Living in Ormond Beach, FL: Who It Fits, and Who Should Look Elsewhere

Photo: Djngsf, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Ormond Beach is the city just north of Daytona Beach, nicknamed the Birthplace of Speed for the automobile races held on its sand from 1902, and it is building more than its neighbors. About one in five homes sold here in the last twelve months was new construction, more than in Daytona Beach or Port Orange, almost all of it in a few new subdivisions on the mainland. Across the river, the beachside zip sells older, smaller houses for about the same price per home. And the Ormond Beach address reaches well past the city: Ormond-by-the-Sea, Halifax Plantation and Plantation Bay are unincorporated.

A note on scope: home sales on this page are counted by the Ormond Beach mailing address in Volusia County, zips 32174 and 32176, which takes in Ormond-by-the-Sea, Halifax Plantation, Plantation Bay and other unincorporated areas; close to six in ten of those sales sit inside the city limits. The population, income and commute figures describe the City of Ormond Beach itself.

Who Ormond Beach Fits, and Who It Doesn't

Strong fit: buyers who want a new house near the coast, since new homes in Fountain View, Ridgehaven and Archer's Mill typically closed at about $375,000, $410,000 and $425,000 respectively; buyers who want to live beachside and accept an older, smaller house for it, since a single-family home in the 32176 zip sold for about the same price as one on the mainland at about 40% more per square foot; buyers who want a large planned community with an association, such as Halifax Plantation, where homes typically closed at about $425,000; and anyone who drives I-95, which has two interchanges in the city.

Weaker fit: buyers looking for the lowest price on the coast, since single-family homes typically sold for less in both Daytona Beach and Port Orange; condo buyers, since Ormond Beach sells far fewer condos than Daytona Beach; and buyers who assume an Ormond Beach address means the city, because Ormond-by-the-Sea, Halifax Plantation and Plantation Bay are unincorporated, which changes who provides services and what the tax bill looks like.

Still deciding between towns? We pulled the closed sales around a $400,000 budget and put Ormond Beach side by side with its neighbors: what $400,000 actually buys in each. Square footage, bedrooms, year built, and how many came with a pool.

Where Is Ormond Beach, and What Makes It Different?

Ormond Beach is a city in Volusia County north of Daytona Beach. John D. Rockefeller's winter home, The Casements, is now a city cultural center, and I-95 has two interchanges in the city. The mean commute is 22.4 minutes.

Ormond Beach Housing Market Snapshot (2026)

Over the last twelve months 812 homes sold in Ormond Beach at a median of $390,000, about the same as the twelve months before. Per square foot, which strips out any change in the size of what sold, the figure fell 2.8%. In September 2026, 73 homes closed at a median of $394,310 and the typical one went under contract in 58 days. One month is too small a sample to read a direction from, which is why the twelve-month figure leads here. There are 328 active residential listings as of October 23, 2026, with a median asking price of $391,999, or $238 per square foot.

Wondering whether it is a buyer's or seller's market around Ormond Beach? We publish that answer for Volusia County as a whole, from current MLS data: Is Volusia County a buyer's or seller's market?

New Construction and Resale Are Not the Same Market

Every price figure quoted for Ormond Beach mixes brand new homes with existing ones. Split apart, the last twelve months looked like this.

Both halves moved the same way here, so the combined figure is a fair summary of Ormond Beach, which is not true everywhere.

Best Neighborhoods in Ormond Beach, FL: Communities to Know

Ormond Beach is new subdivisions on the mainland, an older beachside and large planned communities outside the city limits.

• The new subdivisions, Ridgehaven, Fountain View, Archer's Mill and the Bradford Park townhomes, where most of the city's new construction sold; new houses there closed at medians from about $375,000 in Fountain View to about $425,000 in Archer's Mill, and the townhomes at about $277,000
• Beachside, the 32176 zip on the barrier island, including unincorporated Ormond-by-the-Sea: houses typically built in the 1960s, about 1,600 square feet, and condos
• Halifax Plantation, the large planned community outside the city limits, filed in the MLS under more than thirty unit and section labels; homes there typically closed at about $425,000
• Plantation Bay and Breakaway Trails, Plantation Bay, outside the city limits, where homes typically closed at about $497,500, and Breakaway Trails, inside the city, where 1990s houses typically closed at about $615,000

A single-family home in the beachside zip sold for about the same median price as one on the mainland, but the mainland house was typically about forty years newer and nearly a third larger. In Ormond Beach the river decides what a budget buys.

