Orlando, FL — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Florida·Orlando

Orange County · Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford · population 334,854

Growing fastRenter-friendlyBig-city amenities
Orlando, FL
Image: Wikipedia · Orlando, Florida
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
59
Stable
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Orlando stands

Home values down 3.2% in the last year. population growing 2.1% per year.

Median home $374,302
1-year -3.2%
5-yr CAGR +5.7%
vs 5-yr peak -4.9%
Population +2.1%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2024-05$374k$173k$252k$331k$409k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
40/100
Car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
35/100
Minimal transit
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
100/100
Excellent for remote work
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$1,887/mo$1,364$1,692$2,021202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent132130100120140202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 16.5
Lean buy

At a 16.5 price-to-rent ratio, Orlando is in the 'depends on horizon' zone. Buy if you'll be there 5+ years and value flexibility on the home; rent if you might move, want zero maintenance friction, or expect rates to drop.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
34 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
68 · w22%
Distance from peak
60 · w18%
Population growth
81 · w16%
Rent YoY
44 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
76 · w10%
Long thesis

Orlando has been growing population at 2.1% per year while home values compounded +5.7% annually. Demand-driven appreciation — the kind that persists as long as people keep showing up, which they currently are.

Short thesis

Orlando is in a state where home insurance costs have doubled, climate risk repricing is still in progress, and the buyer pool is constrained by both. The bear case writes itself and is currently winning.

About Orlando

Orlando is a city in Orange County, Florida, with an estimated population of 334,854. It anchors the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford metro area. The population has grown 2.1% per year on average between 2020 and 2024 — among the faster-growing communities in the state. The median home value in Orlando is $374,302 as of 2026-04, down 3.2% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +5.7% annual growth (-4.9% from the 5-year peak). Rents in Orlando average $1,887 per month, roughly flat year-over-year (-0.1%). The composite momentum score is 59 of 100 (Stable). Conditions are neither hot nor cold, so the local fit matters more than market timing.

▲ Bull case

●People are voting with their feet: population growing 2.1% per year since 2020 — that’s faster than ~80% of US cities.
●Healthy 5-year run: +5.7% annualized over 5 years, outpacing US inflation.

▼ Bear case

●Cooling: -3.2% over the trailing year — momentum has stalled.
○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Orlando (Wikipedia)

Orlando is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. Part of Central Florida, it is the fourth-most populous city in the state and its most populous inland city, with a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census. The Orlando metropolitan area has an estimated 2.67 million residents as of 2020, making it the third-largest metropolitan area in Florida and the 22nd-largest in the U.S.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

MayorBuddy Dyer
Area119.08 sq mi
Elevation89 ft
Density2774.65/sq mi
Named forOrlando Reeves, a soldier killed during the Seminole War

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Things to see in Orlando(Tourism)

  • Cinderella Castle
  • Magic Kingdom
  • Walt Disney World
  • Universal Orlando
  • SeaWorld Orlando
  • Legoland Florida
  • Fun Spot America
  • Epcot
  • Disney's Hollywood Studios
  • Disney's Animal Kingdom
  • Disney's Typhoon Lagoon
  • Disney's Blizzard Beach

+18 more on Wikipedia.

Extracted from the Wikipedia article. Names linked in the source — open the city’s Wikipedia page for details.

Playbook

Buyer

Lifestyle fit matters more than market timing in a Stable market. Take your time on the home and neighborhood; the macro trend isn't urgent. Negotiate normally.

Seller

Price competitively from day one or risk a 60+ day listing. Staging, photography, and presentation matter more in Stable markets than in Hot ones.

Investor

Stable cap rates, no big appreciation story to lean on. Underwrite this as a pure cash-flow play — the math has to work on rent alone.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Orange County right now.

NWS active alerts (FL)Florida Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Orange County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Neighborhoods of Orlando

110 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Lake Nona Estates$2,551,881-0.7%
2Rose Isle$1,668,281+8.2%
3Orwin Manor$917,740+5.8%
4Lancaster Park$870,209+0.1%
5City of Orlando-GOAA$772,390-0.5%
6Southern Oaks$766,351-0.3%
7Delaney Park$759,988+2.2%
8Baldwin Park$759,342-2.1%
9Spring Lake$747,423+0.2%
10Bel Air$729,904+5.5%
11Rowena Gardens$729,552+2.1%
12Lake Nona South$725,038-2.1%
13Lake Weldona$644,752+0.3%
14Park Lake-Highland$632,663-2.6%
15Palomar$601,441-5.3%
16Lake Nona Central$594,192-3.8%
17Lake Cherokee$569,202-3.7%
18Thornton Park$567,706+1.4%
19Storey Park$538,535-3.1%
20College Park$537,623-1.7%
21Northlake Park at Lake Nona$518,255-2.2%
22Randal Park$518,162-4.8%
23Audubon Park$510,752+1.6%
24Lawsona-Fern Creek$504,614-1.1%

See the full neighborhood ranking →

Cities like Orlando

Tampa, FL58 · StableDeltona, FL61 · StableMiramar, FL58 · StableLakeland, FL63 · Rising

Run the numbers for Orlando

ToolCan I afford Orlando?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Orlando rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Orlando to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolOrlando cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
70° / 51°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
90° / 73°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
233
~64% of year
Annual precip
54″ rain
0″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Very high
Tornado
Moderate
Wildfire
Low
Earthquake
Very low
Flood
Very high

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Orlando listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
76%
Very humid climate
Median household income
$67,900
Florida state median
Top industries (state-level)
TourismHealthcareConstruction

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

Cities similar to Orlando

Explore other places with comparable momentum or affordability.

See all Florida cities →    Browse best-of lists →