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Pensacola, FL

Gulf Breeze is part of the Pensacola area. This page covers the whole metro.

Everyday life
Shops, cafes, and daily routines
Hobbies & activities
Trails, parks, and pastimes
Nearby scenery
Lakes, overlooks, and drives

Photos and reviews come from Google Maps and show single places, not the whole area. Reviews are the most relevant ones Google returns for each place. We show the longest highly rated review under 400 characters and, when there is one, the longest low-rated review. Google doesn't verify reviews but removes fake ones when it finds them.

Around Pensacola

Blue Angel Boeing Super Hornets Conducting Pitchup Break
Blue Angel Boeing Super Hornets Conducting Pitchup Break · Photo: USN Flight demonstration Squadron Public affairs office., CC0
Juan Sebastian de Elcano at Pensacola
Juan Sebastian de Elcano at Pensacola · Photo: Scott Hallford (USN employee), Public domain
Pensacola bus
Pensacola bus · Photo: Marduk, Public domain
Pensacola Saenger
Pensacola Saenger · Photo: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0
Prise de Pensacola
Prise de Pensacola · Photo: Nicolas Ponce (1746-1831), Public domain
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Where it is
Pensacola
Pensacola in Florida
Florida in the U.S.
State outlines: U.S. Census Bureau.

What's nearby

Within 5 miles of the center of the Pensacola area.

15
grocery stores
120
restaurants
20
coffee shops
89
parks
43
playgrounds
7
libraries
1
movie theater
6
live theaters
12
museums
12
bookstores
6
gyms
21
bars
2
pharmacies
9
hospitals

Counts from OpenStreetMap, a volunteer map, so small or new places can be missing. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Biking and trails

Within 5 miles of the center of the Pensacola area.

Bike lanes and bike paths
56 miles
more than almost all U.S. towns
Walking and hiking trails
15 miles
about typical for a U.S. town

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Counts depend on how well local volunteers have mapped the area, so treat them as a rough guide.

What rent costs

Of about 57,376 rented homes in the Pensacola area, 89% rent for under $2,000 a month and 98% for under $3,000.

Under $1,000: 27%
$1,000 to $1,499: 40%
$1,500 to $1,999: 23%
$2,000 to $2,499: 7%
$2,500 to $2,999: 2%
$3,000 or more: 2%

Census American Community Survey 2019 to 2023 (table B25063). Gross rent includes utilities the renter pays. Today's asking rents for open apartments usually run higher.

What moving costs

Hiring movers

Average cost: $1,946

From a 2025 survey of 1,000 people who hired movers. This Old House. Your quote depends on your stuff, stairs and the time of year.

Moving in as a renter

The middle rented home in the Pensacola area rents for $1,000 to $1,499 a month. First month plus a one-month deposit comes to about $2,000 to $2,998 before you get the keys.

Estimate from Census rent data (2019 to 2023, rent plus tenant-paid utilities). Deposits and fees vary by landlord and state law.

Your first weeks in Florida

  • Forward your mail: USPS change of address. It costs about $1 online to confirm who you are.
  • Switch your driver's license and car registration. Each state sets its own deadline, often somewhere between 10 days and a few months after you move. Find the Florida DMV.
  • Register to vote at your new address: Florida voter registration.
  • Set up power, gas, water and trash. Some cities bill water and trash together, and some ask new customers for a deposit.
  • Update your address with your bank, employer, insurance and the IRS (Form 8822 if you're not filing soon).
  • Find a doctor and dentist early. New-patient waits can be weeks, even in big cities.

Public schools

One public school district serves this county, with about 37,851 students. Which one serves a home depends on its address.

Escambia · Pensacola
37,851 students · 17.4 students per teacher · 70 schools · grades Pre-K to 12

NCES Common Core of Data 2022-23, National Center for Education Statistics. Varro doesn't rate or rank schools. For test results and programs, see each district's site and your state's school report card.

Childcare and colleges

Daycare and preschool

Florida keeps an official list of licensed childcare, with inspection reports and openings in many states. In a lot of towns, infant spots fill up months ahead, so it helps to get on waitlists before you move.

