Cost to Buy a House in Central Florida by County (2026)

A home’s price is only the start. The same buyer can end up paying about $900 a month more in one Central Florida county than another. Partly that’s home prices, but property taxes, insurance, and the county you buy in all pull in different directions. This guide works through one realistic example per county, the median-priced home bought with 20% down, so you can compare what it actually takes to buy and own in each of the seven counties this site covers.

Short version: For the median home in each county, with 20% down and a 30-year mortgage at 7.28% (Freddie Mac, October 1, 2026), the monthly cost of mortgage, property taxes, and insurance runs from about $2,270 in Polk to about $3,160 in Orange. Cash needed at closing, down payment plus closing costs, runs from roughly $70,000 to $80,000 in Polk to roughly $94,000 to $107,000 in Orange. Volusia’s high property taxes and Brevard’s low ones shift the ranking more than home prices alone would suggest. HOA dues, CDD assessments, flood insurance, and PMI on smaller down payments all come on top.

The assumptions behind the numbers

So the counties can be compared fairly, every example uses the same setup:

Price: the county’s median sale price from Redfin for the three months ending August 2026.
Down payment: 20%, which avoids private mortgage insurance.
Mortgage rate: 30-year fixed at 7.28%, Freddie Mac’s national average for the week of October 1, 2026. Your own rate depends on your credit, down payment, and lender.
Property taxes: the county’s 2025 millage for its main unincorporated area. The example assumes a full-time resident with the $50,000 homestead exemption, which applies $25,000 to school taxes. Cities usually add their own millage on top.
Insurance: the average homeowners premium with wind coverage for that county, from the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation’s July 2026 report, as of March 31, 2026. Your premium depends on the home’s age, roof, wind protection, and deductible.
Not included: HOA dues, CDD assessments, flood insurance, utilities, and maintenance. They’re covered below.

The comparison

Median home, 20% down, 30-year fixed at 7.28% (Freddie Mac, Oct. 1, 2026). Taxes use 2025 unincorporated millage with the homestead exemption; insurance is the county average with wind (Florida OIR, March 2026). Excludes HOA, CDD, flood insurance, and PMI.
County	Median price	Cash to close*	Mortgage (P&I)	Property tax	Insurance	Total per month
Orange	$428,055	$94k–$107k	$2,343	$520	$301	$3,164
Seminole	$418,599	$92k–$105k	$2,291	$431	$295	$3,018
Lake	$383,716	$84k–$96k	$2,100	$387	$221	$2,708
Osceola	$373,749	$82k–$93k	$2,046	$385	$245	$2,676
Brevard	$362,779	$80k–$91k	$1,986	$336	$294	$2,616
Volusia	$343,351	$76k–$86k	$1,879	$435	$234	$2,549
Polk	$317,936	$70k–$79k	$1,740	$301	$231	$2,272

*20% down payment plus closing costs of 2% to 5% of the price.

What each county looks like

Orange: about $3,160 a month. The most expensive county to buy in. The median home is about $428,000, and Orange has the region’s highest unincorporated tax rate at about 16.1 mills, rising to about 18 to 19 inside Orlando. Insurance averages about $3,610 a year. See the Orange County guide.

Seminole: about $3,020 a month. Nearly as expensive to buy as Orange, with a median of about $419,000, but its lower tax rate of about 13.7 mills saves about $90 a month on the same-priced home. The schools are a big part of what buyers pay for here. See the Seminole County guide.

Lake: about $2,710 a month. A median of about $384,000, moderate taxes, and the lowest average insurance premium of the seven counties, about $2,650 a year. See the Lake County guide.

Osceola: about $2,680 a month. The median is about $374,000, down about 3% from a year earlier, the biggest drop in the region. Many newer Osceola communities carry CDD assessments, so the real monthly cost is often higher than this example. See the Osceola County guide.

Brevard: about $2,620 a month. Brevard’s median of about $363,000 is higher than Volusia’s or Polk’s, but its unincorporated tax rate of about 12.4 mills is among the lowest in the region, so the monthly cost lands below Lake’s. Insurance is on the high side, about $3,530 a year, and beachside homes often need flood insurance too. City millage is much higher than the county’s unincorporated rate, about 15.8 to 18.1. See the Brevard County guide.

Volusia: about $2,550 a month. A median of about $343,000, but the highest tax rate in this comparison, about 17.4 mills in unincorporated areas. Taxes on the median Volusia home run about $435 a month, more than in Brevard or Polk. See the Volusia County guide.

