What it's like to live in Dunedin
Dunedin is a small city in Florida with crime rates well below the national average, 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. Dunedin deals with rent well above the national average, a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin, hot summers, and above-average rainfall.
The good
- Low crime rates
- Highly educated workforce
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- High rent burden for renters
- Hot summers
- Above-average rainfall
How Dunedin compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Dunedin
Based on Dunedin's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,350
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $67,000 a year
- 59% of Dunedin renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$79,200
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $39,600
- Homes cost 5.3× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 19% above US
$1,675/mo median rent
Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,675 a month median. Whether that premium makes sense usually comes down to the local job market and what it pays. Home prices run above average, with a median around $396,000. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.
Median home value $396,000 · 59% of renters cost-burdened
Job marketNear US average
3.9% unemployment
Unemployment here is 3.9%, close to the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 79% below US
70 violent crimes per 100k
Safety is genuinely one of the selling points here. Both violent and property crime run well below the national average, the kind of numbers that fade into the background after a week of living somewhere.
Property crime 763/100k · Dunedin Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
25 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 24.9 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 7 in 10 workers drive to work; 25% 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 53°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 4.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforceNear US average
40% bachelor's degree or higher
Education levels run about average, with 40% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.
Schools
8 public schools inside the boundary
There are 8 public schools inside the boundary and 4 private schools. 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 De Soto National Memorial (37 miles away).
Bottom line
Dunedin's strongest points are crime rates well below the national average and a highly educated workforce; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin. A year of median rent ($1,675/mo) equals 27% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit anyone prioritizing low crime and remote workers (25% of workers here already work from home).
Other places near Dunedin
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