Last updated September 19, 2026

West Palm Beach vs Fort Lauderdale: Cost of Living and Monthly Cost to Own

On the median closed single-family home in 2026, owning in West Palm Beach costs about $4,935 a month and owning in Fort Lauderdale about $5,581. For a condo or townhouse, $2,441 versus $4,338. Fort Lauderdale has the lower tax rate. Below is the full stack, every input cited.

Own beats rent from year 18 in West Palm Beach, year 5 in Fort Lauderdale (median single-family home). Full break-even math.

See what your home is worth Moving between West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale? Start with the number on the home you already own, or call (561) 395-8418.

The monthly cost to own, side by side

What the money buys and how fast it moves

Property tax: rate versus bill

Total 2025 millage on the most common taxing-authority code: West Palm Beach 20.4468, Fort Lauderdale 18.4464 (Palm Beach County Property Appraiser and Broward County Property Appraiser, 2025 final rates). Both totals include the county, school district, South Florida Water Management District, Children's Services Council and health-care district levies; the difference is the city operating rate and debt service. Non-ad valorem charges (fire assessment, stormwater, solid waste) are billed on the same statement and are not included here.

Homestead arithmetic used above: the first $25,000 of assessed value is exempt from all levies and a second $25,000 from non-school levies (s. 196.031, Florida Statutes). Purchase price is treated as the year-one just value; Save Our Homes then caps assessed-value growth at 3% a year for as long as you keep the homestead (s. 193.155). A buyer moving from another Florida homestead may port up to $500,000 of accumulated cap. A long-time owner's bill will be lower than the figure above; a new buyer's will not.

Insurance: same average, different house

FLOIR's July 2026 stability report puts the average homeowners premium with wind at $6,323 a year in Palm Beach County and $6,136 in Broward County; condo unit-owner averages $2,311 and $1,816. The state publishes county, not city, averages, and the premium on any one house is set by roof age, opening protection, elevation and deductible. Statewide average for comparison: $3,757.

Association fees and what they cover

Median monthly fees from the PBP fee indexes (active listings, refreshed nightly): West Palm Beach HOA $455 across 141 listings, condo $588 across 877; Fort Lauderdale HOA $350 across 65, condo $1,175 across 1,261.

What condo fees most often include, share of listings that state it: West Palm Beach: common areas (78%), grounds (69%), trash (63%), cable tv (60%), water (56%). Fort Lauderdale: trash (80%), water (77%), common areas (74%), sewer (69%), pool (67%). A fee that covers building insurance and water is not comparable to one that does not.

Condo risk signals in current listing remarks: special assessment mentioned in 7.0% of West Palm Beach condo listings and 10.2% of Fort Lauderdale; milestone inspection referenced in 0.7% and 8.2%. These are mentions, not a count of buildings under assessment.

Community-level fees and trends: West Palm Beach HOA fee index, West Palm Beach condo fee index, Fort Lauderdale HOA fee index, Fort Lauderdale condo fee index.

Rent or own: the year buying pulls ahead in each city

Renting the median house is cheaper month to month in both cities. The question is for how long. We gave a renter and an owner the same cash, the same 30 years and the same market, sold the house on paper every year, and marked the year the owner comes out ahead. In Fort Lauderdale that is year 5. In West Palm Beach it is year 18.

Defaults: 6.95% 30-year rate with 20% down, 3% appreciation, 3% rent growth, 4% on cash, 3% buyer closing costs, 6.7% selling costs, Save Our Homes 3% cap, no mortgage-interest deduction. Furnished or seasonal leases make up a large share of the sample (Fort Lauderdale 32%), which lifts the rent median. Full year-by-year tables, the rate and appreciation sensitivity grid and an adjustable calculator: Rent vs own in West Palm Beach and Rent vs own in Fort Lauderdale.

Income and population

The ACS owner-cost figure reflects owners who bought years ago at lower prices and rates; the cost-to-own line at the top is what a buyer at today's median price and rate pays. The distance between them is the honest measure of how far the market has moved.

Where the money goes next

• Compare communities: West Palm Beach communities and Fort Lauderdale communities, each with a one-page fact sheet.
• Related comparisons: Boca Raton vs Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach vs West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale vs Hollywood.
• Registered private schools by grade band, from the Florida Department of Education directory: West Palm Beach (33 schools) and Fort Lauderdale (63 schools). Assigned public schools sit on each community fact sheet.
• Moving from the Northeast: property tax and homestead guide for New York buyers.
• Every city and every pair: cost of living in South Florida, city by city; county view: Palm Beach County vs Broward County.
• Selling here first: what your home is worth.

Common questions

Is West Palm Beach cheaper than Fort Lauderdale to own a home?

On the median closed single-family home in 2026, yes by about $650 a month: $4,935 versus $5,581, at a 30-year rate of 6.95% with 20% down, homestead, county-average insurance and the median association fee. The price difference at the median drives most of the gap.

Which city has lower property taxes, West Palm Beach or Fort Lauderdale?

Fort Lauderdale. The 2025 total millage on the most common taxing-authority code is 20.4468 mills in West Palm Beach and 18.4464 mills in Fort Lauderdale. Both include the county, school district and special-district levies; the difference is the city operating and debt rate. The two cities sit in different counties, so county and district levies differ too.

Are HOA and condo fees higher in West Palm Beach or Fort Lauderdale?

Median monthly HOA fee: $455 in West Palm Beach versus $350 in Fort Lauderdale; median condo fee $588 versus $1,175. Fees vary far more between communities than between the two cities, and what they include differs, so compare at the community level.

Is it better to rent or buy in West Palm Beach or Fort Lauderdale?

Renting is cheaper month to month in both cities in 2026. On the median single-family home the owner pulls ahead of the renter from year 18 in West Palm Beach and year 5 in Fort Lauderdale, at a 6.95% rate with 20% down and 3% appreciation. For condos the fee decides it: year 12 in West Palm Beach, year beyond 30 in Fort Lauderdale.

See what your home is worth Two cities, every input shown. The one figure this page cannot show you is your own; that takes a conversation: (561) 395-8418.

Sources and method

Closed prices, price per square foot, days on market, inventory: BeachesMLS, Jan 1 - Aug 31, 2026, retrieved Sep 15, 2026; medians shown only where n >= 10; price bands, year built and cash share from the same closed records. Mortgage: Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, 30-year fixed 6.95%, week ending 2026-09-17, 20% down. Millage: Palm Beach County and Broward County Property Appraisers, 2025 final rates, most-parcels code per municipality. Homestead: ss. 196.031 and 193.155, F.S. Insurance: Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, Property Insurance Stability Unit report, July 2026 (data as of Mar 31, 2026). Fees and inclusions: PBP HOA and condo fee indexes. Rents: BeachesMLS closed leases, unfurnished. Income, rent, population: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2023. All figures are estimates for comparison; verify tax with the property appraiser and insurance with a licensed agent. General information, not tax or legal advice.

Written and reviewed by Gia Freer, Broker of Record, PBP Real Estate, LLC · Florida broker license BK689801 · brokerage license CQ1064615. Last reviewed September 19, 2026.