Moving to Florida: The Complete Relocation Guide

Yes, generally, and you don't need a visa or a green card to own it. Neither U.S. citizenship nor residency is a condition of buying Florida real estate. Look at where foreign money goes: 20% of foreign-buyer activity in the U.S. lands in Florida, and the state has led for 15 consecutive years at least. Before going further, check this rule. Florida's Senate Bill 264, known as SB 264, took effect July 1, 2023 and targets people domiciled in seven countries of concern. China, Russia, Iran and North Korea are on the list. So are Cuba, Venezuela under the Maduro regime, and Syria. The limits break down as follows. If you're domiciled in any of the seven and are neither a U.S. citizen nor a permanent resident, you can't buy farmland. You also can't buy property on, or within 10 miles of, a military base or a critical-infrastructure site. That second category means places such as an airport, a seaport, a power plant or a water-treatment plant. The narrow single-home exception described next covers you as well. Domicile in China brings the hardest limits. If that's your situation and you hold neither U.S. citizenship nor a green card, you can't buy Florida property at all, with a single narrow exception. That exception applies only if you hold a current, verified U.S. visa that isn't for tourism, or have been granted asylum, and your status lets you be present in Florida. You may then buy a single home on a lot of up to two acres, with no military base within five miles. The deed must be in your own name and nobody else's. You also have to register the purchase with the Florida Department of Commerce within 30 days. Miss that deadline and the penalty runs $1,000 a day, and a lien on the property can follow. Domiciled in Russia or another listed country other than China? You can still buy homes and commercial property that aren't farmland, as long as the property lies more than 10 miles from every military base and critical-infrastructure site. In South Florida, plenty of addresses fall inside those zones, so have the exact parcel checked before you commit. And whatever your nationality, you'll sign an affidavit at closing confirming you comply with SB 264, as every buyer of Florida real estate does. The stakes are real: a violation can cost you the property through civil forfeiture and can also bring criminal penalties. Here's the legal update you need. On November 4, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit refused to block SB 264, and the people challenging the law later dropped their case. As of September 2026, every part of it is in force. The law limits who can own or invest in Florida real estate. Its heaviest weight falls on people domiciled in China, with lighter limits for those domiciled in Russia, North Korea, Iran, Cuba, Venezuela and Syria. In plain terms: if your domicile is China and you're neither a U.S. citizen nor a permanent resident, you generally can't buy Florida property. If you're domiciled in any of the other six, farmland and property inside the restricted zones are closed to you. Domiciled in any of the seven without U.S. citizenship or a green card? See a qualified real estate attorney before you buy. Not on that list? Then the path is short: find the home, put in an offer, close. Pay cash and you're usually done in 15–30 days; with a loan, allow 45–60 days.

Owning a home in the United States and living in it are separate questions. To live here, you need the right visa, and these are the main options. EB-5 Investor Visa Put capital to work in the U.S., and EB-5 can lead to a green card, which means permanent residency. The 2026 price of entry is $800,000 for a project inside Targeted Employment Areas (TEA) and $1,050,000 for anything outside a TEA. Your money must back a new commercial enterprise, and that enterprise must hire at least 10 U.S. workers full time. It isn't quick. Conditional permanent residency usually arrives after 2–5 years. The EB-5 Regional Center Program, for its part, is authorized for now until September 30, 2027. A newer option gets a lot of attention, so approach it with care. President Trump signed the executive order behind the Trump Gold Card in September 2025, and the program opened in December 2025 as an alternative route to U.S. permanent residency. Getting in costs $1 million, paid to the U.S. government, and DHS adds a $15,000 processing fee. The pitch is speed. The reality, as of September 2026, is a very small number of approvals and no way around visa-bulletin waits. The Gold Card's legal basis is also still disputed. EB-5, meanwhile, keeps working as before. Before you choose, have an immigration attorney tell you which route fits. E-2 Treaty Investor Visa Does your country have a commerce treaty with the U.S.? Many European countries do; Russia and Brazil don't. If yours does, you can qualify by putting a "substantial" sum into a U.S. business, usually $100,000 or more. Expect processing in 2–4 months. You can renew the visa again and again with no limit, though it won't turn directly into a green card. L-1 Intracompany Transfer Moving within your own company? Executives and managers can go from a foreign office to the U.S. branch on this visa, for up to 7 years. EB-1C may later open the door to a green card. B-1/B-2 Visitor Visa Up to 6 months for business or tourism, and yes, that includes touring properties and attending real estate closings. It stops well short of a move: this visa doesn't let you work in the U.S. at all, and it doesn't let you live there permanently. Immigration rules shift often. Always bring in a licensed immigration attorney first when your investment and your visa are linked.

