Cost of living in Gainesville, Florida

Gainesville, Florida has about 145,702 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $247,500.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Alachua County is $1,471 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Gainesville. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

In the Gainesville, FL metro area, prices sit at 96.7 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 Gainesville'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 Gainesville'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, 521 have higher typical rent than Gainesville.