Central Florida’s housing market is no longer just about price. It’s increasingly about how far buyers are willing to drive to afford it.
Distance from employment centers has become one of the primary pricing mechanisms in Central Florida’s real estate market. Price per square foot declines measurably as buyers move farther from the airport and Disney corridor, while commute times that once averaged 25 minutes now routinely run 40 to 45 minutes, according to Jose Santana, a Realtor with Norkis & Co. Realty.
Sprawl Drives Commute Times
Central Florida’s development pattern is low-density, horizontal, and car-dependent. This is creating a compounding affordability and commute problem that Santana says is now a central factor in nearly every buyer conversation he has. Unlike dense urban markets where workers can live close to employment centers in mid- or high-rise housing, Central Florida’s built environment pushes new development outward, away from jobs.
“The way that we build in Florida, we built like this, we don’t have high apartment complexes,” Santana says. “So the more farther you’re going to be from your job eventually.”
Buyers who need to be near employment centers face higher prices per square foot. Buyers who prioritize affordability must accept longer commutes. As the region grows, that trade-off is becoming more acute.
Santana, who relocated to the Orlando area in 2012, says the commute deterioration has been significant. “When I came to Orlando back in 2013, driving was like 25 minutes to anywhere,” he says. “Right now, driving is 40 to 45 minutes, the average.”
That increase represents a quality-of-life cost. Many buyers, particularly first-time buyers making emotionally driven decisions, may not fully account for it when evaluating properties in outlying areas.
Airport Distance Sets Pricing
To help buyers understand the geographic pricing gradient, Santana uses Orlando International Airport as a reference point. The farther a property sits from the airport, the lower the price per square foot tends to be. This isn’t because the homes are smaller, but because land costs, demand density, and proximity to employment all decline with distance.
“If you go farther from the airport, you get a better price per square footage than if you go closer to the airport,” Santana says. He frames this in terms of price per square foot rather than total price, because a lower-cost outlying property may still carry a higher absolute price if it offers more square footage.
Central Florida’s sprawling geography and limited mass transit infrastructure make the commute penalty more severe than in markets with robust public transportation options. For buyers choosing between a lower price per square foot and a shorter drive to work, the absence of transit alternatives means the trade-off is binary.
For investors, Santana says the airport-distance framework is one of two primary filters he applies when evaluating opportunities, alongside tax bracket. “The best price per square footage and tax bracket, that’s what you need to pull the trigger,” he says.
Where Affordable Buyers Relocate
Affordable inventory is concentrating in markets like Davenport, St. Cloud, and outer Kissimmee. These areas offer lower prices per square foot but require buyers to absorb longer commutes and, in some cases, less developed local infrastructure.
Santana notes that these outlying markets are actively investing in amenities to reduce their location penalty. Davenport is growing rapidly with new commercial development. St. Cloud is adding apartments, retail, and a new Walmart. Kissimmee is developing a new city district. Claremont is planning a Sports City complex. Lake Nona, which Santana describes as a consistently strong performer, is adding a new Target.
These investments suggest that some outlying markets are maturing into more self-contained communities, which could reduce the commute burden for residents who also work locally. But for buyers whose jobs remain anchored near the airport or the Disney corridor, the distance penalty persists regardless of local amenity improvements.
Higher-income buyers will cluster near employment centers, paying a premium for proximity. First-time and lower-income buyers will continue moving outward, accepting longer commutes as the cost of homeownership.
Weighing the True Cost
Santana says he works to make the geographic trade-off explicit for every buyer before a decision is made. His client base is predominantly Spanish-speaking first-time buyers, a population he says is particularly vulnerable to making location decisions based on price alone, without fully accounting for commute costs and long-term quality-of-life implications.
“I want to teach the client to buy the house,” Santana says. “I will give you good, bad and ugly because every deal has that. And then with that information, you start working and then you decide if you make the decision.”
Santana holds both a real estate license and a loan officer license, which he says allows him to walk buyers through the full financial picture, including how commute costs factor into the true expense of a lower-priced outlying property. He argues that agents who skip this analysis leave buyers exposed to decisions they do not fully understand.
“Sadly, not all agents tell that,” Santana says. “And then there’s people making wrong decisions.”
As Central Florida’s commute times continue to lengthen and affordable inventory continues to migrate outward, the gap between a property’s sticker price and its actual cost of ownership grows wider. That cost is measured in fuel, time, and daily wear. For first-time buyers stretching to afford a home, that hidden cost may be the difference between a sustainable purchase and one that strains household finances within the first year.
About the Expert: Jose Santana is a Realtor with Norkis & Co. Realty, serving the Central Florida corridor from Kissimmee through St. Cloud and Davenport with a primary focus on first-time home buyers.
This article is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or investment advice. The views and opinions expressed herein reflect those of the individuals quoted and do not represent an endorsement of any company, product, or service mentioned. Readers should conduct their own due diligence and consult qualified professionals before making any investment decisions.