Home to miles of beaches, palm trees that stretch into the sky, and an endless flow of piña coladas, it’s easy to see why so many people want to move to Tampa. Of course, with amenities like that, you can expect some higher prices. Fortunately, there are local area options that make living in “the Big Guava” much more reasonable.
Here are the 10 most affordable Tampa suburbs.
Key Stats:
- Median household income: $39,735
- Median home value: $92,200
The fourth largest city in the Tampa Bay area, Largo has everything you’ll need at a much lower total cost. The higher population of close to 80,000 means there are tons of amenities in the suburb that won’t require you to commute downtown unless you really want to.
If you’re looking to save a few bucks in the Tampa area, Largo is one of your best bets.
Key Stats:
- Median household income: $44,185
- Median home value: $113,300
Known in the Tampa Bay area for the large number of events this town hosts every year, Pinellas Park has one of the liveliest communities around. The most popular event is “Country in the Park,” a festival that features tons of concerts, art shows, and amusement park rides. Pinellas County also has its own orchestra and it’s home to the Tampa Bay Automobile Museum.
Key Stats:
- Median home value: $68,900
- Median household income: $30,204
Catering to the perfect combination of work and play, New Port Richey is full of residents that work hard so that they can spend more time out in the local nature. This area is home to several parks and libraries, as well as Pasco-Hernando State College and great water access. Plus, the cost of living and the median home price are some of the cheapest on our list.
Key Stats:
- Income spent on rent: 36.9 percent
- Median home value: $77,000
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Another suburb that’s a slice of Florida paradise, Holiday is noteworthy for its lower housing costs and overall cost of living. It’s also got great schools and is far enough from the major metropolitan area to keep residents away from the traffic and crowding. This is one Tampa suburb that stands out when it comes to saving money, especially if you’re part of a budding family.
Key Stats:
- Income spent on rent: 50 percent
- Median home value: $54,300
A town of less than 4,000, Mulberry delivers perfect small town vibes while still being close enough to Tampa for residents to enjoy a big city life. The cost of living as well as home prices are both the lowest on our entire list, making it easier to own real estate if you’re moving to Mulberry. It’s also home to the beautiful Alafia River Reserve, a great place for hiking and picnics under the famous Floridian sun.
Key Stats:
- Income spent on rent: 28.9 percent
- Median home value: $150,300
Brandon is the largest affordable Tampa suburb on our list with over 100,000 residents. With its larger size comes a higher cost of living and higher median home value, but higher incomes in this area help keep local prices more affordable.
The larger population also means tons of local business and entertainment, as well as big events like the annual county fair. If you don’t want to live in Tampa but also want to avoid a small town, Brandon is a healthy mix of both worlds.
Key Stats:
- Median household income: $35,819
- Median home value: $93,200
Zephyrhills is served by several major roads, public transportation, and its own airport. Renting here can get a bit pricey, with most renters spending an average of 37.4 percent of their income on leased housing, which is much higher than the national average.
Fortunately, buying a home is much more reasonable and the several distinctly different areas of this town make it easy to find the perfect spot for each personality.
Key Stats:
- Median home value: $141,000
- Median household income: $45,625
Home to the beautiful Cockroach Bay Aquatic Preserve, the Ruskin Family Drive-In Theatre, and the Leisey Shell Pits, Ruskin is the perfect place to live if you can’t get enough of the great outdoors. It’s also got a booming local economy thanks to a huge Amazon warehouse responsible for moving millions of dollars worth of goods on an annual basis.
While the numbers show that homes are more expensive here, average incomes are also quite a bit higher than most of the other affordable Tampa suburbs featured on this list.
Key Stats:
- Median home value: $124,200
- Income spent on rent: 34.6 percent
Named after the valuable flint that’s historically been found in the area, Thonotosassa is another affordable Tampa suburb worth considering if you’re looking to get a great bang for your buck.
Plus, with over 55 percent of the population consisting of married couples, you can bank on this being a great place to raise a family.
Key Stats:
- Median home value: $143,200
- Median household income: $48,874
Another Tampa suburb that puts you up close and personal with the beautiful nature of Florida, Seminole has a younger population that’s always out being active. Not only is Seminole home to St. Petersburg College, it’s also got three family-friendly city parks and it’s less than 25 miles from downtown Tampa.
Our Methodology
To create this list of affordable Tampa suburbs, we considered the following criteria:
- Cost of living
- Median home value
- Percentage of income spent on rent
- Affordability ratio (median home value divided by median household income)
We then averaged those scores into one overall score and the places with the 10 lowest scores made up our list of the 10 most affordable Tampa suburbs.
For this list, we sourced data from
AreaVibes, business listings, and the 2013 U.S. Census American Community Survey.
Want to see how all 36 Tampa suburbs stacked up? Take a look at the table below:
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