Davie FL vs Tech Hubs: The Real Cost of Living
How does the cost of living in Davie, FL compare to major tech hubs?
Davie, FL costs far less to live in than major tech hubs like San Jose, Seattle, or Denver. Your housing budget stretches much further here, and if you are leaving California or Colorado you also drop a state income tax. The current single family median in Davie is $893,000 (single-family median, trailing 182 days ending Oct 12, 2026, based on 199 listings, per BeachesMLS). Budget for higher home insurance, then run your own numbers.
The move from a tech hub to Davie usually buys you three things at once: more house, more land, and in some cases a raise you get just by changing your address. I talk to remote and technology workers every month who are running this exact comparison, and the pattern is consistent. The sticker shock that defines San Jose, San Francisco, and Seattle does not exist here. What you need to understand is where the savings are real, where they are smaller than the headlines suggest, and what new costs you pick up when you land in South Florida.
This is a relocation and cost comparison. Davie is my primary market and I write this as the agent who built livingindavieflorida.com, so the framework below is the same one I walk clients through before they tour a single home.
What your housing budget actually buys in Davie
Start with housing, because it is the biggest line in any tech hub budget. In Silicon Valley, a mid range single family home ties up a number most of the country cannot picture. In Davie, that same money buys a larger home on a bigger lot, and in parts of town it buys acreage you could never find near a coastal tech campus.
The honest way to see it is in relative terms. Here is roughly how a single family home dollar travels from each hub to Davie.
| Metro (County) | State income tax | Single family home cost vs Davie | Verify current figure |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose and San Francisco (Santa Clara County, CA) | Among the nation’s highest | Typically several times Davie’s median | Census QuickFacts |
| Seattle (King County, WA) | None | Roughly double Davie’s median or more | Census QuickFacts |
| Austin (Travis County, TX) | None | In the same range as Davie, sometimes a little below | Census QuickFacts |
| Denver (Denver County, CO) | Flat state income tax | Generally above Davie’s median | Census QuickFacts |
| Davie (Broward County, FL) | None | Baseline, current single family figure | Census QuickFacts |
Those are relative positions, not frozen prices, which is why each row links to the current county figure on Census QuickFacts. For Davie’s live single family number, the median sale price is $893,000 (single-family median, trailing 182 days ending Oct 12, 2026, based on 199 listings, per BeachesMLS) and homes are selling near 96% of list. Pull those before you set a budget, because they move.
One more thing the table hides. Davie is not a wall of identical subdivisions. You can buy a standard single family home close to the Nova Southeastern University campus, or you can buy a no HOA acreage property with room for horses in Long Lake Ranches (33330). That range is part of why relocating buyers who want space land here. If you want the neighborhood by neighborhood read for someone working from home, start with my guide to the best Davie neighborhoods for remote workers.
The income tax question, answered honestly
Here is where a lot of relocation content gets lazy. Florida has no state income tax, and that is true. The savings are only a windfall against certain states.
If you are coming from California or Colorado, dropping your state income tax is a real raise the day you establish Florida residency. For a high earner that can add up to serious annual savings, depending on your income, which is why so many founders and senior engineers run the number first. If you are coming from Washington or Texas, you already pay no state income tax, so your Davie math is about housing, insurance, and property tax, not income tax. I would rather you know that going in than feel oversold later.
Property tax works differently here too, and it works in your favor if you make Davie your primary home. Florida’s homestead exemption and the Save Our Homes assessment cap limit how fast your taxable value can climb once you qualify. I do not quote the current amounts from memory because they change, so confirm them with the Broward County Property Appraiser and see my full Davie property tax guide for how the pieces fit together. This is exactly the kind of number I build into a net cost sheet before a client relocates, not after.
The costs that go up when you move to South Florida
A real comparison names the tradeoffs. Three costs tend to rise when you move to Davie from a tech hub.
1. Home insurance. South Florida premiums run higher than most of the country because of wind and flood risk. Budget for it and get real quotes early, because the number depends on the roof, the elevation, and the wind mitigation features of the specific home.
