How FHA Loan Limits in Florida Are Set by County

FHA loan limits in Florida sit at the national floor for most of the state. Most buyers in Tampa, Orlando, Sarasota, and the majority of Florida’s 67 counties are working with the same baseline number. But 11 counties have limits above the floor, and those differences matter for buyers in South Florida, the Jacksonville corridor, Naples, and the Keys.

HUD sets each county’s limit annually based on local median home prices, tied to the national conforming loan limit published by the Federal Housing Finance Agency. The floor is 65% of that figure and the ceiling is 150% of the same number. Most Florida counties don’t clear the floor because median home prices in those areas fall below the threshold that would push the limit higher. For 2026, the floor is $541,287 and the national ceiling is $1,249,125 for a single-family home, per HUD’s 2026 limit announcement. Florida’s highest county limit, Monroe County, tops out at $990,150 and reflects the exceptional home prices in the Florida Keys. The table below shows how limits scale across all property types.

Worth knowing before you look up your county: FHA loan limits cap the loan amount HUD will insure, not the total price you can pay. The home can cost more than the county limit. But the FHA-backed portion of your loan cannot exceed your county’s maximum. When the gap between the limit and the purchase price gets large enough, FHA stops making financial sense and another loan type takes over.

Look Up Your 2026 Florida FHA Loan Limit

In Florida, 11 of 67 counties have 2026 FHA limits above the national floor for a single-family home. Monroe County, covering the Florida Keys, holds the state’s highest limit at $990,150. Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties are at $667,000. Collier County, the Naples area, reaches $764,750. Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau, and St. Johns counties, which cover the Jacksonville metro and surrounding suburbs, are at $580,750. Walton County on the Panhandle sits at $603,750. Most of central and southwest Florida, including Orange (Orlando), Hillsborough (Tampa), Pinellas, Lee, Sarasota, and Brevard counties, sits at the national floor of $541,287. Select your county below to see the 2026 FHA loan limits for all property types.

Confirm your exact figure at HUD’s official FHA loan limit lookup before applying.

One thing Florida buyers notice quickly: the conventional loan limit in most counties ($832,750) is significantly higher than the FHA limit. Working with a Florida mortgage broker who understands both programs helps you figure out which loan type makes more sense for your county and purchase price before you get deep into a search.

FHA Limits for 2-4 Unit Properties in Florida

Most Florida buyers using FHA look only at the 1-unit limit for their county. But FHA also backs duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes, as long as you live in one unit as your primary residence. The multi-unit limits are substantially higher, and that opens up a path for buyers who want to offset monthly housing costs with rental income.

Here’s what that looks like in South Florida. A buyer in Miami-Dade County has a 2026 FHA limit of $667,000 for a single-family home. That same buyer could borrow up to $1,282,700 for a fourplex in the same county. They move into one unit and rent out the other three. In a South Florida rental market where vacancy rates stay low, the income from those units can offset a significant portion of the monthly mortgage, and in many cases that rental income can factor into the loan qualification. According to HUD’s FY 2025 Annual Report to Congress, more than 83% of FHA forward purchase mortgages went to first-time homebuyers that year. Many of those buyers never learn that the multi-unit path exists at these limits.

The requirements are firm. You must move in within 60 days of closing. FHA won’t back a pure investment property purchase. The property must also meet FHA’s condition and appraisal standards. But for a Florida buyer open to being a landlord in one of their own units, this is one of the most underused options in the program.

What to Do When Your Florida Home Price Goes Over the FHA Limit

In much of Florida, the $541,287 floor covers a wide range of homes at current prices. But in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Collier, and Monroe counties, home prices regularly exceed the county FHA limit. When that happens, buyers face a real choice, and the right answer depends on how far above the limit the purchase price sits.

Bring a larger down payment. You can still use FHA when the home costs more than the county limit. You’ll cover the gap between the FHA cap and the purchase price on top of your regular down payment. As that gap grows, the total cash requirement starts to rival what a conventional loan would need, without FHA’s cost advantages. At some point the math stops working in FHA’s favor.

Move to a conventional loan. Conventional loans go up to the conforming loan limit, which is $832,750 for most Florida counties in 2026, per the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Conventional loans require stronger credit than FHA but carry no upfront mortgage insurance premium. For buyers with solid credit who are shopping near or above the FHA limit, conventional often produces a lower monthly payment once FHA’s annual insurance premium is factored in.

Use a jumbo loan. If the purchase price exceeds both the FHA limit and the conforming limit, jumbo loans cover the difference. In Monroe County, where most homes in the Florida Keys cost well above the $990,150 FHA cap, jumbo is the standard path for buyers in that market. Getting expert guidance matters here. The income documentation and reserve requirements for jumbo loans differ meaningfully from FHA, and what looks like a simple swap can surface issues that affect your timeline.

What Florida FHA Limits Don’t Tell You

The limit tells you how much HUD will back. It doesn’t tell you whether you’ll qualify for that amount, or whether FHA is the right fit for your situation. Florida buyers moving from higher-cost states sometimes choose FHA out of habit because it worked elsewhere. But the comparison is worth running carefully here, because conventional limits in most Florida counties are significantly higher than FHA limits, and the cost difference can favor conventional even at lower purchase prices.

Your credit score, income, and debt-to-income ratio determine what you actually qualify for. A county with a $667,000 FHA limit doesn’t mean every buyer in Miami-Dade or Palm Beach can borrow $667,000. If your income supports a $380,000 loan, the county limit doesn’t change that. The limit is a ceiling on the program, not a promise about your buying power. Reviewing the factors that affect mortgage approval alongside your county limit gives you a much clearer picture of where you actually stand.

FHA loans carry mortgage insurance on every loan regardless of down payment size. The upfront premium is 1.75% of the loan amount. You can roll it into the loan balance, but that increases what you owe from day one. The annual premium adds to your monthly payment for the life of the loan if you put down less than 10%. Neither cost shows up in the loan limit table, but both affect your payment every month. That’s the number that matters after closing, and it’s worth understanding before you commit to a program.

Florida Housing offers down payment assistance programs for FHA borrowers that can reduce upfront costs. Florida Housing’s homebuyer programs are worth reviewing if you are buying in Florida and working to close the gap on down payment. Eligibility depends on income, purchase price, and county, so confirming your eligibility before you enter a purchase contract saves time later in the process.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Questions to Ask Your Lender

• What is the 2026 FHA loan limit for my specific Florida county, and how does it compare to the conventional loan limit in that county?
• If the home I want is priced above the FHA limit, what does the cost comparison look like between FHA with a larger down payment and a conventional loan?
• How does FHA mortgage insurance affect my total monthly payment compared to a conventional loan at the same purchase price and down payment?
• Are there Florida Housing or other down payment assistance programs available in my county that work alongside an FHA loan?
• Based on my credit score and income, do I qualify for a conventional loan and would it cost less than FHA in my situation?
• If I am looking at a duplex or multi-unit property, how does the multi-unit FHA limit apply, and can rental income from the other units help me qualify?