What it's like to live in Destin
Destin is a small city in Florida with household incomes running above the national average, air quality that stays clean most of the year, a highly educated workforce, 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. Destin deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, hot summers, and above-average rainfall.
The good
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Clean air
- Highly educated workforce
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- High home prices
- Hot summers
- Above-average rainfall
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
How Destin compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Destin
Based on Destin's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,872
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $77,440 a year
- 46% of Destin renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$98,060
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $49,030
- Homes cost 5.5× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 37% above US
$1,936/mo median rent
Rent is expensive here, at $1,936 a month median and well above the national average. This is the kind of city where housing costs deserve serious budgeting before committing to a move. Home prices are steep, with a median around $490,300. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.
Median home value $490,300 · 46% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
3.8% county unemployment
Unemployment in Okaloosa County is 3.8%, 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.
Okaloosa County (county-wide)
Safety
331 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Destin doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction as a whole, which runs close to the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.
Property crime 1337/100k · Policed by Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2020 data
Getting aroundNear US average
26 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 26 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 16% 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 47°F. It's a wet climate overall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▲ 28% above US
46% bachelor's degree or higher
The population is well-educated, with 46% holding college degrees. That points to a strong professional base and generally a healthy local economy.
Schools
1 public school inside the boundary
There is 1 public school inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 16:1, close to the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Gulf Islands National Seashore (46 miles away).
Bottom line
Destin's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and air quality that stays clean most of the year; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,936/mo) equals 26% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (16% of workers here already work from home) and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget.
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