Gainesville vs Tampa leftover
You'd keep $342 more a month in Tampa
$2,305/mo leftover in Tampa vs $1,963 in Gainesville after tax and rent ($342 more). +$4,104 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Gainesville leftover
$1,963
a month after tax and rent
Tampa leftover
$2,305
+$342 vs Gainesville
Compare Gainesville to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Gainesville.
Monthly gap
Gainesville → Tampa
$342
more / month in Tampa
$2,305 in Tampa · $1,963 in Gainesville · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
In 2022-2023, 680 households moved Gainesville → Tampa (avg AGI $58,107). 767 went the other way. The whole move →
+$342 / mo
| Per month | Gainesville | Tampa | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $6,375 | $7,326 | +$951 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,191 | $1,473 | +$282 |
| Take-home pay | $5,184 | $5,853 | +$669 |
| Rent | $1,305 | $1,506 | +$201 |
| Getting around | $514 | $592 | +$78 |
| Groceries | $387 | $400 | +$13 |
| Healthcare | $435 | $450 | +$15 |
| Utilities | $242 | $250 | +$8 |
| Everything else | $338 | $350 | +$12 |
| Left over | $1,963 | $2,305 | +$342 |
To break even in Tampa, you'd need to earn
$82,000
Household gross, versus $76,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Gainesville does now.
The tax difference alone
$0
A year, in state and local income tax. Florida has no wage income tax.
More about Tampa
Gainesville, FL in full
No state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,553 and 250 sunny days; commutes average 23 minutes.
Tampa, FL in full
No income tax and beaches, but insurance costs are the hidden line item.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Tampa on Tampa wages.
Tampa → Gainesville →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Tampa than Gainesville?
A one-bedroom is about $1,305 in Gainesville versus $1,506 in Tampa. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $342 a month higher in Tampa. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Tampa have state income tax?
Tampa is in Florida, which has no state income tax.
What changes if you move from Gainesville to Tampa?
Take-home pay is recalculated under Florida tax, rent is priced at the same bedroom count, and leftover is the gap. The from-to page also lists IRS households that already made the move, when that data exists.
Leftover is take-home after federal, state and city wage tax, minus asking rent at the bedroom count you set, minus a modelled month of groceries, utilities, healthcare, transport and childcare. It is not a cost-of-living index and not a moving quote. The dollar gap between Gainesville and Tampa moves when you change the job, remote versus local pay, or bedrooms. How the math works · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.