605 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.4× | 5.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -3.4% | -1.3% |
| Price per square foot | $195 | $166 |
| Median rent | $2,018 | $1,681 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.02% | 7.02% |
| Capital gains tax | None | None |
| Property tax rate | 0.80% | 0.92% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,500 | $7,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 28 | 23 |
| Home insurance / yr | $4,200 | $4,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,900 | $2,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,400 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.4 | 15.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 3.35 |
| Natural gas / mo | $38 | $38 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $88 | $88 |
| Home internet / mo | $76 | $76 |
| Violent crime /100k | 380 | 380 |
| Avg summer high °F | 91 | 91 |
| Avg winter low °F | 52 | 52 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 49.5 | 51.5 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 66% | 68% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 3 |