A lot of people ask what it’s like to live in St Augustine, Florida. I absolutely love living here and think it is both a special town and a really cool place to raise kids. but living in Florida isn’t for everyone, and I don’t mean that to exclude anyone, but between the Heat and the hurricanes, it’s a lot to process. I think it’s important to know what it’s like to live in St Augustine before you consider moving here.
Whether you’ve lived in Florida your whole life or something else is bringing you to the Sunshine State it’s a big move and it’s a huge difference from the Northeast, the Pacific Northwest, California, and absolutely so very different from the Midwest or the Rockies. Living in Florida means high humidity and lots of tourists, even if you live in a non-tourist neighborhood. Don’t worry, I’ve got all the details of what it’s actually like to live in St Augustine and I think it’s going to be so helpful if you are considering relocating to St Johns County.
What are the Seasons Like in St Augustine?
I love the heat and humidity, so summer is amazing for me, but for others they don’t do so well. The winter is THE OPPOSITE. It’s actually quite cold and the humidity is gone. It’s pretty amazing how different it is. Living in St Augustine isn’t all toasty all the time.
Summertime temperatures in St Augustine start in May and last into October, with temperatures ranging from the high 70s up into the 90s. The humidity matches the temperatures, so when there’s not a breeze it’s really difficult for some people to handle. There’s something wonderful about stepping outside and being wrapped in warm air that is amazing, but if you’re not used to it or overheat easily, it’s a lot to handle.
Spring and fall are very similar to each other with the temperatures being primarily in the 60s and 70s with the random highs in the 80s and the bizarre lows in the 50s. Late October through early April are “windows open” time and it’s the most perfect temperature for kayaking and biking.
Winter is real here. No, it’s like like the Northeast or Midwest, but in January and February we really do have to be ready for the cold. Living in St Augustine in the winter means that we bust out our winter jackets and gloves, and we carefully tend to our gardens and tropical plants. The temperatures can drop into the 20s here in St Augustine, and while we may not get snow, we do get frost.
The change of season may be subtle, but they’re real and they make living in St Augustine special.
Hurricanes in St Augustine
Yes, hurricanes do happen and yes, they sometimes hit our town. Living in St Augustine from June through November means that we do check the NOAA hurricane tracker often to keep informed about storm systems forming in the Atlantic. We don’t get a direct hit from a hurricane every year, but we stay very aware of the paths of hurricanes and tropical storms that do make landfall, including on the Florida Gulf Coast.
What do we do if there’s a hurricane getting ready to come through St Augustine or make landfall near our shores? We stay tuned to the news and weather apps and don’t call ourselves safe until the storm is done. Living in St Augustine through hurricanes is a series of sandbagging and heading inland until things calm down. The cleanup after hurricanes is a pain, but if you get to cleanup vs having to find a new home, that’s a very fortunate situation to have to be in. Hurricanes Irma and Matthew both hit St Augustine quite hard, but even with rising waters and high winds the city, both downtown and at the Beach fared pretty well.
Our house flooded in Matthew, Irma, Ian and Nicole, but through it all it was a lot of cleanup and adjusting our house design. Tile flooring to replace the hardwoods, and cabinetry with open space that can dry quickly, and hurricane doors. It’s a lot but by the time hurricane Nicole got us, we just had some mopping to do. Living in St Augustine is great, but things like hurricanes are tough to work through. Worth it though for us, as we haven’t sustained major losses.
For us who live on Anastasia Island, we tend to leave the island when a hurricane is coming, as the waters do rise and the bridges close. Many people choose to stay on the island unless it’s a category 3 hurricane or higher, but we always just play it safe and leave. When you live in St Augustine you need to do what’s best for you and your family. We are all about safety first.
Dealing with Summer Heat in St Augustine
If heat isn’t your thing, don’t worry, we have AC. Living in St Augustine means that you have air conditioning at home and understand how to stay cool throughout the summer months. Between taking advantage of our amazing beaches, our pools and splash pads, visiting our local springs and enjoying our indoor activities, living in St Augustine in the summer isn’t all bad. Really it comes down to finding a balance of indoor and outdoor time.
Yes, when we head downtown in summer, it’s blazing hot, but then we know where to go for indoor dining in the air conditioning, and when to walk along the seawall to get the evening breeze. We’re not just sitting on St George Street in the sun, watching the sweating tourists walk by. Even when we’re playing tourist with our out of town guests, we’re still staying cool and being smart about our summer activities. Living in St Augustine, we know how to balance our day with active time and chill time, including just laying under a beach umbrella.
What it’s Like to Live in St Augustine: Tourist Season Year Round
There is more to our city than just the tourist areas and the tourist industry when it comes to jobs, but tourism is still a major part of our world. I love that when friends and family come to visit we get to play tourist and do all sorts of stuff that we normally just ignore. We get ice cream and popsicles like the tourists do. We watch sunset on the beach like tourists. We go out to dinner downtown like tourists… and it’s all pretty great.