Without an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), a foreign owner of U.S. property hits walls quickly. It comes up in these situations: The U.S. tax return covering your rent A foreign-national mortgage application Completing a real estate purchase Getting FIRPTA withholding back once you sell How to get an ITIN Complete IRS Form W-7. File through a Certifying Acceptance Agent (CAA); mailing it to the IRS Austin Service Center works as well. Allow 7–11 weeks for processing. Your passport goes with it, either the original or a copy the issuer has certified. Your agent can put you in touch with a seasoned CAA who works in your area.

Annual property tax Here's the math: county millage rate times assessed value. Millage is simply the dollars of tax for every $1,000 the property is assessed at. Rates swing widely. The same house can be taxed quite differently a few cities apart, because rates change between counties and between cities. Coastal counties pay for higher prices and more services, so their bills generally run above rural inland ones. For a first estimate in Florida, plan on 1.0%–2.0% of assessed value per year, with county and property type deciding where you land. Living in the home as your primary residence, as a Florida resident, unlocks the Homestead Exemption; a home that isn't your primary residence doesn't qualify. The exemption knocks more than $50,000 off the assessed value. Its second half rises with inflation every year, and the savings add up year after year. There's a bonus too: Save Our Homes. With that cap in place, your assessed value can climb no faster than inflation, and currently by no more than 3% a year, so it can sit well below market value. Don't read that as a frozen bill. Millage and non-ad-valorem assessments are set separately, and either can push the total up. Before you commit, get a real figure. A CPA in the area can estimate the tax for that exact county and that exact property, and a local agent can make the introduction. On the January 1 after you buy, the county reassesses the home at its market value; the seller's capped assessment stays with the seller. Our Buyer's Guide shows how the reset works. FIRPTA (Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act) If you're a foreign owner selling U.S. property, 15% of the gross price never reaches you at closing: the buyer keeps it back and pays it to the IRS. Think of it as a deposit on your tax, not an added tax. Your actual capital gains tax may come in under that 15%. In that case you file a U.S. return and get the gap refunded. Some sales carry a lower withholding or none at all. A sale under $300,000, for example, where the buyer will live in the home as a primary residence, may qualify for an exemption. No ITIN, no refund. A qualified CPA with an international property practice can help you cut the tax within the law. No state income tax Florida takes no income tax from you personally. A company doing business here is another matter, since it still owes the state's corporate income tax. Against owning in New York or California, that gap is real money. The federal side doesn't go away, though: rental income and capital gains are still taxed federally.

Yes, a lender will finance your Florida home as a non-U.S. buyer, just on different terms than U.S. residents get. Expect a bigger down payment: 25–35%, where U.S. residents usually need 3–20%. Rates usually run above standard U.S. rates. Gather your passport, proof of income, usually 2 years of bank statements, and a letter of reference from your bank at home. An ITIN is the norm for most lenders; a handful of portfolio lenders will lend on a passport alone. No U.S. credit file? Not a problem. Lenders build an "alternative credit" picture from your bank statements, your payment history and letters of reference. Choose a fixed or adjustable rate, on a 15–30 year term. Plenty of buyers skip the mortgage entirely. Among international buyers, about 48% pay all cash; across all U.S. existing-home buyers, the share is 28%. With foreign investors, cash remains especially common. It pays off at closing, which is usually quicker and comes with fewer contingencies.

A foreign passport doesn't stop you from opening a U.S. bank account. Several large banks in Florida work with international clients routinely. At Wells Fargo, Chase or Bank of America, a passport plus a secondary ID usually gets a foreign national in the door, though some branches also ask for a U.S. address or an ITIN. Already a Citi customer abroad? Citibank is among the easiest banks for international clients, and that existing relationship helps most. International banks in Florida include HSBC, Santander, Itaú and Sabadell. What banks require A valid passport A second form of ID from home, such as your driver's license or national ID card. A lease, utility bill or set of closing documents with your U.S. address on it. Opening deposit: usually $25–$100. Ask whether an ITIN is enough: some banks accept it, while others want an SSN or limit what the account can do. Open the account before closing day. Money sent from abroad to the title company by international wire takes 3–5 business days, and a U.S. account spares you much of that hassle.

