Jacksonville vs San Antonio
Sun Belt real estate market comparison · data as of 2026-04
While San Antonio's $323,950 median and 91.2 cost-of-living index look like a bargain, its 2.1%–2.5% property tax rate generates $6,800–$8,100 annually on a median home — erasing up to $4,300 of that sticker-price savings versus Jacksonville's ~0.98% rate and $389,900 median.
Compare two markets
- Market A
Jacksonville, FL
North Florida's port-and-logistics metro with Sun Belt prices and insurance pressure
$395K-1.2% YoYMedian home price
- Market B
San Antonio, TX
The Sun Belt's affordability story — still under the Texas Triangle price curve
$325K-4.5% YoYMedian home price
The Verdict: Jacksonville vs San Antonio
Choose Jacksonville
Choose Jacksonville if you're a W-2 earner buying in the $375K–$400K range who wants to lock in a lower carrying cost long-term: Florida's ~0.98% property tax rate saves you $3,000–$4,300 annually versus San Antonio, and the March 2026 inventory compression to 2.3 months signals a faster-tightening market worth entering now.
Choose San Antonio
Choose San Antonio if you're a financed buyer who needs negotiating room — 12,651 active listings, 61 days on market, and only 21% cash competition give you leverage that Jacksonville's tighter pool of 7,527 homes and 26% cash-buyer share simply don't. A $323,950 median plus a 91.2 cost-of-living index stretches a remote income considerably further on daily expenses.
The Deciding Factor
Property taxes are the hidden price of San Antonio's cheaper sticker: at 2.1%–2.5%, you'll pay $6,800–$8,100 annually on a median home versus Jacksonville's ~$3,800 — erasing $3,000–$4,300 of your supposed savings every single year.
Market Stats Comparison
| Metric | Jacksonville | Buyer-favourable indicator | San Antonio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $395K | $325K | |
| YoY Price Change | -1.2% | -4.5% | |
| Active Listings | 7,617 | 13,029 | |
| Months of Supply | 2.3 mo | 2.8 mo | |
| Days on Market | 58 days | 53 days | |
| Cash Buyer Share | 26% | 21% | |
| MoM Price Change | +1.3% | +0.2% |
Median Home Price
YoY Price Change
Active Listings
Months of Supply
Days on Market
Cash Buyer Share
MoM Price Change
City Fundamentals
Demographics, taxes & livability · researched at generation time
| Category | Jacksonville | San Antonio |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1.76M (2024, ACS 1-year est., U.S. Census Bureau) · +9.6% (2019–2024 est., based on 1.605M in 2020 census to 1.761M in 2024) | 2.76M (2024, U.S. Census Bureau / FRED MSA estimate) · +8.0% (2019–2024, MSA basis) |
| Median Household Income | $82,053 | $78,112 (ACS 2024 1-year estimate, MSA) |
| Cost of Living | 98 (US avg = 100; C2ER 2023 data) | 91.2 (US avg = 100; ~8.8% below national average) |
| Unemployment Rate | 3.6% (Nov 2024, BLS MSA data) | 3.4% (December 2024, not seasonally adjusted, MSA) |
| State Income Tax | None (Florida levies no state personal income tax) | None (Texas has no state income tax) |
| Property Tax Rate | ~0.98% of assessed value | 2.1%–2.5% of assessed value (varies by taxing district) |
| Major Employers |
|
|
| Avg Commute | 27.4 min (one-way average, ACS 2024) | 27.6 min (one-way average, ACS 2024 MSA) |
| Sunny Days / Year | ~234 days per year | ~220 days per year |
| Avg Summer High | 91°F (July–August average high) | 95°F (July average high) |
| Walkability | ~28 (car-dependent; Jacksonville city proper est.) | 44 (car-dependent, city proper; MSA est. lower) |
👥 Population
Jacksonville
1.76M (2024, ACS 1-year est., U.S. Census Bureau) · +9.6% (2019–2024 est., based on 1.605M in 2020 census to 1.761M in 2024)San Antonio
2.76M (2024, U.S. Census Bureau / FRED MSA estimate) · +8.0% (2019–2024, MSA basis)💰 Median Household Income
Jacksonville
$82,053San Antonio
$78,112 (ACS 2024 1-year estimate, MSA)🛒 Cost of Living
Jacksonville
98 (US avg = 100; C2ER 2023 data)San Antonio
91.2 (US avg = 100; ~8.8% below national average)📊 Unemployment Rate
Jacksonville
3.6% (Nov 2024, BLS MSA data)San Antonio
3.4% (December 2024, not seasonally adjusted, MSA)🏛️ State Income Tax
Jacksonville
None (Florida levies no state personal income tax)San Antonio
None (Texas has no state income tax)🏠 Property Tax Rate
Jacksonville
~0.98% of assessed valueSan Antonio
2.1%–2.5% of assessed value (varies by taxing district)🏢 Major Employers
Jacksonville
- Naval Air Station Jacksonville / U.S. Navy (military/defense)
- Mayo Clinic Florida (healthcare)
- Bank of America / Fidelity Investments (finance & insurance)
- Amazon / Fanatics / Southeastern Grocers (logistics & retail)
San Antonio
- Joint Base San Antonio (military/defense, 80,000+ personnel)
- USAA (financial services, ~19,000 local employees)
- H-E-B (grocery/retail, HQ in San Antonio)
- South Texas Medical Center / healthcare sector
🚗 Avg Commute
Jacksonville
27.4 min (one-way average, ACS 2024)San Antonio
27.6 min (one-way average, ACS 2024 MSA)☀️ Sunny Days / Year
Jacksonville
~234 days per yearSan Antonio
~220 days per year🌡️ Avg Summer High
Jacksonville
91°F (July–August average high)San Antonio
95°F (July average high)🚶 Walkability
Jacksonville
~28 (car-dependent; Jacksonville city proper est.)San Antonio
44 (car-dependent, city proper; MSA est. lower)Data researched via AI at time of comparison generation. Figures are estimates — verify with official sources before making financial decisions.
