What it's like to live in Callaway
Callaway is a small city in Florida with home prices that remain within reach, a growing population, and schools with class sizes near the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Callaway deals with household incomes below the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin, and hot summers.
The good
- Affordable home prices
- Growing population
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Air quality concerns
- High rent burden for renters
- Hot summers
- Very rainy — 61" of rain per year
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
How Callaway compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Callaway
Based on Callaway's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,644
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $52,880 a year
- 59% of Callaway renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$50,060
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $25,030
- Homes cost 3.8× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of livingNear US average
$1,322/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,322 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $250,300. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $250,300 · 59% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.0% county unemployment
Unemployment in Bay County is 4.0%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Bay County (county-wide)
Safety
217 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Callaway doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Bay County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction as a whole, which runs below the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.
Property crime 804/100k · Policed by Bay County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
24 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 23.9 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 7% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 90°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 45°F. It's a wet climate overall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 32% below US
25% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 25%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
1 public school inside the boundary
There is 1 public school inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 17:1, close to the national average of 16:1.
Bottom line
Callaway's strongest points are home prices that remain within reach and a growing population; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks. A year of median rent ($1,322/mo) equals 24% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Callaway
All Florida guides →Moving to Panama City →
5 mi away · pop. 34,979
Rent $1,327/mo · Income $62,265
Compare with Callaway →Moving to Upper Grand Lagoon →
11 mi away · pop. 17,232
Rent $1,667/mo · Income $82,157
Compare with Callaway →Not sure Callaway is the one?
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