Retiring to Lakeland, FL
Selling a home for $525,000 and keeping $150,000 in the bank leaves room to buy in 9 of 12 Lakeland neighborhoods with 5+ sales, Oct 2025–Sep 2026 (after 6% selling costs, buying at the neighborhood median). The closest of those to a hospital is Dixieland, Lakeland (8 min to Lakeland Regional Medical Center, typical drive with no traffic). Property tax in Lakeland runs about 0.73% of value a year (Census ACS 2023).
Questions? Call or text Chris Harris, REALTOR®: (270) 421-8726.
Next steps, your choice
Plan a scouting week
One neighborhood a day: the drive to the hospital and homes to see.
Plan my visitShare with family
A link that reopens this page on the same town. Nothing else is in it.
Ask Chris
Chris Harris, REALTOR®, reads every note himself. He is not licensed in Florida, so for showings and offers he introduces you to a licensed agent there; he may receive a referral fee from that agent’s brokerage, which does not change your price. Can’t visit first? Say so in your note.
Ask Chris
Every neighborhood we have numbers for
Neighborhoods with 5+ sales, Oct 2025–Sep 2026 (Redfin), cheapest first by town. Minutes: typical drive, no traffic to the facility named for each kind, © openrouteservice.org by HeiGIT | Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
| Neighborhood | Town | Median sale | Sales | Hospital | VA medical center | Airport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Bentley | Lakeland | $181,949 | 45 | 13 min | 44 min | 67 min |
| Winston | Lakeland | $244,931 | 60 | 24 min | 41 min | 64 min |
| Southwest Lakeland | Lakeland | $262,127 | 36 | 12 min | 41 min | 64 min |
| Dixieland | Lakeland | $274,923 | 36 | 8 min | 41 min | 64 min |
| Lake Somerset | Lakeland | $279,922 | 41 | 15 min | 44 min | 67 min |
| Hallam | Lakeland | $298,916 | 39 | 17 min | 41 min | 64 min |
| Gibsonia | Lakeland | $304,815 | 48 | 12 min | 33 min | 61 min |
| Carillon Lakes | Lakeland | $309,913 | 30 | 17 min | 32 min | 56 min |
| Imperial | Lakeland | $319,111 | 29 | 15 min | 37 min | 60 min |
| Lake Hollingsworth | Lakeland | $388,891 | 56 | 10 min | 42 min | 65 min |
| Providence | Lakeland | $437,035 | 196 | 8 min | 36 min | 59 min |
| Grasslands | Lakeland | $442,776 | 46 | 14 min | 37 min | 60 min |
Redfin groups these with Lakeland, but we have no map location for them yet, so we can’t confirm they are in town: Orchid Springs, Florence Villa, Traditions, Poinciana-Village 3, Lake Marion Village, Poinciana-Village 8, Grenelefe Country Club, Lake Ashton Golf Club, Sundance, Cypresswood Country Club, Imperial Lakes, Ridgewood Lakes, Eloise Woods, Cypress Woods, Solivita, Southern Dunes Golf Course, Cresent Lakes, South Lake Morton Historic District, Del Webb Orlando, Lake Juliana Estates, Solterra Resort, Bellalago, Christina Woods.
Check crime data
We don’t grade neighborhoods on crime. Look up the streets you’re considering in Lakeland with the agency that patrols them:
- Lakeland Police Department (city police)
- Polk County Sheriff’s Office (addresses outside city limits)
- FBI Crime Data Explorer (agency-level reports)
What Florida doesn’t tax
Florida has no state income tax.
- Florida has no state income tax, so Social Security is not taxed by the state.
- Pensions and retirement withdrawals are not taxed by the state (no state income tax).
- Military retired pay is not taxed by the state (no state income tax).
- Homestead exemption of up to $51,411 in 2026 ($25,000 on all taxes plus $26,411 on non-school taxes), plus a county/city-option additional exemption of up to $50,000 for owners 65 and older whose household income is under the state's annual limit; a second local option can exempt the whole assessed value for owners 65+ with 25 years in a home valued under $250,000. Apply with the county property appraiser (s. 196.075, F.S.).
- The 65+ exemption's household income limit is $38,686 for 2026.
Full details: Florida retirement taxes →
Source: Florida Department of Revenue, Taxes and Fees (no personal income tax is listed; only corporate income tax) (read 2026-10-17); Florida Department of Revenue, PT-110 and Additional Homestead Exemption Adjustment (Jan 2026) (read 2026-10-20); Florida Department of Revenue, Additional Homestead Exemptions (Jan 2026) (read 2026-10-20). Figures change each year; confirm with the agency before you rely on them. Not tax advice.
The twenty-year test
Which of these do you need in the house you will live in for twenty years?
Email me homes that pass
The alert matches what the listing feed has: price, bedrooms, bathrooms, year built and house type. Chris checks each match for the features the listing feed can’t see.
Home prices: Redfin neighborhood medians, Jul–Sep 2026, neighborhoods with 5+ sales. Property tax: Census ACS 2023 effective rates. Selling costs estimated at 6% of the sale price.