← Retirement destinations

Retiring to Ocala, FL

Selling a home for $525,000 and keeping $150,000 in the bank leaves room to buy in 8 of 10 Ocala 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 North Magnolia, Ocala (4 min to Ocala Regional Medical Center, typical drive with no traffic). Property tax in Ocala runs about 0.72% of value a year (Census ACS 2023).

Questions? Call or text Chris Harris, REALTOR®: (270) 421-8726.

Cash to keep in the bank
What do you want close?

    Next steps, your choice

    Plan a scouting week

    One neighborhood a day: the drive to the hospital and homes to see.

    Plan my visit

    Share 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.

    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.

    NeighborhoodTownMedian saleSalesHospitalVA medical centerAirport
    North MagnoliaOcala$152,45774 min12 min63 min
    East OcalaOcala$209,9411804 min13 min64 min
    West OcalaOcala$229,9361296 min10 min60 min
    Northeast OcalaOcala$237,45160910 min17 min66 min
    Silver Springs ShoresOcala$244,93175124 min21 min85 min
    Northwest OcalaOcala$269,7815304 min12 min63 min
    Southwest OcalaOcala$331,9023026 min5 min62 min
    Southeast OcalaOcala$336,9065218 min14 min72 min
    MaricampOcala$409,885108 min16 min71 min
    Midtown OcalaOcala$458,87174 min12 min63 min

    Redfin groups these with Ocala, but we have no map location for them yet, so we can’t confirm they are in town: On Top of the World, Ocala Historic District.

    Check crime data

    We don’t grade neighborhoods on crime. Look up the streets you’re considering in Ocala with the agency that patrols them:

    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.