Ask 1stFlorida
Florida's sales tax is 6 percent, and most counties add a discretionary sales surtax, which applies only to the first $5,000 of any one item.
With the county surtax, the 2026 rate is 8 percent in Hamilton County; 7.5 percent in Alachua, Calhoun, Clay, Columbia, DeSoto, Duval, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Hendry, Highlands, Hillsborough, Holmes, Jackson, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Marion, Monroe, Osceola, Wakulla and Washington; 7 percent in Baker, Bay, Bradford, Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Dixie, Flagler, Gilchrist, Glades, Gulf, Hardee, Indian River, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Levy, Manatee, Miami-Dade, Nassau, Okaloosa, Okeechobee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, St. Lucie, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Seminole, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union and Walton; 6.5 percent in Hernando, Lee, Martin, Orange, Palm Beach, St. Johns and Volusia; and 6 percent, with no surtax, in Citrus and Collier. County rates change only on January 1.
Food for eating at home is not taxed, and neither is prescription medicine; meals, hot prepared food, soft drinks, candy and ready-to-eat sandwiches are taxed. Since August 1, 2025, many hurricane and safety items are always tax-free, among them portable generators up to 10,000 running watts, batteries, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, fire extinguishers, tarps up to 1,000 square feet, gas cans of 5 gallons or less, ground anchor and tie-down kits, life jackets, sunscreen, insect repellent and bicycle helmets. Since October 1, 2025, renting commercial property carries no sales tax, and the back-to-school sales tax holiday now comes every year.
01No. Florida does not tax personal income, so wages, pensions, withdrawals from an IRA or a 401(k), and Social Security are all free of state income tax, and there is no inheritance tax or gift tax either.
Read the answer →
02The savings are in taxes; the costs are in housing and insurance.
Read the answer →
03The state's emergency managers say to protect the places where wind can get in: the roof, the roof-to-wall straps, the windows, the doors and the garage door.
Read the answer →A lender works out how much house you can afford from three numbers: your debt-to-income ratio, your credit score, and your down payment, which sets the loan-to-value ratio.
Florida's median household income is $74,568 a year, by the Census Bureau's American Community Survey, published January 2026: half of Florida households earn more than that and half earn less.
$100,000 a year is $8,333 a month. What a lender measures against your monthly income is what you would pay each month, not the price of the house: the new house payment with its taxes and insurance, plus any car loan, card or other debt.
Have a different question? Ask 1stFlorida →