Jacksonville vs Gainesville
The short version
- Gainesville is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 3% lower than in the Jacksonville area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $247,500 in Gainesville and $293,700 in Jacksonville.
- Households earn more in Jacksonville ($69,872 vs $46,195 median).
- Commutes are shorter in Gainesville (19 vs 24 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Jacksonville, FL | Gainesville, FL | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 1,017,689 | 148,671 |
| Growth since 2020 | +7.2% | +5.3% |
| People per square mile | 1,362 | 2,323 |
| Median age | 36.5 | 26.5 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 33% | 54% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $69,872 | $46,195 |
| Median home value | $293,700 | $247,500 |
| Home value to income | 4.2× | 5.4× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,465 | $1,296 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 99.5 | 96.7 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 109.8 | 93.0 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $74,600 | $72,500 |
| Homeowners | 58% | 38% |
| Top state income tax | None | None |
| Combined sales tax | 6.98% | 6.98% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 24.1 | 18.8 |
| Work from home | 16% | 15% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 5% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.6% | 5.5% |
| Poverty rate | 14.5% | 30.8% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 66° / 47° | 67° / 43° |
| July high / low | 92° / 76° | 91° / 72° |
| Precipitation per year | 48 in | 48 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 96 | 90 |
| Nights below freezing | 4 | 15 |
| Comfortable months | 7 | 7 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 97.2 | 90.3 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 43% | 89% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.1% | +1.2% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +40.5% | +42.7% |
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: Jacksonville: October to April. Gainesville: October to April.
Full monthly tables: Jacksonville weather by month and Gainesville weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $74,600 in Jacksonville and $72,500 in Gainesville. Moving from Jacksonville to Gainesville, you would need about $72,900 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Jacksonville and Gainesville
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Jacksonville and Gainesville.
Which would you pick?
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