Guide · September 14, 2026
Moving to Pace, Florida: what to know before you buy
Updated September 2026. Every number below carries its month and source.
Pace sits just across the Escambia River from Pensacola, in Santa Rosa County, and it has quietly become the default answer for families who want a newer house, a yard, and a short drive to NAS Whiting Field. It is not a beach town and it is not downtown. It’s the place people pick when the house matters more than the view.
I’m relocating to the Pensacola area myself, and Pace was on my own shortlist. What follows is the research, with dates on every number.
What it costs right now
In August 2026, 94 homes sold in Pace at a median of $357,427, taking a typical 30 days to sell. Sellers got a full 100% of asking on the typical sale. There were 269 homes for sale at a median list price of $388,271, about 2.9 months of supply, which is a seller’s market by any usual definition.
Price per square foot was $175. That matters because Milton, next door, was $178. Pace’s higher sticker prices mostly buy a bigger house, not a pricier one per foot. The current numbers are always on the Pace market page, updated monthly.
The Santa Rosa towns side by side (August 2026)
| Pace | Milton | Gulf Breeze (mainland) | Pensacola | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | $357,427 | $319,900 | $378,900 | $278,500 |
| Typical days to sell | 30 | 38 | 28 | 34 |
| Months of supply | 2.9 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 3.8 |
| Sale-to-list | 100% | 100% | 98.9% | 98.5% |
| Closest base | Whiting Field | Whiting Field (in town) | NAS Pensacola via the bridge | NAS Pensacola, Corry Station |
| Flood-insurance discount (CRS) | 25% (county) | 20% (city), 25% outside limits | 20% | 15% (city), 20% outside limits |
Under four months of supply favors sellers; over six favors buyers. Source: Pensacola MLS closings, August 2026, pulled September 2; FEMA CRS list effective April 1, 2026.
What the median buys
At $357,427 and $175 per square foot, the typical Pace sale works out to a little over 2,000 square feet. In practice that is a three- or four-bedroom house built in the last twenty years on a suburban lot, often in a subdivision with a builder still active nearby. Older, smaller homes closer to Highway 90 come in under the median; the newest phases run above it.
Schools
Santa Rosa County District Schools is an A-rated district in the state’s 2025-26 grades, released July 1, 2026. Twelve of its 29 schools earned an A; the rest earned B or C. Pace High School, Gulf Breeze High School and Navarre High School are all A schools this year. Milton High School’s grade was not in the release I could read, so check it yourself at the Florida Department of Education’s school report cards before you decide. Escambia County was also an A district for 2025-26, with Tate High an A school. Grades change every summer; the year is the part to check.
Cost of living and jobs
Santa Rosa County’s median household income was $91,922 in 2024, against $67,500 in Escambia County next door, and 80.6% of Santa Rosa households own their home. The median owner-occupied home in Santa Rosa was valued at $329,800 in 2024, up about 9% in a year. Average commute for Santa Rosa residents is about 30 minutes, which is the honest cost of living east of the river. Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey via Data USA, 2024.
The Pensacola metro’s unemployment rate was 4.9% in June 2026, up from a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics). Health care is the largest employment sector in both counties, led by Baptist Health Care and Ascension Sacred Heart, with Navy Federal Credit Union’s Pensacola campus, the University of West Florida, and the Navy installations rounding out the big employers. In Santa Rosa specifically, health care, retail and construction are the three largest sectors, and that construction number is Pace and Milton growing.
Where in Pace the homes actually sold
Pace is mostly subdivisions, and they don’t all cost the same or move at the same speed. These are the ones with at least eight closed sales in the last twelve months (detached homes, September 2025 through September 2026), from the Pensacola MLS. A short “typical days” number with a recent build range is a builder selling new inventory; a long one is a neighborhood where resales sit.
| Neighborhood | Sold, last 12 months | Median sale | $/sq ft | Typical days | Built | For sale now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stonechase | 68 | $335,495 | $174 | 21 | 2010–2026 | 9 |
| Lakes Of Woodbine | 66 | $351,527 | $188 | 48 | 2024–2026 | 28 |
| Sentinel Ridge | 65 | $375,500 | $192 | 26 | 2024–2026 | 8 |
| Eagles Ridge | 54 | $309,740 | $175 | 22 | 2025–2026 | 1 |
| Pace Commons | 36 | $393,300 | $175 | 11 | 2025–2026 | 0 |
| Chase Farms | 27 | $359,900 | $177 | 304 | 2022–2026 | 1 |
| Ashley Plantation | 21 | $575,000 | $186 | 34 | 2012–2020 | 4 |
| Southern Palms | 20 | $339,990 | $183 | 109 | 2022–2026 | 3 |
| Stonebrook Village | 16 | $544,950 | $196 | 11 | 1990–2007 | 3 |
| Woodlands | 15 | $295,993 | $167 | 70 | 2017–2023 | 6 |
Detached homes only. Subdivisions with fewer than eight sales are left out because a median of five houses is noise, not a market. 863 detached sales in Pace in the window, median $350,000.
Who Pace fits
- Whiting Field families. The base is in Milton, and Pace is the next town over. Most of the newer subdivisions people buy in are on the Pace side.
- Anyone who wants new construction. Much of Pace’s housing stock was built in the last twenty years, and builders are still active. If you want a house nobody has lived in, this is one of the two places to look.
