Research / Rent vs. buy / Florida / Fort Lauderdale

Rent or buy in Fort Lauderdale?
Renting is $1,097 a month cheaper.

Renting the typical home in Fort Lauderdale costs $1,097 less a month than owning it. Counting equity, price growth and what a renter could earn by investing the difference, buying comes out ahead in year 14.

Updated November 12, 2026 · Zillow data for September 2026 · 7.11% mortgage rate (Freddie Mac, November 12, 2026) · Rank 89 of 339 (1 = owning closest to renting) · Part of our 2026 rent vs. buy study

Monthly cost to own$3,794typical home, 20% down
Typical monthly rent$2,697Zillow, September 2026
Buying breaks evenYear 143.5% price growth
Cash needed to buy$117,241$509,743 home · 20% down + 3% closing
Income needed to own$151,751vs. $107,880 to rent · 30% rule

Where the monthly money goes.

The first-month cost of owning the typical Fort Lauderdale home, split into its parts, against the typical rent. About $327 of the first mortgage payment is principal, which you keep as equity.

The median household income in Fort Lauderdale is $83,130 (Census ACS 2020–2024). Owning the typical home would take 55% of it; renting would take 39%.

As a check with a larger rental, HUD's FY2027 Fair Market Rent for a three-bedroom home in the Fort Lauderdale, FL HUD Metro FMR Area area is $3,172 a month, still $622 below the cost of owning.

  • Mortgage principal & interest $2,743
  • Property tax $394
  • Home insurance $232
  • Maintenance $425

How long you would need to stay.

Net worth of a buyer compared with a renter who invests the down payment, closing costs and any monthly savings at 6% a year. Home values and rents grow 3.5% a year; selling costs 6%.

Change the assumptions

Buying vs. renting in Fort Lauderdale, by years in the home
StayResult
3 yearsRenting ahead by $44,463
5 yearsRenting ahead by $41,482
7 yearsRenting ahead by $36,484
10 yearsRenting ahead by $24,335
15 yearsBuying ahead by $12,479
20 yearsBuying ahead by $78,908
30 yearsBuying ahead by $363,539

Rent or buy elsewhere in Florida.

Other large Florida cities in the study.

All cities
JacksonvilleRenting $589/mo cheaperMiamiRenting $1,325/mo cheaperTampaRenting $879/mo cheaperOrlandoRenting $913/mo cheaperSt. PetersburgRenting $574/mo cheaperPort St. LucieRenting $574/mo cheaperHialeahRenting $857/mo cheaperCape CoralRenting $596/mo cheaper

More on Fort Lauderdale

See the full Fort Lauderdale rental market profile with Census medians, or check how a typical rental performs for an investor in our cash-flow ranking.

How we calculated this

Price is the Zillow Home Value Index and rent the Zillow Observed Rent Index for Fort Lauderdale. The cost of owning includes principal and interest at 7.11% with 20% down, property tax at the city's 0.93% effective rate (Census ACS), the Florida average homeowners premium (NAIC 2023) and 1% yearly maintenance. It leaves out income-tax effects, HOA dues and utilities. The typical rental may be smaller than the typical home for sale. Full methodology. This is a citywide estimate, not advice about a specific home.