I think if being close to family is important than staying in Florida or nearby and just moving away from more populated areas could probably save you some money.

Having said that, I moved to northern WV from a more expensive state for cost of living and a better alignment with values. It’s gone well so far. I had a not too high paying job ~40k per year but was able to move my way up and afford a house.

I think family is really important so my personal advice would be to cut your expenses. Drive one car if you can. Don’t eat out. Don’t spend on non essential items. Also if you can look for houses in your general area (~ 100 mile range) where you can house hack to get started, you could rent out part of your house to supplement the mortgage payment.