Moving From New York
to Florida

Florida has no state income tax, so the savings equal the New York tax you stop paying. A household with $350,000 of taxable income saves roughly $28,000 to $32,000 a year versus New York State alone; a New York City resident at that income saves closer to $38,000 to $45,000 once the city tax (up to 3.876%) is removed. At $750,000 the New York-plus-city savings can exceed $80,000 a year. Use the calculator above to see your exact number, then call (407) 383-0707.

No. Florida has no state income tax, no tax on capital gains, no estate tax, and no inheritance tax. Wages, bonuses, investment income, pensions, IRA and 401(k) withdrawals, and Social Security are all free of state income tax once you are a Florida resident. New York, by contrast, taxes income up to 10.9% and taxes capital gains as ordinary income.

New York has one of the highest effective property tax burdens in the country, averaging around 1.3% statewide and reaching well above 2% in parts of Long Island and Westchester, where annual bills routinely top $15,000 to $25,000. In Central Florida, Orange County runs about 1.0% to 1.2% of assessed value and Seminole County about 0.9% to 1.1%. Florida also caps how fast your assessment can rise (3% a year under Save Our Homes) and exempts $50,000 of value through the Homestead Exemption.

Make Florida your primary home and document it: spend more than 183 days a year in Florida, file a Declaration of Domicile with your county clerk, get a Florida driver license, register your vehicles and to vote in Florida, and move your bank, doctors, estate documents, and memberships to your Florida address. Then file a final or part-year New York return. Because New York audits departing high earners aggressively, the cleaner your paper trail and the more New York ties you sever, the stronger your position. This is general information, not legal or tax advice; confirm your plan with a CPA or attorney.

New York generally treats you as a resident if Florida is not your true domicile and you spend more than 183 days in New York. The practical target is to spend more than 183 days a year in Florida, establish Florida as your domicile, and keep records (travel logs, cell and credit card data, a Declaration of Domicile). Day counting alone is not enough; New York looks at where your primary home, family, and life are centered.

New York runs one of the most active residency audit programs in the nation, especially for high earners who change their domicile to a no-tax state. Audits examine where you spent your days, where your primary home and family are, and where your business and social ties remain. None of this should discourage a move; it just means doing it correctly. A clean break (Declaration of Domicile, Florida licenses, time records, and selling or leasing the New York home) is what protects you.

New York buyers gravitate to Winter Park (Park Avenue walkability and the Chain of Lakes), Lake Nona (new construction and a master-planned, 15-minute-city feel), Windermere (Butler Chain lakefront and Isleworth), Dr. Phillips (Restaurant Row and gated luxury), Lake Mary (top Seminole County schools and gated Heathrow), and Winter Garden / Horizon West (newer luxury at strong value). Sean & Barb cover all ten Central Florida luxury markets and match the neighborhood to your commute, schools, and lifestyle.

A great deal more. Money that buys a modest apartment or a tight suburban lot in the New York metro often buys a 4,000-plus square foot estate with a pool in Central Florida. Luxury single-family homes in Winter Park, Windermere, Dr. Phillips, and Lake Nona typically run $800,000 to $3M, with lakefront estates above that. New Yorkers are frequently surprised by the space, new construction, and outdoor living their budget delivers here.

No. Florida does not tax Social Security, pensions, IRA or 401(k) withdrawals, or any other retirement income at the state level, because it has no state income tax at all. New York exempts Social Security and up to $20,000 of certain pension income, but still taxes the rest. For retirees, the Florida difference compounds every year.

Yes, in most categories that matter. Beyond zero state income tax, Central Florida offers lower housing costs per square foot, lower property taxes than downstate New York, no city wage tax, and a lower combined sales tax (about 6.5% to 7% in Orange and Seminole versus a New York average near 8.5%). Auto insurance and some services can run higher in Florida, so the right comparison is total cost of living, which Sean & Barb can walk through with you.

Once a Florida home is your primary residence you can file for the Homestead Exemption, which removes $50,000 from the assessed value, and the Save Our Homes cap, which limits annual assessment increases to 3% no matter how fast the market rises. Long-term owners often pay far less than the market would suggest. Accumulated Save Our Homes savings are also portable to your next Florida homestead.

Yes. Sean & Barb regularly guide New York buyers through the entire purchase before they ever set foot in Florida, with live video home tours, neighborhood drive-throughs, market data, lender introductions, and fully remote closing coordination. Many clients tour by video, go under contract, and only arrive for the final walkthrough and keys.

From a focused search to keys is commonly six to ten weeks: pre-approval in a few days, an active search of two to six weeks with Sean & Barb, and a 30 to 45 day contract-to-close. New construction can be timed to a future move date. Sean & Barb compress the timeline for buyers working around a New York home sale or a job start date.

Not necessarily. Many New York buyers purchase in Florida first (using a bridge loan, portfolio loan, or cash) and sell the New York home afterward, while others sequence the sale first for certainty. From a residency standpoint, selling or leasing the New York home strengthens your Florida domicile claim. Sean & Barb coordinate the timing and connect you with lenders who handle both ends.