Destin, FL · Updated Oct 2026

What a Destin house pays

Property tax, water, trash and energy from public rates. Look up your address to make it yours, and see how to pay less.

Sent only to free public map services to find who serves it. Not stored unless you save your house.

Example · a Destin house

$12,522a year · $1,044 a month

Starts at the typical market value, $490,300; your assessed value is often lower. Typical use.

A Destin house at the typical market value ($490,300) pays about $12,500 a year: $5,320 property tax and charges, $1,120 water and sewer, $360 trash, $1,840 electricity, $3,890 home insurance. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.

Rates checked Oct 21, 2026. Insurance: what you enter, or a typical premium until you do. Sources are listed at the bottom.

Ways to pay less

Nothing here applies to every house automatically. These are worth checking:

Seniors 65+: lower garbage rate$24.39 a month instead of $29.80
Destin households of no more than two people, at least one of them 65 or older by October 1, may apply for Waste Management's senior rate: $24.39 a month instead of $29.80.
How: Apply with Waste Management, Inc., at (850) 301-2822.
Low income: no garbage fee
Destin residents whose gross household income for the prior year is 150% or less of the federal poverty guideline may qualify for an exemption from paying for garbage service at their principal residence.
How: Submit the City's notarized income exemption application with proof of income. Renewal is not automatic: reapply between January 1 and March 15 each year.
Pay your tax bill in November4% off the bill
The Okaloosa County Tax Collector gives 4% off for paying in November, 3% in December, 2% in January and 1% in February; the gross amount is due by March 31.
How: Pay in November for the largest discount.
Quarterly installment plan
Taxpayers whose estimated taxes are over $100 and not paid through escrow can pay in four installments; the first installment is discounted 6% if postmarked by June 30.
How: Return the Installment Plan application to the Okaloosa County Tax Collector before May 1.
Totally and permanently disabled, blind, widows and widowers: $5,000 exemption$5,000 off value, or the whole tax waived
Florida exempts $5,000 of property value for every widow, widower, blind person, or totally and permanently disabled person who is a Florida resident; quadriplegics, and some wheelchair users and legally blind owners under the income limit, pay no property tax on their homestead.
How: Apply with the county property appraiser.
Veterans with a service-connected disability: exemptions$5,000 off, or the whole tax waived
Honorably discharged Florida veterans disabled 10% or more may get a $5,000 reduction in assessed value; those with a service-connected total and permanent disability may be exempt from all property taxes on their homestead.
How: File the required forms and applications with the county property appraiser.
Free household hazardous waste drop-off
Okaloosa County takes car batteries, paint, oil, computers and other hazardous items for free at 80 Ready Ave in Fort Walton Beach, Tuesday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
How: No appointment needed; call (850) 301-2013 for details.

Adjust to match your bills

What you knowTrash cartDestin's residential rate includes recycling in a 96-gallon cart, yard waste and weekly bulk pickup; a second garbage cart costs extra.

Value before exemptionsSecond homes and rentals get no homestead exemption: untick "I live here" for them.

I live here and have the Homestead exemption and Additional homestead exemption

Home insurance, a yearFrom your policy. We start at $3,889, Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, July 2026 Insurer Stability report: Okaloosa County average homeowners premium including wind, data as of March 31, 2026.

Your use

Water, thousands of gallons a month

On your water bill. A typical house uses 5,000–8,000 gallons.

Electricity, kWh a month

On your Florida Power & Light (FPL) bill. An electric car adds about 300 kWh.

Money dates

Nov 1in 9 daysProperty tax statements are mailed on or before November 1; paying in November takes 4% off (3% in December, 2% in January, 1% in February).
Jan 1 – Mar 15in 70 daysWindow each year to renew Destin's low-income exemption from garbage collection fees.
Mar 1Deadline to submit the homestead exemption application (Form DR-501) to the county property appraiser for that tax year.
Mar 31The gross property tax amount is due.

Who serves this house

Water: Destin Water Users, Inc.; Destin Water Users charges residential customers a monthly base charge plus tiered usage charges per 1,000 gallons; rates effective January 1, 2026.
Property tax: 1.18% of value; 2026 tax year (FY 2026-27): City of Destin, Okaloosa County, Destin Fire Control District and NWFWMD adopted rates; School District rate as listed in the City's FY 2027 budget
Garbage: Waste Management, Inc. (city contract); Household garbage, recycling, yard waste and bulk waste pickup; contact Waste Management for billing and service at (850) 301-2822
Sewer: Destin Water Users, Inc.; A monthly base charge plus a charge per 1,000 gallons of water used
Electricity: Florida Power & Light (FPL); Residential Service (RS-1): $10.52 base charge a month plus per-kWh charges (October 2026)
Gas: Okaloosa Gas District; 874 of 4,338 owner-occupied homes in Destin heat with utility gas; 3,403 heat with electricity (Census ACS 2020-2024)
Schools: Okaloosa County School District; 5.3270 mills (required local effort, discretionary operating and capital outlay): the proposed 2026 rate listed in the City of Destin's FY 2027 budget

Pay or manage your bills

Your water

Source: Ground water from six coastal wells plus water bought from South Walton Utility Company; both draw from the Floridan Aquifer, and the only treatment is chlorine and/or sodium hypochlorite for disinfection.
Violations: The report lists secondary (non-health-based) violations for aluminum at one of six wells in 2023 and for odor in 2023 and 2024.
Lead: July 2023 tap sampling: 90th percentile 2.2 ppb, and 0 of 30 sites exceeded the 15 ppb action level.

