2.8/5
176 reviews
Photo by Kody Cheyne via Unsplash

Cost of Living in Tampa, FL

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bay

beach

pete

clearwater

petersburg

beaches

sand

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restaurants

sweet

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tourist

gulf

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cities

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Tampa Bay, including Tampa, St. Pete, and Clearwater, is a highly praised area with much to offer. St. Petersburg stands out as a favorite, with a laid-back yet vibrant atmosphere, plentiful parks, an artistic community, and a reputation for being LGBT+ friendly. The area features world-class and accessible beaches like Clearwater, known for clear water and soft sand. Residents and visitors appreciate the area’s reliable internet, great restaurants, nightlife, and the year-round warm weather that includes summer breezes that make the humidity manageable. Local arts, coworking spaces, breweries, and cultural hotspots like the Dali Museum make St. Pete especially popular among younger and more creative crowds.

The Tampa Bay region is also known for being relatively safe from direct hurricanes and for its sports teams in NFL, MLB, and NHL. That said, reviews consistently noted two downsides: the rising cost of living, especially housing, and the lackluster public transportation. Getting around may require a car or frequent use of ride share services, especially with the city's sprawling layout. Overall, Tampa Bay is described as a desirable place to live or visit, especially if affordability is not a primary concern.

AI-generated summary of reviews
4 months ago

Tampa is my “home base” I return to, and I love it! Only drawback - like most other American cities the cost of living is high. Clearwater Beach was rated #1 beach in the US multiple years in a row by TripAdvisor, and for good reason. The sunsets are spectacular, water warm as bath water the majority of the year, and sand so soft and fine it’s like corn starch. Great sports town if you like sports, with pro teams in the NHL. MLB, and NFL that consistently perform well. Skyline is beautiful and there are many great restaurants. Temperatures are comfortable year-round, and Tampa Bay is the “sweet spot” in Florida for avoiding hurricanes because of the jet stream and avoiding heat discomfort in the summer because of the wonderful cross-breezes that blow the humidity away. I highly recommend the Tampa Bay Area if you can afford it!

3 years ago

I have grown up in Tampa Bay and can give some quick insight.

If you want to genuinely experience the overall area or its history you'll want to visit both Ybor City and St Petersburg (First two areas that were initially settled). Clearwater is a tourist trap but has a beautiful manufactured beach (the sand as imported to make this beach what it is today).

Saint Petersburg, FL:
St Petersburg offers a few co-working spaces and at one time boasted the largest number of Kava Bars in a given city in the US (which are often used as cowork space by locals). The Brewery scene in St Petersburg is unmatched, with over 50 different breweries located in Pinellas County alone.

Nightlife:
EDM/Dance Music is primarily seen in Tampa/Ybor City especially for harder genres like Dubstep/Riddim and Drum & Bass, as well as Tech House. However, St Petersburg has a reputation for being the more artistic side of the Tampa Bay area and thus has a strong community for Techno and House music.

Daytime Fun:
- Kayaking through the mangroves in Lido Key (Day trip)
- 'Hiking' in Weedon Island Preserve
- Daytime in Ybor City (great restaurants, bars, and a bit of history)
- Busch Gardens Theme Park (Excellent rollercoasters)
- Art walk in St Pete
- Dali Museum (St Pete)
- Fort Desoto

Cons:
-5 years ago Tampa Bay was extremely affordable by all accounts, but is currently pacing to become much more expensive with a 25% increase in housing costs in the last year alone and one of the highest overall inflation rates in the country.
-Traveling around Tampa Bay can become expensive due to the physical size of the city and how scattered things can be. Public transit is not worth the money saved, but if you're remaining in one area, Uber is very reasonably priced.
-There are a lot of people from other cities in the US moving into Tampa Bay, so there are many people that are not a reflection of the locals here.

4 years ago

Lively city with excellent internet and other infrastructure. Beaches are everywhere - both gulf beaches and bay beaches. Head for the gulf side if you want spectacular sunsets and surf, and the bay beaches if you want calm waters. Clearwater Beach was rated #1 on TripAdvisor 2 years in a row, and for good reason. The water is beautifully clear and the sand as soft as baby powder. Public transportation options could be better. Awesome restaurants. This is the "sweet spot" in Florida in the summer - because of the cross-breezes between the gulf and bay the humidity doesn't stagnate in the air and it feels much cooler than places like Orlando and Miami. It also hasn't had a direct hit from a hurricane in decades. I loved it so much the first time I came here I bought a condo here, and it's now my "home base."

5 years ago

Tampa and St. Pete neighbors, with St. Pete being the much better choice. Summers are hot and humid in Florida, with October through May being the sweet spot. St. Pete, 25 minutes from Tampa, is the hidden gem. Friendly, food, night light, vibrant arts and Entrepreneurial communities, LGBT+ friendly, laid back vibe yet everything you could want for. World-class beaches, fantastic dining options, plenty of party options, and endless parks and sidewalks/lanes for biking, jogging, strolling. Out of the 91 countries visited, it's my favorite city to stay in! Enjoy!