AI Analysis: Jacksonville vs San Antonio
Generated April 2026 · SunBeltPulse Research
Key Takeaways
- San Antonio's $323,950 median is about $66,000 (17%) below Jacksonville's $389,900, but Texas property tax rates of 2.1%–2.5% can erode $3,000–$4,300 of that annual savings advantage compared to Florida's ~0.98% rate.
- Both markets saw inventory surge to multi-year highs in December 2025 — Jacksonville at 4.2 months, San Antonio at 5.5 months — before snapping back sharply to 2.3 and 2.7 months respectively by March 2026, signaling a synchronized seasonal tightening.
- San Antonio's 12,651 active listings versus Jacksonville's 7,527 gives financed buyers nearly 68% more available inventory and lower competition from cash buyers (21% vs. 26%), potentially improving negotiating leverage.
- Jacksonville's 24-month price series shows a peak-to-trough drop of roughly $37,500 followed by a partial recovery, while San Antonio's decline has been shallower (~$29,000 from peak) but its year-over-year loss of 3.3% is currently larger than Jacksonville's 2.3%.
- San Antonio's cost of living index of 91.2 is nearly 7 points below Jacksonville's 98, meaning everyday expenses beyond housing — groceries, utilities, healthcare — are measurably cheaper and further extend the city's affordability advantage for budget-conscious buyers.
**Price Trends & Affordability**
San Antonio enters March 2026 at a median of $323,950 — roughly $66,000 (17%) less than Jacksonville's $389,900. Both markets are in modest year-over-year decline: Jacksonville is off 2.3% from a year ago while San Antonio is down a steeper 3.3%. Looking at the full 24-month series, Jacksonville peaked near $421,994 in May 2024 and has shed about $32,000 from that peak, while San Antonio peaked more modestly around $349,000 in July 2024 and has pulled back roughly $25,000. Jacksonville's month-over-month bounce of +2.1% in March 2026 is stronger than San Antonio's +1.2%, hinting at a slightly faster floor-forming dynamic, though both remain below their 2024 highs. San Antonio's lower Cost of Living Index (91.2 vs. Jacksonville's 98 relative to a U.S. average of 100) compounds the sticker-price advantage, making it the more affordable entry point on a combined housing-plus-daily-expenses basis.
**Inventory & Buyer/Seller Dynamics**
Both markets have tightened considerably heading into spring 2026, but they arrived from different places. Jacksonville's months of supply peaked at 4.2 in December 2025 before snapping back to 2.3 in March 2026 — a rapid compression that, combined with 58 days on market and a 26% cash-buyer share, suggests a market that still carries a meaningful investor/cash presence and is trending back toward sellers. San Antonio's inventory peaked even higher at 5.5 months in December 2025 and has pulled back to 2.7 months in March 2026, still sitting slightly looser than Jacksonville. San Antonio's 12,651 active listings dwarfs Jacksonville's 7,527 in absolute terms, offering buyers meaningfully more selection. At 61 days on market and a 21% cash-buyer rate, San Antonio moves a touch slower and has fewer competing cash offers — a potential edge for financed buyers who need negotiating room.
**Market Velocity & Economic Fundamentals**
Both metros share nearly identical commute times (~27–28 minutes), no state income tax, and unemployment rates well below the national average (Jacksonville at 3.6%, San Antonio at 3.4%). Their employment anchors are structurally similar — large military installations (NAS Jacksonville / Joint Base San Antonio), major healthcare systems, and financial services firms — which provides recession-dampening stability in both cases. Jacksonville's population of 1.76M has grown ~9.6% since 2020, outpacing San Antonio's 8.0% growth to 2.76M, though San Antonio's larger absolute base means it is absorbing more total new residents. Jacksonville's median household income of $82,053 edges out San Antonio's $78,112, though the latter's lower cost of living narrows the real purchasing-power gap considerably.
**Key Trade-Offs**
The most consequential structural difference for long-term ownership cost is property taxes: San Antonio's effective rate of 2.1%–2.5% of assessed value is more than double Jacksonville's ~0.98%. On a $324,000 home in San Antonio, that implies roughly $6,800–$8,100 in annual property taxes; on a comparable Jacksonville home at $390,000, the bill runs closer to $3,800. That gap — $3,000 to $4,300 per year — offsets a meaningful portion of San Antonio's lower purchase price over time and should be stress-tested in any buyer's holding-period analysis. Jacksonville buyers face Florida's well-documented property insurance crisis, which can add thousands annually in premiums even with the city's lower hurricane exposure relative to South Florida. Both factors represent ongoing carrying-cost risks that the headline median price alone does not capture.