Other FL cities

How these numbers are made

Property tax uses 11.7929 mills in all for a home in the City of Destin: City of Destin 1.6150, Okaloosa County 3.8308, Okaloosa County School District 5.3270, Destin Fire Control District 1.0000 and Northwest Florida Water Management District 0.0201, on assessed value after the $25,000 + up to $26,411 homestead exemptions. City parcels do not pay the county's unincorporated MSTU (0.2880 mills).
No flat yearly charge is added to the tax bill: Destin's garbage is billed by Waste Management, the City has no separate stormwater fee, and fire service is the Destin Fire Control District millage. Charges for neighborhood benefit units and HOA dues, where they exist, are not included.
Water and sewer use Destin Water Users' residential rates effective January 1, 2026: water $16.16 a month plus $3.38 / $3.76 / $4.68 / $5.63 / $7.50 per 1,000 gallons (0-5,000, 5,001-10,000, 10,001-15,000, 15,001-50,000, over 50,000 gallons); sewer $36.57 a month plus $2.59 per 1,000 gallons with no cap. Homes in the small southeast corner served by South Walton Utility Company pay that utility's rates instead. DWU publishes no typical household use, so the page starts at 9 CCF (about 6,700 gallons).
Garbage is Waste Management's Destin residential rate of $29.80 a month ($28.93 plus the 3% franchise fee) from the rate sheet headed effective October 2024 (2025 CPI), the latest the City posts; a later CPI adjustment may apply. A second cart adds $17.33.
The starting home value is the Census median value of owner-occupied units (all types, including condominiums) and is a market value; a long-held homestead's assessed value is often lower because of the Save Our Homes cap. Many Destin homes are second homes or rentals, which get no homestead exemption.
Electricity uses FPL's October 2026 residential rate RS-1 ($10.52 a month plus 12.719 cents per kWh up to 1,000 kWh and 14.719 cents above, including all per-kWh clauses and the 0.421-cent 2026 Transition Rider Charge for the former Gulf Power area, scheduled for 2022-2026 only) for every month of the year at EIA's 2024 Florida residential average of 1,104 kWh a month. Franchise fees and gross receipts tax on the FPL bill are not included. Gas is left out because about 20% of owner-occupied homes heat with utility gas. Flood insurance, a separate policy, is not included.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How Destin compares

A typical Destin house against the 53 Florida cities we cover, using the same default numbers as the total above.

Per year	Destin	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	1.18%	1.78%	lower than 52 of the other 52 Florida cities we cover
Water	$475	$515	lower than 31 of the other 52 Florida cities we cover
Sewer and utility-bill fees	$648	$901	lower than 42 of the other 51 Florida cities we cover
Trash	$358	$364	lower than 28 of the other 51 Florida cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$1,836	$1,953	lower than 37 of the other 52 Florida cities we cover
Home insurance	$3,889	$3,733	higher than 26 of the other 51 Florida cities we cover
Total	$12,522	$12,935	lower than 29 of the other 52 Florida cities we cover

Cities bill differently (some put trash on the tax bill, some cover more services), so a higher number isn't necessarily worse. The property tax rate is compared instead of dollars because house values differ.

Questions to ask your candidates

Each one starts from a number above. Any candidate can answer them.

1. Property tax rate

The fact: Destin's property tax rate is 1.18%, lower than 52 of the other 52 Florida cities we cover. The rate adds up every agency on the bill, not only the city.

Ask: "Property tax in Destin is 1.18%, lower than 52 of the other 52 Florida cities we cover. What should that money pay for first, and would you change anything about how it is set?"

2. Sewer and utility-bill fees

The fact: Sewer and flat utility-bill charges here come to about $648 a year, lower than 42 of the other 51 Florida cities we cover. Some cities bill sewer on the property tax bill instead, which is not counted here.

Ask: "Sewer and flat utility-bill charges here cost about $648 a year, lower than 42 of the other 51 Florida cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

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Common questions about Destin house costs

What is the property tax rate in Destin?

About 1.18% of the value before exemptions a year (2026 tax year (FY 2026-27): City of Destin, Okaloosa County, Destin Fire Control District and NWFWMD adopted rates; School District rate as listed in the City's FY 2027 budget), plus flat charges on the same bill.

How much is property tax on a $500,000 house in Destin?

About $5,431 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions with the homestead exemption.

How much is the water bill in Destin?

About $94 a month for water and sewer at typical use (7,000 gallons a month) on Destin Water Users, Inc..

How much does trash pickup cost in Destin?

$30 to $47 a month, depending on the trash cart size (One garbage cart + recycling, yard waste and bulk pickup, Two garbage carts (second cart rate)).

When is property tax due in Destin?

Mar 31: The gross property tax amount is due. Before May 1: Installment Plan application forms are due to the Tax Collector's office prior to May 1 (in the office or online).

Can seniors lower their property tax or bills in Destin?

Yes. Seniors 65+: lower garbage rate: Destin households of no more than two people, at least one of them 65 or older by October 1, may apply for Waste Management's senior rate: $24.39 a month instead of $29.80.

How much does a house in Destin cost to run each year?

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