At $650,000 and $1 million, Burlington, Massachusetts money buys more house in Southwest Florida, along with more outdoor living and, sometimes, a boat lift. At $1.5 million, Burlington comes out ahead on square footage. I put three pairs of listings side by side in my September 2026 video.
The bigger difference is what it costs to own the house. Florida has no state income or estate tax. Insurance is higher, though. And many Southwest Florida homes come with fees most Burlington owners have never paid.
Burlington sits on the Route 128 tech corridor. When I recorded the video, homes there averaged around $890,000, or roughly $460 a square foot. If you bought years ago, you may have more buying power than you think.
What does Burlington money buy in Southwest Florida?
More bathrooms, a pool and water access at the two lower price points. More interior space in Burlington at $1.5 million. These were asking prices and listing details from my September 25, 2026 video, so they may have changed or sold since.
| Price point | Burlington, MA | Southwest Florida |
|---|---|---|
| About $650,000 | $649,000: 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, 1,620 sq ft, updated kitchen, private yard | Cape Coral, about $700,000: 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 2,200+ sq ft, heated pool, Gulf-access canal, private dock, 10,000-lb boat lift |
| About $1 million | $988,000: 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, just over 2,000 sq ft, legal in-law apartment | Verdana Village, Estero, about $1.05 million: built 2024, 3 bedrooms plus den, 3 baths, almost 2,500 sq ft, 3-car garage, pool, spa, outdoor kitchen, lake view |
| About $1.5 million | $1,499,000: 3 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, built 2015, 3,200+ sq ft | Fort Myers Beach, $1,499,500: 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, just under 2,000 sq ft, saltwater pool, Gulf-access canal, 20,000-lb lift, deeded beach access |
$650,000: one bathroom or a boat lift?
The Burlington house is nice. It also has one bathroom for $649,000, which means your mornings run on a bathroom reservation system.
The Cape Coral home was listed about $50,000 higher, and we can negotiate down here. That extra money changes the conversation from “please get out of the bathroom” to “should we take the boat to lunch?”
For context, in August 2026 Lee County had 5,803 single-family homes for sale, and the median home took 48 days to go under contract (Royal Palm Coast REALTOR Association). For a look inside a similar home, watch my tour of a $625,000 Cape Coral Gulf-access home. You can also browse Cape Coral and boating properties.
$1 million: an in-law apartment or resort amenities?
A million dollars used to sound like mansion money. In Burlington, $988,000 bought a four-bedroom home with a legal in-law apartment, which is a genuinely useful feature.
In Estero, about $1.05 million bought a 2024-built home in Verdana Village with a pool, spa and outdoor kitchen. The community also has pickleball, tennis, a fitness center, a restaurant and a coffee shop. You’re basically buying a house and accidentally checking into the Marriott.
Newer construction can help with insurance because Florida’s statewide building code dates to March 1, 2002 (Highlands County). Ask what the HOA covers and whether the community carries a CDD on the tax bill. I toured the community in Inside Verdana Village, and our Estero page covers the area.
$1.5 million: Burlington wins on square footage
Burlington gives you about 1,200 more square feet here. That’s significant.
Florida answers in the most Florida way possible: a saltwater pool, a Gulf-access canal, a 20,000-lb lift, deeded beach access and a walk to the Gulf. So, another 1,200 square feet or the Gulf? I’m not answering that for you. I’m a realtor, not a marriage counselor.
And before buying on a barrier island, know its history. Hurricane Ian’s surge reached 10 to 15 feet above ground on Fort Myers Beach in 2022 (National Hurricane Center). Check the flood zone and get a flood insurance quote before you write an offer. And ask for the seller’s flood disclosure, which Florida has required since October 1, 2025 (s. 689.302).
How do Massachusetts and Florida taxes compare?
Florida comes out ahead on income and estate tax. Property tax depends on the house. The numbers line up this way:
| Burlington, Massachusetts | Southwest Florida | |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax | 5% on most income, plus a 4% surtax on taxable income over $1,083,150 (2025) | None |
| Estate tax | Applies to estates over $2 million | None |
| Property tax | FY2026 residential rate of $8.69 per $1,000 of assessed value | Set by local millage rates. Homestead exemption up to $51,411 for permanent residents in 2026 |
| Sales tax | 6.25% | 6.5% in Lee County, 6% in Collier |
Sources: Town of Burlington, Massachusetts DOR (surtax, estate tax, sales tax), Florida Constitution, Florida DOR (surtax table), Lee County Property Appraiser.
Burlington’s property taxes are pretty reasonable. On a $1 million home, you’re looking at about $8,700 a year, or roughly $725 a month. Then Massachusetts reaches into its bag of tricks. If your household earns $300,000, that’s about $15,000 a year in state income tax, or $1,250 every month, whether it’s January or July. That’s rough math based on the full $300,000. Your actual bill depends on deductions and exemptions.
Florida property tax isn’t small. In my June 2026 example, a $750,000 home in Estero ran about $7,500 to $9,000 a year, and the assessed value resets when you buy (more in 5 hard truths about moving to Southwest Florida).
One more thing to watch: Amendment 3 is on the November 3, 2026 ballot and needs 60% to pass. If it passes, people who become permanent Florida residents after December 31, 2026 would wait until their fifth year of exemption for the larger homestead exemption (Florida Senate). Talk to a CPA about your own situation.
What costs more in Florida?
Insurance, and the fees that come with community living.
Insurance.com’s September 2026 averages for $300,000 of dwelling coverage were $8,471 in Florida and $2,112 in Massachusetts (Insurance.com). Florida has also never met an HOA it didn’t like. Some communities have a master HOA, a neighborhood association, a club fee and a CDD, plus probably $17 a month going to some guy named Gary. I don’t know what Gary does, but Gary gets paid.
Hurricanes are real and serious here, which is why newer Florida construction is built to modern wind standards. But every region has something. Massachusetts has nor’easters and that February day at 19 degrees, with 40 mph wind and gray snow piles in the Market Basket parking lot. The January normal at Hanscom Field in Bedford, next door to Burlington, is a 36.8°F high and an 18.2°F low. At Southwest Florida International Airport, it’s 74.7°F and 54.4°F (NOAA).
In Massachusetts, you’re paying for heat, snow tires, ice melt and a snowblower. Down here, that money goes to an HOA, a pool, a golf membership or the boat you’ve always wanted. Instead of a snowblower, you’re buying a golf cart.
How do you get from Burlington to Southwest Florida?
Fly from Logan or drive about 1,500 miles. The Lee County Port Authority’s September 2026 update lists Boston–RSW nonstops on Delta and JetBlue with no seasonal flag, plus American in February. It also lists Breeze from Manchester, NH, Providence and Portland, ME, and JetBlue from Worcester starting again in November 2026 (LCPA).
Book carefully. The Breeze flight to Burlington goes to Burlington, Vermont. By car, Boston to Naples is about 1,506 miles, or around 23.5 hours of driving (Google Maps).
It’s a well-worn route. Boston was the second-largest origin market for Lee County’s peak-season visitors in early 2026, at 5.9% (Lee County VCB). And in our analysis of IRS migration data for 2022–23, Middlesex County, which includes Burlington, was among the top origin counties for people moving to both Lee and Collier (IRS).
What could your Burlington equity buy here?
Tell me three things: what you think your house is worth, what you still owe and what you want your Florida life to look like. I’ll run the numbers. Worst case, you decide Burlington still makes more sense. No harm, no foul. Reach out here, look at homes for sale, or start the lending conversation on our finance page.
