Miami vs Fort Lauderdale: prices, rent, taxes and lifestyle

How big is each market?

Short answer: Miami has about three times as many homes for sale and four times as many rentals as Fort Lauderdale. At the county level, Miami-Dade and Broward are closer in size.

The city names are postal cities. "Miami" includes Brickell, Downtown, Coconut Grove and also unincorporated areas such as Kendall. "Fort Lauderdale" can also include areas around the city. Condos include co-ops, and houses include townhomes and villas.

The two counties are also close in people: the US Census Bureau estimates 2,802,029 people in Miami-Dade and 2,013,317 in Broward on July 1, 2025.

Is it cheaper to buy in Fort Lauderdale or Miami?

Short answer: per sq ft, Fort Lauderdale is cheaper. The typical condo building asks $472 per sq ft there and $600 in Miami. But units in Fort Lauderdale's busiest buildings are larger, so the typical asking price is a bit higher.

"Typical" means the middle building: we take each building's median asking price, then the middle value across the buildings. Our price data covers condo buildings, not houses.

At the county level, the gap is wider. The typical building in Broward asks $394,000 and $379 per sq ft, while the typical building in Miami-Dade asks $590,000 and $588 per sq ft.

Building age matters. More than half of Fort Lauderdale's busiest buildings were built in 1996 or earlier, against about one in five in Miami. Older buildings often cost less per sq ft, but they are at the age of milestone inspections and may face repairs. Read our guide to buying a condo in Miami before you choose one.

Is it cheaper to rent in Fort Lauderdale or Miami?

Short answer: in the city buildings with the most listings, the typical rent was $3,900 in Miami and $4,200 in Fort Lauderdale. Across each county, Broward was cheaper: $2,975 against $3,900 in Miami-Dade.

The Fort Lauderdale city number comes from 39 buildings with rental data, and many of them are on the beach, such as those in Central Beach and on Galt Ocean Mile. Miami has many more rentals to choose from: 6,548 against 1,604. If you want a lower rent and do not need to live in the city of Fort Lauderdale itself, compare nearby Broward cities. In our data, the typical building rent was $2,600 in Hallandale Beach and $3,150 in Hollywood.

How do taxes compare?

Short answer: state taxes are the same: no personal income tax and a 7% sales tax in both counties. Property tax rates are a little lower in Fort Lauderdale than in the City of Miami.

• Income tax. Florida does not have a personal income tax.
• Sales tax. Florida's rate is 6%. Miami-Dade and Broward each add 1%, for 7% on most purchases.
• Property tax, 2025 rates. The City of Miami's total was 19.9878 mills. Fort Lauderdale's total was 18.4464 or 18.5714 mills, depending on the part of the city. A mill is $1 per $1,000 of taxable value.

On a $500,000 condo without homestead, that is about $9,994 a year in the City of Miami and about $9,223 to $9,286 in Fort Lauderdale, before fixed fees. Other cities differ a lot. Within Miami-Dade, for example, Key Biscayne's 2025 rate was 15.5108 mills. If the home is your permanent home, the homestead exemption lowers the tax in both counties.

How does insurance compare?

Short answer: about the same. In Citizens, the state-created insurer, the average condo unit policy (HO-6) for 2026 is $1,209 in Miami-Dade and $1,181 in Broward. The average homeowners policy (HO-3) is $4,116 and $4,377.

These are Citizens averages after its 2026 rate cuts, not the whole market. Your price depends on the building's age, the roof, the windows, the flood zone and the insurer. Get quotes before you sign a contract, and check the flood zone. Our flood zones and insurance guide explains both.

What does the same condo cost to own in each city?

Short answer: for a $500,000, 1,000 sq ft condo without homestead, the HOA fee, property tax and an average Citizens unit policy add up to about $26,300 a year in the City of Miami and about $23,600 to $23,700 in Fort Lauderdale.

This is an example, not a quote. Your building's fee, the city's new rates, your insurer and any special assessment will change the result. If you live in the condo as your permanent home, homestead lowers the tax in both cities.

How do I get around, and how are the airports?

Short answer: Miami has Metrorail and the free Metromover. Tri-Rail connects both cities and both airports. Miami International Airport (MIA) handled 55,314,661 passengers in 2025.

• Miami. Metrorail runs on 25 miles of track and serves Miami International Airport. The Metromover is free and serves 21 stations in Downtown, Brickell and Omni.
• Between the two cities. Tri-Rail runs from Mangonia Park, north of West Palm Beach, to Miami Airport and MiamiCentral, with stations at Fort Lauderdale and the Fort Lauderdale Airport. Brightline trains also link MiamiCentral and Fort Lauderdale.
• Driving. The main roads between the two cities are I-95 and Florida's Turnpike. Test the drive at rush hour before you choose where to live.
• Airports. MIA handled 55,314,661 passengers in 2025. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International (FLL) is closer to Fort Lauderdale and has its own Tri-Rail station.

How is the lifestyle different?

Short answer: Miami-Dade is more international and more Spanish-speaking. More than half of its residents were born outside the US. In Broward, about a third were.

What this means day to day: in Miami-Dade, you can handle much of daily life in Spanish. In both counties, English works everywhere.

Both counties run large public school systems. Miami-Dade County Public Schools was named the third-largest district in the US by the National Center for Education Statistics (2023). Broward County Public Schools calls itself the sixth-largest, with 224,324 students on its September 14, 2026 count. School assignment depends on your address, so check the school before you choose a home.

What about West Palm Beach?

Short answer: West Palm Beach is a smaller third option, about the size of Fort Lauderdale in listings. Its typical condo building asked $500 per sq ft, close to Fort Lauderdale, and Palm Beach County has a lower sales tax in 2026.

On October 18, 2026, the MLS had 1,904 homes for sale with a West Palm Beach address (929 condos and 842 houses) and 1,154 for rent. Only 8 of its condo buildings are in our busiest-building data. In them, the typical building asked $437,000 and $500 per sq ft, with a typical rent of $3,375 and an HOA fee of $1.10 per sq ft. Across Palm Beach County, the typical building in our data asked $610,000 and $492 per sq ft, and Palm Beach County had more houses than condos for sale: 6,328 against 5,322.

• Sales tax. 6.5% in Palm Beach County in 2026, after a 1% county surtax ended on December 31, 2025 and a new 0.5% school surtax started.
• Getting there. Tri-Rail runs from Miami to West Palm Beach and Mangonia Park, through Fort Lauderdale. Brightline also stops in West Palm Beach.
• Who it may suit. People who work in Palm Beach County, or who want more houses to choose from, and who do not need to be in Miami every day.

Who should choose Miami, and who should choose Fort Lauderdale?

Short answer: choose Miami if you want the biggest choice of homes, transit and a Spanish-speaking city. Choose Fort Lauderdale or nearby Broward if you want a lower price per sq ft and do not mind an older building.

Miami may suit you if:

• You want to live without a car, near Metrorail or the Metromover.
• You want the most choice: 4,960 condos and 6,548 rentals.
• You want new buildings: most of Miami's busiest buildings were built after 1996.

Fort Lauderdale may suit you if:

• You want a lower price per sq ft ($472 against $600 in the typical building).
• You want a lower HOA fee per sq ft ($1.10 against $1.26).
• You work in Broward or fly mostly from FLL.

Many people do not choose a city, but an area between them: Aventura, Hallandale Beach and Hollywood sit between Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Our best neighborhoods guide compares the Miami side.