Polk: about $2,270 a month. The most affordable county by a wide margin: a median of about $318,000 and the lowest unincorporated tax rate, about 13.0 mills. Polk’s city tax rates are much higher, though, up to about 20 mills, so a Lakeland or Lake Wales address costs noticeably more than this example. See the Polk County guide.

Cash to close: what you need on day one

On top of the down payment, buyers pay closing costs. Freddie Mac says they typically run 2% to 5% of the purchase price. In Florida, a few of those costs are set by state law:

Documentary stamp tax on the mortgage: 35 cents per $100 of the loan. About $1,200 on Orange’s median loan.
Intangible tax on the mortgage: 0.2% of the loan. About $685 on the same loan.
Title insurance: priced at state-set rates, $5.75 per $1,000 of coverage up to $100,000 and $5.00 per $1,000 above that.

In Central Florida, the seller usually pays the deed stamp tax, 70 cents per $100 of the price, and by local custom usually the owner’s title policy too. The contract decides, though, so check yours. The rest of closing costs are lender fees, appraisal, inspections, title and closing fees, and prepaid taxes and insurance for your escrow account. The closing costs guide explains each one, and the closing cost calculator runs the Florida-specific taxes for any price.

Costs the example leaves out

Less than 20% down. Most conventional loans with a smaller down payment add private mortgage insurance. Freddie Mac estimates $30 to $70 a month per $100,000 borrowed, and it drops off once you’ve paid the loan down to 78% of the home’s original value. A bigger loan also means a bigger monthly payment.
HOA dues and CDD assessments. Common in newer communities, especially in Osceola, Orange, Lake, and Polk, and they can add hundreds of dollars a month. The CDD fee calculator and HOA rules guide cover what to check.
Flood insurance. Required in high-risk flood zones with a mortgage, and worth considering well beyond them. The flood insurance guide explains it.
Condos. Condo buyers pay association fees and may face special assessments under Florida’s post-Surfside safety laws. The condo cost calculator covers them.
Your actual insurance quote. County averages hide big differences. A newer roof and good wind protection can cut a premium a lot, and the homeowners insurance guide explains how.

Property taxes: the first-year catch

The homestead exemption doesn’t apply right away. It’s based on who owns and lives in the home on January 1, and you have to apply by March 1. In the year you buy, the tax bill is based on the previous owner’s assessment, and at closing you and the seller split that year’s taxes by date. Your first full bill under your own ownership, often the second year, reflects the new purchase price minus your exemptions. Budget for that, especially if the seller had owned for a long time under Save Our Homes, because your taxes can jump well above what the seller paid. The homestead savings calculator shows the difference, and the Amendment 3 article covers the homestead changes on the November 3, 2026 ballot.

Before you buy

The buying a house in Florida guide walks through the whole process, the mortgage and financing basics guide covers loan types, and the homebuyer mistakes article covers what trips people up. If you’re comparing buying with building, the impact fees by county guide covers one of the biggest costs of new construction. Retirees can compare cities and 55+ communities in the best places to retire guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Polk. Its median home sold for about $318,000 in mid-2026, and with 20% down at 7.28%, mortgage, property taxes, and insurance come to about $2,270 a month, the lowest of the seven Central Florida counties.

For Orange County’s median home, about $428,000, a 20% down payment plus closing costs of 2% to 5% comes to roughly $94,000 to $107,000. With a smaller down payment you’d need less cash, but you’d usually pay private mortgage insurance and a bigger monthly payment.

The documentary stamp tax on the mortgage (35 cents per $100 of the loan), the intangible tax on the mortgage (0.2% of the loan), the deed stamp tax (70 cents per $100 of the price, usually paid by the seller in Central Florida), and state-set title insurance rates.

Among unincorporated areas, Volusia and Orange have the highest rates, about 17.4 and 16.1 mills. Brevard and Polk have the lowest, about 12.4 and 13.0. City rates are usually higher than the unincorporated rate in the same county.

According to the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, average homeowners premiums with wind coverage as of March 2026 ranged from about $2,650 a year in Lake County to about $3,610 in Orange County. Your premium depends on the home’s age, roof, wind protection, and deductible.

Often, yes. Your first bill is based on the previous owner’s assessment, which may have been capped for years under Save Our Homes. Once the home is reassessed at your purchase price, your taxes can rise noticeably, even after you file for homestead by March 1.

Sources

This article is for general informational purposes only and isn’t financial, legal, insurance, or tax advice – for guidance specific to your situation, talk to a licensed professional.

What It Costs to Buy a House in Central Florida, County by County