What actually sets Florida apart
The Save Our Homes cap makes the seller's bill actively misleading in Florida. A homesteaded owner of twenty years may be assessed at half the market value, and your assessment resets to full just value in the January after you buy. Budget for the reset, not for what the listing sheet shows.
Property taxes in Florida at a glance
- Average effective tax rate: 0.79% of home value per year
- Median home value: $325,000
- Estimated tax on a median-value home: $2,555 per year (about $213 per month)
- Rank by tax rate: 28th of 50, highest first
- Rank by amount actually paid: 26th of 50, highest first
- Where these figures come from: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, for the Florida statewide averages shown above — ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimates, last reviewed September 2026.
Rate and bill agree in Florida
Florida sits 28th of the fifty by tax rate and 26th by the amount a median-value owner actually pays. That agreement is less common than it sounds: 19 of the 50 states move ten places or more between the two rankings, because home values vary far more widely than rates do. In Florida the 0.79% headline is a fair summary rather than a figure that needs correcting.
How Florida works out what you owe
Property is assessed at just value as of 1 January, and the millage is levied by the county, the school board, the city and any special districts covering the parcel.
Save Our Homes limits annual growth in the assessed value of a homesteaded property to 3% or the change in the consumer price index, whichever is lower. The cap is lifted when the property sells.
Exemptions Florida homeowners should claim
Each of these reduces a Florida bill every year you hold the property, and almost none are granted without a claim:
- Homestead exemption: Removes a fixed amount of assessed value from a permanent primary residence, with the second tranche not applying to the school levy.
- Portability: Accumulated Save Our Homes savings can be transferred to your next Florida homestead, which is why long-time residents moving within the state often keep a low assessment.
Where you buy inside Florida changes the bill
A statewide average hides its extremes. Where they show up in Florida:
- Miami-Dade County: high values combined with municipal and special district levies, and insurance costs that routinely exceed the tax line
- Broward County: similar dynamics to Miami-Dade with somewhat higher combined millage in several cities
- Hillsborough County: Tampa's rapid appreciation means new buyers are assessed far above capped neighbours
Florida and its neighbours
The same $325,000 — the Florida median — taxed at each neighbouring state's average rate:
- Georgia at 0.81%: about $2,633 a year, roughly $78 more than the $2,555 a Florida owner would pay on the same value.
- Alabama at 0.38%: about $1,235 a year, roughly $1,320 less than the $2,555 a Florida owner would pay on the same value.
Appealing a Florida assessment
If the assessed value on your Florida home overstates what it is worth, the route is an appeal to the county Value Adjustment Board. The window is within 25 days of the TRIM notice mailed in August, and it is strict — missing it means waiting a full cycle.
Frequently asked questions
When are Florida property taxes due, and when must exemption claims be filed?
Bills are mailed in November and are due by 31 March, with a 4% discount for paying in November that steps down each month. Homestead applications are due to the county property appraiser by 1 March.
Does this calculator use my exact Florida county tax rate?
No — it applies the Florida statewide average of 0.79%. Rates are set locally, and the spread inside Florida is wide enough to matter: on a $325,000 home, $636 a year separates Florida from an averagely taxed state before any county variation is counted. Check the parcel's own rate with its Florida county before relying on this figure.
Reference sources
Related calculators
How this estimate is built
Principal and interest come from the standard amortization formula, worked through in full on the formula reference page. Property tax, insurance, PMI and loan-program figures layer on top from published assumptions — each one sourced, dated and listed on the methodology page. Every result here is an estimate built from public data, not a quote: confirm the specifics with a lender before relying on it.
For developers
This calculation is also available as a REST API and through an MCP server, both running the same engine as this page — so the figures match by construction rather than by convention. No key required.