Athens vs Fort Lauderdale
The short version
- Athens is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 18% lower than in the Fort Lauderdale area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $299,200 in Athens and $486,700 in Fort Lauderdale.
- Households earn more in Fort Lauderdale ($83,130 vs $52,974 median).
- Fort Lauderdale has the warmer winter: January highs of 76°F vs 55°F.
- Fort Lauderdale is growing faster: +3.3% since 2020 vs +1%.
- Commutes are shorter in Athens (21 vs 26 minutes each way).
- Florida has no state income tax on wages; Georgia's top rate is 5.19%.
Side by side
| Athens, GA | Fort Lauderdale, FL | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 128,612 | 188,677 |
| Growth since 2020 | +1% | +3.3% |
| People per square mile | 1,105 | 5,456 |
| Median age | 29.4 | 42.8 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 47% | 41% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $52,974 | $83,130 |
| Median home value | $299,200 | $486,700 |
| Home value to income | 5.6× | 5.9× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,219 | $1,854 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 93.3 | 114.2 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 76.8 | 155.6 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $70,000 | $85,600 |
| Homeowners | 41% | 54% |
| Top state income tax | 5.19% | None |
| Combined sales tax | 7.56% | 6.98% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 20.6 | 26.1 |
| Work from home | 14% | 19% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.3% | 5.3% |
| Poverty rate | 26.5% | 15% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 55° / 34° | 76° / 61° |
| July high / low | 92° / 70° | 90° / 78° |
| Precipitation per year | 49 in | 61 in |
| Snowfall per year | 1 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 62 | 68 |
| Nights below freezing | 46 | 0 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Low | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 67.0 | 99.5 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 58% | 53% |
| Home prices, past year | +1% | +0.8% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +54.8% | +49.8% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Athens: March to May and September to October. Fort Lauderdale: November to April.
Full monthly tables: Athens weather by month and Fort Lauderdale weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $70,000 in Athens and $85,600 in Fort Lauderdale. Moving from Athens to Fort Lauderdale, you would need about $91,700 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Athens and Fort Lauderdale
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Athens and Fort Lauderdale.
Which would you pick?
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