Thinking of Moving to Tampa Bay?
Discover what living in America's next greatest city is like.
If you're considering moving to Tampa Bay, and in the process of researching the area, you in the correct place. This page has been put together to help you become more familiar with the Tampa Bay area and to give you a good idea of what the area offers year-round residents in terms of employment, lifestyle, amenities and healthcare. We also encourage you to reach out to Geoff Fahey, our Tampa Bay relocation expert as he is glad to answer any specific questions you may have about the area, including the Tampa Bay real estate market, housing and living costs.About Tampa Bay, FL
The Tampa Bay region, which includes the cities of Tampa, St Petersburg and Clearwater, is one of the fastest growing areas in all of Florida. With a population of just over 3.1 million people, Tampa Bay offers a strong business climate and is home to professional sports teams, museums and attractions, theme parks as well as top-rated beaches. With an average temperature of 73 degrees year-round, Tampa Bay offers residents an outdoor playground for activities including boating, kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding, golf, bicycling, roller-blading and many more!Experience Tampa Bay and the natural beauty of the area in the below video. Make sure your volume is on.
Tampa Bay Awards & Accolades
The Tampa Bay region commonly receives accolades and awards for its top-rated beaches, thriving business community, quality healthcare and high-quality of life for millennials, young families and retirees alike. View recent awards below.- 2024
- 2023
Top 10 Reasons to Move to Tampa Bay
- Tampa is Top City to Retire In
Tampa was recently ranked as the #4 "Best Place to Retire" in the entire country by WalletHub for 2024 - 2025. This study was based upon multiple index criteria including housing affordability, local activities, overall quality of life and quality of health care. View Full Ranking List.
# City Name Average Home Price Average Age 1 Orlando, FL $379,154 33.9 2 Miami, FL $583,030 39.7 3 Minneapolis, MN $322,117 32.8 4 Tampa, FL $375,010 35.9 5 Fort Lauderdale, FL $520,867 43.2 Average Home Prices as of Nov 1, 2024 - Top-Rated Clearwater Beach
Tampa Bay, which spans Clearwater and St Petersburg along Florida’s gulf coast, is home to popular beaches including Clearwater Beach, St Pete Beach and the state park beaches of Caladesi Island and Fort DeSoto Park. Top-rated Clearwater Beach was most recently named as the #2 Beach in all of Florida in 2024 (Trip Advisor). This beach offers a powder-like sand which stays cool to the touch, even on the hottest of Florida’s summer days. View Clearwater Beach from Pier 60. - Tampa Bay is a Year-Round Outdoor Playground
With 246 sunny days each year and an average temperature of 73 degrees year-round, Tampa Bay is the ideal destination for outdoor enthusiasts. If you enjoy a great workout while being in the water, experience stand-up paddle boarding or kayak through the natural Florida mangroves to see native wild birds and abundant sea life. The 3.7 mile Riverwalk Trail along Tampa’s waterfront is also a popular destination for walking, jogging, bicycling, roller-blading and for exercising your pets. - Tampa Bay Offers Attractive Real Estate
The Tampa Bay real estate market offers attractive housing prices for both young families and retirees alike. At the start of October 2024, the median Tampa Bay home price is $375,010 and the median Tampa Bay monthly rent price is $2,150 per month. If you prefer to live downtown, on a golf course or near a waterway, the cost of housing would obviously be more. To find out exact housing costs and the best Tampa Bay neighborhoods to live in, contact Geoff Fahey, our Tampa Bay relocation expert listed on this page. - Tampa Bay Has a Strong Job & Employment Market
Tampa Bay's employment and job market has been very robust with an unemployment rate at 3.6%, which is well below the nation’s average of 4.1% (as of Nov 2024). Tampa Bay’s top sectors of employment in the include the military, healthcare, education, and various professional services. The largest employers of Tampa Bay, located in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, include local School Districts, MacDill Airforce Base, HCA West Florida Hospital, Tampa General Hospital, Publix Supermarkets, Bloomin Brands as well as local county governments. - Tampa Bay Offers Great Local Cuisine & Dining Options
Tampa Bay offers residents a myriad of dining options including casual eateries, open-air sidewalk cafes and elegant five-star restaurants. There are also many new trendy craft breweries and beer gardens to check out. Many of are pet-friendly and provide for daily live entertainment. The trendy places you’ll definitely want to check out include Downtown Tampa, South Tampa, Ybor City, Downtown St Pete, St Pete Beach and Clearwater Beach. - Tampa Bay Has Top-Rated Hospitals & Healthcare
Residents of Tampa Bay have access to quality hospitals and medical services. The top hospitals in Tampa Bay include Tampa General Hospital (TGH), St Joseph's Hospital and Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater. Tampa General Hospital was recently ranked as a "Top 100" hospital in the U.S. in 2022 as well as the #2 Best Hospital in all of Florida in 2017 by US News & World Report. View Tampa General Hospital Ranking - Tampa Bay Offers Endless Events and Festivals
The Tampa Bay area provides residents an active year-round scene of outdoor events, festivals and performances to continually check out. There are also many events that take place each year such as the popular Gasparilla boat parade, The Sugar Sand Festival, Havana Nights, The St Petersburg Grand Prix, Clearwater Jazz Holiday, Margarita Fest, Beer, Bourbon, & BBQ and the Off Shore Power Boat Races just to name a few. View Current Tampa Bay Events. - Tampa Bay is Home to Theme Parks and Museums
Many family-oriented theme parks and museums are located in Tampa Bay. Popular theme parks include Busch Gardens, Adventure Island Water Park, The Florida Aquarium, Big Cat Rescue and Dinosaur World. The Tampa Bay region also contains top educational museums including MOSI (Museum of Science & Industry), The Tampa Museum of Art, The Glazer Children's Museum and The Florida Museum of Photographic Arts. - Tampa Bay Has an Expanding Millennial Population
Tampa was recently named as the #9 Top City in the entire U.S. where Millennials are moving to according to a recent study by Smart Asset Magazine (2022). Millennials are defined as those ranging in age from 27 to 42 (in 2023) who born between born between 1981 and 1996. Top reasons why Tampa Bay is seeing an increase in their Millennial population are the strong employment and job market, an expanding scene of technology startups and incubators such as Tampa Bay Wave as well as the growing local craft beer market including popular brewers such as Cigar City, Coppertail and Angry Chair Brewing.
