Quick answer, as of September 23, 2026
In August 2026 the median listing price was $340,000 in Escambia County (Pensacola), $405,000 in Okaloosa County (Destin) and $499,000 in Baldwin County (Gulf Shores). Florida assesses homes at full just value, with 2025 totals of 17.0080 mills inside the City of Pensacola and 13.4035 in unincorporated Escambia County; Alabama assesses owner-occupied homes at 10 percent of market value, and Gulf Shores carries 33.0 mills, so a $500,000 homestead there owes about $1,650 a year before exemptions, against $6,700 to $8,500 around Pensacola.
Gregg Costin, Realtor, Levin Rinke Realty
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The comparison in one table
Each row names its source and the date it was read. County figures stand in for the towns where no official town-level figure exists; the notes say where that matters.
| Measure | Pensacola (Escambia County, FL) | Destin (Okaloosa County, FL) | Gulf Shores (Baldwin County, AL) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median listing price, county, August 2026 (Realtor.com via FRED) | $340,000 | $405,000 | $499,000 |
| Same month, August 2025 | $339,900 | $426,450 | $499,900 |
| Median listing price per square foot, August 2026 | $196 | $266 | $326 |
| Median owner-occupied home value, city, ACS 2020-2024 | $314,400 (Pensacola city) | $490,300 (Destin city) | $382,700 (Gulf Shores city); $316,900 for Baldwin County |
| Median household income, ACS 2020-2024 | $74,212 (city); $67,500 (county) | $89,011 (city); $81,998 (county) | $78,775 (county) |
| Assessment basis for property tax | 100 percent of just value; homestead $25,000 plus inflation-adjusted additional exemption; 3 percent Save Our Homes cap | Same Florida rules | Owner-occupied Class III at 10 percent of market value; non-owner-occupied Class II at 20 percent; state homestead $4,000 and county $2,000 of assessed value |
| Total millage, 2025 | 17.0080 inside the City of Pensacola; 13.4035 unincorporated; 12.7185 Pensacola Beach | 11.8435 inside Destin, tax district 010, including school, water and Destin Fire levies | 33.0 (state 6.5, county 9.5, schools 12.0, city 5.0) |
| Illustrative annual tax, $500,000 owner-occupied, before exemptions | $8,504 in the city; $6,702 unincorporated | $5,922 inside Destin, tax district 010 | $1,650 (10 percent assessment times 33.0 mills) |
| Average homeowners premium, including wind | $3,702 (FLOIR, county average as of March 31, 2026) | $3,889 (FLOIR, Okaloosa County average as of March 31, 2026) | No comparable average verified here; ask about FORTIFIED discounts |
| Flood insurance | NFIP or private policy, separate from homeowners; 1,727,900 NFIP policies in force in Florida (FEMA, April 2025) | Same structure; 52,700 NFIP policies in force in Alabama (FEMA, April 2025) | |
| Sales tax | 7.5 percent (6 percent state plus 1.5 percent county) | 7.0 percent (6 percent plus 1 percent) | 10 percent inside the corporate limits (4 percent state, 3 percent county, 3 percent city) |
| Short-term rental posture | State preemption, DBPR license and taxes; verify current local and association requirements | City registration required annually | City zoning, licensing and inspections apply; verify the current adopted code for the parcel |
| Nearest commercial airport (free-flow routing) | Pensacola International, 6.5 miles, about 15 minutes from downtown | Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport, 14.9 miles, about 29 minutes | Gulf Shores International, with Allegiant commercial service; Pensacola and Mobile are alternatives |
| Hospital | Baptist Hospital, Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola, HCA Florida West Hospital | HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital in Fort Walton Beach; HCA Florida Destin Emergency (freestanding) in Destin | Baldwin Health in Foley; Baldwin Health freestanding emergency department at 3590 Gulf Shores Parkway |
Prices: what the published series can and cannot tell you
The cleanest public price series for the three areas is Realtor.com's monthly median listing price by county, redistributed by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis on FRED. For August 2026 it shows $340,000 for Escambia County, $405,000 for Okaloosa County and $499,000 for Baldwin County, against $339,900, $426,450 and $499,900 a year earlier. Per square foot the ordering is the same: $196, $266 and $326.
