Duval County, FL Rent Prices by Neighborhood

Where Rents Stand Right Now

The median rent in Duval County sits at $1,616 per month as of mid-2026. That number tells a recovery story: the county absorbed a historic wave of new apartment deliveries in 2023 and 2024, which held rents flat and gave tenants the upper hand. That balance is shifting.

Multifamily construction starts fell 61% in 2024, and the total amount of inventory under construction dropped 50% from 2023 peak levels. The pipeline is drying up. The roughly 4,628 units still being built will add about 3.8% to existing inventory upon delivery, but after that wave clears, very little is behind it. Meanwhile, Jacksonville's population is projected to grow at twice the national average through 2029. More residents chasing fewer new units points rents in one direction.

The employer base reinforces that demand. Duval County added 16,326 jobs in 2024, reaching total employment of 1,055,159. Average annual wages hit $71,729, up 4.7% from the prior year. Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, which employs over 6,400 staff, completed a $378 million hospital expansion in 2025. Four Fortune 500 companies maintain headquarters here: GuideWell Mutual Holding, CSX Corporation, Fidelity National Financial, and Fidelity National Information Services. The three U.S. Navy bases add a layer of military tenants whose housing allowances arrive reliably regardless of economic cycles. This employment mix keeps rental demand broad and durable.

Neighborhood Rent Breakdown

Not every part of Duval County rents at the same level or is moving in the same direction.

Riverside, Avondale, and San Marco

These established, walkable neighborhoods close to downtown are seeing the sharpest near-term rent movement. Avondale rents reached $1,650 per month as of September 2025, up 11.86% month-over-month at that snapshot. San Marco logged $1,550 per month at the same point, up 5.08%. Both neighborhoods are in the midst of a re-gentrification cycle, where improving retail and dining environments attract higher-income renters willing to pay above the county median.

Southside

Southside produced the most consistent sales and rental transaction activity in mid-2025. It is also one of the submarkets where new apartment supply landed hardest, which has kept rent concessions elevated. As completions taper, Southside's absorption story should improve, but landlords there are still competing with lease-up incentives from larger complexes.

Bartram Park and the St. Johns County Border

New-build communities in southern Jacksonville near St. Johns County attracted consistent buyer and renter interest in 2025. This corridor benefits from highly rated schools and newer housing stock, which pushes achievable rents above the county median.

Jacksonville Heights and Edgewood

These neighborhoods offer the lowest entry-point rents in the county. Jacksonville Heights is explicitly identified as an affordable entry point. Edgewood, near downtown, is in an earlier stage of a historic resurgence, meaning current rents are lower but directionally rising as investment follows the urban core outward. Renters seeking the lowest monthly outlay in the county should look here first.

Allendale and Grand Crossing

Both are in a revitalized urban corridor near downtown with rising values. Rents here are moving up from a low base, making them affordable today but less so within the next two to three years if the trajectory holds.

Affordability: What $1,616 Actually Costs You

With county average annual wages at $71,729, gross monthly income works out to about $5,977. At the 30% rule, a renter at average income should spend no more than $1,793 per month on housing. The county median rent of $1,616 lands at about 27% of that income level, clearing the affordability threshold by a reasonable margin.

The picture is less comfortable for lower-income renters. Jacksonville's renter population makes up 44% of the county, and not every renter earns the average wage. For a household earning $45,000 annually (roughly $3,750 per month), the $1,616 median rent consumes 43% of gross income, well above the 30% threshold.

At the neighborhood level: Avondale at $1,650 and San Marco at $1,550 both sit at or below the affordable threshold for average-wage earners, but push affordability for service-sector workers. Jacksonville Heights and Edgewood offer the clearest path to rent below 30% of income for households earning $50,000 or less.

The 12-to-24 Month Rent Forecast

The setup for rent growth is the strongest it has been since 2022, for three reasons.

First, the supply pipeline is shrinking fast. With starts down 61% and the under-construction count falling 50% from peak, the completion calendar thins out considerably by late 2026 and into 2027. Fewer new units mean less competition from lease-up specials and lower concession pressure.

Second, demand drivers are not slowing. Jacksonville ranked 9th nationally for relocation interest according to Redfin, drawing residents from Miami, New York, and Washington D.C. Between 2010 and 2024, the city's population grew 31%, which is 207% faster than the national average. That pipeline of in-migrants, many coming from higher-cost markets, supports rent levels above what local wage growth alone would justify.

Third, the ADU regulatory environment expanded. Florida HB 1339 eliminated owner-occupancy requirements and requires Jacksonville to approve ADUs through a ministerial, non-discretionary process with impact fees capped at the single-family rate. This adds small-scale rental supply over time, but not at a pace that will offset the broader pipeline contraction.

The main risk to this forecast: flood insurance costs. About 25% of Jacksonville properties face moderate flood risk. Rising premiums reduce buyer purchasing power and compress achievable rents in waterfront and low-lying neighborhoods where insurance can take a real bite from landlord net operating income.

Analyst expectation, consistent with the brief: rent growth returns to about 2.0% by end of 2025, then accelerates modestly as completions taper through 2026 and 2027.

If You're a Renter

Act before the window closes. The buyer-friendly conditions of 2024 and early 2025 softened rents and pushed landlords toward concessions. Days on market compressed from 64 days in early 2025 to 36 days by April 2026, and June 2026 closed sales jumped 29% year-over-year. The same tightening happening on the for-sale side is arriving in rentals. Locking a lease now, before the supply wave is fully absorbed, likely captures better pricing than waiting.

Negotiate concessions explicitly. In submarkets like Southside where larger apartment complexes are still in lease-up, ask directly for one month free, reduced deposit, or a locked rate for 18 months rather than 12. Landlords competing with new inventory are more willing than they will be in 2027.

Target Jacksonville Heights or Edgewood if affordability is the priority. Both offer entry rents below the county median with access to downtown employment. If you earn $50,000 or less, these neighborhoods are the most realistic path to staying within the 30% threshold.

Run your numbers through our Rent vs Buy calculator if you're weighing renting vs buying. At a 15.3x price-to-rent ratio, Duval County is approaching the range where buying can make financial sense depending on your timeline and down payment.

If You're a Landlord

Price to the specific submarket, not the county median. Avondale is clearing $1,650 and San Marco $1,550 with real momentum. If you own in those neighborhoods and are renewing tenants at flat rates, you are leaving money on the table. Schedule annual reviews and reset rents to current comparable levels at each turnover.

Evaluate ADU potential on every single-family acquisition. Florida HB 1339 removed the owner-occupancy requirement and guarantees ministerial approval, which is the cleanest ADU legal environment in the state. An ADU sized at up to 750 square feet can add a second income stream without major zoning risk. Underwrite the cost of construction against the achievable rent to determine whether it pencils, but the regulatory path is now clear.

Stress-test your insurance costs before buying in flood-risk zones. One in four properties in Duval County carry moderate flood exposure. Flood insurance premiums are rising and directly cut into net operating income. Require actual insurance quotes from NFIP or private carriers during due diligence, not estimates, and model at least two renewal-cycle premium increases before committing. Avoid high-debt acquisitions in flood-prone areas where a premium spike can flip a cash-flowing deal negative.