Florida · Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metro area

Buying a home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

In Fort Lauderdale, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $486,700, Broward County's effective property tax rate is 0.94%, a purchase mortgage carried a median $10,865 in total loan costs in 2025, and median gross rent is $1,854 a month.

Data as of : Census ACS 2020-2024, Census Vintage 2024, HMDA 2025, HUD FY 2027. Sources

Fort Lauderdale home costs, fact by fact

About Fort Lauderdale

In Broward County, Fort Lauderdale is a city of 190,641 residents within the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metro area, ranked 6th in the country. HUD's Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Broward County is $2,321.

Reading the Fort Lauderdale figures

Fort Lauderdale is one of the higher-valued Broward cities in this set, with owners estimating $486,700. That tops the statewide $396,700 and tops Davie, Miramar and Pembroke Pines; higher values show up in Miami ($518,100) and Coral Springs ($545,400), while Boca Raton reaches $722,700.

What stands out is how few households own. At 54.1%, the owner share trails Miramar (68.8%) and Pembroke Pines (69.6%) by a wide margin; only Miami, at 30.8%, is lower among the cities named here, and Tampa and West Palm Beach are close at 50.3% and 50.5%. Rent of $1,854 a month is comfortably under Plantation's $2,240; The rent figure for Davie is $2,066, with Coral Springs at $2,084. HUD puts the area's rent at $2,321, and at $3,172 for the larger unit, well above the city figure.

A buyer in Broward County should read the carrying costs next. The county median sits at $414,600; with a 0.94% effective rate the annual bill is $3,890. Mortgage lending in 2025 carried a midpoint cost of $10,865 in the county, spread from $6,727 at the low end of the middle range to $16,817 at the high end. The city has 190,641 residents.

Calculate for Florida

If you buy

Florida state transfer tax

Documentary stamp tax on deeds: $0.70 per $100 of consideration, or fraction of $100 (Miami-Dade: $0.60 per $100). Change the price: the amount is recalculated instantly.

Price$396,700
State transfer tax$2,776.90
Share of the price0.7% of the price
Who paysSet by the purchase contract

Default price: the Florida median value of owner-occupied homes, $396,700 (Census ACS 2025). Rule: Divide the consideration by $100, round up to the next whole unit, multiply by $0.70. Consideration includes any mortgage balance on the property, whether or not assumed. Miami-Dade uses $0.60. Who pays: The law makes all parties liable regardless of which agrees to pay; the purchase contract allocates the cost. Not included: county and city transfer taxes, the tax on the mortgage, recording fees, title insurance and lender charges. Florida transfer tax guide · all 50 states.

If you sell

Capital gain and the federal tax on it

Same federal rule in every state: Section 121 of the Internal Revenue Code excludes up to $250,000 of gain on a main home ($500,000 for a married couple filing jointly).

Capital gain$350,000
Section 121 exclusion$250,000 (limit $250,000)
Taxable gain$100,000
Type of gainLong-term (owned over 1 year), 15% chosen
Federal tax on the gain$15,000

Section 121 excludes $250,000; the rest is taxable.

Gain = sale price minus your adjusted basis (purchase price, buying costs and improvements); selling expenses reduce it (IRS Publication 523). Long-term rates for sales in 2026, by taxable income including the gain (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32, section 4.03): 0% up to $49,450 single or $98,900 married filing jointly, 15% up to $545,500 single or $613,700 jointly, 20% above. Not included: Florida state income tax on the gain (not computed), the net investment income tax, depreciation recapture on a rental or home office, and the reduced exclusion for an early sale. Agent commissions are negotiated and never set by law. Capital gains on a home sale.

Questions about buying a home in Fort Lauderdale

How much is property tax in Fort Lauderdale?

Homeowners in Broward County pay a median $3,890 a year in property tax, 0.94% of the county median home value of $414,600 (Census ACS 2020-2024). Your bill depends on your assessed value and local rates.

What are closing costs on a mortgage in Fort Lauderdale?

Home-purchase mortgages in Broward County carried median total loan costs of $10,865 in 2025; half of the 13,372 loans fell between $6,727 and $16,817 (HMDA). Total loan costs are the lender and settlement-service charges of the Closing Disclosure; transfer taxes and prepaid items come on top.

Is there a transfer tax when you buy a home in Fort Lauderdale?

Florida's transfer tax is the documentary stamp tax on deeds, 70 cents per $100 of price in every county except Miami-Dade, where it is 60 cents per $100. A mortgage adds 35 cents per $100 and a 0.2% intangible tax.

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Fort Lauderdale?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in Fort Lauderdale ($486,700) equals 21.9 years of the median gross rent ($1,854 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

What natural hazards affect home insurance in Fort Lauderdale?

Across Florida, the main hazards for home insurance are hurricane wind, flood and storm surge, and the insurer of last resort is Citizens Property Insurance Corporation. A Florida homeowners policy must offer hurricane deductibles of 2%, 5% and 10% of the dwelling limit (s. 627.701), and Citizens requires flood coverage on all its homeowners policies with wind coverage by January 1, 2027.

Run your own numbers: rent vs buy calculator · closing costs calculator.

Florida rules that apply in Fort Lauderdale

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Sources

Florida · All states · Federal guides