Whatever you're after, from a luxury coastal town to an affordable mid-sized city, Florida likely has it, and every corner of the state carries the same tax advantages. That range is a big plus for international buyers. Statewide, the gap is small: MERIC's figure for the second quarter of 2026 puts Florida about 0.8% above the national average for cost of living. Don't let that number fool you. South Florida and the luxury coast run far higher, while Jacksonville, Orlando and Tallahassee come in at or under the national average. Home prices Prices swing widely depending on where in Florida you land. Here are median listing prices, every home type counted and condos included, as reported by Realtor.com through FRED for August 2026. Miami (South Florida): around $490,000 at the median listing. A luxury market on a global scale, with many all-cash deals. Naples / Southwest Florida: listings center on roughly $685,000, and a large share of the stock is waterfront or luxury. Tampa / St. Petersburg: half the listings ask less than about $390,000. Sound fundamentals, easier entry. Orlando / Central Florida: a typical asking price near $415,000, in a deep market where homes sell fast and entry is easy. Jacksonville / Northeast Florida: listings center near $380,000, one of the lowest price points among Florida's large metro areas. Tallahassee: no major Florida city lists for less, with a median near $345,000. Closed sales land in the same range. Florida Realtors' numbers for August 2026 show single-family homes selling at a statewide median of about $415,000, and condos and townhouses at just under $298,000. Rent tracks the regional price gaps closely. In Zumper's August 2026 report, a single-bedroom apartment rents for a median of about $1,110 a month in Jacksonville. Orlando and Tampa sit at $1,450–$1,500. Miami tops them at $2,550, while the U.S. median is $1,515. Utilities Power: $150–$225/month, climbing in summer as the A/C works harder. Water: $30–$55/month Internet: $50–$80/month Food Groceries for one: $450–$500/month A mid-range dinner out runs $80–$120 for 2 people, varying from city to city. Transportation Most of Florida runs on cars, so budget for these: Expect to pay more than average to insure a car in Florida: usually $200–$350/month, set by your driving record, the vehicle and the county. Gas: $3.85–$4.40/gallon on average in August–September 2026, per AAA Florida; prices follow crude oil. Monthly transit pass: $50–$112.50, in the places that have service. What a solo month costs, roughly Tallahassee, Jacksonville or Orlando interior on a lean budget: around $2,800–$3,500/month Fort Lauderdale, Tampa or Orlando at a mid-range level: around $4,500–$5,500/month Palm Beach, Naples or Miami on the luxury coast: $7,000–$10,000+/month, estimated

Enrolling a student after you arrive involves little paperwork. Gather the documents early anyway. Many buyers arriving from abroad are surprised by how the rules work, when the year starts and what language support looks like. Enrollment basics Every resident, regardless of immigration status, can attend public school for free. Enrollment goes through the district covering the county you live in, and it will usually want proof that you live there: a lease, closing documents or a utility bill. For the student, you'll usually need a birth certificate or passport, plus transcripts from previous schools. Vaccines need an extra step. Florida generally wants them on its own form, and a local pediatrician can move foreign records onto it. Get official translations of foreign documents and everything goes much faster. Calendar and timing Aim to arrive before the fall semester, when the switch goes most smoothly. Classes in Florida generally start in August and end in late May or early June. Spring and summer bring most of the enrollments, yet a mid-year transfer is routine, because districts take students all year. Language support A student who isn't fluent in English yet is entitled to English-learning help in any Florida public school. Districts across the state have newcomer programs for every grade level, and dual-language programs are common too. Wondering about your assigned school? The district's student services office can tell you what it offers. Private and international education Expect waitlists at many private schools, so apply well ahead of your move. Across Florida, private campuses offer International Baccalaureate (IB), bilingual and college-prep tracks. Miami, Tampa and Orlando each have established options. So do Fort Lauderdale, Naples and Jacksonville. Tuition depends on the school and the grade, usually $15,000–$45,000+ a year. Universities Higher education here runs deep, both public and private. The state's public flagship for research is the University of Florida in Gainesville, a regular in national top rankings. University of Miami, in Coral Gables, ranks with the leading private research universities. Florida State University in Tallahassee, a big public campus. Based in Tampa, the University of South Florida is a big public research university. Florida International University in Miami: public, large, and known for its international programs. University of Central Florida, Orlando, enrolls more students than nearly any other U.S. university. Florida Gulf Coast University serves the Fort Myers/Naples area as a solid regional institution. Beyond the universities, state colleges across Florida admit students on an open-access basis.