Two cautions. A listing price is an asking price, not a closed sale, and a county median blends Gulf-front condos with inland subdivisions. The Census Bureau's 2020-2024 American Community Survey gives owner-reported values at the city level, $314,400 for Pensacola, $490,300 for Destin and $382,700 for Gulf Shores, which are survey medians rather than current prices.
Closed-sale medians for the specific towns come from the MLS and change monthly. Ask us for the current report before you anchor on any of these.
Property tax: the biggest structural difference
Florida and Alabama tax property from opposite starting points. Florida assesses a home at 100 percent of just value, then subtracts the homestead exemptions and applies the Save Our Homes cap, which limits annual assessment growth to the lower of 3 percent or the change in the Consumer Price Index under section 193.155. For qualifying non-homestead residential property, section 193.1554 limits annual assessment increases for non-school levies to 10 percent, subject to its exceptions.
Alabama assesses an owner-occupied home at 10 percent of its fair market value (Class III) and other real property generally at 20 percent (Class II), with separate classes and exceptions, per the Alabama Department of Revenue. Its regular homestead exemption removes $4,000 of assessed value from the state levy and $2,000 from the county levy.
The millage tables complete the picture. The Escambia County Tax Collector's 2025 schedule totals 17.0080 mills inside the City of Pensacola, 13.4035 in the unincorporated county and 12.7185 on Pensacola Beach. For Gulf Shores, the Alabama Department of Revenue's October 2025 table shows 6.5 state mills, 9.5 south-county mills, 12.0 school mills including the Gulf Shores city school levy, and 5.0 city mills, or 33.0 in total.
On a $500,000 owner-occupied home before exemptions, that is about $8,504 a year inside Pensacola's city limits, $6,702 in the unincorporated county, and $1,650 in Gulf Shores. Florida's homestead exemptions and the 3 percent cap narrow the gap for long-term owners, and Alabama exempts owners 65 and older with net taxable income of $12,000 or less from all ad valorem tax on the homestead.
The right comparison is your own numbers on a specific home. Alabama taxes are due October 1 and delinquent after December 31; Florida's are billed November 1 and delinquent April 1.
The Okaloosa County Property Appraiser's 2025 Final Millage table lists 11.8435 mills for Destin, district 010: city 1.6150, county 3.8308, school 5.3770, water 0.0207 and Destin Fire 1.0000. That is $5,921.75 on the $500,000 example before exemptions and non-ad valorem assessments. A Destin mailing address can fall in another district; confirm the parcel before using this rate.
Insurance and flood: what each state's regulator publishes
Florida's Office of Insurance Regulation publishes county averages. Its July 1, 2026 stability report lists the average homeowners premium including wind at $3,702 in Escambia County as of March 31, 2026 ($1,670 without wind), and $3,889 in Okaloosa County including wind on the same date. Citizens, the state-created insurer of last resort, had 255,099 policies in force on September 18, 2026.
Okaloosa's county line sits in the same report; our Destin guide covers the local quote process.
This review did not verify a comparable Alabama county average, but two structures matter on the Baldwin coast. The Alabama Insurance Underwriting Association, codified by the Legislature in 2008, provides a market for eligible property in Baldwin and Mobile counties when private coverage is unavailable.
And The Alabama Department of Insurance's Strengthen Alabama Homes program explains insurance discounts for qualifying FORTIFIED construction. The Strengthen Alabama Homes program, run by the Department of Insurance, supports that with grants of up to $10,000 toward a FORTIFIED roof.
Flood works the same way in both states: homeowners policies exclude it, and coverage comes from the National Flood Insurance Program or a private carrier. FEMA's April 2025 state profiles count 1,727,900 NFIP policies in force in Florida and 52,700 in Alabama, and put the ten-year average claim payout at $28,100 in Florida and $24,700 in Alabama. Look up any address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center, or start with our flood zone map.
