Florida rent is still expensive — But you should read this

Renting a home in Florida is still expensive, but renters are finally getting a little good news: prices have been moving in the right direction.

Florida’s median rent stood at $1,508 per month in August 2026, according to the latest statewide data from Apartment List. That remains about 8.5% higher than the national median, meaning Florida is still far from being a cheap place to rent.

But there is an important change happening.

Florida rents were 1.6% lower than they were a year earlier, marking the 40th consecutive month in which statewide rent was below its level from the same month a year before.

Prices have also fallen considerably from their pandemic-era peak. Florida’s median rent is now about 7.6% below the July 2022 peak.

That does not mean Florida has suddenly become affordable.

Despite the recent decline, statewide rents remain about 27% higher than they were in March 2020, showing just how dramatically housing costs increased during and after the pandemic.

There are also major differences depending on where you live.

South Florida remains one of the most expensive parts of the state. The Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach metro had a median rent of about $1,812, while Miami itself was even higher.

North Florida generally remains more affordable. Jacksonville’s median rent was approximately $1,322, while Gainesville was among the less expensive major Florida cities at around $1,169 in the August statewide comparison.

Some areas are also seeing rents fall faster than others. Among Florida metros tracked by Apartment List, Punta Gorda was down about 6.8% from a year earlier, while the Cape Coral-Fort Myers area was down about 6.1%.

Overall, 13 of the 18 Florida metro areas included in the analysis had lower rents than a year earlier.

So while Florida renters are still paying considerably more than they did before the pandemic, the latest numbers provide something many renters have been waiting for: evidence that the rapid rise in housing costs has cooled.

For Floridians looking for a new apartment, that could mean slightly more negotiating power — and, depending on the city, lower prices than they would have found a year ago.