City Profile

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

USA · Comprehensive city data and intelligence

Compare Fort Lauderdale Custom Comparison

Overall Score

Fort Lauderdale, located on Florida's southeastern coast, is renowned for its beaches, arts, culture, and events. Earned the nickname "Venice of America" because of its expansive and intricate canal system, the city has evolved from a historic trading post into a major yachting, marine, and tourism hub. People flock to Fort Lauderdale for its warm climate, thriving job market, and vibrant lifestyle that blends urban sophistication with laid-back beach culture.

About Florida

Florida, known as the "Sunshine State," offers a diverse character with a laid-back beach culture and vibrant city life, attracting a mix of residents including many transplants. Its economy, the fourth largest in the U.S. as of 2024, is driven by major industries such as tourism, real estate, agriculture, aerospace and aviation, financial services, and healthcare and life sciences. Living in Florida generally entails a cost of living slightly higher than the national average, though it varies by city, with an average annual cost around $50,689 per person. The climate is characterized by hot, humid summers and mild winters, with abundant sunshine year-round, fostering an outdoor-oriented lifestyle. Florida also boasts a tax-friendly environment with no state income tax.

182,760

Population

$68K

Avg Salary

118

Cost Index

53.9

Quality Score

How this 54/100 was calculated five components, with every reading behind them

Component	Readings used	Points	Weight	Contributes
Safety	Safety score: 64 / 100	64.0	30%	19.2
Affordability	Cost of living index (100 = national baseline): 118.0	21.3	25%	5.3
Economy & jobs	Median household income: $72,500 Income needed to live here: $62,000 Unemployment rate: 3.2%	65.6	20%	13.1
Growth	Population growth rate: 0.8% Job growth rate: 2.4%	56.5	15%	8.5
Business climate assessment	Business climate assessment: 78 / 100	78.0	10%	7.8
Overall score				53.9

Provenance. These figures were produced by the research pass recorded as Tier 1 (fast) (q=52, partial — below threshold), last refreshed 15 October 2026. They are researched estimates drawn from public sources, not a licensed data feed.

Each component is scored against fixed published endpoints, so this number is comparable with any other city and does not move as the dataset grows. Scoring framework 2026.10 — full methodology, weights and accepted ranges.

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Performance

Quality Scores

Business

Livability

Affordability

Growth

Expenses

Cost of Living

The cost of living in Fort Lauderdale is notably higher than the national average, largely driven by housing, insurance, and service demands. While there is no state income tax in Florida, property taxes, home insurance costs, and everyday goods and services have experienced significant inflation. Housing remains the single biggest driver of high living costs for both renters and prospective homebuyers.

Average Rent

$2,250/mo

Groceries

$460/mo

Transport

$130/mo

Utilities

$175/mo

Healthcare

$260/mo

Gym membership (monthly)

$55.00

Cinema ticket

$15.00

Restaurant meal (mid-range)

$25.00

Monthly groceries

$460.00

Doctor visit (without insurance)

$160.00

Income

Salary Insights

Fort Lauderdale's economy is robust and diversified, anchored heavily by tourism, marine industries, aviation, finance, and technology. Major employers span healthcare, professional services, and hospitality, making the city a primary economic engine in Broward County. The growing remote work population and expanding tech scene continue to attract professionals from across the United States.

The average salary in Fort Lauderdale is $68,000 per year. You would need approximately $62,000 to live comfortably.

Employment

Top Industries

Healthcare and Social Assistance +2.50% Professional and Business Services +2.10% Tourism and Hospitality +2.80% Aviation and Aerospace +1.90% Marine and Yachting +3.20%

Weather

Climate

🌡️

77°F

Avg Temp

☀️

89°F

Summer High

❄️

64°F

Winter Low

🌧️

51.80"

Annual Rain

💧

70.00%

Humidity

🌤️

199

Sunny Days

Mobility

Transport

Getting around Fort Lauderdale typically relies on personal vehicles, though the city has made strides in expanding alternative transportation options. Public transit options include the Broward County Transit bus network, the Sun Trolley, and Brightline high-speed rail connections to Miami and Orlando. Traffic congestion during peak hours remains a common challenge for commuters.

27 min

Avg Commute

52.00/10

Transit Score

58.00/10

Walkability

High

Car Dependency

At a Glance

Pros & Cons

Advantages

No state income tax in Florida helps stretch personal earnings further.

An extensive canal system and premier yachting infrastructure make it the yachting capital of the world.

Nearly 200 days of sunshine per year support an active outdoor lifestyle.

Brightline high-speed rail provides fast, convenient connectivity to Miami and Orlando.

A thriving culinary, arts, and cultural scene centered around Las Olas Boulevard.

Drawbacks

High cost of living and soaring home prices relative to the national average.

Vulnerability to extreme weather events, hurricanes, and seasonal coastal flooding.

Significant traffic congestion during peak commuting and tourist seasons.

Soaring property and homeowner insurance rates across South Florida.

Humid summer conditions can limit outdoor comfort for parts of the year.

Head to Head

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Community Q&A

Questions about Fort Lauderdale

What people ask about living in and moving to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Urblytica benchmarks its Cost of Living Index against a United States national average baseline of 100. A score of 115 means a city is approximately 15% more expensive than the national average, while a score of 85 indicates it is 15% more affordable. This composite calculation is weighted across six primary expenditure categories: housing, utilities, grocery items, transportation, healthcare, and miscellaneous goods.

Urblytica aggregates housing data from multiple authoritative sources, including Multiple Listing Service (MLS) feeds, municipal property tax registries, the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS), and verified historical deed transactions. This multi-tier aggregation ensures precision in tracking median home values and rental rates.

A municipality must meet minimum data-density thresholds—including consistent reporting population samples from the U.S. Census and active residential or commercial real estate transaction feeds—to ensure statistical significance before a complete scoring profile is published.

When primary agencies (such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics or U.S. Census Bureau) issue historical data revisions or benchmark corrections, Urblytica's data pipeline automatically re-indexes affected historical archives to maintain longitudinal trend accuracy.

U.S. affordability calculations incorporate federal income tax brackets, state-specific income tax rates, and local municipal tax variations to evaluate the true net tax drag on median household earnings across different states and cities.

Local county and municipal property tax millage rates are factored directly into the housing component of the cost-of-living index to reflect recurring annual tax burdens for homeowners.

The platform aggregates state sales taxes alongside county and city surtaxes to measure consumer basket purchasing power parity accurately across different retail jurisdictions.

Utility calculations apply regional seasonal consumption weightings, incorporating high summer air conditioning loads in southern states and heavy winter heating demands in northern states.

The index tracks average out-of-pocket healthcare expenses, routine outpatient visit costs, and regional health insurance premium benchmarks published by federal health agencies.

Educational metrics aggregate state standardized testing benchmarks, student-to-teacher ratios, high school graduation rates, and per-pupil expenditure data published by state departments of education.

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