What it costs to own a home in Florida each month

The six expenses, one by one

Ranges observed across the Orlando area communities as of November 2026, for a mid-size new single-family home. Tax and CDD appear on the same line of the county bill, so the CDD column may already sit inside the tax column depending on the community.

Insurance: the expense that changed most in Florida

If you read the headlines about Florida home insurance, what you read is true but incomplete. The premiums that spiked are largely those on older houses, with old roofs, built before the strengthened code. Carriers quote on wind risk, and there the roof's age and the wall material decide nearly everything.

• Concrete block versus frame. New Central Florida homes are built in block, which quotes better.
• A new roof. A one-year-old home has its roof at its best, and that lowers the premium for several years.
• Wind mitigation certificate. It documents straps, decking and openings. On a new home it usually comes back with the best rating and is worth a concrete discount.
• Flood is separate. Home insurance does not cover flood. Before you buy I check the lot's flood zone: outside a risk zone the policy is optional and cheap; inside one it is required with a mortgage and changes the math.

HOA and CDD: why two identical homes cost differently

The HOA is the homeowners association fee and pays for what you can see: the pool, common areas, landscaping of shared ground. The CDD is something else: it is the assessment of the district that financed the neighborhood's streets, drainage and services, and it is paid inside the property tax for 20 to 30 years.

The practical consequence is large. A community with a low HOA can carry a higher fixed monthly cost than one with a high HOA, if the first has a CDD and the second does not. It is the number I compare first whenever someone tells me a community seemed cheaper.

Power, water and the everyday bills

Air conditioning runs nearly year round and accounts for 50% or more of the power bill. On a mid-size new home in summer, the electric bill usually lands between 180 and 280 dollars; in winter it drops considerably. Water, with a lawn, runs 60 to 120 dollars. Internet is around 60 to 90 dollars.

Trash may come inside the county tax or be billed separately, depending on the municipality. It is a small detail, but it is the kind of line that upsets the first month's budget.

If you are renting it out, add two more things

• Management. Property managers charge 8% to 12% of the monthly rent, plus a tenant placement fee.
• Vacancy. Budget 5% to 10% of the year with no tenant. Nobody rents 365 days a year for ten years straight.
• Repair reserve. On a new home it is low in the early years thanks to the warranty, but it is not zero: it has to exist.

With those three lines included, the return calculation stops being optimistic and becomes usable. The site's calculator already carries all three, precisely because without them the number misleads.

A complete example, with numbers

The gap between the low end and the high end is more than 800 dollars a month, and almost all of it is decided by the choice of community, not the house. That is why the first conversation I have with a client is not about floor plans or finishes: it is about what they want to pay every month.

Market ranges for Central Florida as of November 2026, for planning. They are not quotes or financial advice. Insurance depends on the carrier and the lot, tax depends on the county, and HOA and CDD amounts are set by each community and can change.