Washington, DC vs Jacksonville, FL
Moving from Washington to Jacksonville? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($583,013 → $352,994 median home) and taxes.
Washington vs Jacksonville 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 Washington, DC, you'd need about $90,964 in Jacksonville, FL (−$9,036).
Livability — Washington, DC: 39 · Jacksonville, FL: 69 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,286 sqft in Washington vs 2,621 sqft in Jacksonville ($389 vs $191 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Washington, DC | Jacksonville, FL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $28,992 | $20,412 | −$8,580 |
| Groceries | $5,318 | $4,813 | −$504 |
| Transportation | $3,855 | $4,800 | +$945 |
| Utilities | $2,748 | $1,656 | −$1,092 |
| Insurance | $1,400 | $4,200 | +$2,800 |
| Taxes | $17,710 | $4,713 | −$12,997 |
| Total | $60,023 | $40,594 | −$19,428 |
Side by side
| Metric | Washington, DC | Jacksonville, FL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 109.5 | 99.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.87% | 4.54% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.2% | 11.4% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 49 | 51 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.23 | $5.67 |
| Median home price | $583,013 | $352,994 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.9× | 4.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -0.5% | -1.7% |
| Price per square foot | $389 | $191 |
| Median rent | $2,416 | $1,701 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.0% | 9.1% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 7.02% |
| Capital gains tax | 10.75% | None |
| Property tax rate | 0.95% | 0.80% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,800 | $7,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $26,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 34 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,400 | $4,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,000 | $2,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $1,400 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 25.4 | 15.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.40 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 1,000 | 380 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 91 |
| Avg winter low °F | 29 | 52 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 3 |