Best Neighborhoods to Buy a Home in Tampa

How to use these neighborhood numbers

Each figure is Zillow's typical value for all home types in that neighborhood, with the one-year and five-year change. Citywide, Tampa is up 0.4% over the year and 20.4% over five. A neighborhood far above or below those lines tells you something about its housing mix. Areas full of condos have been falling, because Tampa condo values dropped 6.7% in a year while houses rose 0.4%.

Group your search by budget first, then pick two or three neighborhoods to compare on flood zone, commute and lot size. I don't rank neighborhoods by safety or schools; check those with sources you trust.

Keep the base in mind when you compare percentages. A $240,000 house that gains $90,000 is up 38%; a $1 million house that gains the same $90,000 is up 9%. In dollar terms, the South Tampa neighborhoods added far more value over five years than the north side did, even with smaller percentage gains. For a buyer, the percentage tells you where demand has been pushing prices up from a low base, while the dollar level tells you what you can actually afford to carry, including tax at the reset value and insurance.

The split also tracks the housing stock. North and east Tampa have more small block and frame houses from the 1950s through the 1980s, often on modest lots. South Tampa has larger lots, older bungalows and new rebuilds, and more of it sits close to the bay.

Under $300,000: the north side's fastest five-year gains

• North Tampa: about $241,850, up 3.7% in a year and 38.4% over five.
• University Square: about $276,803, up 4.0% and 37.1%. Both sit near the University of South Florida.
• Sulphur Springs: about $237,843, up 2.2% and 34.7%.
• College Hill: about $268,679, up 4.5% and 34.0%.
• East Tampa: about $273,342, up 3.6% and 33.7%.
• Temple Crest: about $292,742, up 2.4% and 26.7%.

Two exceptions in this band went the other way: Ybor City ($279,334, down 0.2%), the historic cigar district east of downtown with many condos and lofts, and the Tampa International Airport Area ($283,782, down 4.7%). Houses here are often older and smaller, so a 4-point and wind mitigation inspection and an early insurance quote matter.

$300,000 to $400,000: bungalows and mid-century blocks

This band sits right around the typical Tampa house value of $395,087 and is where many first-time house buyers shop.

• Egypt Lake: about $349,812, up 3.7% and 38.0% over five years, second only to North Tampa.
• Leto: about $338,458, up 35.9% over five.
• Terrace Park: about $305,450, up 3.6% and 34.4%.
• Town 'n' Country: about $380,176, up 1.5% and 29.1%.
• Riverbend: about $360,168, up 27.2%.
• Lowry Park Central: about $324,907, up 24.4%.
• Old Seminole Heights: about $366,874, up 16.2%. Known for early 1900s bungalows; renovated ones sell well above this average.

Also in this range: Northeast Macfarlane ($380,761), Plaza Terrace ($394,333), Forest Hills ($341,908), West Meadows ($344,717) and Fairoaks ($300,037). West Meadows and Forest Hills were slightly down over the year.

$400,000 to $600,000: New Tampa, Tampa Heights and the islands

• Wellswood: about $408,850, up 3.7% and 29.5%.
• Tampa Heights: about $457,364, up 1.8% and 20.5%, just north of downtown along the river.
• Tampa Palms: about $469,840, New Tampa: about $474,603, Hunters Green: about $531,415, and Grand Hampton: about $563,299. These are planned communities in the north of the city with HOAs; budget for association fees and check for a CDD.
• North Hyde Park: about $553,172, up 25.0%.
• Harbour Island: about $545,655, down 1.3%. A small island next to downtown with condos and townhomes.
• Downtown: about $439,516, down 4.4%, mostly condo towers.

Gandy-Sun Bay South ($401,484), Bayside West ($413,193) and Port Tampa City ($458,794) on the South Tampa peninsula also fall here, all slightly down over the year. Low elevation is common on that peninsula, so the flood check comes first.

$600,000 and up: South Tampa near the bay

• Ballast Point: about $602,141, up 1.4%.
• Palma Ceia: about $979,737, up 1.0% and 28.4%.
• Bayshore Beautiful: about $1,015,226, up 1.7%.
• Virginia Park: about $1,022,702, up 3.6%.
• Historic Hyde Park: about $1,092,688, up 5.3% in a year and 33.1% over five, the strongest one-year gain in the city. Older homes near Bayshore Boulevard and Hyde Park Village.
• Beach Park: about $1,326,109, flat.
• Davis Island: about $1,462,205, down 2.8%, but up 32.8% over five. Home to Tampa General Hospital and a small general-aviation airport.
• Sunset Park: about $1,465,355, down 1.4%.

Several of these sit low and close to the water. At this price, the flood zone, elevation certificate and flood history of the specific house deserve as much attention as the kitchen.

If none of these fit: the suburbs on either side

Outside the city limits, Zillow puts Brandon at about $353,216, Riverview at $363,056 and Temple Terrace at $323,921, all below Tampa's $375,619. Lutz ($486,345) and Odessa ($684,962) to the north cost more. Newer suburban subdivisions often carry HOA and CDD charges that city neighborhoods don't. If you've narrowed it to a price band, a shortlist of current homes across two or three of these neighborhoods is the fastest way to compare them on real listings.