- People with a real budget ceiling. The median here runs well under Gulf Breeze and the beach, with more house for the money.
Who it doesn’t fit: anyone who wants to walk to dinner, wants water at the end of the street, or is commuting daily to the far west side of Pensacola. It’s a drive.
Pace vs Milton
People cross-shop these two constantly, so here’s the short version. Pace is faster and pricier; Milton is cheaper and has more homes to pick from. In August 2026 Milton had 393 homes for sale to Pace’s 269, at a median of $319,900 versus $357,427. Both were selling at full asking. If speed matters more, Pace. If selection and budget matter more, Milton. The full side-by-side is in Pace vs Milton.
Flood zones and insurance
Santa Rosa County is in FEMA’s Community Rating System at the 25% discount level, the best in the area as of April 2026, and that discount applies to every flood policy in the unincorporated county, in or out of a flood zone. Even so, insurance here is priced by the exact address, not the town. Check the FEMA flood map for every house you consider and get a quote on the real address before you write an offer.
Taxes
Florida has no state income tax. Property taxes run on the county millage plus school taxes, and the homestead exemption cuts the taxable value if the house is your permanent residence. There is a measure on the November 2026 ballot that would raise that exemption, with the size tied to when you became a Florida resident; here is what it would mean.
What I’d check before you buy in Pace
- Drive the commute at the hour you’d actually drive it. Highway 90 into Pensacola is the artery, and it’s busy at the wrong times.
- Get the flood zone and a real insurance quote on the specific address.
- If it’s new construction, ask what’s planned for the empty land around it. Pace is still growing, and the view from the back porch can change.
- Compare the same money in Milton before you commit. Sometimes the extra selection is worth the extra ten minutes.
The costs nobody puts in the listing
- Hurricane deductible. Florida policies carry a separate hurricane deductible that is a percentage of your dwelling coverage, not a flat number. Insurers must offer $500, 2%, 5% or 10% (Florida Statute 627.701). On a $350,000 dwelling limit, 2% is $7,000 out of pocket before the policy pays, and it applies once per calendar year. Know your percentage before you sign.
- Flood insurance is a separate policy, and the Community Rating System discount above is real money on it. Still priced by the exact address.
- The Garcon Point Bridge toll. If you live in Milton or Pace and work toward Gulf Breeze or the beach, the bridge is the shortcut and it costs $2.30 with SunPass or $2.75 by plate each way (Florida’s Turnpike rates as of late 2025). Twice a day, every workday, adds up to about $1,100 a year. Highway 90 through Pensacola is the free route and the long one.
- Selling costs later. Florida charges documentary stamp tax of 0.70% of the sale price on the deed when you sell. A VA buyer paying the funding fee on the way in and doc stamps on the way out is about 4% round trip before commission.
- CDD assessments. Some newer master-planned neighborhoods in Florida carry a Community Development District line on the tax bill, on top of any HOA. I couldn’t find a published list for Pace or Milton subdivisions, so look at the actual tax bill for any house you consider: it shows up under non-ad valorem assessments.
Florida deadlines once you arrive
These are the ones with real dates attached. Every one is from the agency itself.
- Driver license: 30 days after establishing residency (Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles). Vision test in person; the written and road tests are usually waived if you hold a valid out-of-state license.
- Vehicle title and registration: 10 days after establishing residency, and you need a policy from a Florida-licensed insurance agent first. Out-of-state coverage alone doesn’t count, and an out-of-state car needs a VIN verification (FLHSMV).
- Homestead exemption: apply by March 1 of the year you want it, and you must own the home and live in it as your permanent residence as of January 1 (Santa Rosa County Property Appraiser). They’ll want a Florida driver license and vehicle registration showing the property address. You can file online at srcpa.gov, or in person in Milton or Gulf Breeze. Miss March 1 and you wait a year.
- Voter registration counts as one of the things that establish residency in Florida’s eyes, so do it early.
Questions people ask about Pace
Is Pace a good place to live? For families who want a newer house, a yard and a short drive to Whiting Field, it is the default answer in Santa Rosa County. It is not a walkable or waterfront town.
Is Pace cheaper than Gulf Breeze? Yes, by about $21,000 at the August 2026 median against mainland Gulf Breeze, and by far more against the Gulf Breeze peninsula and the beach.
How long does it take to sell a house in Pace? A typical 30 days in August 2026, the fastest of the Santa Rosa towns, with sellers getting full asking.
Is Pace in a flood zone? Parts are, like everywhere on the coast. The county carries the best flood-insurance discount in the area (25%), but the zone and the premium are set by the exact address. Check the FEMA map for each house.
Pace or Milton? Pace if speed and newer construction matter most. Milton if budget and selection matter most. The full comparison has the numbers.
If you want a number on a specific house, or a straight read on Pace versus somewhere else, email [email protected] or call or text 205-276-2135.
Sources: Pensacola MLS closed sales, zip 32571, August 2026, pulled September 2, 2026, medians for residential listings. FEMA Community Rating System eligible communities, effective April 1, 2026. Florida Department of Education school grades 2025-26 (released July 1, 2026). Pensacola MLS closed detached sales by subdivision, September 2025 to September 2026, pulled September 16, 2026. U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024 via Data USA. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Pensacola MSA, June 2026. Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles new-resident rules. Santa Rosa County Property Appraiser. Florida Statute 627.701. Florida’s Turnpike toll schedule.