Photo: formulanone · CC BY-SA 2.0Measured against area pay, Okeechobee costs more to live in than 63% of U.S. towns
It ranks #147 of 637 in Florida for affordability. Up 0.6% in a year, 23% below the Florida typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Okeechobee, FL micro area ($58K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Okeechobee-area micro earn ($58K, Census 2020–24). Even so, the typical home costs 3.4 years of area income, and 43% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $287Ktypical home, 23% below the Florida typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,490a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 3.4 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$58K, Okeechobee-area income
- 22%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 43%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Florida: 60%Census 2020–24
- 17%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What Okeechobee’s housing numbers say
A burst of building in 2025
Okeechobee permitted 88 new homes in 2025, against about 11 in a typical year of the past decade. That’s 16 per 1,000 residents, against 8.3 across Florida. New homes ↓
Rent is easier on renters here
43% of renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent, against 60% across Florida. A standard two-bedroom is 31% of the median household income. Renting ↓
Values rose faster than Florida’s over five years
The typical Okeechobee home is up 36% in five years, against 19% across Florida. Since October 2016 it has more than doubled, from $120K to $287K. Price trend ↓
Fewer people, more homes
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Okeechobee lost 367 residents while 53 new homes were permitted. New homes ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; sales and supply are Redfin’s for September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Okeechobee’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Okeechobee is more affordable than 37% of U.S. towns, #147 of 637 in Florida. Rent pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Values have outpaced Florida: the typical Okeechobee home is up 36.4% in five years, against 18.6% statewide (Zillow).
Up 36.4% in five years
Faster than Florida (18.6%).
Show as a table
| January | Okeechobee | Florida |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $123,000 | $209,000 |
| 2018 | $136,000 | $226,000 |
| 2019 | $154,000 | $241,000 |
| 2020 | $166,000 | $252,000 |
| 2021 | $183,000 | $276,000 |
| 2022 | $223,000 | $339,000 |
| 2023 | $257,000 | $392,000 |
| 2024 | $276,000 | $402,000 |
| 2025 | $287,000 | $396,000 |
| 2026 | $286,000 | $377,000 |
| September 2026 | $287,000 | $375,000 |
A typical Okeechobee home worth $120K in October 2016 is worth about $287K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
Too few sales to read the market
Only 5 homes sold in September 2026, the latest month in Redfin’s figures: too few to describe the market or quote a median sale price.
A year’s rent takes 22% of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Okeechobee’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $58K short of a typical Okeechobee home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,490 a month here, $210 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Okeechobee’s typical property tax (0.79% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,490
Renters already here pay a median of $1,061, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Port St. Lucie, FL MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
88 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 88 new homes in Okeechobee in 2025: 68 single-family houses and 20 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $32.2 million to build. That's 16 per 1,000 residents, faster than across Florida (8.3). Over the past 10 years, Okeechobee has permitted 185 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Okeechobee's population fell by 367 even though 53 new homes were permitted. Homes are holding fewer people: households are getting smaller, or more homes are used part of the year. Across Florida: 2.8 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 48 | 48 | 0 | $19.8 million |
| 2025 | 88 | 68 | 20 | $32.2 million |
| 2024 | 18 | 18 | 0 | $6.6 million |
| 2023 | 9 | 7 | 2 | $4 million |
| 2022 | 21 | 18 | 3 | $5.7 million |
| 2021 | 13 | 13 | 0 | $4.1 million |
| 2020 | 9 | 7 | 2 | $2.3 million |
| 2019 | 18 | 18 | 0 | $4.7 million |
| 2018 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2017 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $302,000 |
| 2016 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $459,000 |
| 2015 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1.7 million |
| 2014 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2013 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $578,000 |
| 2012 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $534,000 |
| 2011 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $561,000 |
| 2010 | 10 | 0 | 10 | $999,000 |
| 2009 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $780,000 |
| 2008 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $545,000 |
| 2007 | 56 | 15 | 41 | $7 million |
| 2006 | 33 | 33 | 0 | $5.8 million |
| 2005 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $389,000 |
| 2004 | 27 | 24 | 3 | $2.8 million |
| 2003 | 36 | 22 | 14 | $2.8 million |
| 2002 | 16 | 13 | 3 | $1.8 million |
| 2001 | 11 | 8 | 3 | $1 million |
| 2000 | 13 | 10 | 3 | $1.3 million |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Low tax bills, but a high tax rate
The median bill is $1,564, under the Florida median of $2,730, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 0.79% a year, against 0.76% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
Okeechobee vs. its neighbors
Of the 1 towns here with a Zillow value, Okeechobee has the lowest. Cypress Quarters has no Zillow value, so it is in the table only.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Okeechobee | C+ | $287K | $198K | 0.79% | $1,490 |
| Cypress Quarters | B− | — | $220K | 0.60% | $1,500 |
“—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures.
Questions about the cost of living in Okeechobee
Is Okeechobee expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Okeechobee costs more than 63% of U.S. towns: a C+ for cost of living, #147 of 637 in Florida. The typical home costs 3.4 years of the median household income of the Okeechobee, FL micro area ($58K).
How much does a house cost in Okeechobee?
About $287K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 0.6% in a year. The Florida typical home is $375K.
What salary do you need to live in Okeechobee?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $73,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,700 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $60,000.
How much is rent in Okeechobee?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,490 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,061 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Okeechobee?
The median bill is $1,564 a year, 0.79% of the median home value (Florida: $2,730, 0.76%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Okeechobee going up?
Barely: up 0.6% in the past year and 36.4% in five years, against 18.6% across Florida (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Okeechobee buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, September 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.