Want To Own a Waterfront Home? These Florida Towns Have More for Sale Than Anywhere Else in the Country

Marisa Spyker

If you live near the sea, you can generally consider yourself very lucky. There are the obvious benefits, of course: waking up to the sound of the waves, cocktails accompanied by an ocean-scented breeze, scientifically proven happiness boosts. But aside from the lifestyle perks, there’s also the fact that waterfront homes are, generally, a commodity. (There’s only so much coastline to go around, after all.)

According to a new report, however, there are places you can go where the odds are ever in your favor—and they’re (almost) all in Florida. Personal finance site Wallethub recently crunched some numbers to determine which beach towns are best to move to in 2019. Among other criteria, such as a location’s crime rates and property taxes, the site also considered something very pertinent to beach-loving house hunters: the amount of waterfront homes currently on the market.

Related: The 10 Best Little Beach Towns in Florida:

Based on that measure alone, it seems if beachfront living is high on your bucket list, you might want to consider the four Florida towns that are spoiled with up-for-grabs options. According to Wallethub, Cocoa Beach, Marco Island, and Hallandale Beach all currently boast the highest percentages of for-sale beachfront homes compared to anywhere else in the country. (They tied for first in the overall ranking.) And coming in just behind those Sunshine State gems is the swanky island enclave of Miami Beach (followed, in 5th place, by Gulf Shores, Alabama).

With each city sporting coasts on more than one side—Hallandale Beach has the Intracoastal while Cocoa Beach, Miami Beach and Marco Island are all barrier islands—it’s no wonder these Florida getaways are rich with waterfront listings. High-rise living is also popular in each area, boosting the number of beachfront units with market potential.

2000 Ocean in Hallandale Beach will feature 64 units with ocean views. | Courtesy of KAR Properties
2000 Ocean in Hallandale Beach will feature 64 units with ocean views. | Courtesy of KAR Properties

And while having the beach in your backyard is certainly a luxury, waterfront living doesn’t always come with a luxurious price tag. In Hallandale Beach—recently touted by the Wall Street Journal as South Florida’s next luxury destination—you can get into a sweet little escape before the market skyrockets for a median home price of $250k. In the laid-back Central Florida surf hub of Cocoa Beach, median listing prices come in at $350k.

Ready to retire to the Sunshine State? You might want to take advantage of these real estate-rich getaways (or check out one of these 10 best places to retire in Florida, too).