Last updated November 2, 2026
Rent vs Own in South Florida: The Break-Even Year by City
Renting is cheaper month to month in every one of these South Florida cities in 2026. Owning wins over time, and the year it wins ranges from year 4 in Delray Beach to year beyond 30 in West Palm Beach on the median single-family home. Each city page shows the full math and a calculator.
Price my home correctly or read how we price a home first. Own a home someone else rents? Start with what it is worth today, or call (561) 395-8418.
Every city, house and condo
| City | Median house | House lease | Own beats rent from | Median condo | Condo lease | Own beats rent from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delray Beach | $865,000 | $7,500 | year 4 | $236,000 | $2,025 | year 14 |
| Fort Lauderdale | $699,250 | $5,500 | year 6 | $444,450 | $2,800 | year beyond 30 |
| Hollywood | $550,000 | $4,500 | year 7 | $299,500 | $2,875 | year 7 |
| Lantana | $480,000 | $3,350 | year 10 | $310,000 | $2,350 | year 19 |
| Boca Raton | $1,037,500 | $6,800 | year 11 | $365,000 | $2,400 | year beyond 30 |
| Coral Springs | $701,000 | $4,600 | year 11 | $220,000 | $2,000 | year 7 |
| Deerfield Beach | $542,500 | $3,800 | year 17 | $185,000 | $2,000 | year 4 |
| Boynton Beach | $525,000 | $3,800 | year 18 | $263,000 | $2,175 | year 18 |
| Palm Beach Gardens | $1,099,495 | $6,500 | year 19 | $415,000 | $2,818 | year 19 |
| Royal Palm Beach | $565,500 | $3,749 | year 20 | $265,000 | $2,200 | year 7 |
| Weston | $915,550 | $4,990 | year 24 | $395,000 | $2,500 | year 24 |
| Greenacres | $458,000 | $3,000 | year 28 | $214,000 | $1,900 | year 6 |
| Pompano Beach | $525,000 | $3,450 | year 28 | $275,000 | $2,350 | year 12 |
| Lake Worth Beach | $560,000 | $3,000 | year beyond 30 | $205,000 | $1,800 | year 12 |
| West Palm Beach | $580,000 | $3,650 | year beyond 30 | $240,000 | $1,950 | year 14 |
Method: both households start with the same cash (20% down plus 3% closing), the owner pays principal and interest at 7.27%, homestead property tax, county-average insurance, the median association fee and a maintenance reserve; the renter pays the median closed lease for the same property type and invests the cash at 4%; the owner sells on paper each year at 6.7%. Cities with seasonal or thin lease samples are not published until a like-for-like unfurnished median exists. Every input is on the city page and adjustable in its calculator.
See what your home is worth
Every move between these places starts with one number on the home you already own. Gia Freer prepares a written opinion of value by hand from our own BeachesMLS data, with the comparable sales attached. No automated estimate is published on this site.
Price my home correctly or read how we price a home first. or call (561) 395-8418. Conversations are confidential and there is no cost to having one.
Where the money goes next
- Cost of living, city by city
- Palm Beach County vs Broward County
- Moving from New York: the tax and homestead guide
- What your home is worth
Price my home correctly or read how we price a home first. 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
Based on information from BeachesMLS for October 2026 and for January 1, 2026 through October 31, 2026, retrieved November 2, 2026. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Leases: BeachesMLS closed leases, last 13 months, medians by property subtype where n ≥ 10. Mortgage: Mortgage News Daily 30-year fixed rate index. Millage: county property appraisers, 2025 final rates. Insurance: FLOIR, July 2026. Estimates for comparison, not financial, tax or legal advice. Refreshed nightly.
Free to reuse with attribution and a link to PBP Real Estate. Figures, tables and charts on this page may be quoted, screenshotted or embedded. Keep the source line and link to www.pbprealestate.com/rent-vs-own/. Aggregates only: no address, listing number or listing-level record is published here.
For sellers
Pricing a home is a skill. Start with the current competition and recent closed sales.
43.3% of active single-family house listings in South Florida have a recorded asking price below their original list price.
The data comes from the segment and recorded fields available in PBP Real Estate's BeachesMLS feed, as of the date shown. Gia Freer, Broker of Record, turns comparable sales and current competition into one written pricing opinion for your home, with the reasoning, before it goes live.
No website estimate, no automated number: a written opinion of value prepared by hand, within one business day.
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