Gainesville vs Pasadena
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $209,600 in Pasadena and $247,500 in Gainesville.
- Households earn more in Pasadena ($64,927 vs $46,195 median).
- Gainesville is growing faster: +5.3% since 2020 vs -2.2%.
- Commutes are shorter in Gainesville (19 vs 27 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Gainesville, FL | Pasadena, TX | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 148,671 | 148,539 |
| Growth since 2020 | +5.3% | -2.2% |
| People per square mile | 2,323 | 3,400 |
| Median age | 26.5 | 33.0 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 54% | 16% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $46,195 | $64,927 |
| Median home value | $247,500 | $209,600 |
| Home value to income | 5.4× | 3.2× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,296 | $1,213 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 96.7 | 98.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 93.0 | 104.5 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $72,500 | $74,000 |
| Homeowners | 38% | 55% |
| Top state income tax | None | None |
| Combined sales tax | 6.98% | 8.2% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 18.8 | 26.6 |
| Work from home | 15% | 8% |
| Take public transit | 5% | 0% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.5% | 8.6% |
| Poverty rate | 30.8% | 18.9% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 67° / 43° | 64° / 46° |
| July high / low | 91° / 72° | 93° / 77° |
| Precipitation per year | 48 in | 56 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 90 | 100 |
| Nights below freezing | 15 | 4 |
| Comfortable months | 7 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 90.3 | 99.9 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 89% | 10% |
| Home prices, past year | +1.2% | +3.4% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +42.7% | +32.7% |
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. Pasadena: November to April.
Full monthly tables: Gainesville weather by month and Pasadena 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 $74,000 in Pasadena. Moving from Gainesville to Pasadena, you would need about $76,500 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Gainesville and Pasadena
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 Pasadena.
Which would you pick?
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