Thinking of Moving to Sarasota?
Discover what living in the Suncoast is like.
If you're thinking about moving to Sarasota and currently doing your research online, you're exactly where you need to be. This page has been created to help you better understand the greater Sarasota area and what life could be like as a year-round resident in the Florida Suncoast. This page overviews the quality of life, local amenities, top-rated healthcare and local employment scene. We also encourage you to reach out to Julie Larson, our Sarasota relocation expert, as she is glad to answer any specific questions you may have about Sarasota including the local real estate market, housing prices and the annual cost of living.About Sarasota, FL
Sarasota is a booming small city on the west coast of Florida. Located exactly 60 miles south of Tampa, Sarasota is best known for its top-rated Siesta Key Beach, its rich arts and cultural performances as well as its long-time connection to the famous circus-performing Ringling family. Sarasota offers residents a high quality of life year-round with endless outdoor activities, an expanding job and employment market as well as expert healthcare services from top-rated area hospitals. The population of Sarasota is approximately 57,000 (total Sarasota county population is 462,000 as of 2022).Sarasota, FL Awards & Accolades
Sarasota commonly receives accolades and awards for its beaches, its quality retirement lifestyle as well as top-rated healthcare services. See recent mentions below.- 2024
Sarasota Named the #4 "Best City to Retire" in the U.S. - US News & World Report Siesta Key Beach Ranks as the #2 Beach in Florida - Trip Advisor Sarasota Ranks as the #2 "Best Place to Live in Florida" - US News & World Report - 2023
Siesta Key Beach Named the #2 Best Beach in the USA - Trip Advisor
Top 10 Reasons to Relocate to Sarasota
- Sarasota is a Top-Rated City to Live In
Sarasota was ranked as the #2 "Best Place to Live" in all of Florida for 2024 - 2025 by US News & World Report. This study focused upon several main factors including the happiness of local residents, housing affordability, employment opportunities, desirability index, and net migration rates. Sarasota commonly ranks as a top Florida city to live in each year for many of the reasons listed on this page. View Full Rankings List.
# City, State Average Home Price Average Age 1 Naples, FL $585,137 66.9 2 Sarasota, FL $447,812 49.8 3 Pensacola, FL $260,309 39.1 4 Tampa, FL $375,010 35.5 5 Fort Myers, FL $353,983 40.6 Average Home Prices as of Nov 1, 2024 - Florida Has No State Income Tax
One big benefit of living in Florida is the lack of a state income tax. This means that you get to keep more of your hard-earned dollars. In place of a state tax, the state of Florida earns its dollars from the millions of tourists that visit our state each year through a 7% sales tax (state level) and a 5% tourist tax (county level) on revenues from rental properties and hotel stays that are for a term of six month or less. Once you become a Florida resident, you will be thankful for the tourists as they pay your share of the state taxes. - Sarasota is the Home of Top-Rated Siesta Key Beach
The beaches of Sarasota County are among the most beautiful and most popular beaches in the entire state of Florida. Top-rated Siesta Key Beach, located on Siesta Key, is Florida’s top-ranked beach and was most recently named as the #1 "Best Beach in Florida" by TripAdvisor in 2024. The beach’s powder-like, sugar sand stays cool to the touch, even on the hottest of Florida's summer days. View Siesta Key Beach. - Sarasota County is Home to Top-Selling Communities
Sarasota County is one of Florida's most popular relocation destinations on the gulf coast as it is home to Lakewood Ranch and Wellen Park, the #2 and #3 best-selling master-planned communities in all of Florida in 2024 (based upon mid-year sales). Palmer Ranch and Skye Ranch, situated between these two top-selling communities, are also popular choices for many upon moving to Florida. Click below to discover these growing communities.
