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Jacksonville, Duval County

FHA loans in Jacksonville, Florida

The number that matters most for an FHA purchase in Jacksonville is not the one most sites quote. Duval County's FHA limit is $580,750, set by HUD, and it is $252,000 below the conforming limit people usually see written next to it.

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Median single-family sale price
$404,495
Jacksonville MSA · September 2026
Conforming loan limit, one-unit property
$832,750
Duval County · Calendar year 2026

The short answer

How much can I borrow with an FHA loan in Jacksonville?

The FHA limit for a one-unit property in Duval County in 2026 is $580,750. That is HUD's figure, and it is the ceiling on the loan itself, not on the purchase price — a larger down payment can buy a more expensive house with the same loan.

It is worth being precise about this because the $832,750 figure that circulates alongside it is the FHFA conforming limit, which is a different number set by a different agency for conventional loans. Both are real; only one applies to FHA.

In practice the FHA limit is generous relative to this market. The median single-family sale across the Jacksonville MSA in September 2026 was $404,495, so the ceiling is roughly 40% above the typical local sale. It constrains the top of the market here, not the middle of it.

Last updated

Market data

What the data says about this market

Every figure below names the geography it measures, the period it covers and the source it came from. Nothing here is modelled, estimated or rounded for effect.

A median sale price is not a valuation, a closed-sales count is not a count of mortgages written, and neither is an indication of what any lender will approve. Figures are as reported on the date shown and are not updated continuously.

What is different here

What the numbers mean in Jacksonville

Each point below reads the figures above rather than restating them. They are the things that are true of this market and not of Florida generally.

  1. NAS Jacksonville sits in Duval County on the west bank of the St. Johns River, about twenty minutes from downtown. DoD puts it at roughly 3,400 acres, more than 100 tenant commands and more than 21,000 active-duty and civilian personnel.

  2. Naval Station Mayport, at the mouth of the St. Johns River next to Atlantic Beach, is the third largest fleet concentration area in the United States and home to Commander, U.S. 4th Fleet.

  3. The 2026 conforming loan limit in Duval County is $832,750, while the September 2026 median single-family sale price across the Jacksonville MSA was $404,495. For a buyer with full VA entitlement the county figure is nowhere near binding — the appraisal and the lender's approval are what decide the loan amount.

  4. The beaches communities nearest Mayport are heavily condominium. VA will only finance a condo in a VA-approved project, so in those neighbourhoods the project's approval status can rule out a property before anything about the borrower is considered.

FHA in Jacksonville

FHA files in Jacksonville

This page covers what the program means in Jacksonville. For how the program itself works — eligibility, documentation, underwriting — see the program page.

Two limits, two agencies, one common mistake

HUD sets FHA limits. The Federal Housing Finance Agency sets the conforming limits that apply to conventional loans. They are calculated differently and they are not interchangeable.

For Duval County in 2026 that is $580,750 FHA against $832,750 conforming. Both figures are on this page with their sources, and both are checkable in one click, because the gap between them is large enough to change which program a buyer can use on a specific house.

The five counties of the Jacksonville MSA — Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau and St. Johns — all carry the same $580,750 FHA limit, which is above Florida's $541,287 floor. Only four Florida counties sit higher.

Where FHA stops working in this market

Between roughly the local median and the FHA ceiling, FHA is usually a live option and the decision is about cost rather than eligibility. Above the ceiling it is simply unavailable at that loan amount, and the conversation moves to conventional financing, a larger down payment, or a different house.

The St. Johns County side of the metro is where this bites first. The MSA median is a five-county blend, and the parts of it that trade well above that blend are the parts where an FHA buyer runs out of ceiling earliest.

There is no judgement in that. It is arithmetic, and knowing where the line falls before you shop is more useful than discovering it after an offer.

Condominiums need the project approved

FHA will finance a condominium only in a project it has approved, or a unit that qualifies under single-unit approval. That is a test of the building, not of the buyer.

It matters more here than the headline price suggests. The September 2026 median condo and townhouse sale across the Jacksonville MSA was $260,000 against $404,495 for single-family — so condos are where an entry-level buyer looks first, and also where a program can be ruled out by a factor that has nothing to do with the applicant.

Check a specific project's status before writing an offer rather than after. This is the single most common way an FHA condo purchase falls over in this market.

What HUD sets, and what your lender sets

The limits on this page are HUD's and are not negotiable. Much of the rest is not HUD's at all.

Credit score thresholds, debt-to-income tolerances, reserve requirements and the appetite for a particular property type are lender overlays. Two lenders working the same FHA guidelines can reach different answers on the same file, which is the argument for not treating a single decline as the end of it.

The mortgage insurance is structural and does not vary by lender: FHA charges an upfront premium and an annual premium, and on most modern FHA loans the annual premium stays for the life of the loan rather than falling away at an equity threshold. That is the main long-run cost difference against a conventional loan with private mortgage insurance, and it is why the comparison has to be run over the period you expect to hold the loan.

