Photo: Schwerdf · CC BY 4.0Even on the area’s higher pay, St. Augustine costs more to live in than 90% of U.S. towns
It ranks #426 of 637 in Florida for affordability. Down 1.1% in a year, 15% above the Florida typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Jacksonville, FL metro area ($80K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. St. Augustine’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($80K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up better than renters: 27% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 62% of renters.
In dollars
- $433Ktypical home, 15% above the Florida typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,740a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 99prices across the Jacksonville metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 110)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 5.5 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$80K, Jacksonville-area income
- 25%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 62%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Florida: 60%Census 2020–24
- 27%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in St. Augustine, in brief
Prices are 9% below their 2022 peak
The typical St. Augustine home peaked at $474K in August 2022 and is worth about $433K now. Florida as a whole is 7% off its own peak. Over five years, St. Augustine is still up 15%. Price trend ↓
Building at about twice the Florida pace
Builders were permitted 251 new homes in 2025: 16 per 1,000 residents, against 8.3 across Florida. That’s 2,622 in the past 10 years. New homes ↓
Most new homes are apartments and condos
Of the 2,622 homes permitted in St. Augustine’s past 10 years, 62% were in buildings with two or more homes, not single-family houses. 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 St. Augustine’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, St. Augustine is more affordable than 10% of U.S. towns, #426 of 637 in Florida. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Florida: up 15.2% in five years, against 18.6% statewide (Zillow).
Up 15.2% in five years
Slower than Florida (18.6%).
Show as a table
| January | St. Augustine | Florida |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $253,000 | $209,000 |
| 2018 | $269,000 | $226,000 |
| 2019 | $283,000 | $241,000 |
| 2020 | $293,000 | $252,000 |
| 2021 | $319,000 | $276,000 |
| 2022 | $408,000 | $339,000 |
| 2023 | $462,000 | $392,000 |
| 2024 | $463,000 | $402,000 |
| 2025 | $452,000 | $396,000 |
| 2026 | $436,000 | $377,000 |
| September 2026 | $433,000 | $375,000 |
A typical St. Augustine home worth $250K in October 2016 is worth about $433K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A buyer's market
More homes are for sale than are selling — about 7 months of supply. Buyers have room to negotiate.
Under ~4 months of supply favors sellers; over ~6 favors buyers.
Redfin Data Center, all residential sales, September 2026.
A typical home costs 5.5 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to St. Augustine’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $110K short of a typical St. Augustine home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,740 a month here, $760 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, St. Augustine’s typical property tax (0.64% 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 $1,740
Renters already here pay a median of $1,653.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Jacksonville, FL HUD Metro FMR Area): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
251 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 251 new homes in St. Augustine in 2025: 71 single-family houses and 180 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $45.8 million to build. That's 16 per 1,000 residents, faster than across Florida (8.3). Over the past 10 years, St. Augustine has permitted 2,622 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, St. Augustine gained 1,354 residents while 1,508 new homes were permitted: about 0.9 new residents per new home. Building outpaced population growth, which usually means smaller households or homes used part of the year. 15% of St. Augustine's homes are seasonal or vacation homes, which adds housing without adding residents. 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) | 56 | 56 | 0 | $24.6 million |
| 2025 | 251 | 71 | 180 | $45.8 million |
| 2024 | 68 | 66 | 2 | $30.2 million |
| 2023 | 348 | 78 | 270 | $82.2 million |
| 2022 | 416 | 86 | 330 | $56 million |
| 2021 | 219 | 213 | 6 | $60.3 million |
| 2020 | 84 | 84 | 0 | $22.8 million |
| 2019 | 532 | 218 | 314 | $82.1 million |
| 2018 | 594 | 71 | 523 | $56.3 million |
| 2017 | 72 | 72 | 0 | $16.8 million |
| 2016 | 38 | 36 | 2 | $9 million |
| 2015 | 82 | 82 | 0 | $15.8 million |
| 2014 | 59 | 59 | 0 | $11.9 million |
| 2013 | 49 | 49 | 0 | $11.1 million |
| 2012 | 38 | 38 | 0 | $8 million |
| 2011 | 28 | 28 | 0 | $6 million |
| 2010 | 16 | 16 | 0 | $3.3 million |
| 2009 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $1.7 million |
| 2008 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $2.8 million |
| 2007 | 38 | 18 | 20 | $7.3 million |
| 2006 | 78 | 34 | 44 | $10.6 million |
| 2005 | 55 | 55 | 0 | $9.5 million |
| 2004 | 82 | 60 | 22 | $12.8 million |
| 2003 | 45 | 34 | 11 | $5.7 million |
| 2002 | 36 | 24 | 12 | $4.2 million |
| 2001 | 56 | 46 | 10 | $4.8 million |
| 2000 | 23 | 23 | 0 | $2.1 million |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
High tax bills, but a low tax rate
The median bill is $2,822 (Florida: $2,730), because homes cost more. As a share of value it’s 0.64% 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+”.
The rest of a budget near St. Augustine
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Jacksonville, FL metro area, or Florida. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 99 | FL 103 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 96 | FL 98 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 88 | FL 90 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 99 | FL 101 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
Price levels: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024 (metro area and state). Electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A.
St. Augustine vs. its neighbors
Of the 2 towns here with a Zillow value, St. Augustine has the lowest. St. Augustine South 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Augustine | D | $433K | $440K | 0.64% | $1,740 |
| St. Augustine South | C+ | — | $347K | 0.56% | $1,800 |
| St. Augustine Beach | D | $592K | $634K | 0.70% | $1,900 |
“—” 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 St. Augustine
Is St. Augustine expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, St. Augustine costs more than 90% of U.S. towns: a D for cost of living, #426 of 637 in Florida. The typical home costs 5.5 years of the median household income of the Jacksonville, FL metro area ($80K).
How much does a house cost in St. Augustine?
About $433K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, down 1.1% in a year. The Florida typical home is $375K.
What salary do you need to live in St. Augustine?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $107,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $2,500 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $70,000.
How much is rent in St. Augustine?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,740 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,653 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in St. Augustine?
The median bill is $2,822 a year, 0.64% of the median home value (Florida: $2,730, 0.76%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in St. Augustine going up?
No: down 1.1% in the past year and 15.2% in five years, against 18.6% across Florida (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What St. Augustine 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.