“Should I move to DeLand or Daytona Beach, Florida?” is a question I often get by those considering moving to the Central Florida area. I’ve lived and sold homes in Central Florida for a long time, so I know that there are pros and cons to both, which I’ll be addressing today. Towards the end, I’ll share which one I like better, along with WHY, so be sure to stick around for that.

Cut from the same cloth

Let’s start with some commonalities of both great cities. They’re both in Florida, so there’s no state income tax. They’ve both got a TON of sunshine and Orlando is the largest metro for both DeLand and Daytona Beach. They’ve both got an abundance of old and new housing and someone looking to buy a home could be looking at similarly priced homes in both areas.

The cost of living in both cities is right around the national average and they’re both in Volusia County, where DeLand is the county seat. I consider both cities to be blue-collar, middle-class cities. So from a generalist perspective, they’re cut from the same cloth.

Cost of living and employment

Livingcost.net indicates that DeLand is slightly more expensive than Daytona Beach for the cost of living, food and transportation, although this website also indicates that the monthly salary after taxes is higher in DeLand. Daytona Beach, being a larger city, may offer more jobs IN Daytona Beach, but DeLand may offer more jobs with higher pay NEARBY, with Lake Mary, Sanford, and Orlando all being much closer than Daytona Beach.

Size

DeLand is about 30 miles inland, or west of Daytona Beach. At the time of this recording, DeLand has around 42,000 people whereas Daytona Beach has around 74,000 people. DeLand is just around 18 miles in size, whereas Daytona beach is much larger, at almost 65 square miles.

“Feel”

So we see that DeLand is much smaller than Daytona Beach, and DeLand has more of a small-town feel, too. There seems to be more festivals in downtown DeLand than Daytona Beach and although it’s speculative, I’m almost certain that DeLand is quieter. When I’m in Daytona Beach, it seems like there’s always some sort of siren going off, it just seems loud. Maybe I’m just too old, but it doesn’t feel that way over in DeLand.

However, Daytona Beach has BEACHES, and there’s no denying that beaches are a huge reason to move to Daytona Beach, Florida. It’s the world’s most famous beach after all, and people flock here from all around the world to visit it. While these beaches are undeniably fantastic, the feel just inland of those sandy beaches is quite different than over in DeLand. It seems like there are more panhandlers and tourists everywhere, and I’ve heard some say that they just don’t feel safe in Daytona Beach. I’m not saying that I feel that way, but that’s what I’ve heard.

Things to do

DeLand IS a much smaller city, and DeLand does NOT have the beaches that Daytona Beach has, but don’t think that there’s nothing to do in DeLand. DeLand is famous for its skydiving. They’ve got the St. Johns River, all sorts of natural springs, Downtown DeLand, Stetson University and much more.

Daytona’s beaches are fine, but frankly, I think there are better beaches up in Ormond, Flagler or down in New Smyrna. I don’t say this as an indictment upon Daytona Beach, but rather to point out that there are MORE than JUST Daytona’s beaches. There’s the Daytona International Speedway, which is near all sorts of shopping and restaurants, there’s the aquarium, a great disc golf course, the boardwalk, Ponce Inlet and much more there too.

Nightlife

Although DeLand has some great nightlife, it’s still just a great small town, whereas Daytona Beach has an abundance of nightlife. Maybe it’s just the size of Daytona Beach or maybe it’s all the tourists that create the need, but there’s just more in Daytona Beach. Bike Week and Biketoberfest are events to behold. I live over near DeLand, but even I know when Bike Week and Biketoberfest are here. The rumbling of those bikes in March and October is unmistakable.

Housing

As of this recording, the MLS indicates that the median sale price of a residential home over the last few months in DeLand was right around $340,000, whereas the median price of a residential home over in Daytona Beach was right around $285,000. So, it’s less expensive to live in Daytona Beach, right? Well, no. I wouldn’t say that’s the case. Daytona Beach has all those homes on the Atlantic’s beaches and on both sides of the Halifax River, which drive prices UP. However, they’ve also got some less expensive condos, which I’ll address more soon, and some older homes with lower home values. So maybe Daytona Beach is more of a Jekyll & Hyde, whereas DeLand is mostly comprised of single-family residential homes that are more similar.

If we’re talking about housing, then here in Florida we need to address taxes and insurance. Both DeLand and Daytona Beach are in Volusia County, which have relatively high millage rates compared to other Florida counties. However, the cost of INSURANCE tends to be higher near the beaches, although the cost of insurance THROUGHOUT Florida has reached crisis levels. So, if you’re thinking of moving to DeLand or Daytona Beach, be sure to check out the cost of insurance BEFORE you close on your new home.

Daytona Beach has an abundance of condos right on, or near the beach. They’re great for snowbirds, those that live up north but spend their winters in Florida. They’re generally low maintenance and usually come with lower prices than single-family homes. Yes, condos have condo fees, and some have assessments, but they can also sometimes be rented out, paying for themselves. DeLand, on the other hand, has very few condos.

Over the years we’ve had a lot of people from other states reach out and ask us to help them find a home in our area. When they do, some of our customers say the beach life IS a big deal to them. They sometimes end up heading up to Ormond Beach or down to New Smyrna Beach, where we help them find homes.

It’s a cheap plug, but I’ve got a short-term rental in New Smyrna Beach if you’re interested. If YOU are thinking of moving anywhere in Central Florida, just pick up the phone and give us a shout.

Hurricanes

DeLand and Daytona Beach BOTH have hurricanes, and that will freak some of you out. To us locals, they’re just part of the game here. Just like you’ve got snow and ice up north, tornadoes, and mudslides and droughts out west, we don’t make too much of a thing of them here. However, remember that I said that DeLand was 30 miles inland? Well, those 30 miles are a HUGE deal to a hurricane, and hurricanes can lose quite a bit of their punch in those 30 miles. DeLand, and all inland Florida is still impacted by hurricanes, but it’s usually worse closer to the beaches.

Which is better?

So…which is better? Is it DeLand for that small-town feel, or is it Daytona Beach for the beaches? How important is the beach life? Do you like a larger town with more nightlife, or are you a small-town person? It really depends on YOU, and what YOU like.

For me, I like the small-town feel of DeLand. My wife LOVES the beaches, and I love fishing in the saltwater river and marshes, so we make the short ride east and it’s never been a big deal. We believe that the DeLand area gives us the best of both worlds. If you’d like to know more about DeLand, please give me a call.

Published on January 30. 2025 / no comments.