Health insurance isn't optional for anyone living here, because the U.S. has no universal healthcare. Health coverage for newcomers Buy a private plan on the Health Insurance Marketplace (healthcare.gov) in the open enrollment window, or go to a broker whenever you like. Coming from abroad, you can also look at international insurers: Cigna Global, Allianz and GeoBlue sell plans for expats and international residents. Working for a U.S. company? Your employer may cover you through employer-sponsored insurance. Medical care in Florida A hospital network covers the whole state. Miami, Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville each have large academic medical centers. Naples, Sarasota and the Space Coast are served by highly rated regional systems. Need a specialist, elective surgery or emergency care? In the major metros, the standard of care is competitive internationally. For people new to the U.S., health coverage is often one of the largest monthly bills, so give it its own line in your budget. The price hinges on the kind of plan and your location. Marketplace rates change each year and swing a lot with the state, the county, your age and the plan level, so check the posted rates for your new county before you commit.

Driving Here you'll need a car almost anywhere outside downtown areas. Visiting on a B-1/B-2 tourist visa? Your valid home-country license, issued in your name, lets you drive while you're here. Treat an International Driving Permit as a translation of that license, nothing more. Things change once you become a Florida resident by buying a primary home or starting a job. From then, Florida law gives you 30 days to switch to a Florida license, at a Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) center or a county tax collector. Bring a passport and valid immigration papers. Add two separate proofs of your Florida address. If your status lets you work in the U.S., you'll also need proof of your Social Security number. Buses and trains Transit options vary widely by city. In Miami, the Metromover costs nothing and covers Downtown/Brickell, alongside Metrorail and Metrobus. Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville run buses, but coverage is thin and a car remains the norm. Brightline runs high-speed passenger trains from Miami through Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton. West Palm Beach and Orlando are on the line too, and more is planned. Sunrail: commuter rail for greater Orlando. Ride-hailing In the big metros and the tourist zones, an Uber or Lyft is rarely hard to get.

Mobile and broadband Your phone first. T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon are the big carriers, and a prepaid line doesn't need a Social Security number; newcomers often go with T-Mobile or Mint Mobile. Broadband depends on your street address. Xfinity, AT&T Fiber, Spectrum and local companies each serve their own regions. Storms Hurricane season opens June 1 and closes November 30. No part of the state sits outside it, though how hard storms hit varies from place to place, and the Gulf Coast, South Florida and the Atlantic Coast all lie in their path. Keep storm supplies stocked year-round. When officials order an evacuation, go. Looking at a high-rise built after 2002? The Florida Building Code required wind-load and opening protection matched to its site, with the southeast coast held to the toughest standard and inland areas to looser ones. Before you buy, ask a real estate agent about the flood zone, the elevation certificate and the insurance history. Those are key drivers of what owning a Florida home costs. Insurance costs Budget for insurance on any property, whatever its price. Statewide it's a big expense, and on the coast it's bigger. Premiums for homeowners have jumped sharply on average in recent years. On the coast, a yearly policy of $5,000–$8,000+ is common, with location, construction type and flood zone setting the price. Culture notes Need help in a language other than English? South Florida banks, government offices and healthcare providers can often provide it. Expect to sign contracts, disclosures and closing papers in English. Papers issued in another language are routinely backed by a certified English translation. Leave 18–20% on a restaurant bill and $1–$2 a drink at a bar; tips are expected. The state's climate isn't uniform. South Florida stays tropical through the year, while North Florida gets mild winters and real seasons, and daily life shifts with it.

Your paycheck and investment gains escape state income tax entirely. For at least 15 straight years, no U.S. state has drawn more international home purchases, and 20% of the nation's foreign-buyer activity happens here: #1 for foreign property buyers. Whatever the budget, there's a market, whether an affordable inland city or a luxury stretch of coast. Rentals are in high demand statewide, long-term and seasonal alike, which keeps the market strong. Flights and business flow through here to Latin America and the Caribbean, making the state a major international hub. Beaches, restaurants, the arts and the outdoors, all under warm skies every month of the year. Tech, finance, healthcare and logistics keep expanding, and Florida keeps landing among the fastest-growing U.S. states. Excellent connections. Miami, Orlando and Tampa have international airports. So do Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville and several other cities, with direct flights to hundreds of destinations worldwide. Foreign owners enjoy broad rights and strong legal protection, with the SB 264 limits on people domiciled in certain countries as the exception (see Section 1).