The 15 communities in Ormond Beach where the most homes have sold over the last twelve months, each with its own page:

• Plantation Bay
• Halifax Plantation
• Ridgehaven
• Fountain View
• Archer's Mill
• Breakaway Trails
• Bradford Park
• Oak Forest
• Northbrook
• Ormond Lakes
• Ortona Park
• Rio Vista
• Seabridge
• Coquina Key
• Hunters Ridge

Another 180 Ormond Beach communities have their own page too. You can also browse every Ormond Beach listing in one place.

Ormond Beach vs. Daytona Beach vs. Port Orange: The Honest Comparison

Daytona Beach, to the south, is the larger and less expensive city, with far more condos and a much older housing stock. Port Orange, south of Daytona Beach, is the established suburb, with little new construction and prices between the two. Ormond Beach is the northern end of the three, with the most new building, the highest single-family prices and a mailing address that runs well into unincorporated land.

Schools, Commute, and Day-to-Day Life

Volusia County Schools serves the city, and assignment varies by address rather than by city name, so confirm the zoning for the specific property before you buy on a school reputation.

Mean travel time to work is 22.4 minutes, against 21.1 from Daytona Beach.

Is Ormond Beach, FL Safe?

Ormond Beach's reported violent crime rate is 180.1 per 100,000 residents against 323.5 for Florida as a whole, about 44% below the state figure. That is a real difference. The same caveat applies in reverse though: rates are measured against resident population, so a town that few people commute into will tend to look better than a comparable one that they do.

Figures are reported offenses from the FBI Crime Data Explorer for the Ormond Beach Police Department (ORI FL0640400), 2022, the most recent year that agency reported in a usable form. Reporting years differ between agencies, so this is compared to the Florida rate for the same year and is not comparable to another town's page.

Cost of Living in Ormond Beach, FL

Housing is the line that moves a Central Florida budget. Ormond Beach's median asking price is $391,999 against a median household income of $67,482, which puts a home at about 5.81 times household income here. That ratio, rather than the sticker price, is the number worth carrying between towns, and it is why a cheaper town is not automatically a more affordable one.

Florida charges no state income tax, so the property tax line matters more here than it would elsewhere, and a homestead exemption reduces the taxable value of a primary residence. Millage varies by taxing district, so treat any single quoted rate as an estimate until the specific parcel is checked.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Ormond Beach, FL a good place to live?

It depends on whether your income comes with you. Against the 60 places this site tracks across Orange, Seminole, Lake and Volusia counties, with that group's middle last measured on October 9, 2026, the median asking price of $391,999 is near the middle and the mean commute of 22.4 minutes is shorter than most. The median household income here is $67,482, which puts housing at 5.81 times income, a heavier load than in most of those places. For remote workers and retirees who bring their income with them, that matters less. For someone earning a local wage, it is tighter than the sticker price suggests. Who it fits, and who it does not, is laid out at the top of this page.

What is the median home price in Ormond Beach, FL?

The median sale price was $394,310 in September 2026 across 73 closed sales. Over the last twelve months 812 homes sold at a median of $390,000, about the same as the twelve months before. The median asking price across 328 active listings is $391,999, or $238 per square foot.

Is Ormond Beach cheaper than Daytona Beach?

On the asking median, no: $391,999 against $279,990. Measured against household income, Ormond Beach is at 5.81 times income and Daytona Beach at 5.59, so on that basis Daytona Beach is the more affordable of the two. See what $400,000 buys in each town.

Is Ormond Beach, FL safe?

The reported violent crime rate runs about 44% below the Florida average, though city rates are measured against resident population while the offense count includes everyone passing through.

What is the cost of living in Ormond Beach, FL?

Housing is the deciding line. A median asking price of $391,999 against a median household income of $67,482 puts a home at roughly 5.81 times income, and Florida charges no state income tax, which shifts weight onto the property tax line.

What school district serves Ormond Beach, FL?

Volusia County Schools. Assignment varies by address within the city, so confirm the zoning for the specific property.

Thinking About a Move to Ormond Beach?

I work these four counties every week and I will tell you when a town is wrong for you. If you want the numbers for your budget before you tour anything, start with what $400,000 buys across Ormond Beach and its neighbors, or call me at 407-616-9019.

You can also browse homes for sale in Ormond Beach, which updates with current inventory.