An uncontested divorce in Florida — where both spouses agree on every issue — typically costs $500 to $7,000 total, depending on whether you hire an attorney.

If you and your spouse handle the paperwork yourselves, your costs are largely limited to the state's filing fee, plus optional document-preparation help. That version of an uncontested divorce often lands between $500 and $2,500.

If you hire an attorney to review or draft your marital settlement agreement and file everything correctly, expect to pay an additional $1,500 to $5,000 in attorney fees on top of court costs — bringing the total closer to $3,000 to $7,000.

This is generally the cheapest path to a Florida divorce. Courts don't require you to hire an attorney, but even a limited-scope review can prevent costly mistakes in how property or parenting time is divided.

A contested Florida divorce — where you and your spouse disagree on one or more terms — commonly costs $15,000 to $30,000, and can run well beyond that in complex or high-conflict cases.

Attorneys typically require an initial "retainer" — an upfront deposit billed against as work is completed — of $5,000 to $15,000 for a contested case. Highly contested cases that proceed to trial often require a retainer of $15,000 to $30,000 or more, since trial preparation, expert witnesses, and multiple hearings can add dozens of billable hours.

Every Florida divorce starts with a filing fee, regardless of whether it's contested. The Florida divorce filing fee is currently around $400 to $410, plus an approximately $10 summons fee.

Florida's filing fee is set under Florida Statutes § 28.241, with additional service charges layered on by individual clerks — which is why the total can vary slightly by county. If you can't afford the fee, Florida courts allow you to apply for a fee waiver through an "indigent status" application — a sworn statement of your income and assets that, if approved, waives the filing fee (though it doesn't cover other costs like mediation or service of process). You can find the current fee schedule and forms through your local circuit court.

Florida divorce attorneys generally charge $260 to $600 per hour, with most family law attorneys falling in the $300 to $400 range. Rates depend on the attorney's experience, your location, and how complex your case is.

According to the Florida Bar's consumer guidance on attorney's fees, an attorney can set a fixed fee for an uncontested divorce — one where both spouses agree on support, property, and custody — as long as it stays uncontested through completion. Once a case becomes contested, most attorneys switch to hourly billing, since it's no longer possible to predict in advance how much negotiation or court time a dispute will take.

This is also where fixed, step-by-step pricing — where you know your legal cost upfront regardless of how the hours add up — can matter most when you're trying to budget. Marble's divorce cost calculator gives you an estimate of initial legal costs based on your specific situation before you commit to anything.

Private mediators typically charge $100 to $500 per hour, which is still usually far less than proceeding to a contested trial. Florida divorce mediation can resolve property, support, or parenting disputes without the cost of extended litigation — though it works best when both spouses are willing to negotiate in good faith.

Beyond attorney fees and filing costs, a few line items tend to catch people off guard.

"Discovery" is the process of gathering evidence — depositions, document requests, and subpoenas — to support your case. Under Florida Statutes § 92.153, a witness who incurs reasonable costs producing documents under a subpoena is entitled to reimbursement. Expert witnesses — such as a child and adolescent psychiatry expert in a custody dispute — often charge several hundred dollars per hour.

If your case takes months to resolve, a court may issue temporary orders for spousal or child support while it's pending, based on both spouses' financial positions and need.

Based on Marble's internal intake data across Florida cases, most clients know right away whether they have debt — credit cards, loans, and so on. Far fewer can say how much they actually owe or whose name is on the account until they've gathered statements and paperwork. If you're budgeting for a divorce, pulling those balances together early can save real time — and real cost, if your attorney bills by the hour — once the case is underway.

Courts can also order one spouse to pay part of the other's attorney's fees, particularly where there's a significant income disparity between the parties — so "who pays" isn't always split evenly down the middle.

A Florida divorce attorney does more than file paperwork. They can help you scope which issues are genuinely worth contesting versus which ones cost more to fight over than they're worth, flag documentation you'll need for property or time-sharing disputes before a court asks for it, and negotiate directly with your spouse's attorney to keep a case from drifting from uncontested into contested. For couples who want to avoid a traditional hourly bill entirely, a fixed-fee arrangement can also make the total cost predictable from the start.

The honest answer to "how much does divorce cost in Florida" is: it depends almost entirely on how much you and your spouse can agree on before you get to court. Filing fees and basic costs are predictable — attorney fees and litigation costs are not, and that's where most of the range comes from. Getting clear on your options early, whether that's mediation, a fixed-fee attorney, or handling parts of the case yourself, is the most reliable way to keep your divorce closer to the low end of that range.

Disclaimer: Laws and procedures vary by state and jurisdiction. This article provides general information and should not be considered legal advice for your specific situation. For personalized guidance, consult with an attorney.