Living in St Augustine means living in a place that thousands of other come to vacation. We often take for granted the wonderful sights and activities we have at our doorstep because that’s our everyday, but for many others our lives are a dreamy existence. We strive to make sure that we enjoy our life here as much as the people visiting from Enid, Oklahoma in the dead of winter. We aim to enjoy our local cuisine and datil pepper products the way people in New Mexico get fired up about the red and green chili sauces. We love living where people are touring for their own enjoyment.
“What if I don’t live in Downtown St Augustine or the Beach?”
No matter where you live, how much you enjoy your town and surroundings is 100% what you make of it. If you live in St Augustine and don’t live right by the beach or a few blocks off of the historic downtown, that’s okay. We have plenty of friends that love their existence here and are fine driving to the beach neighborhood or parking downtown to go explore. There are great neighborhoods all over the city, from the Dupont intersection of 206 and Highway 1 to the development neighborhoods of Palencia and north St Augustine.
Living in St Augustine is whatever you want it to be. We have lived in both the Butler Beach and St Augustine Beach neighborhoods but still find plenty of reasons to walk through the historic streets of downtown. Even in the height of tourist season, we’ve found our quiet stretches of sand to enjoy the warm Atlantic Ocean, and sometimes that means driving to a different beach spot than we can walk to. You just make your St Augustine life as enjoyable as you want it to be.
Feeling at Home Among Tourists
If you think you won’t feel at home among the tourists, think again. Yes, there are the very loud and cranky people with their bumper stickers that say “Don’t New York my Florida” but they are few and far between. The balance of St Augustine natives with transplants and tourists make it so everyone can feel welcome. So many friends and family visit us that we end up playing tourist a lot, and it’s actually pretty fun. When we talk to the people we meet and they find out we live here, they typically gush about how lucky we are. I have to say, it feels wonderful to have others continually remind us what a treat it is to live in St Augustine.
Cost of Living in St Augustine
I get a lot of questions about the cost of living in St Augustine. While costs have gone up in recent years due to corporate greed (NOT INFLATION) we still have a very good cost of living. Housing prices have skyrocketed, but in comparison to Los Angeles or Seattle they’re still very low. Grocery costs fluctuate, but again, that’s due to corporate greed and their need to have a 53% profit growth in 2023/24, so that’s not something specific to our town.
The biggest cost of living consideration in St Augustine is housing. The vacation rental market has boomed in the last five years and unfortunately it’s made it very difficult for people to live where they work. Our town is heavily dependent on tourism and a large portion of our population works in tourism… and most everyone has to live far from the tourist areas where they work. Just in our neighborhood alone, at least one out of four houses is a vacation rental, with even more being short term rentals on the down low.
Having said that, the cost of living if you’re NOT at the beach or directly next to the historic downtown core is great and still very affordable.
Where to Live in St Augustine
I’m not telling everyone to move to St Augustine, but a lot of people send me messages on Instagram and Facebook with questions about it. If you’re considering moving to St Augustine, whether from another part of Florida or from out of state, you will have some things to consider for where you might be living in St Augustine.
First thing to think about is whether you want to commute to your work or commute to your life. I would rather be able to walk to my enjoyable activities and dining than walk to work. Luckily for me and many other people, I don’t have to go into an office anymore. If that’s the case, you probably will want to consider living closer to the things you want to be able to walk to. The St Augustine neighborhoods are very diverse, so you have a lot to consider if you’re thinking about moving here.
Living by the Beach in St Augustine
Here’s the kicker: you can’t walk to both the beach AND downtown. You must pick. If you want that beach life, then you can choose St Augustine Beach, Butler Beach, Crescent Beach or Vilano Beach. St Augustine Beach and Vilano Beach both have a nice area with dining and shops, so you can walk to both the beach AND businesses. I love living in St Augustine Beach for our easy beach access, the St Augustine fishing pier, and so many great restaurants, like our favorite, the Beachcomber.
Butler Beach and Crescent Beach are very residential with a few beach access parks, and that’s it. It’s the same once you’re north of the small townsite of Vilano Beach. From there to Ponte Vedra it’s very limited in terms of business and restaurants. North of Vilano you’re very close to the GTM Research Reserve, which is awesome, but not town services.
Living by Downtown St Augustine
If you want to live close to downtown St Augustine then there are a few neighborhoods to choose from. Living at the edge of the historic downtown is really cool and you’ll never run out of great places to eat. The vibe of Lincolnville, Flagler Model Land and Uptown is all very quaint and historic. These homes are almost all historic, meaning pre-1930 but post-1865. There are sections with historic significance or designations, and there are areas that are prone to flooding in hurricanes.