Short-term rental rules: the sharpest difference between the two states
Florida preempts local vacation rental bans: section 509.032(7)(b) says a local law may not prohibit vacation rentals or regulate the duration or frequency of rental, apart from ordinances adopted on or before June 1, 2011. Operators still need a state DBPR vacation rental license, state and county tax registrations, and clearance under any condominium or HOA restriction. Destin's city FAQ states that properties have to be registered each year.
Alabama's cities set local zoning and licensing requirements. Gulf Shores' official rental-license page describes business licensing and safety inspections. Its zoning was amended in 2026, and the complete adopted text remains a source gap in the rental guide. Confirm eligibility for the parcel with the city before relying on a rental plan.
Orange Beach's 2018 ordinances restrict rentals of fourteen consecutive days or less in RS and MHS districts, with overlay and nonconforming-use exceptions. Its $500 vacation rental license applies to specified residential districts outside the Beach Overlay; it is not a universal fee for every rental.
The rental rules page cites each ordinance by number and date.
Getting in and out: airports, drives and hospitals
Pensacola International Airport lists eight airlines on its nonstop-flights page and sits 6.5 road miles from downtown Pensacola. Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport lists Allegiant, American, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest and Sun Country, with American's Miami service starting December 19, 2025, and is 14.9 miles from Destin. Gulf Shores International Airport has commercial Allegiant service; Pensacola International and Mobile International provide alternative connections. Check current routes and operating dates with the airports.
The town-to-town drives, by free-flow routing on OpenStreetMap data with no traffic model, run 47.6 miles and about 82 minutes from downtown Pensacola to Destin along U.S. 98, and 33.4 miles and about 59 minutes from downtown Pensacola to Gulf Shores through Perdido Key and Orange Beach. These are routing estimates, not measured commutes; check traffic for your own travel date and time.
Hospitals differ in kind. Pensacola has three: Baptist Hospital at 123 Baptist Way, Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola, and HCA Florida West Hospital at 8383 North Davis Highway. Destin has a freestanding emergency department, HCA Florida Destin Emergency at 200 Tequesta Drive, with the full hospital, HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital, in Fort Walton Beach.
Gulf Shores has Baldwin Health's freestanding emergency department at 3590 Gulf Shores Parkway, with the hospital itself in Foley at 1613 North McKenzie Street.
Sales tax and the everyday budget
Florida's state sales tax is 6 percent plus a county surtax: 1.5 percent in Escambia County and 1 percent in Okaloosa County on the Department of Revenue's 2025 schedule, for 7.5 and 7.0 percent respectively. Gulf Shores' combined rate inside the corporate limits is 10 percent: 4 percent state, 3 percent county and 3 percent city, per the city's sales tax page.
Florida has no personal income tax. Alabama does impose individual income tax; its Department of Revenue publishes rates of 2, 4 and 5 percent depending on taxable income and filing status. Compare your own income and retirement exclusions with a tax professional. The out-of-state guide carries the Florida income, wage and utility figures.
How to use this page
Pick one home in each place and put them into the Alabama vs Florida ownership-cost worksheet: price, the millage for that parcel, an actual insurance quote, the flood zone, association dues and the rental rules if income matters to you. The county medians above tell you where the market sits; the worksheet tells you what a specific address costs.
Gregg is licensed in both states and a member of the Pensacola MLS and Baldwin REALTORS, so the three searches can be one search.
Related guides
The guides behind each column of the comparison.
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper to buy in: Pensacola, Destin or Gulf Shores?
By county median listing price in August 2026, Pensacola. Realtor.com's series on FRED shows $340,000 for Escambia County, $405,000 for Okaloosa County and $499,000 for Baldwin County, and $196, $266 and $326 per square foot. County medians blend beach and inland inventory, so a specific Gulf-front condo can differ substantially from its county figure. Closed-sale medians for the towns come from the MLS and change monthly; ask for the current report.
