Tampa, FL vs Tallahassee, FL
Moving from Tampa to Tallahassee? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($360,738 → $285,256 median home) and taxes.
Tampa vs Tallahassee 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 $93,261 in Tallahassee, FL (−$6,739).
Livability — Tampa, FL: 65 · Tallahassee, FL: 71 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,564 sqft in Tampa vs 3,243 sqft in Tallahassee ($195 vs $154 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Tampa, FL | Tallahassee, FL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $24,216 | $18,360 | −$5,856 |
| 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 | $4,300 | −$342 |
| Total | $44,463 | $38,129 | −$6,333 |
Side by side
| Metric | Tampa, FL | Tallahassee, FL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 102.5 | 95.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.92% | 5.40% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 7.3% | 2.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 51 | 47 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.83 | $5.44 |
| Median home price | $360,738 | $285,256 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.4× | 4.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -3.4% | 0.5% |
| Price per square foot | $195 | $154 |
| Median rent | $2,018 | $1,530 |
| 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% | 0.80% |
| 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 |
| Violent crime /100k | 380 | 380 |
| Avg summer high °F | 91 | 91 |
| Avg winter low °F | 52 | 52 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 3 |