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Compare towns

Cottondale vs Lee

125 miles apart. The biggest differences: rent (+40% in Cottondale) and street grid (2.3× in Cottondale).

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Cottondale, FLHomes around $135KFlorida · 822 people
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Lee, FLKnown for its schoolsFlorida · 835 people
Swap order
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

CottondaleHomes around $135K
Housing$135K typical home64% below the FL typical home All about Cottondale →
LeeKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 22%of FL districts Housing$249K typical home34% below the FL typical home All about Lee →
The biggest differences

Where they differ most

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Rent+40%
Rent runs higher in Cottondale
Cottondale $1,085Lee $773
Street grid2.3×
Cottondale has the more walkable street grid
Cottondale 30.9Lee 13.6
Work from home+11.9 pts
More people work from home in Cottondale
Cottondale 12.2%Lee 0.3%
Average commute5 min
Lee has the shorter commute
Cottondale 28 minLee 23 min
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $910 more a month in Lee

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Cottondale$780/mo
Typical home $135K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.63% · or rent about $1,085/mo · Housing →
Lee$1,680/mo
Typical home $249K (Zillow) · tax rate est. 1.8% · or rent about $773/mo · Housing →

The difference: $910 a month, about $10,900 a year, between Lee and Cottondale.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Florida ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Schools
BCottondaleBetter than 56% of districts in the state C−LeeBetter than 22% of districts in the state
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
CottondaleLee
Snow a year0″0″
January low39°F40°F
July high93°F91°F
Growing season (days)263d273d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)80th88th
Outdoors & history
CottondaleLee
Archive photos—2
Famous people born here—1
Community
CottondaleLee
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

125 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

CottondaleFLLeeFL
Cottondale ↔ Lee125 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

CottondaleLee
People
Population 822Lowest 835Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -9.1% FL: +14.6% —
Median age 38.8±14.1Highest 9% below FL 30.9±19.4Lowest 27% below FL
Cottondale and Lee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 20.9%±3.3Lowest FL: 19.5% 21.1%±5.9Highest FL: 19.5%
Lee and Cottondale are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 22.4%±5Lowest FL: 21.3% 24.8%±13.6Highest FL: 21.3%
Lee and Cottondale are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 12%Highest FL: 34.1% 7.1%Lowest FL: 34.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 8.3%±5.5Highest FL: 6.1% 4.2%±5.4Lowest FL: 6.1%
Cottondale and Lee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $36,959±$16kLowest 50% below FL $46,264±$2kHighest 38% below FL
Lee and Cottondale are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $79,200±$29kLowest 78% below FL $97,900±$47kHighest 73% below FL
Lee and Cottondale are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,085±$158Highest 35% below FL $773±$21Lowest 54% below FL
Property taxmedian, yearly $496 82% below FL —
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 56.9%±23Highest FL: 60.1% 52.4%±68Lowest FL: 60.1%
Cottondale and Lee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 28.4%Lowest FL: 12.6% 33.7%Highest FL: 12.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 66.9%Lowest FL: 67.6% 70.5%Highest FL: 67.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1977Highest 11 yrs older than FL 1976Lowest 12 yrs older than FL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 28 minHighest about the FL average 23 minLowest 18% below FL
Work from home 12.2%±10.5Highest FL: 15.7% 0.3%±0.5Lowest FL: 15.7%
Work in townworking residents 0.9%Highest 0.7%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 25.3 miHighest 19.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.28Highest 0.22Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Marianna (22%)Madison (25%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in LeeFew work in Cottondale
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.3 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 30.9Highest 13.6Lowest
Schools
School district JACKSONMADISON
High school in town Cottondale High SchoolNone in town
Students per teacherat that high school 16.1 —
Florida average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Cottondale neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Cottondale’s Town Square.

Lee neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Lee’s Town Square.

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Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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