5 years ago

Tampa/The Tampa Bay area is okay. Clearwater beach feels a like an tourist trap but the beach is high quality (they ship in white sand from Bahamas, lol). Downtown Tampa is gentrifying from a business district to a tourist focused. The international plaza shopping mall is cool.. Tampa’s Cuban district is fun! Nearby St. Pete is like a mini-Tampa, but much calmer imho. Hopefully Tom Brady brings the city luck.

6 years ago

Gorgeous city, but very hot. But if you've been in Florida before, you'll know this is the norm. I explored towns in the bay area as well, which are quaint but still have much to offer. Clearwater beach has a lot going for it as well.

6 years ago

✅ Fast internet

✅ Warm all year

✅ Friendly people

✅ Great nightlife

✅ Beautiful beaches

✅ Good restaurants

✅ Low hurricane risk

✅ Pretty safe

✅ Warm now

✅ Good air quality on average

✅ Nomads.com members liked going here a lot

✅ Many Nomads.com members have been

✅ Spacious and not crowded

✅ Very easy to do business

✅ High quality of education

✅ Great hospitals

✅ Roads are very safe

✅ Great freedom of speech

✅ Democratic

✅ Everyone speaks English

✅ Safe for women

✅ Family friendly

✅ Very friendly to LGBTQ+

✅ Not many people smoke tobacco

❌ High cost of living

❌ Poor public transportation

❌ Extremely expensive

❌ Not much to do

❌ Not many Nomads.com members right now

❌ Difficult to make friends

❌ High alcohol consumption

❌ Marijuana is illegal

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Feels (median)

19°C / 66°F mild

23°C / 73°F mild

27°C / 81°F warm

29°C / 84°F warm

33°C / 91°F hot

34°C / 93°F hot

38°C / 100°F hot

43°C / 109°F scorching

38°C / 100°F hot

33°C / 91°F hot

22°C / 72°F mild

25°C / 77°F warm

Real (median)

18°C / 64°F
cool

23°C / 73°F
mild

26°C / 78°F
warm

27°C / 80°F
warm

30°C / 85°F
very warm

29°C / 84°F
very warm

30°C / 86°F
very warm

32°C / 89°F
hot

30°C / 86°F
very warm

29°C / 84°F
very warm

22°C / 72°F
mild

25°C / 76°F
warm

Humidity

nice
73%

nice
77%

nice
74%

nice
68%

nice
66%

sweaty
78%

sweaty
81%

sweaty
83%

sweaty
74%

nice
77%

nice
82%

Most common

☀️ Clear

☔️ Rain

☀️ Clear

Rain

dry
25mm

rainy
54mm

dry
23mm

rainy
54mm

dry
5mm

rainy
168mm

rainy
179mm

rainy
210mm

rainy
142mm

rainy
54mm

dry
40mm

dry
19mm

Cloud

pockets
33%

pockets
35%

pockets
28%

pockets
26%

pockets
47%

pockets
43%

pockets
42%

pockets
40%

pockets
31%

pockets
34%

pockets
27%

Air quality

clean
35 US AQI

okay
50 US AQI

clean
28 US AQI

clean
35 US AQI

clean
33 US AQI

clean
31 US AQI

clean
33 US AQI

clean
34 US AQI

clean
29 US AQI

clean
30 US AQI

Sun

seek shade
4 UVI

seek shade
6 UVI

avoid sun
7 UVI

avoid sun
8 UVI

avoid sun
9 UVI

avoid sun
8 UVI

avoid sun
7 UVI

avoid sun
6 UVI

seek shade
4 UVI

Remote workers

527 people

425 people

600 people

400 people

300 people

489 people

450 people

420 people

714 people

511 people

467 people

640 people

Green is good. Red is bad. Values shown are the medians of all daily highs in a month based on past few years, not necessarily current numbers. Remote worker count is estimated based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members.

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Based on Tampa's cost of living, here's selected remote jobs that would cover your costs:

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⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 20° 68° 19° 66° AQI 29

✈️9h

$3,816 / mo

🌇 Also went here62 people

London

United Kingdom

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌤 Feels 16° 61° 16° 60° AQI 38

✈️9h

$5,723 / mo

🌇 Also went here86 people

Paris

France

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌦 Feels 7° 45° 9° 49° AQI 42

✈️11h

$4,796 / mo

🌇 Also went here50 people

Rome

Italy

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 20° 68° 19° 67°

✈️11h

$5,087 / mo

🌇 Also went here55 people

Bangkok

Thailand

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 38° 100° 30° 86° 🥵 AQI 38

✈️20h

$1,577 / mo

🌇 Also went here52 people

Members who will be here soon

Members who have been here

Values shown are estimated visits by traveling remote workers based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members. Visits to a place are only counted once per year per user, even if they visit more in that year. Visits are also normalized by overall trips added per month on the site, so if site usage goes up or down it does not affect trends. Not all digital nomads are on Nomads.com, and not all Nomads.com members log their trips. So the data is only indicative.