2. Flood considerations. Some Davie properties sit in FEMA flood zones that require flood coverage. The Town of Davie and its official resources can point you to the local picture, and a flood zone changes the all in cost of a home.
3. Cooling and lifestyle. You will trade a heating bill for a cooling bill, and hurricane season preparation becomes part of the calendar.
None of these erase the move. For most relocating buyers coming from an expensive hub, the housing gap and the income tax difference still win by a wide margin. The point is to count the full picture so the decision holds up a year later.
How to run your own Davie cost comparison
You do not need a spreadsheet full of guesses. Run it in four steps.
1. Pull your current all in monthly cost at home: mortgage or rent, state income tax withheld, property tax, and insurance.
2. Pull Davie’s current single family median and list to sale figures from the live data on the market page, then price the home you would actually buy.
3. Add Florida’s homestead and Save Our Homes effect once Davie is your primary residence, and add a real insurance quote for that home.
4. Subtract any state income tax you stop paying. Compare the two totals, not just the home price.
When you do this honestly, the Davie number almost always comes in lower for a buyer leaving California or the Pacific Northwest. For a deeper walk through of the relocation itself, my remote workers guide to moving to Davie and the full moving to Davie guide cover timing, residency, and neighborhood fit. If your old reference point is an East Coast metro instead, I ran a separate comparison on what a mid range budget buys in Davie versus New York, Boston, and Chicago.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Davie, FL cheaper than San Jose or San Francisco?
Yes, in almost every case. A single family home in Santa Clara County typically costs several times what the same money buys in Davie, and California’s state income tax is among the highest in the country while Florida has none. Confirm current county figures on Census QuickFacts and price the specific Davie home you would actually buy.
Do I really save on taxes moving from a tech hub to Davie?
It depends on the state you leave. Leaving California or Colorado, you drop a state income tax, which is a real annual raise for a high earner. Leaving Washington or Texas, you already pay no state income tax, so your Davie savings come from housing and ownership costs instead. Florida’s homestead exemption and Save Our Homes cap then limit how fast your property taxes rise once Davie is your primary home.
What costs more in Davie than in my current tech hub?
Home insurance is the main one. South Florida premiums run higher because of wind and flood exposure, so get real quotes tied to the specific home’s roof, elevation, and wind mitigation. Some properties also sit in a FEMA flood zone that requires flood coverage, and you will carry a cooling bill plus hurricane season preparation.
What does the single family median in Davie look like right now?
The current single family median sale price in Davie is $893,000 (single-family median, trailing 182 days ending Oct 12, 2026, based on 199 listings, per BeachesMLS), and homes are selling near 96% of list. Those figures move with the market, so I pull the live number before setting any buyer budget rather than quoting a stale price.
Is Davie a good fit for remote and technology workers?
Many remote and technology workers choose Davie for the space, the large single family lots, and the cluster of universities and employers around the Nova Southeastern University campus and the South Florida Education Center. Start with my guide to the best Davie neighborhoods for remote workers to match a neighborhood to how you actually work.
Talk to a Davie Real Estate Expert
Anthony Spitaleri is a Broker Associate, REALTOR® with Coldwell Banker Realty and a Davie native who returned home in 2025 after thirteen years in Miami Beach. He builds the full relocation cost comparison for every buyer leaving a tech hub, housing, taxes, and insurance in one sheet, before any property tour. If you are weighing a move to Davie and want your real number mapped to a specific home, the next step is a direct conversation. Schedule a free 15-minute strategy call and start the move with a plan.
Anthony Spitaleri
Broker Associate, REALTOR® | Coldwell Banker Realty
Creator of Living in Davie, Florida
Davie, Florida | Serving Davie, Weston and surrounding Broward markets
954-235-5783
Florida License BK3281907
@livingindavieflorida
Written by Anthony Spitaleri, Broker Associate, REALTOR® with Coldwell Banker Realty and a Davie native. More about Anthony
