re: Good places to live in Jacksonville, Florida

Best bet is to get an apt near beaches. Stay between Beach Blvd and Atlantic Blvd at the beaches and you'll be fine. He'll have a good time.

Honestly, if he lives in the other places mentioned here (Orange Park, Fruit Cove, Yulee, Fernandina...) he'll be pretty bored as a young person on a tight budget. At the beaches, it may be a tad pricier but walking and biking distance to all attractions and will also around people his age. Those other areas are for families and are what you would consider suburbs... would be like a nice Prairieville that didn't flood.

Mandarin isn't a bad place, five points area is the liberal/ hipster area.

Edit: Looking online you will find cheaper places in what they call "Atlantic Beach" - true AB will be way out of price range for him. The area advertised is really Mayport which is not ideal for a new transplant and wouldn't recommend living in.