Typical full-time prices in this county (2022)
AgeDaycare centerHome daycare
Infant (under 2)$185/week
about $9,600 a year
$166/week
about $8,600 a year
Toddler (2)$156/week
about $8,100 a year
Preschool (3 to 4)$145/week
about $7,500 a year
$122/week
about $6,300 a year
School-age$120/week
about $6,200 a year

For an infant at a center: $185/week here, $225 across FL, $259 across the U.S.. Full-time infant care at a center here costs about 13% of a typical family's income. These are 2022 prices, the newest the government has published by county, and prices have gone up since.

U.S. Department of Labor, National Database of Childcare Prices, 2022. Middle (median) price for full-time care. State and U.S. figures average the county prices, weighted by population (Census 2024).
Search licensed childcare in Florida →
Link via childcare.gov (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services).

2 colleges in the county around Pensacola. Prices are yearly tuition and fees for full-time undergrads, before financial aid.

University of West Florida · Pensacola
Public, 4-year · 14,371 students · $5,776 in-state, $18,658 out-of-state
Pensacola State College · Pensacola
Public, 4-year · 8,518 students · $2,348 in-state, $9,407 out-of-state

Moving for school? Public colleges charge state residents much less. Most states want you to have lived there about 12 months, for reasons other than school, before you count as a resident for tuition. The rules differ by state, so check with the college's registrar.

IPEDS 2023-24, National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS). Degree-granting public and nonprofit schools with 100+ students. Varro doesn't rank colleges.

The facts behind it
Typical home value
$310,111
What a typical home sells for across the Pensacola area.
Source: Zillow Home Value Index, August 2026
Drive to the nearest big job hub
About 3 hr 3 min at rush hour
To downtown New Orleans, LA, 202 miles. About 3 hr 1 min with no traffic.
Source: Google traffic estimate for a weekday morning around 8am
Average commute
26 minutes one way
How long residents' trips to work take on average, counting every job and way of getting there. U.S. average: about 27 minutes.
Source: U.S. Census (American Community Survey), 2023
Data centers nearby
None within 15 miles
No mapped data center buildings near the town center.
Source: PNNL IM3 Data Center Atlas, from OpenStreetMap (ODbL)
Homeowners insurance
About $7,136 a year
The statewide average for a typical policy in FL. Your own quote will depend on the home.
Source: Statewide estimate, 2026
Natural disaster risk
Relatively High
FEMA's overall rating for the county, covering floods, storms, wildfire, earthquakes and more.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025
Hail risk
Relatively Low
FEMA's rating for hail damage in the county, compared with other U.S. counties.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025
Hospitals nearby
9 within 5 miles
Hospitals mapped within 5 miles of the center. Emergency and specialty care vary, so check which ones fit your needs.
Source: OpenStreetMap (ODbL)
Drug overdose deaths (county)
37.1 per 100,000 people a year
123 deaths in the 12 months ending March 2026. FL average: 17.1 per 100,000. U.S.: 19.9. Counts are by where people lived, and recent months may still be updated.
Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics, provisional counts through March 2026; Census population estimates 2024
People without housing (local count)
About 16.4 per 10,000 residents
HUD's one-night count in January 2025 found 886 people without housing in the Pensacola/Escambia, Santa Rosa Counties area (2 counties): 601 in shelters and 285 outside, down from 1,123 in 2024. FL: 11.9 per 10,000. U.S.: 21.9. One-night counts miss people, and how areas count differs.
Source: HUD Point-in-Time Count, January 2025 (HUD, 2025 report to Congress); Census population estimates 2024
Median household income
$65,715
Half of households in the county earn more than this, half earn less.
Source: U.S. Census (American Community Survey), 2023
Property tax
0.6% of home value a year
About $600 a year for every $100,000 of home value.
Source: U.S. Census (American Community Survey), 2023
State income tax
No state income tax
FL's state income tax. Some cities and counties add their own.
Source: 2026

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