- Lakewood Ranch
(North Sarasota County)
Discover Lakewood Ranch
- Palmer Ranch
(Middle of Sarasota County, West of I-75)
Discover Palmer Ranch
- Skye Ranch
(Middle of Sarasota County, East of I-75)
Discover Skye Ranch
- Wellen Park
(South Sarasota County)
Discover Wellen Park
- Lakewood Ranch
- Sarasota Real Estate is Very Strong
The Sarasota real estate market has been very strong in recent years with all the people who want to call Sarasota their home. At the start of November 2024, the median Sarasota home price is $447,812 and the median Sarasota monthly rent is $2,480 per month. In many cases, Sarasota locals will tell you that owning a home in Sarasota is often cheaper than renting. This is because we are a beach-oriented town with a large supply of vacation rentals which often come at a premium price, especially in season. To find out exact housing costs and the best Sarasota neighborhoods to live in, contact Julie Larson, our Sarasota relocation expert listed on this page. - Sarasota Has Top-Rated Healthcare & Hospitals
Sarasota's area hospitals include Sarasota Memorial Health Care (SMH) and Doctor’s hospital. Sarasota Memorial is located just south of downtown and Doctors Hospital is located at Bee Ridge and I-75. Both are top-rated hospitals and have received numerous awards and accolades in recent years - Sarasota Offers a Year-Round Playground
With an average year-round temperature of 73 degrees and 251 sunny days each year, Sarasota is a great Florida city to consider for the outdoor enthusiast. If you enjoy being on or near the water, try kayaking through the Lido Key mangroves, paddleboard in Sarasota Bay or explore the Intracoastal waterway by boat. If you enjoy walking or jogging in the Florida sunshine, take a stroll across the Ringling bridge or take a lap around Benderson Park (near the new UTC mall). Experience the view from the Ringling Bridge. - Sarasota Has a Strong Job & Employment Market
With an unemployment rate at only 3.5%, and well below the national average of 4.1% (as of Nov 2024), Sarasota's job and employment market has been very strong post pandemic. Top sectors of the Sarasota economy in the area include hospitality, healthcare, education, retail, trades and professional services. The Sarasota county employers include the local School Board, Sarasota Memorial Health Care (SMHC), Publix Supermarkets, PGT Industries and Sarasota County Government. - Sarasota is a Cultural Home for the Performing Arts
Sarasota has been named Florida's "Cultural City" with its active performing arts and theatrical scene. Since the early 1920’s, the city has enjoyed a strong connection to the famous Ringling family as the Circus Magnate, John Ringling and his wife, Mable, built their famous Ca' d'Zan Estate Home and Ringling Museum of Art upon settling in the area. Their mansion and art museum are open daily as attractions to visit year round. - Sarasota Has Great Dining Options
The greater Sarasota area offers a full array of casual sidewalk cafes to elegant, five-star restaurants. There’s also lots of cool, hip craft breweries and beer gardens to check out such as Mandeville, J Dubs, Big Top and Calusa Brewing. Many of these places are pet-friendly, offer live entertainment and some even offer corn hole and ping pong while you enjoy a fresh-crafted local brew. Downtown Sarasota, Lakewood Ranch, St Armands Circle on Lido Key and Siesta Key Village are some of the popular, trendy destinations you’ll definitely want to check out!
Julie Larson
Realtor®Your Sarasota Relocation Expert
941-284-9826
Please mention Moving to Florida Guide when calling so I can track my marketing efforts. Thanks!
License # SL3294350
The Sarasota Market Real Estate Market
Market outlook, trends & relocation advice by Julie Larson
The Sarasota real estate market remains strong in the new year as many continue to relocate to the Suncoast from the Northeast, the Midwest and other parts of the county for our Florida climate and high-quality of life, especially for retirement. Sellers still have a slight advantage in this market as current inventory levels are at a 5 month supply, vs a balanced market of a 6 month supply. Many deals continue to remain all-cash or heavy-cash and I am still seeing a few multiple offers take place for properties which are priced correctly in choice neighborhoods and offer many resident amenities. For the heavily-financed buyer, they are now facing some challenges with the now higher rates where monthly payments can be as high as 40% or more for the same house than was nearly two years ago.
Sarasota's new construction market remains healthy as many top builders continue to announce new communities and offerings, mostly east of I-75 or in South Sarasota county as land is available to build. New construction releases tend to be in smaller quantities though and wait times are now much less than was during the market peak when supply chain issues were causing delays.
Sarasota's new construction market remains healthy as many top builders continue to announce new communities and offerings, mostly east of I-75 or in South Sarasota county as land is available to build. New construction releases tend to be in smaller quantities though and wait times are now much less than was during the market peak when supply chain issues were causing delays.
Sarasota Housing Market Outlook
My Outlook for the Sarasota housing market through year-end 2024 and into early 2025 is a continuation of the same healthy buyer demand and slightly reduced inventory levels. As the Fed has now cut the interest rate in September, I would expect our housing market to see a slight increase in buyer activity going forward. I also expect home prices to remain mostly flat or slightly higher in the coming year, vs the high appreciation we saw in recent years.Market Trends I'm Observing
Many of my buyers continue to seek out master-planned communities such as Palmer Ranch or Wellen Park as these communities offer many resident amenities and a variety of home styles from single family, townhome and condo at varying price points. I am also observing where listings are now sitting on the market slightly longer and is an overall healthy sign for our real estate market.My Relocation Advice
The best relocation advice I can give is to choose an experienced Realtor who has a strong knowledge of the areas/neighborhoods you are seeking and to leverage this to your advantage. It’s also a good idea to start your search early to get a feel for the properties hitting the market and to see what they are selling for. Lastly, if you will be obtaining financing, reach out to a qualified lender to get pre-approved and to have your finances in order. I have several top lenders of which I am glad put you in touch with!Sarasota Relocation Reviews:
Read what Julie's past clients are saying.
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"Julie took the time to listen to our wants and needs, and also viewed countless properties with us until we found our perfect fit! We highly recommend Julie, she's the best!"
April K.
Home Buyer -
"Julie was very professional yet she made us feel like family. She was very timely in returning calls and scheduling viewings. Julie made our home purchase peaceful and pleasant. She has a vast of knowledge and resources in the surrounding area of Sarasota."
Deborah M.
Home Buyer -
"Julie Larson is the one person you want to work with when buying or selling a home. A native to the area, Julie brings insight in the nuances of the Gulfcoast area. Additionally, she is an extremely nice person, is delightful to work with and will give you her absolute best effort."
Kim F.
Home Buyer
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