Real Estate Investing in Alachua County, Florida

Everything the listing leaves out — vacancy, rent trend, cap rate, landlord climate. All free.

16 ZIP codes • Population: 273,585

Should you buy in Alachua County, FL? Our answer, based on the numbers below.

🏠 For Homebuyers
MIXED
Grade C (56/100)

Mixed β€” home prices are stretched relative to local incomes. Run the math on your specific situation.

πŸ“ˆ For Investors
MIXED
3.0 / 5 (52/100)

A middle-of-the-road market. Workable, but the best opportunities may be nearby ZIPs rather than this one.

⚠️ Risks to Know
1 flag
  • High vacancy: 12.2% of homes vacant β€” above national norms.

What’s happening in Alachua County, FL?

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3.0/ 5

Investability

County-wide average

3.0/ 5

Appreciation

4.4% 5yr CAGR

5.0/ 5

Landlord Climate

Regulatory friendliness

Avg Investability β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…
Avg Home Value $311,535
Avg Monthly Rent $1,635
ZIP Codes 16

Investing in Alachua County Real Estate

Alachua County spans 16 ZIP codes across 8 cities in Florida, with a population of 273,585. The county's sluggish investment metrics reflect deeper structural challenges β€” worth studying before making commitments.

Alachua is the kind of county where the cap rate on paper and the cap rate realized tend to diverge. clearly out-of-state capital should be especially careful with carry-in assumptions.

Distressed-leaning demographics in Alachua β€” soft income growth, high rent burden, population shifts β€” are among the reasons the β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† rating sits where it does.

A great house in the wrong ZIP is still a bad deal — screen every market by cash flow & cap rate.
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Landlord Ground Truth

Real numbers from people who own or manage rentals in Alachua County, FL. Anonymous, moderated, never written by AI.

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Avg Home Value
$311,535
Avg Monthly Rent
$1,635
1% Rule
βœ— Below
Landlord Friendly (FL)
β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…

πŸ“‰ Market Crash Risk Index

Based on Gainesville, FL metro

4/10
Moderate Risk
Price YoY
0/3
N/A
Rent YoY
0/2
N/A
Below List
2/3
73%
Days Pending
2/2
75 days

View all metro crash risk rankings β†’

πŸŽ“ Colleges & Universities in Alachua County

10 Colleges 74,072 Students 19,749 Off-Campus Renters
A
University of Florida
4-Year Public Β· 54,814 students
πŸ“ ~6,193 students rent off-campus
C+
Santa Fe College
4-Year Public Β· 12,698 students
πŸ“ ~8,482 students rent off-campus
C+
University of Florida-Online
4-Year Public Β· 5,462 students
πŸ“ ~5,074 students rent off-campus
C
Florida School of Massage
Vocational For-Profit Β· 32 students
C
Summit Salon Academy-Gainesville
Vocational For-Profit Β· 146 students
C
Florida School of Traditional Midwifery
2-Year Private Β· 73 students
C
Dragon Rises College of Oriental Medicine
4-Year Private Β· 62 students
C
Academy for Five Element Acupuncture
4-Year Private Β· 55 students
D
Galen Health Institutes-Gainesville
4-Year For-Profit Β· 638 students
D
City College-Gainesville
2-Year For-Profit Β· 92 students

Investor Insight: With 19,749 students living off-campus, Alachua County has substantial rental demand from the college population β€” typically stable, lease-renewing tenants.

Cities in Alachua County

ZIP Codes in Alachua County, FL

32608 β˜… β˜… β˜… β˜… β˜…
Gainesville
Population 53,966
Avg Home $337,123
Avg Rent $1,617/mo
32607 β˜… β˜… β˜… β˜… β˜…
Gainesville
Population 31,938
Avg Home $290,077
Avg Rent $1,508/mo
32605 β˜… β˜… β˜… β˜… β˜…
Gainesville
Population 25,698
Avg Home $306,220
Avg Rent $1,855/mo
32606 β˜… β˜… β˜… β˜… β˜…
Gainesville
Population 23,313
Avg Home $343,889
Avg Rent $1,739/mo
32601 β˜… β˜… β˜… β˜… β˜…
Gainesville
Population 23,296
Avg Home $262,505
Avg Rent $1,508/mo
32609 β˜… β˜… β˜… β˜… β˜…
Gainesville
Population 19,694
Avg Home $223,778
Avg Rent $1,488/mo
32669 β˜… β˜… β˜… β˜… β˜…
Newberry
Population 17,436
Avg Home $353,875
Avg Rent $2,225/mo
32615 β˜… β˜… β˜… β˜… β˜…
Alachua
Population 16,244
Avg Home $331,905
Avg Rent $2,213/mo
32653 β˜… β˜… β˜… β˜… β˜…
Gainesville
Population 15,457
Avg Home $327,272
Avg Rent $1,856/mo
32641 β˜… β˜… β˜… β˜… β˜…
Gainesville
Population 15,082
Avg Home $179,076
Avg Rent $1,481/mo
32643 β˜… β˜… β˜… β˜… β˜…
High Springs
Population 11,495
Avg Home $332,136
Avg Rent $1,404/mo
32618 β˜… β˜… β˜… β˜… β˜…
Archer
Population 7,340
Avg Home $319,075
Avg Rent $1,287/mo
32603 β˜… β˜… β˜… β˜… β˜…
Gainesville
Population 6,713
Avg Home $422,276
Avg Rent $2,106/mo
32667 β˜… β˜… β˜… β˜… β˜…
Micanopy
Population 3,761
Avg Home $354,581
Avg Rent $1,287/mo
32694 β˜… β˜… β˜… β˜… β˜…
Waldo
Population 1,870
Avg Home $229,558
Avg Rent $1,287/mo
32631 β˜… β˜… β˜… β˜… β˜…
Earleton
Population 282
Avg Home $371,216
Avg Rent $1,296/mo

Screen every market in Alachua County

Filter this county’s ZIPs by cap rate, vacancy, appreciation and 30+ more criteria, and export your shortlist to CSV — with the Investor plan ($19/mo). Add weekly alerts when these markets move with Investor Pro+.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Alachua County

Is it easy to find good tenants in, FL?

Working renters make up the core of the, FL tenant base. The pool is reasonable for investors targeting long-term holds.

Are eviction rules reasonable in, FL?

The landlord environment in, FL is tenant-protective. Statewide rules shape most day-to-day operations for rental owners.

What strategy should investors use in, FL?

, FL investors pursuing careful cash-flow rentals with hands-on management. The underlying economics ($312K prices, $1,635/mo rents) make it a reasonable choice.

Is investability higher in, FL than across FL?

within FL reads broadly in line with the state benchmark. Investors comparing markets should weight local data above the statewide aggregate.

Community Ratings

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