Rent vs buy in Fort Lauderdale, FL

For Fort Lauderdale, Florida, typical monthly rent is $2,697 and a typical home costs $509,743.

Buy

Over 7 years, buying comes out $25k ahead.

Today's mortgage rate and a 20% down payment are used with Fort Lauderdale's typical home value and rent. You reach break-even in year 6.

Opinion, clearly labelled, with math shown. These figures are estimates, not quotes. The stamp changes whenever a number changes.

Owning is ahead by: $25k
Break-even point: year 6
Real cost of owning: $4,572 /mo

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The stamp relies on typical rent and home value figures for Fort Lauderdale's market. Your rent, price and years can change the result.

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Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Fort Lauderdale?

Across 7 years, buying costs $25,263 less, including the money you get back when you sell. In year 6, owning's net cost falls below renting's and remains lower.

Rent. Own. Net cost to date, broken down by year.

Average rent compared with mortgage payment in Fort Lauderdale

Rent and the mortgage don't show every cost. At Fort Lauderdale's typical price, these are all monthly expenses for year 1.

Each month, year 1	Amount	What it is
Rent	$2,697	All of it, every month
Mortgage payment	$2,779	$2,450 of it is interest in year 1
Property tax	$395	0.93% of the value a year
Insurance	$262	Census median for the city
Upkeep	$425	1% of the value a year
Owning, cash out	$3,861	$330 of it builds equity
Lost return on the down payment	$829	What yearly earnings the cash would bring in at 8.3%
Buying costs, spread out	$212	3.5% of the price over 7 years
True cost of owning	$4,572	Cash out, subtract the equity part, then add the two lines above.

The figures behind Fort Lauderdale's verdict

Typical home valueZillow ZHVI, September 2026: $509,743
Typical rentZillow ZORI, September 2026: $2,697 /mo
Down payment20% avoids private mortgage insurance, which the engine does not model: 20%
Mortgage rateFreddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (FRED MORTGAGE30US): 7.24%
Home price growthFHFA house price index, Florida, 1995 to 2025: 5.4% a year
Rent growthCPI rent of primary residence, yearly growth 2006 to 2026: 3.5% a year
Return on savings60% S&P 500 with dividends and 40% 10-year Treasuries, rebalanced yearly, 1928 to 2025: 8.3% a year
Property taxCensus ACS 2020-2024, Fort Lauderdale: 0.93% of value
Home insuranceCensus ACS 2020-2024, Fort Lauderdale: $262 /mo
MaintenanceFannie Mae, low end of 1% to 4%: 1% of value a year
Buying costsFreddie Mac, middle of 2% to 5%: 3.5% of price
Selling costsAgent commission plus closing costs: 6% of price

What would reverse the result in Fort Lauderdale?

Each line marks the point at which Fort Lauderdale's 7-year verdict changes; everything else remains as it is.

Renting comes out ahead when

Home prices rise by less than 4.8% a year (our calculation uses 5.4%, Florida's rate over the long run).
The mortgage rate holds above 8.11%.
For a home like this, monthly rent is less than $2,430 (typical here: $2,697).
Your move happens before year 6.

Buying comes out ahead when

Home prices rise by more than 4.8% a year.
You secure a mortgage rate under 8.11%. Today's rate is 7.24%.
If you rented that same home, the monthly cost would be over $2,430.
You remain there for 6 years or more.

How Fort Lauderdale compares with the other 812 cities

Measure	Fort Lauderdale	Median city
Typical home value	$509,743	$422,451
Typical rent	$2,697 /mo	$1,837 /mo
Price-to-rent ratio	15.8 (#579 of 813)	18.5
Home prices, last 10 years	5.5% a year	6.2% a year
Rents, last 5 years	4.5% a year	4% a year
Property tax	0.93%	0.87%
Households that rent	46%	42%

Sources: Zillow ZHVI and ZORI, Census ACS 2020-2024.

More Florida cities

Buy. In Jacksonville, FL, buying wins by $27k.
Choose Buy in Pembroke Pines, FL. The advantage for buying is $22k.

Florida rent vs buy numbers