- My family loves living about 45 minutes away from Orlando on Florida’s coast in Titusville.
- We’re close to nature and beaches but can easily drive to Orlando for appointments and big-city fun.
- Our small town has far less traffic and is more affordable, which allows us to live a life we love.
My family and I live less than an hour away from Orlando, on the east coast of Central Florida in Titusville.
We’re near the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral and just north of Cocoa Beach. Our town is made up of beachcombers, aerospace engineers, and Florida locals.
I moved here from Miami over 10 years ago when I wanted a lower cost of living than the city life could offer me at the time.
The cost of living in Miami is higher than the national average, while Titusville is considered the most affordable place to live in Florida based on 2024 research from NewHomeSource.
Plus, Titusville is also fairly close to Orlando — one of the biggest draws for Florida tourists. Although I love what the city has to offer, I wouldn’t give up our small-town life.
For us, figuring out how to reap some of the benefits of city life without having to deal with the major downsides has worked well for our budget and what we value as a family.
Orlando has many things we love, but we prefer not to be in the city for long
The best part about being near Orlando is that we remain close to what a major city can offer without having to pay the higher price that comes with living in it.
Since my husband and I are both teachers, we like to be careful with our budget, and living in a small town that’s close to a city provides us with the best of both worlds for a fraction of the price.
For example, because I think the big city offers better medical care than the small town we live in, I gladly drive the 45 minutes to take my son and myself to doctor’s appointments.
Since the county we live in spans 72 miles in length, it often makes more sense to me to drive 40 miles west to Orlando for what I think is far better care, anyway.
To make the drive less daunting, I play podcasts or playlists and usually make another stop in Orlando (often at a restaurant we don’t have in our town) before heading back home.
Sometimes, my husband and I go on dates in the city or bring my son to family-friendly events and parks there.
Plus, there are certain chains Orlando has that our small town does not, such as Trader Joe’s. Recently, we even made a whole day out of shopping there — after buying groceries, we met a friend in Orlando for lunch.
It’s also nice to avoid all the traffic in Orlando
Ashley Archambault
Although it would be far more expensive to own a home in Orlando than in Titusville, it’s really the traffic that deters me from living there.
Orlando’s I-4 is frequently on lists of the worst, deadliest, and most congested corridors, and so is the city’s John Young Parkway.
I can handle driving in Orlando because I learned how to drive in Miami, which also has famously rough traffic. However, it’s nice to only go to Orlando for things I feel are worth the drive.
When I do, it often feels like a relief to get off the city’s congested roads and back onto our less populated ones.
Simply put, where we live gives us access to many perks of living in Florida
In our town, I also love feeling as though I’m surrounded by nature.
We have less development than in a major city and more places to go for a long hike. Wildlife sightings are the norm but still feel exciting.
Plus, we live less than 20 minutes from the beach, and I don’t think I could ever give that up.
It’s nice to be in natural landscapes instead of surrounded by tourist destinations and developments in Orlando — they’re just not my speed anymore.
However, there’s yet another upside to living close enough to them: With just a short drive, we can meet up with friends and family whenever they visit Disney World or Universal.
