Cost of living in Lake City, Florida

Lake City, Florida has about 12,515 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $184,900.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Columbia County is $1,187 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Lake City. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

Florida's prices sit at 103.4 when the U.S. average is 100. This place is not in a metro area with its own index, so this is the state number from BEA for 2024.

Florida does not tax wages. A typical combined sales tax is 7.0% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not Lake City'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 Lake City'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, 646 have higher typical rent than Lake City.