See Sarasota's Ranking For Best Beach Towns To Live In: Report

SARASOTA, FL - Florida had five cities in the top 10 of WalletHub's Best Beach Towns To Live In rankings that were released Wednesday morning. In Tampa Bay, Sarasota ranked 3rd on the list, following Naples at No. 2.

Lahaina, located in Maui County, Hawaii, topped the list. Other Florida cities in the top 10 were St. Augustine, Boca Raton and Key West. Other Tampa Bay cities and where they ranked:

• Clearwater (No. 65)
• Gulfport (85)
• Dunedin (91)
• Tarpon Springs (96)
• Hudson (113)
• Apollo Beach (141)
• Holiday (159)

Total number of Florida towns making the list: 52 out of the 161 towns ranked nationwide. However, WalletHub's definition of a "beach town" may not be the same for you. Check out the list here.

Sarasota tied for first in several WalletHub categories, including most nightlife establishments per capita, most restaurants per capita and most coffee shops per capita. Sarasota also ranked:

• 84th – Housing Costs
• 73rd – Median Annual Property Taxes
• 58th – % of For-Sale Waterfront Homes
• 14th – Water Temperature
• 79th – Foreclosure Rate
• 20th – Quality of Beach Water

Marco Island ranked second in lowest violent crime rate and fifth for highest water temperature. Marco Island tied for first in the highest percentage of waterfront homes for sale.

Here is how WalletHub explained its rankings: "Living by the beach is the ultimate dream for many Americans. After all, beachside communities often represent a relaxed and luxurious way of life. But few realize their dream of living by the water, precisely because of the misconception that beach towns are relatively more expensive and generally less livable than landlocked cities. Contrary to popular belief, however, many beach towns are suitable to everyday life — and easy on the wallet. So in order to determine the beach communities that are ideal for making one’s permanent home, WalletHub compared 205 cities across 58 key indicators of livability.

In its methodology, WalletHub said it included all cities with populations between 10,000 and 150,000 and at least one beach listed on TripAdvisor. WalletHub compared the 205 cities across six key dimensions: Affordability, Weather, Safety, Economy, Education & Health and Quality of Life.

To read the full WalletHub report, click here.

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