The Cost of Coming Home

St. Johns County is closing in on 350,000 residents, up more than a quarter since 2019. Most arrivals come from Duval County or from higher-tax states in the Northeast — and most budget carefully for the mortgage, then get blindsided by everything around it.

This breakdown puts real 2026 figures against each line: what homes actually cost, what your tax bill resets to, what insurance runs, and what the move itself costs depending on where you are coming from.

What's Inside

• Where newcomers come from — the in-state and out-of-state feeders — and why arriving with equity from a high-tax state is an advantage here
• What a home actually costs — median values from Zillow, Redfin, and ATTOM, plus a realistic target range for a larger household
• The property tax reset — why your first bill will not match the seller's, with worked examples at $350K, $450K, and $550K
• CDD fees and insurance — the two line items newcomers underestimate most, and how to get real numbers before you offer
• What the move itself costs — estimated ranges by origin, plus a five-point pre-move checklist