Lincolnville is slowly developing into a nicer part of town with both lots of residents AND a lot of short term rentals. Aviles Street and the south side of the historic downtown, including the Lightner Museum and Ice Plant / St Augustine Distillery are very close, so make for easy walking destinations.
The Flagler Model Land neighborhood is on the west side of the downtown core, starting at Flagler College and continuing north. It’s a picturesque neighborhood bordered by St George street on the east and Highway 1 / Ponce de Leon Blvd on the West. There are a lot of bed and breakfasts mixed into the neighborhood, making it a fun place to live or just wander. The Castillo de San Marcos, city gates and more are just a few minutes walk away.
Uptown is my favorite place to go for lunch and Christmas shopping. The homes are smaller and wonderfully colorful, and the shops and restaurants along San Marco Ave are fun to visit. It’s a great place to call home and you’re still easily walkable to downtown. And when people come visit you, no doubt they’ll want to see Magnolia Ave and the Fountain of Youth, which are both next to Uptown.
Living Between it all: Davis Shores and Anastasia Island
Between downtown and St Augustine Beach is the north part of Anastasia Island. This is where the Davis Shores neighborhood is (walking distance to downtown across the Bridge of Lions), Anastasia Blvd, and is suburban neighborhoods of the island are. Living on Anastasia Island puts you very close to both downtown and the beach. There are lots of restaurants and things to do, and the cost of living here in the middle vs directly in a tourist core is much lower.
Between the historic downtown and the sandy beaches you’ll find the St Augustine Lighthouse, the Alligator Farm, Anastasia State Park, some great bakeries, the St Augustine Amphitheater (that’s where the Saturday farmers market is) and so much more. Do not discount how great this part of the city is, as it’s one of the best places to live in St Augustine.
Ultimately, living in St Augustine is very special but it’s not for everyone. If you need a big city vibe or big city services, you’ll need to think about places like Jacksonville or Orlando. I love living in St Augustine and our family thrives here. We have a great community and every year it just gets better and better.
If you have any questions about living in St Augustine, need recommendations or suggestions for things to do or want to get connected with somebody to talk about living here, please leave a comment or send us a note. We’re always happy to share more!
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Are there any secret spots or hidden techniques that experienced shark tooth hunters in St Augustine use to consistently find the best shark teeth?
We’ve actually got a whole guide to finding shark teeth!
Hello Rob. Nice little piece on the ups and downs of St. Augustine – not the typical stuff. My wife and I are considering a move here. We lived in Jax Beach years ago and would like to return to the area. Wondering what your thoughts might be on living west of downtown – off King Street? From the research I’ve done, it seems there are a few affordable new builds ($300-$350K), which has me wondering about the safety and overall vibe of those neighborhoods. Any insight you can lend would be appreciated. I look forward to reading some of your other articles on the city. Thanks.
Best/
Timothy
So, it’s a unique neighborhood and it’s very much a mix of trendy and hip shops and food spots (just a few) and then a lot of older, not well maintained places. There’s a lot of talk about the West King neighborhood, and its polishing up is happening in a rolling update, starting at the east end near Bog Brewing and Buena Honda. If I was relocating to St Augustine this would not be my first choice, but as somebody who lives here if I were looking to get an older house and renovate, I would do it because the neighborhood is only getting nicer and I have friends in the neighborhood. There are some new builds, like you mentioned, but I’m not sure how quickly the immediate neighborhood around them will update. It’s a delicate neighborhood because it’s historically the Black neighborhood and is in the early waves of gentrification (which I have opinions on). There are some new builds on the lagoon over in the Lincolnville neighborhood, and that neighborhood is further along in its evolution and are a better walking distance to more. Anyways, I hope this is all helpful information.
Looking for a 2 bedroom condo that is walking distance to the downtown area. Looking to park the car and walk everywhere. Almost a snowbird type.
I can drive to beach. Doing the research now but won’t be pulling trigger for a few years.
We don’t have a ton of condos near downtown, but we do over here by the beach. If you wanted to find a place in the Davis Shores neighborhood, that’s where you might find a condo option that would be walking distance to downtown (crossing the Bridge of Lions). You may have some luck looking in the Riberia Street or King Street (not West King St)/Flagler Model Land neighborhoods. Right around downtown is very much a house community, from Uptown all the way to the end of Lincolnville.
We don’t have a ton of condos near downtown, but we do over here by the beach. If you wanted to find a place in the Davis Shores neighborhood, that’s where you might find a condo option that would be walking distance to downtown (crossing the Bridge of Lions). You may have some luck looking in the Riberia Street or King Street (not West King St)/Flagler Model Land neighborhoods. Right around downtown is very much a house community, from Uptown all the way to the end of Lincolnville. I feel like some of the smaller homes in the Lincolnville area probably are more of what you’ll be happy with vs a condo that’s not by the beach, just because St Augustine condos are either ON the beach or far from both the beach and downtown.