Tampa skyline and the Hillsborough River in Florida

Buying a home in
Tampa Bay

Q: Is Tampa Bay popular with European buyers?

Yes, relative to the rest of Florida. Florida Realtors notes that the Tampa Bay area and Southwest Florida are more popular with Canadian and European buyers than other parts of the state. The area took 7% of Florida's international purchases in the year to July 2025, and 7% of British buyers in Florida bought here.

Q: Can I rent out a home near the beach by the week?

In most residential areas, no. St. Petersburg allows rentals of less than 30 days at most three times in any 365-day period in residential properties. Clearwater does not allow anything shorter than 31 days or a calendar month in residential districts, and you may not advertise weekly lets. Unincorporated Pinellas County allows short lets with a Certificate of Use, an inspection and occupancy limits. Each beach town has its own rules, so check the address.

Q: How serious is the flood risk?

Serious enough to check before anything else. Much of Pinellas County is low-lying and surrounded by water, and the area was hit by Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024. Standard home insurance excludes flood, and a federally backed lender will require flood insurance in a high-risk zone. If a building in a flood zone is damaged or improved by 50% or more of its value, federal flood rules require it to be brought up to current standards, which can mean raising it. Ask for the flood zone, the elevation certificate and the claims history.

Q: What will insurance cost?

We cannot give a figure, because it depends on the house: its age, roof, elevation and distance from the water. As an indication of how hard cover is to find, Pinellas has the third-highest number of policies with Citizens, the state-backed insurer of last resort, among the Florida counties in our guides. Get quotes for home, wind and flood during the 15-day inspection period and treat the result as part of the price.

Q: Can I get a mortgage here while living in Europe?

Yes, through a foreign national loan, with a larger down payment and a higher rate than a resident would be offered. If you are moving to Tampa on a work visa, standard conventional loans are open to you as a lawful resident, and the median house price is well inside the conforming loan limit.

Tampa Bay is Florida's Gulf Coast city region: Tampa on one side of the bay, St. Petersburg and Clearwater on the other. It is cheaper than Miami, has direct flights to London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Zurich, and is one of the parts of Florida that Europeans favour. Its weak points are water and the rules on holiday letting.

Start my mortgage scan ← All destinations

Free, no-obligation scan

15+ affiliated partners

25+ years' experience

Everything about buying in Tampa Bay

Short answers on this page. The full guide has the detail, the figures and the sources.

The purchase and the loan

How a purchase runs here and which loans fit.

Who buys here

Prices, taxes and insurance

What homes cost and what you pay on top.

Water, wind and what they do to the numbers
Costs of owning

Letting and living

Rental rules, local life and how to get there.

Holiday letting is the exception here, not the rule
Getting there

Read the full guide

Three counties around one bay

The Tampa Bay area is usually taken to mean Hillsborough County, with the city of Tampa, Pinellas County, the peninsula that holds St. Petersburg, Clearwater and the Gulf beaches, and Pasco County to the north. Tampa is the business centre. Pinellas is where most holiday-home buyers look.

In August 2026 the median single-family home in the metro area sold for $410,000, up 2.5% on the year, and the median townhouse or condominium for $274,000. That is roughly $250,000 less than a house in the Miami area, and comfortably below the conforming loan limit of $832,750.

Aerial view of waterfront homes with pools and boat docks along a canal in Clearwater, Florida

Tampa Bay at a glance

Figures last checked: 3 October 2026

This is not a lending decision: a US specialist confirms what applies to your own situation.

Median sale price	$410,000 for a single-family home and $274,000 for a townhouse or condo in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater area, August 2026 (Florida Realtors).
Loan limit 2026	$832,750 for a one-unit home in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties.
Effective property tax	Hillsborough 0.84%, Pinellas 0.74%, Pasco 0.82% of home value on average (Tax Foundation). A new buyer usually pays more.
Short-term rental	St. Petersburg: at most three short lets a year in residential areas. Clearwater: nothing under a month in residential districts.
Tax on short stays	13% in Pinellas County and 12% in Pasco, combining state, surtax and tourist tax.
Flights home	Nonstop from Tampa to London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Zurich (summer 2026).

Boats and city skyline reflected in the water of the St. Petersburg marina at dusk

Yellow lifeguard tower on white sand at Clearwater Beach under a colorful sunset sky

St. Pete Pier building and palm trees on a long pier over calm water, St. Petersburg

Sunshine Skyway Bridge lit up against an orange sunset sky over Tampa Bay near St. Petersburg

Thinking about a home in Tampa Bay?start with a free scan

Start my mortgage scan

Before you make an offer in Tampa Bay

Check the flood zone, elevation certificate and flood claims history.
Get home, wind and flood quotes within the inspection period.
Ask an inspector how the 50% rule would affect planned renovations.
Confirm the minimum rental period for the address with the city or county.
Read the association's leasing rules for a condominium.
Ask for a property tax estimate at your purchase price without homestead.
Tell the lender how you will use the home.

100+people choose us every month
5permanent team members
10+specialists in our network
15+collaborating partners

And we are still growing. More about us

Our network and collaborating partners:

Start your scan for Tampa Bay

Share the outline of your plans. A US specialist who knows this area will come back to you, without obligation.

Questions people moving from Europe ask

Is Tampa Bay popular with European buyers?

Can I rent out a home near the beach by the week?

How serious is the flood risk?

What will insurance cost?

Can I get a mortgage here while living in Europe?

Continue your research

Sources (14)

Figures and rules on this page were checked against these sources on 3 October 2026. Rates, prices and local rules change, so confirm anything you rely on before you commit.

Buying a home inTampa Bay