The chart below shows visitors by nationality normalized for population size. This means we take all trips logged on Nomads.com, check which country of origin the user is from, then divide that total visit count by the country of origin's population. If we didn't, it'd just show the big countries like US, Brazil and India always on top. Instead, this shows which nationalities worldwide proportionally visit more or less, which is more useful.

⭐️ Total score	2.8/5 (Rank #144) 176 reviews
❤️ Liked by members	👍5 liked it 👎0 disliked it
👍 Quality of life score	Good
👶 Family score	Good
🎒 Community score	Okay
💵 Cost	🧐 Very expensive: $4,541 / mo
📡 Internet	🚀 Super fast: 98 Mbps (avg)
😝 Fun	Okay
⛅️ Temperature (now)	🌞 Perfect: 24°C75°F (feels 24°C75°F)
💦 Humidity (now)	😊 Comfy: 70%
❄️ % of buildings with AC	😍 Very high: 90%
💨 Air quality (annual)	🌱 Great: 33 US AQI
👌 Safety	Okay
👩 Safe for women	Okay
🌈 Safe for LGBTQ+	Great
🤮 Food safety*	Great
👮‍♀️ Lack of crime*	Okay
🤝 Lack of racism*	Good
🎓 Education level*	High
⚡️ Power grid	Great
🌊 Vulnerability to climate change	Good
💰 Income level*	Very high: $4,817 / mo
🙊 English speaking*	Great
🚶 Walkability	Great
🚦 Traffic safety*	Okay
✈️ Airline scores*	Good
🧳 Lost luggage*	Good
🏥 Hospitals	Great
😄 Happiness*	Bad
🍸 Nightlife	Good
📶 Free WiFi in city	Good
🖥 Places to work from	Great
❄️ A/C or heating	Great
😁 Friendly to foreigners	Good
🗯 Freedom of speech*	Good
🎅 Startup Score	Okay

🌍 Continent	North America
🚩 Country	United States
🗓️ Average trip length	10 days
📡 Internet speed (avg)	98 Mbps
⛅️ Weather (now)	☀️ 24°C 75°F + 😊 Comfy (70%) = feels 24°C 75°F
💨 Air quality (annual avg)	👍 33 US AQI
🔌 Power	115V 60Hz
🧔 Best neighborhood to stay	Tampa Heights
🚀 Upcoming neighborhood	Seminol Heights
🚕 Best taxi app*	Uber
🚑 Travel medical insurance	Safetywing
💸 Tipping	Yes, 15%
💳 Cashless	💳 Yes, cards OK almost everywhere
💻 Best coworking space	Cowork Tampa
💻 Best alt. coworking space	Cowork YBOR
☕️ Best coffee place	Kahwa Coffee
🏪 Best 24/7 coffee place	Starbucks
🚰 Tap water	👌 Yes, safe to drink
♻️ Return rate	👍17% of visitors return
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Population	380,000 people
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 GDP per capita*	$57,808 / year
👫 Gender ratio (population)	👨 47% 👱‍♀️ 53%
👫 Gender ratio (young adults)	👨 52% 👱‍♀️ 48%
👫 Gender ratio (nomads)	👨 69% 👱‍♀️ 31%
🏞 Foreign land ownership allowed	Yes
⛪️ Religious government	Non-religious
💻 Online electronics shop	Amazon
🏠 Apartment listings	Craigslist
✈️ Best short-haul air carrier	Southwest
✈️ Best int'l air carrier	Delta
🏥 Best hospital	St Joseph's Hospital

💵 Cost of living for nomad	$4,541 / month
💵 Cost of living for expat	$2,768 / month
💵 Cost of living for family	$6,186 / month
💵 Cost of living for local	$1,767 / month
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$3,416 / month
🏡 Airbnb (median price)	$2,684 / month
🏠 1br studio rent in center	$1,370 / month
🏠 Median home price	$415,000
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$160 / night
🏠 Airbnb (median price)	$88 / night
🏢 Coworking hot desk	$210 / month
🍛 Dinner	$19
🥤 Coca-Cola (0.3L)	$2
🍺 Beer in cafe (0.5L)	$6
☕️ Coffee in cafe	$4
👩‍🏫 International school	$19,500 / year
📱 Mobile data (~10GB)	$27 / month
🚕 Taxi price (avg trip ~3km/2mi)	$9 / trip