Gainesville vs Kissimmee
The short version
- Gainesville is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 5% lower than in the Kissimmee area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $247,500 in Gainesville and $304,400 in Kissimmee.
- Households earn more in Kissimmee ($53,758 vs $46,195 median).
- Kissimmee has the warmer winter: January highs of 72°F vs 67°F.
- Kissimmee has more scorching days: 110 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 90.
- Kissimmee is growing faster: +8% since 2020 vs +5.3%.
- Commutes are shorter in Gainesville (19 vs 34 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Gainesville, FL | Kissimmee, FL | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 148,671 | 85,591 |
| Growth since 2020 | +5.3% | +8% |
| People per square mile | 2,323 | 3,975 |
| Median age | 26.5 | 36.1 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 54% | 27% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $46,195 | $53,758 |
| Median home value | $247,500 | $304,400 |
| Home value to income | 5.4× | 5.7× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,296 | $1,647 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 96.7 | 101.4 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 93.0 | 123.4 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $72,500 | $76,100 |
| Homeowners | 38% | 46% |
| Top state income tax | None | None |
| Combined sales tax | 6.98% | 6.98% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 18.8 | 33.7 |
| Work from home | 15% | 10% |
| Take public transit | 5% | 4% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.5% | 7.5% |
| Poverty rate | 30.8% | 20.4% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 67° / 43° | 72° / 50° |
| July high / low | 91° / 72° | 92° / 73° |
| Precipitation per year | 48 in | 52 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 90 | 110 |
| Nights below freezing | 15 | 2 |
| Comfortable months | 7 | 7 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 90.3 | 92.0 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 89% | 70% |
| Home prices, past year | +1.2% | +0.8% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +42.7% | +45.4% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Gainesville: October to April. Kissimmee: October to April.
Full monthly tables: Gainesville weather by month and Kissimmee weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $72,500 in Gainesville and $76,100 in Kissimmee. Moving from Gainesville to Kissimmee, you would need about $78,600 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Gainesville and Kissimmee
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Gainesville and Kissimmee.
Which would you pick?
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