Florida Property Tax Calculator
Florida breaks the pattern most newcomers expect: the state collects no income tax, yet its effective property tax rate is about 0.78% — below the U.S. average of 0.91%, and barely half of Texas's 1.60%. Sales tax and tourism receipts carry the budget, which keeps the property tax burden moderate even as home prices climb.
Estimate your bill with the Florida preset below, then sharpen it with your county's actual rate — Florida counties differ widely, from Miami-Dade's lower rates to some Gulf Coast counties well above the average. The sections below cover the two homestead rules every Florida owner should know, and the cost this calculator deliberately does not include: insurance, which in Florida often moves a housing budget more than the tax rate does.
Market value — what it would sell for, not your purchase price from years ago.
Loaded from the selection — override with your county's actual rate (last year's bill ÷ value).
Homestead and similar exemptions remove part of the value from taxation — many states offer 20-50% to owner-occupants.
Annual property tax
$2,730.00
0.78% effective rate on $350,000.00 taxable value.
- Monthly escrow
- $227.50
- Effective vs statutory
- why this rate
What the lender collects each month to pay this bill — this is the 'T' in your PITI payment.
Effective = taxes actually paid ÷ home value. It absorbs assessment ratios and millage math, so comparing states needs no re-derivation.
Starting values are set for a typical florida scenario — change any field to match yours. Need the plain version? Property Tax Calculator.
No income tax, and still below the average
Florida is the counterexample to the assumption that no-income-tax states pay for it through property tax — that is Texas's story, not Florida's.
| State | Effective rate | Annual bill | Monthly escrow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 0.78% | $2,730 | $228 |
| U.S. average | 0.91% | $3,185 | $265 |
| Texas | 1.60% | $5,600 | $467 |
| New Jersey | 2.23% | $7,805 | $650 |
The homestead exemption and Save Our Homes
Two constitutional protections apply to a Florida primary residence, and both require the homestead filing with the county property appraiser:
- The homestead exemption removes $50,000 of assessed value — the first $25,000 from all levies and a second $25,000 from non-school levies — worth roughly $300-400 a year at typical rates.
- Save Our Homes caps assessed-value growth at 3% a year (or the CPI if lower) for homesteaded property, so long-time owners sit on assessments far below market — Florida's version of California's Prop 13 cap, gentler but the same idea.
- Portability lets you transfer up to $500,000 of accumulated Save Our Homes benefit to a new Florida homestead, so moving within the state no longer means surrendering the cap.
- The protections attach to primary residence only — the condo or second home you rent out pays full freight, and non-homestead property is where Florida's tax comparisons get complicated.
What this calculator cannot show you: insurance
In most states the property tax is the biggest fixed housing cost after the mortgage. In Florida, insurance increasingly rivals it. Windstorm and hurricane coverage premiums have risen sharply in recent years, and a $3,000-6,000 annual premium on a mid-priced home is unremarkable in coastal counties — potentially double the property tax this page estimates.
The practical consequence for a budget: judge a Florida purchase by payment plus premium, not payment plus tax. Enter your expected insurance premium in the calculator's insurance field (it feeds the monthly payment), get a real quote before committing, and treat the tax figure here as the stable half of the fixed-cost picture. The tax is capped by Save Our Homes; the insurance is not capped by anything.
Frequently asked questions
- How much is property tax in Florida?
- The state's average effective rate is about 0.78% — a $350,000 home pays roughly $2,730 a year, or $228 a month. That is below the U.S. average of 0.91%, and less than half of Texas's rate. County figures vary, so your last bill divided by your home's value is the precise rate.
- Why is Florida property tax low if there's no income tax?
- Because Florida funds state government through sales tax and tourism receipts instead. Property taxes fund local services, and Florida's constitutional caps — the 10-mill limit on most local rates plus homestead protections — keep the burden moderate relative to home values.
- What is the Florida homestead exemption?
- A $50,000 reduction in assessed value for a primary residence: the first $25,000 applies to all levies, the second $25,000 to non-school levies. File once with the county property appraiser; the exemption renews as long as you own and occupy the home.
- What is the Save Our Homes cap?
- A constitutional limit that caps assessed-value growth at 3% a year (or inflation if lower) for homesteaded property. Long-time owners therefore sit on assessments far below market value, and up to $500,000 of that accumulated benefit can be transferred to a new Florida homestead under portability rules.
- Does my second home or rental qualify for homestead?
- No. The exemption, the Save Our Homes cap and portability attach to your permanent primary residence only. Investment property and second homes are assessed at full market value, which is why non-homestead owners in Florida often pay materially higher effective rates than their neighbors.
- When are Florida property taxes due?
- Bills are issued November 1 and become delinquent on April 1, with discounts of up to 4% for paying early. With a mortgage, the lender collects one-twelfth monthly into escrow and pays on your behalf — the monthly figure this calculator shows.