Clearwater, FL Relocation Guide (2026)
Cost of living, housing, and income data for Clearwater, sourced from the US Census Bureau.
Salary needed to live in Clearwater →
Source: US Census Bureau ACS 5-Year (2022). Last updated July 2026.
With a population near 116,984, Clearwater, Florida sits below the multi-city income median: households earn a typical $59,358 per year (-18% vs. that benchmark).
Home values in Clearwater run a median $287,900, below the benchmark across cities in our dataset (-12%). Renters see a median monthly cost of $1,389. Mortgage rates and property taxes are worth checking before you commit either way.
Home prices in Clearwater run about 4.9× median household income — a middle-of-the-road ratio, neither a bargain nor a stretch by our tracked standards. The market has cooled around Clearwater: home prices are down about 2.04% compared with a year ago. Clearwater carries a Relatively High hazard rating from FEMA — elevated risk that's typically reflected in higher insurance premiums.
Personal Affordability Check
Renting at $1,389/mo in Clearwater would take 28.1% of your income.
$95/mo under the 30% guideline.
Buying the median home ($287,900) would take 31.1% of your income toward principal & interest.
$152/mo over the 28% guideline.
Cost of housing in Clearwater
Median home value is $287,900 and median gross rent is $1,389/month. For buyers, monthly costs depend heavily on current mortgage rates — worth checking before you commit.
FHFA's county-level home price index for Pinellas fell 2.04% over the past year (as of 2025).
HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom unit in the surrounding county is $1,977/month.
Climate & home insurance
FEMA rates Clearwater's overall natural-hazard risk as Relatively High. Risk level is a major driver of home insurance premiums.
Safety
Clearwater reported a violent crime rate of 253.7 per 100,000 residents in 2025, per FBI data.
Moving to Clearwater
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Frequently asked questions
- What is the cost of living in Clearwater, FL?
- In Clearwater, the median home value is $287,900 and median rent is $1,389 per month, against a median household income of $59,358. These figures come from the US Census Bureau ACS 5-Year (2022).
- How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Clearwater?
- Comfortably affording rent in Clearwater — where the median runs $1,389/month — typically means earning about $55,560 a year, per the standard 30%-of-income benchmark. See the full salary breakdown (renting and buying) for Clearwater.
- Is it better to rent or buy in Clearwater?
- Clearwater's median rent of $1,389/month translates to about $55,560 a year needed to rent comfortably, versus roughly $65,870 a year for principal and interest on the $287,900 median home (20% down, 30-year fixed, today's rates). How long you'll stay is usually the deciding factor.
- Is Clearwater safe?
- Per FBI Crime Data Explorer figures, Clearwater's violent crime rate was 253.7 per 100,000 residents in 2025.
See the full salary breakdown for Clearwater →
Cities with a similar cost of living
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