How this program works in general

Eligibility, documentation, underwriting and the full set of considerations live on the program page, so they stay in one place and stay current: FHA loans.

Set by the lender, not by us

These vary between lenders and change over time. Nothing on this page is a quote, an approval, or a commitment to lend.

  • Minimum credit score accepted (lenders commonly set a higher floor than FHA's own)
  • Maximum debt-to-income ratio and compensating factors
  • Appraisal repair requirements and how they must be resolved before closing
  • Whether the lender will finance a particular condominium project

Run the numbers

Model a Jacksonville payment

Every assumption is on screen and editable. Nothing here is a quote, a rate lock or a statement that you qualify.

Affordability calculator

Work backwards from what the usual ratios allow to a purchase price.

Before tax, for everyone who will be on the loan.

Car loans, student loans, credit card minimums, child support.

Your own figure. We do not quote rates here.

Housing costs, then housing plus all other debt. Limits vary by program and lender.

Estimated maximum purchase price $507,994, with a monthly housing cost of $3,500. Front-end ratio 28.0%, back-end ratio 32.8%.

Estimated maximum purchase price

$507,994

  • Monthly housing cost

    $3,500

  • Loan amount

    $417,994

  • Front / back DTI

    28% / 33%

Price against monthly payment

Monthly payment at a range of purchase prices. At your maximum of $507,994, the payment is $3,500.

Bars past your maximum are greyed. Each includes taxes, insurance and dues, not just principal and interest.

Affordability by interest rate

Maximum purchase price across a range of interest rates, from 4.5% to 8.5%. At your rate of 6.5%, the maximum is $507,994.

The same income and debts at different rates. This is the single input that moves the answer most.

How this number was reached

The two ratios behind the answer.

Monthly gross income
$12,500
Front-end limit (28%)
$3,500
Back-end limit (36%) less debts
$3,900
Binding constraint
Front-end ratio

Ratio limits differ by program, by lender and by the rest of a file — credit, reserves, employment history. These are common starting points, not rules that apply to everyone.

What this leaves out

Affordable on paper is not the same as comfortable.

  • Closing costs, which are separate from the down payment and are usually two to five percent of the price.
  • Reserves after closing. Many programs require them, and running the account to zero is how a good file becomes a fragile one.
  • Maintenance, utilities and furnishing — none of which appear in a debt-to-income ratio.
  • Mortgage insurance, which commonly applies below twenty percent equity and is not included above.
  • Whether a lender will actually approve the file, which turns on credit, documentation and the property itself.

Helpful resources

Plain explanations of what these numbers mean.

View more FAQs

An estimate, not an offer

Every figure on this page is arithmetic on numbers you entered. It is not a quote, a rate lock, a pre-approval, a loan offer, or a statement that you qualify for anything. Real terms depend on a full application, your credit and documentation, the property, and pricing on the day a rate is locked. Property taxes, insurance and association dues are your assumptions, not amounts quoted by anyone.

This is the same calculator as Affordability calculator, with the full set of assumptions, charts and downloadable report.

FHA questions we get from Jacksonville borrowers

What is the FHA loan limit in Duval County?
$580,750 for a one-unit property in 2026, set by HUD. The same figure applies across the Jacksonville MSA — Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau and St. Johns counties. It is not the $832,750 conforming limit, which is FHFA's figure for conventional loans.
Is the FHA limit the most I can pay for a house?
No. It is a limit on the loan, not on the price. A larger down payment lets you buy above the limit while keeping the loan beneath it.
Can I use an FHA loan on a Jacksonville condo?
Only in an FHA-approved project, or on a unit that qualifies under single-unit approval. It is worth checking a specific project's status before making an offer, because approval is a property-level test and a strong application cannot overcome it.
Is FHA better than conventional here?
It depends on your credit profile, your down payment and how long you expect to keep the loan. FHA is often more forgiving on credit; conventional mortgage insurance can be removed at an equity threshold while FHA's annual premium usually cannot. The comparison is a calculation on your numbers, not a general ranking, and the comparison table lives on the FHA program page.
Can I buy a duplex with an FHA loan?
FHA allows up to four units provided you occupy one of them. The limit rises with unit count — in Duval County the two-unit FHA limit is higher than the one-unit figure quoted here. Whether rental income from the other units helps you qualify is underwritten and is not automatic.
How does Florida homeowners insurance affect an FHA file?
Insurance is part of the payment a lender uses to qualify you, so a higher premium reduces the loan your income supports. On an FHA file this compounds with the annual mortgage insurance premium, because both land in the same monthly figure. Modelling them together is the only way to see the real number.

Keep reading

Related programs and nearby markets

Nearby markets

Where the facts on this page come from

Program rules are set by these organizations and are updated periodically. Where this page and an official source disagree, the official source is correct.

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