Moving from Reno to Tampa

Tampa-St. Petersburg is a Gulf Coast metro of three counties, Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco, and it is a very different place from the high desert you leave in Reno. This page covers the Tampa side of the move: the state deadlines, the tax picture, the weather you will unpack into and what homes cost there.

Florida's 10-day vehicle clock

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles tells new residents to register their vehicles within 10 days of starting work, enrolling children in public school or otherwise establishing residency. The driver license window is longer, 30 days from establishing residency.

Ten days passes quickly when boxes are still stacked in the garage. Many Reno households gather the title, proof of insurance and identification into one folder before the truck leaves, so the county tax collector visit can happen in the first week.

Taxes in the Tampa area

Florida's Department of Revenue states that the state does not impose a personal income tax. The general state sales tax rate is 6 percent, and counties add a discretionary surtax that ranges from 0 to 2.5 percent, so the rate on a receipt can be higher than the state figure alone.

Nevada also collects no individual income tax, so a paycheck keeps its shape on this move. The shift to plan for is the sales tax rate and the vehicle fees.

A Gulf Coast climate after the high desert

NOAA's 1991-2020 normals for the Tampa airport station show a January high of 71.3 degrees and low of 52.8, a July high of 91.0 and a July low of 76.6. Annual precipitation is about 49.5 inches and no measurable snow is recorded. The city sits at about 4 feet above sea level.

Humidity is the real adjustment. Wood furniture, pianos and framed art move well in a humid climate when they are padded and wrapped correctly, and the Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30, which is worth remembering when you pick a delivery month.

Housing costs, in Census numbers

The American Community Survey puts median gross rent in the city of Tampa at $1,701 a month and the median home value at $420,400, with 49.7 percent of households renting. For the wider Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro, the median home value is $345,100 and median gross rent is $1,628. These are published medians, not a quote for any home.

Census flow estimates show people moving in both directions between Washoe County and the Tampa Bay counties, roughly 225 a year toward Washoe and 260 a year the other way over 2016-2020.

How the Reno to Tampa move works with O'Brien's

You book the move with O'Brien's in Sparks. An estimator visits your home for a free, no-obligation in-home estimate, and the visit comes with 10 free heavy-duty boxes you keep. We handle the estimate, packing, storage and loading in Northern Nevada, and the Bekins Van Lines network carries the shipment to Florida. Your written estimate sets the delivery window.

If your Tampa lease starts after your Reno home sells, vault storage from $40 per month holds the household in our Sparks warehouse. Give about 2 to 3 weeks of notice to ship stored goods. The how an interstate move works page walks through the steps in order.