Is property tax really lower in Gulf Shores than in Pensacola or Destin?
Yes, by a wide margin, because Alabama assesses an owner-occupied home at 10 percent of market value while Florida assesses at 100 percent of just value. A Gulf Shores parcel carries 33.0 mills on that 10 percent assessment, about 0.33 percent of market value before the homestead exemptions. Inside the City of Pensacola the 2025 total is 17.0080 mills on assessed value, about 1.7 percent before exemptions. Florida's homestead exemptions and the Save Our Homes 3 percent cap narrow the gap for long-term owners.
Is homeowners insurance cheaper in Alabama?
The regulators publish different things, so compare carefully. Florida's Office of Insurance Regulation reported an average homeowners premium including wind of $3,702 in Escambia County as of March 31, 2026, and $3,889 in Okaloosa County on the same date. No comparable Alabama county average was verified for this review, but state law requires FORTIFIED roof discounts and the Strengthen Alabama Homes program pays up to $10,000 toward one. On every coast, get quotes on the specific address during the inspection period.
Do I need flood insurance on all three coasts?
Homeowners policies exclude flood everywhere, and the National Flood Insurance Program insures against it in both states: FEMA counted 1,727,900 NFIP policies in force in Florida and 52,700 in Alabama in its April 2025 state profiles. Whether your lender requires a policy depends on the flood zone for the parcel, which you can look up on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center for any address in either state.
Which airport is closest for each town?
Pensacola International Airport lists eight airlines on its nonstop page and sits 6.5 road miles from downtown Pensacola. Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport lists Allegiant, American, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest and Sun Country and is 14.9 miles from Destin. Gulf Shores International Airport has commercial Allegiant service. Pensacola International and Mobile International are alternatives; check the current destination and seasonal schedules before choosing a connection.
Can I rent the home out short term in each place?
The rules differ sharply. Florida generally preempts new local bans and duration or frequency limits, with exceptions including ordinances adopted on or before June 1, 2011. State licensing, taxes and private restrictions still matter. Gulf Shores and Orange Beach use local zoning and licensing rules. Confirm the parcel, overlay and any grandfathered status with the city; the rental guide identifies both sourced provisions and outstanding current-code checks. The rental rules page covers each ordinance by number and date.
Can one agent help me compare homes in Florida and Alabama?
Only if the agent is licensed in both states, and you should verify both records. Gregg Costin holds Florida sales associate license SL3630964 and Alabama salesperson license 000171694-0, both with Levin Rinke Realty, and is a member of Baldwin REALTORS, so a search that crosses the state line at Perdido Key is one conversation rather than two referrals.
Sources and references
The sources below support this guide, with read dates and any limits identified in the text. Rules and rates change: verify the current version and property-specific requirements before you act.
