What is the cost of living in Ocala?

Ocala has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 95.2, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 86.2, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,373/month.

What is the median salary in Ocala?

The median salary in Ocala is $58,879 annually (mean: $62,864). Top occupations include Retail Salespersons, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Cashiers.

The violent crime rate in the Ocala area is 210 per 100,000 population (state-level data). Property crime rate is 1030 per 100K.

What are the schools like in Ocala?

The state of FL has 4,029 schools (state-level data, no metro-level federal count exists) with an average student-teacher ratio of 17.8:1. Charter schools make up 17.9% of all schools.

How much does childcare cost in Ocala?

Infant center-based childcare in the Ocala area averages $10,505 per year. Preschool averages $7,983/year. These are state-level averages.

Is Ocala a good place to relocate?

Ocala has a Life Score of 46.5/100 (D), based on 7 of 7 available dimensions among cost of living, wages, rent, crime, schools, childcare, and environment (missing dims omitted, weights renormalized). This is a middle-of-the-pack score, where the composite lands for most US metros; look at individual dimensions to see the real trade-offs.

Where does Ocala sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Ocala ranks #314 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). That ordinal matches the /rankings/livability listing. See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.

Relocation profile · Federal data

Ocala, FL

LiveAbility 41.4/100 places Ocala #314 of 387 (bottom third of scored metros).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

95.2
Cost index (US=100): $1,373
2BR rent / mo: $58,879
Median salary: 41.4
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Ocala ranks #314 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (41.4/100), with its strongest marks in safety and climate.

#314
of 387 US metros · Below median: 23,372,215
metro-area population: 210
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 4,029
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: job market (8/100). Weigh every dimension against your own priorities, use the City Finder to re-rank by what matters to you.

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite (BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, EPA, NOAA, and FEMA inputs), Ocala ranks #314 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 95.2 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,373/mo, median salary $58,879; LiveAbility Score 41.4/100, strongest in safety and climate.

Signature: LiveAbility 41.4/100 places Ocala #314 of 387 (bottom third of scored metros).

Purchasing power sits mid-band: BEA RPP 95.2 between corpus terciles 91.5 and 97.0. Median 2BR rent $1,373/mo.

LiveAbility 41.4/100 puts Ocala in the bottom third (#314 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Ocala area is 110,400.

Ocala vs all US metros by LiveAbility Score

Where this metro's LiveAbility Score falls among every scored US metro (composite placement, not a desirability verdict)

41 Top 81% higher than 19% of 387 US metros

Metros banded by LiveAbility Score (0–100)

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainRelocate LiveAbility Score · June 2026

Ocala housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Ocala MSA; housing RPP 86.2 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,373/mo.

Studio

$1,126

/month

1 Bedroom

$1,172

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,373

/month

3 Bedroom

$1,772

/month

4 Bedroom

$1,905

/month

Ocala wages and employment

Ocala posts 110,400 total employment with median salary $58,879.

Median Salary

$58,879

Mean Salary

$62,864

Total Employment

110,400

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Retail Salespersons	$31,090
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$27,880
Cashiers	$28,970
Registered Nurses	$79,230
Stockers and Order Fillers	$35,160

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Ocala area from NCES.

Schools

4,029

Enrollment

2,838,009

Student:Teacher

17.8:1

Title I %

Childcare Costs

State-average childcare costs for the Ocala area (DOL data).

Infant (Center)

$10,505

per year

Toddler (Center)

$8,611

per year

Preschool (Center)

$7,983

per year

Life Score Breakdown

Ocala's composite Life Score is 46.5/100 (D), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

42/100

Below average

Wages

8/100

Bottom decile

Rent

41/100

Below average

Crime

85/100

Elite

Schools

84/100

Elite

Childcare

49/100

Average

Environment

44/100

Below average

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Ocala ranks #314 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 41.4/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Safety (86/100)

Safety

86
Climate

80
Low hazard

57
Cost of living

42
Housing

41
Air quality

24
Schools

16
Job market

8

What this shows Ocala's strongest dimensions are safety and climate; its weakest among scored dims is job market at 8/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare Ocala to

Fort Smith Fort Wayne Fresno Gadsden Gainesville Gainesville

Metros near Ocala on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Ocala on BEA RPP, LiveAbility, or BLS median salary, a different lens than the size-ranked list.

Similar cost of living (BEA RPP)

Similar LiveAbility score

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026

Ocala cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Ocala wages and LiveAbility inputs follow BLS OEWS plus the federal sources listed in methodology. This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Scores are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation. How this data is sourced.

Verify with BEA → · Verify with BLS → · Verify with HUD → · Verify with NOAA → · Verify with FEMA → · Verify with Census →

Thinking about Ocala?

Ocala runs a $58,879 median salary at a 95.2 cost index, ranking #314 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Ocala's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Ocala head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Ocala
Abilene is the closest related metro in this corpus -- see how it stacks up. Abilene profile
A cheaper cost index and a higher LiveAbility score don't always point the same direction -- here's how to weigh the trade-off. Cost vs quality guide

Cost, salary and score figures are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation.