If you're in an area that requires wells and you have neighbors, odd are you will be able to successfully dig a well too. How hard it is depends on what they need to dig through and how deep they need to go. In my area the depth of wells is public record-- you could check to see if that is true in your area, and then you would know how deep your neighbors had to dig. The water table isn't a straight line, so you may have to dig deeper or less deep than they did, but it ought to give you some idea of what you're looking at.

For septic, you will need to be sure your land "perks" (you can require that it pass a test before you close on the lot), and think about where your septic tank will go, and that you have room for the house you want including a pool, garage, driveway, etc... and the septic, and the well, keeping the well at the required distance from the septic. The well itself isn't big-- basically it's a pipe that goes straight down into the ground, but the septic can take up quite a bit of space.

Cost varies a LOT by area, but our septic and well together cost $20k. We had to have a mound system, which is costlier upfront, but possibly more reliable long term. Our well was not deep, we paid the minimum the well diggers charge.

Exactly what a septic system costs is going to depend on how large the home you're building is. In our area they size the septic based on the number of bedrooms. Code prevents putting in a smaller septic than the home seems like it would need (so if you were building a 5 bedroom home where 4 of the bedrooms will only be used for occasional guests, you would not be allowed to put in a septic system sized for your intended use, but would need to put in something large enough to work if all the bedrooms were permanently in use. )

Agreed with zone4newby. Find out what company drills most wells in your area and give them a call, they keep good records and should be able to easily give you a ballpark range of expected well cost.

We are in the frigid canadian north with clay soil - I was quoted $5k for a 160ft deep well, and ~$20k for our septic field.

I'm familiar with that part of FL, having lived near there for 30 years. A few things- Are other people in the area using wells for drinking water? A lot of FL wells smell awful, with a strong sulfur smell, and usually aren't used for anything other than irrigation. If there isn't any city water available, and you can't use the well water, the land doesn't have much value. The same goes for a septic system perk test. Make sure you have this done BEFORE you buy any piece of land.

Another thing is that part of the state is prone to sinkholes. I'm not sure how you would research that, but there should be a way to be reasonably sure you're not buying on top of a sinkhole, or in an area especially prone to them.

Other, more general things to check on is whether it's in a flood zone, what the zoning restrictions are, and what else is in the neighborhood. You don't want to wind up downwind of a hog farm or sewage treatment plant! Make sure there is written, guaranteed access to the land. I always hear stories of land-locked properties with a hand-shake deal for an easement that later falls through.

Check to see if the area has a GIS (Geographic Information Sytem) web site. Most areas do. They are usually run by the county. It can be a good tool to learn about a given lot.

While buying a lot sounds like a simple thing to do, there are a lot of things to check on. Don't trust a real estate agent to give you all of the answers. While technically it is against the law for them to hide a known flaw, they won't have done the level of research that you should do prior to plunking down money.

Excellent advice by Mushcreek. I'll also add that your local county/government should have a repository for easements, registered plans, etc. Often they are free to view, or a minimal cost to have copies made. Pulling the plans for now just your lot, but the greater area around it, will let you identify easements, Rights of Way, and other obstacles that might be undesireable.

Good advice from zone4newby and MushCreek.

No, not all places are suitable for wells. Not all places are suitable for septic tanks.

Look on Federal Flood Insurance Maps to see if the area floods. Also check to see if it is a protected wetland. Do a "perk test". Ask about local rules regarding how far a septic tank has to be from bodies of water and how much land you are required to have. Check to see if the area is covered by public water, sewer, etc. What use is the area zoned for?

we live in south texas our well-drilled about 7 months ago is well over 400 ft deep, even though the water table is less than
30 feet
digging the well was about half the price of "good water" we have a very very strong petroleum odor to the water so we had to invest in a water conditioner (not necessarily a softner) and even reverse osmosis system these things cost about what the well cost.....we have over 14,000 in water without septic (maybe 20,000 total)
our area requires aerobic septic systems because of the "gumbo clay" so if you're asking about prices, they could range from well under 10,000 to almost 20,000 (neighbors came in at under 11,000)