Cost of living in Fort Walton Beach, Florida

Fort Walton Beach, Florida has about 21,025 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $321,800.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Okaloosa County is $1,908 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Fort Walton Beach. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

In the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL metro area, prices sit at 97.0 when the U.S. average is 100. That is a 2024 BEA index.

Florida does not tax wages. A typical combined sales tax is 7.0% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not Fort Walton Beach's exact store tax.

In July 2026, a typical Florida home paid 15.03¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not Fort Walton Beach's bill.

For the week of October 12, 2026, EIA's all-grades gasoline price in Florida was $4.084 a gallon. At 12,000 miles a year and 25 mpg, the index counts that as $1,960.32 a year. Those miles are our standard, not a Census figure, and every town in Florida shares this price.

Among 730 places we list in Florida with a rent figure, 513 have higher typical rent than Fort Walton Beach.