Fort Lauderdale vs Honolulu
The short version
- Honolulu is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 3% lower than in the Fort Lauderdale area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $486,700 in Fort Lauderdale and $843,400 in Honolulu.
- Honolulu has the warmer winter: January highs of 81°F vs 76°F.
- Fort Lauderdale has more scorching days: 68 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 32.
- Fort Lauderdale is growing faster: +3.3% since 2020 vs -2.6%.
- Commutes are shorter in Honolulu (22 vs 26 minutes each way).
- Florida has no state income tax on wages; Hawaii's top rate is 11%.
Side by side
| Fort Lauderdale, FL | Honolulu, HI | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 188,677 | 341,868 |
| Growth since 2020 | +3.3% | -2.6% |
| People per square mile | 5,456 | 5,639 |
| Median age | 42.8 | 43.0 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 41% | 42% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $83,130 | $86,504 |
| Median home value | $486,700 | $843,400 |
| Home value to income | 5.9× | 9.7× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,854 | $1,823 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 114.2 | 111.0 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 155.6 | 135.5 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $85,600 | $83,200 |
| Homeowners | 54% | 49% |
| Top state income tax | None | 11% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.98% | 4.5% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 26.1 | 21.9 |
| Work from home | 19% | 10% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 7% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.3% | 4.8% |
| Poverty rate | 15% | 11.9% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 76° / 61° | 81° / 67° |
| July high / low | 90° / 78° | 88° / 75° |
| Precipitation per year | 61 in | 16 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 68 | 32 |
| Nights below freezing | 0 | 0 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 7 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.5 | 98.8 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 53% | 97% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.8% | +11.1% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +49.8% | +38.6% |
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: Fort Lauderdale: November to April. Honolulu: November to May.
Full monthly tables: Fort Lauderdale weather by month and Honolulu weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $85,600 in Fort Lauderdale and $83,200 in Honolulu. Moving from Fort Lauderdale to Honolulu, you would need about $72,900 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Fort Lauderdale and Honolulu
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Fort Lauderdale and Honolulu.
Which would you pick?
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