2027 MNM LIVABILITY INDEX

Orlando

Florida (FL)

Best for: People who value entertainment, airport access, a diverse labor market and year-round activity, especially hospitality, healthcare, tech and remote-work households.

2027 CITY CLASSLarge City300,000–999,999 residents

Modern Livability77.0/ 100

AT A GLANCE

Everyday numbers

Population333,888

Median Home$394,100

Median Rent$1,747

Median Household Income$72,336

Cost of Living~102.0 (US=100; 2024 MSA)

Average Commute26.2 min

Unemployment~4.5% metro (Jul 2026)

Metro AreaOrlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL

2027 MODERN LIVABILITY SCORECARD

How this city actually lives

Twelve dimensions capture both hard data and the everyday experience traditional lists tend to miss.

77.0overall

Housing & Financial Reality62.0

Housing burden, taxes, insurance, utilities and what local incomes actually buy.

Ease of Living66.0

Errands, commute friction, parking, services and the effort required for daily life.

Safety & Stability66.0

Personal, neighborhood, road and environmental stability.

Economic Opportunity90.0

Jobs, wages, career mobility, employer diversity and economic resilience.

Health & Wellness82.0

Healthcare access, activity, mental wellness, healthy food and environmental health.

Beauty & Sense of Place80.0

Scenery, architecture, trees, cleanliness, public realm and distinct sense of place.

Mobility & Congestion56.0

Traffic delay, commute reliability, walking, cycling and transit usefulness.

Nature & Escape80.0

Trails, water, mountains, parks, public lands and how easily residents can escape.

Diversity & Belonging92.0

Diversity, integration, accessibility, newcomer friendliness and community connection.

Climate & Environment73.0

Comfortable weather, air quality, severe weather and environmental exposure.

Community & Culture95.0

Restaurants, arts, events, third places, recreation and social life.

Infrastructure & Connectivity90.0

Broadband, utilities, airport, highways, transit and essential connectivity.

THE THINGS OLD-SCHOOL LISTS MISS

What daily life feels like

Traffic / CongestionHigh in the tourist and I-4 corridors. Local trips can be manageable, but tourism, construction and suburban commuting make travel times unpredictable.

Weekend EscapeVery good. Springs, state parks, lakes, Atlantic beaches and Gulf beaches are within day-trip range, and the region offers a large menu of recreational destinations.

WalkabilityAbout 41/100 citywide Walk Score. Some neighborhoods are meaningfully more walkable than the citywide number suggests, but a car remains useful for many trips.

Airport AccessExceptional. Orlando International Airport is one of the country's busiest airports and provides unusually broad domestic and international access.

Outdoor AccessStrong, especially for lakes, paved trails, springs and year-round recreation; the tradeoff is that the region is flatter and more developed than Florida's wilder coastal areas.

Healthcare AccessStrong. Orlando Health and AdventHealth anchor a large and expanding healthcare network with major specialty facilities.

Air QualityMixed. Heat, humidity, pollen and traffic can affect summer comfort; air quality is generally manageable outside episodic smoke or ozone events.

Third Places / Social LifeExceptional. Neighborhood districts, theme-park entertainment, restaurants, sports, arts venues and an enormous hospitality economy provide social options at nearly every price point.

EDITORIAL VIEW

More than a number

Trajectory: Improving

WHY IT STANDS OUT

Why we chose it

Orlando stands out in the 2027 MNM Livability Index for airport connectivity; entertainment; job diversity; restaurants; healthcare; multicultural population; year-round activities. The city does not score well simply because of one headline statistic: its profile reflects housing, everyday ease, wellness, beauty, mobility, nature, belonging, climate, culture and infrastructure together. The clearest tradeoffs are i-4 congestion; tourism traffic; rising housing costs; car dependence; heat and humidity; hurricane and insurance risk.

REAL LIFE

What living here actually feels like

Orlando feels busier and more varied than its theme-park image suggests. The urban core has distinct neighborhoods, while the broader region is sprawling, fast-growing and highly dependent on where you live relative to work.

STRENGTHS