- U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Pensacola city: ACS 2020-2024; read directly during recovery (read September 23, 2026)
- U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Destin city: ACS 2020-2024; read directly during recovery (read September 23, 2026)
- U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Okaloosa County: ACS 2020-2024; read directly during recovery (read September 23, 2026)
- U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Baldwin County: ACS 2020-2024; read directly during recovery (read September 23, 2026)
- U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Gulf Shores city: ACS 2020-2024; read directly during recovery (read September 23, 2026)
- Alabama Department of Revenue: Individual income tax rates: 2, 4 and 5 percent brackets; Florida and Alabama differ (read September 23, 2026)
- Gulf Shores International Airport: Commercial airline service: Allegiant service; verify seasonal schedules (read September 23, 2026)
- Okaloosa County Property Appraiser: 2025 Final Millage: Destin tax district 010 totals 11.8435 mills; official indexed table read during recovery (read September 23, 2026)
- FRED (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis), Realtor.com Housing Inventory: Median Listing Price in Escambia County, FL (MEDLISPRI12033): August 2026 observation $340,000; August 2025 $339,900 (read September 23, 2026)
- FRED, Realtor.com: Median Listing Price in Okaloosa County, FL (MEDLISPRI12091): August 2026 $405,000; August 2025 $426,450 (read September 23, 2026)
- FRED, Realtor.com: Median Listing Price in Baldwin County, AL (MEDLISPRI1003): August 2026 $499,000; August 2025 $499,900 (read September 23, 2026)
- FRED, Realtor.com: Median Listing Price per Square Foot, Escambia (MEDLISPRIPERSQUFEE12033), Okaloosa (MEDLISPRIPERSQUFEE12091) and Baldwin (MEDLISPRIPERSQUFEE1003): $196, $266 and $326 in August 2026 (read September 23, 2026)
- Tax Collector of Escambia County: 2025 Escambia County Millage Rates: totals 17.0080 inside the City of Pensacola, 13.4035 unincorporated, 12.7185 Pensacola Beach (read September 23, 2026)
- Florida Department of Revenue, PTO Data Portal: Okaloosa County Table 1, Comparison of Taxes Levied, FY 2024-25 and 2025-26: Okaloosa County BCC 3.8308 mills; City of Destin 1.6150 mills (read September 23, 2026)
- Florida Statute 196.031, Exemption of homesteads (read September 23, 2026)
- Florida Statute 193.155, Homestead assessments (Save Our Homes) (read September 23, 2026)
- Florida Statute 193.1554, Assessment of nonhomestead residential property: the 10 percent cap (read September 23, 2026)
- Alabama Department of Revenue: 2025 Millage Rates (Baldwin County, October 2025): state 6.5, county south 9.5, Gulf Shores schools 12.0, City of Gulf Shores 5.0 (read September 23, 2026)
- Alabama Department of Revenue: Property Tax Assessment (classes of property): Class III owner-occupied residential 10 percent; Class II 20 percent (read September 23, 2026)
- Alabama Department of Revenue: Homestead Exemptions (read September 23, 2026)
- Baldwin County Revenue Commission: Collections: taxes due October 1, delinquent after December 31 (read September 23, 2026)
- Florida Office of Insurance Regulation: Property Insurance Stability Report, July 1, 2026: average premiums by county as of March 31, 2026 (read September 23, 2026)
- Citizens Property Insurance Corporation: Policies in force: 255,099 policies as of September 18, 2026 (read September 23, 2026)
- FEMA: Florida, Risk Rating 2.0 state profile (April 2025) (read September 23, 2026)
- FEMA: Alabama, Risk Rating 2.0 state profile (April 2025) (read September 23, 2026)
- Strengthen Alabama Homes (Alabama Department of Insurance): grants up to $10,000 toward a FORTIFIED roof; discount law (read September 23, 2026)
- Alabama Insurance Underwriting Association: About AIUA: coastal market of last resort for Baldwin and Mobile counties (read September 23, 2026)
- Florida Department of Revenue Form DR-15DSS, Discretionary Sales Surtax Information for Calendar Year 2025: Escambia 1.5 percent, Okaloosa 1 percent (read September 23, 2026)
- City of Gulf Shores: Sales Tax: 10 percent combined inside the corporate limits (read September 23, 2026)
- Pensacola International Airport: Nonstop Flights (read September 23, 2026)
- Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport: Airlines (read September 23, 2026)
- OSRM public routing API (OpenStreetMap data), free-flow driving routes between the three towns and their airports: no traffic model; distances and durations quoted in the table (read September 23, 2026)
- Baptist Health Care: Baptist Hospital (read September 23, 2026)
- HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital (read September 23, 2026)
- HCA Florida Destin Emergency (read September 23, 2026)
- Baldwin Health: Freestanding Emergency Department, Gulf Shores: hospital at 1613 N. McKenzie Street, Foley; freestanding ED at 3590 Gulf Shores Parkway (read September 23, 2026)
- City of Destin: Short-term rental FAQ (read September 23, 2026)
- Florida Statute 509.032, Duties (vacation rental preemption, subsection (7)) (read September 23, 2026)
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