Geoff Fahey
Realtor®Your Tampa Bay Relocation Expert
813-434-3675
Please mention Moving to Florida Guide when calling so I can track my marketing efforts. Thanks!
License # SL3423958
The Tampa Bay Real Estate Market
Market outlook, trends and relocation advice by Geoff Fahey.
The Tampa Bay housing market has been undergoing a rebalancing as interest rates continue to remain at elevated levels, even though the Fed has now implemented some initial rate cuts. The median sale price for single family homes in the Tampa Bay area in the fall of 2024 is $412K, and has remained around this price point for nearly two years now.
While housing inventory levels for the Tampa Bay region remain a bit low, at roughly a 3.6 month supply, they have increased off the historically low levels we experienced during the pandemic. We are now seeing where homes are now sitting on the market longer, listing prices are being reduced to be more competitive as more negotiations and seller concessions are taking place.
In terms of Tampa Bay’s new construction market, builders are no-longer implementing lottery systems, but buyers, who are not purchasing an inventory home, still need to get registered on builder wait lists and wait times for custom homes are still running roughly 10+ months.
For those who are seeking to purchase investment properties in the Tampa Bay area, I would encourage you to reach out to me as our team, and industry partners, are helping many to generate significantly more income and higher net returns than traditional “safe” investment property over the long-term. Although Florida real estate prices have risen in recent years, owning income-generating properties is still one of the best strategies many are using to build long-term wealth.
While housing inventory levels for the Tampa Bay region remain a bit low, at roughly a 3.6 month supply, they have increased off the historically low levels we experienced during the pandemic. We are now seeing where homes are now sitting on the market longer, listing prices are being reduced to be more competitive as more negotiations and seller concessions are taking place.
In terms of Tampa Bay’s new construction market, builders are no-longer implementing lottery systems, but buyers, who are not purchasing an inventory home, still need to get registered on builder wait lists and wait times for custom homes are still running roughly 10+ months.
Tampa Bay Housing Market Outlook
My outlook for the Tampa Bay housing market through early 2025 is a continuation of the same strong buyer demand, for many reasons. I expect to see our home prices continuing to stabilize and for home appreciation rates to be much lower going forward. I also see our inventory levels slowly trending back to a more normalized market of 5 – 6 months in the year ahead.View market trends and relocation advice
Market Trends I'm Observing
I am observing the following trends currently taking place in the Tampa Bay housing market.- A slowdown in deals which are all cash or heavy cash.
- A younger demographic purchasing investment homes for Airbnb and VRBO rentals.
- Continued strong demand from international buyers who are looking at the Tampa market to acquire property as a way to diversify their investments.
My Relocation Advice
The best advice I am able to offer those seeking to move to the Tampa Bay area for retirement, a job relocation or to be closer with family is to not wait too long as prices will likely keep rising with time, especially with continued inflation as the same size house will simply cost you more in the future. As Florida has long been undervalued in its housing prices as compared to other highly-populated states, I do not expect this trend to reverse anytime soon.For those who are seeking to purchase investment properties in the Tampa Bay area, I would encourage you to reach out to me as our team, and industry partners, are helping many to generate significantly more income and higher net returns than traditional “safe” investment property over the long-term. Although Florida real estate prices have risen in recent years, owning income-generating properties is still one of the best strategies many are using to build long-term wealth.
Tampa Relocation Reviews:
Read what Geoff's past clients are saying.
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"Geoff is a wealth of knowledge in the local market. He'll make anyone’s relocation transition smooth, as he can not only provide recommendations on where to live, but also for fun, eclectic places to eat, where to spend time, and other hotspots in the area."
Camille G.
Home Buyer -
"Geoff was excellent to work with. As an out of state buyer with no background in the Florida real estate market, Geoff was very knowledgeable about the process and local market and provided great advice helping me save money and time. The whole experience was seamless. Would definitely work with him in the future and highly recommend Geoff to anyone and especially first time and remote buyers!"
Brendan M.
Home Buyer -
"While I was considering many homes, Geoff helped me narrow down the number of homes to the exact criteria that was most important to me. Geoff reduced the hassle and made it about me, and what I wanted, rather than just selling me a random house. Loved working with him and already referred two of my other international friends his way!"
Maggie M.
Home Buyer -
"Geoff is trustworthy and knows that advising people without worrying about commissions and pushing a sale, will come back around with referrals tenfold. I love that he donates a portion of income from referrals to charity."
Past Client
Home Buyer -
"Couldn't have asked for a better realtor than Geoff. Professional, calm, understanding all while teaching my husband and I as first time buyers the process it takes to obtain what has become our dream home."
Brittany L.
Home Buyer -
"My experience with Geoff has been so remarkably wonderful, it’s hard to sum up. Let me just say that Geoff never treated me like an opportunity to make money in his profession; he treated me like a friend he’s known for years and thus his only interest was what was my best interest. Barring something unexpected, he’ll be my exclusive realtor going forward."
Rodney
Home Buyer
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