Moving to Orlando, FL

What housing costs in Orlando right now

The city's typical figure blends two very different markets. Zillow puts the typical single-family house at about $399,788 and the typical condo at about $170,712. Houses are down 1.1% for the year. Condos are down 6.8%, a much sharper drop that follows Florida's condo safety laws and the higher fees and reserve requirements that came with them.

By size, a typical two-bedroom is about $215,441, a three-bedroom about $357,392 and a four-bedroom about $480,255. If you are relocating with a family and need four bedrooms, budget closer to $480,000 than to the headline $372,775.

Neighborhood spread is wide. Zillow's areas inside the city run from about $128,890 in Lake Frendrica to $769,645 in Baldwin Park. College Park sits near $543,829, Hunters Creek near $467,247 and Azalea Park near $323,808.

Most of the city is apartments and condos

This surprises many people moving from the Midwest or the Northeast. Census data shows only 31.6% of Orlando's housing units are single-family detached houses, while 39.6% sit in buildings with 10 or more units. The median year built is 1992.

In practice, inside city limits you are choosing between three kinds of places:

• Older close-in neighborhoods around downtown, with houses from the 1920s through the 1960s, lakes and brick streets. College Park, Thornton Park and Audubon Park are examples.
• Planned communities from the 1980s onward, often with an HOA, such as Baldwin Park, Lake Nona and MetroWest.
• Condo and apartment corridors along the main roads, where most of the city's lowest prices are.

Many buyers who want a newer house with a yard end up in suburbs outside the city: Ocoee ($414,035), Apopka ($394,805) or Winter Garden ($568,910) on Zillow's index.

An Orlando address doesn't always mean the City of Orlando

The postal name covers a much bigger area than the city itself. Large parts of what people call Orlando, including much of the area around the University of Central Florida and many southern suburbs, are in unincorporated Orange County. Some addresses sit in Seminole or Osceola County.

This changes your property tax rate, who picks up your trash, which police and fire service responds, and sometimes which school zone applies. Before you write an offer, look the parcel up on the county property appraiser's site and confirm the jurisdiction.

Who lives here and how the city runs

Orlando has about 319,758 residents and a median age of 35.1. Just 11.3% are 65 or older, and seasonal homes are only 3.4% of housing. It is a working city. The economy leans on tourism, healthcare, the university and a long list of defense and simulation employers, and that shows up in traffic.

Getting around is mostly by car. I-4 runs through the middle and is the road people complain about. SR 408, SR 417, SR 429 and Florida's Turnpike are toll roads, and a toll commute adds a real monthly cost. SunRail commuter trains cover a north-south line. Orlando International Airport is in the southeast part of the city, which is a real advantage if you fly often or have family elsewhere.

The Atlantic beaches are roughly an hour east by car. The Gulf coast is farther. If daily beach access is a priority, Orlando is the wrong pick.

Weather, storms and insurance for an inland city

Being inland keeps you away from storm surge, which is the biggest hurricane risk on the coast. It does not keep you away from wind or flooding. Orlando is full of lakes, low streets and retention ponds, and heavy rain from tropical systems has flooded neighborhoods here in recent years.

• Check the FEMA flood zone of the exact address, and ask the seller whether water has ever entered the home.
• Get a homeowners quote during the inspection period. Roof age and a wind mitigation report drive the price.
• Consider flood coverage even outside high-risk zones. It is a separate policy.

Summers are long, hot and humid, with afternoon thunderstorms most days from roughly June through September. Lightning is common. People moving from dry climates should plan for higher cooling bills.

Taxes, and what newcomers get wrong

Florida has no state income tax, which is the biggest single change for buyers coming from high-tax states. Property tax and insurance take its place in your monthly budget. If the house is your permanent residence, file for homestead to cut up to $51,411 from assessed value in 2026 and cap yearly assessment growth at 3%. The assessment resets at purchase, so ignore the seller's tax bill.

The mistakes I see most often:

• Picking a neighborhood by drive time on a Sunday. Test the commute at 8 a.m. on a weekday.
• Comparing two houses at the same price without asking about HOA and CDD fees.
• Buying an older condo without reading the reserve study and milestone inspection report.
• Assuming insurance will cost what it did up north.

If you tell me where you will work and what you need in a house, I can turn the city's spread of neighborhoods into a short list worth flying in to see.