Fort Lauderdale vs Sarasota
The short version
- Sarasota is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 10% lower than in the Fort Lauderdale area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $463,000 in Sarasota and $486,700 in Fort Lauderdale.
- Households earn more in Fort Lauderdale ($83,130 vs $72,105 median).
- Sarasota is growing faster: +6.6% since 2020 vs +3.3%.
- Commutes are shorter in Sarasota (21 vs 26 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Fort Lauderdale, FL | Sarasota, FL | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 188,677 | 58,458 |
| Growth since 2020 | +3.3% | +6.6% |
| People per square mile | 5,456 | 3,976 |
| Median age | 42.8 | 48.2 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 41% | 42% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $83,130 | $72,105 |
| Median home value | $486,700 | $463,000 |
| Home value to income | 5.9× | 6.4× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,854 | $1,684 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 114.2 | 102.4 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 155.6 | 128.0 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $85,600 | $76,800 |
| Homeowners | 54% | 58% |
| Top state income tax | None | None |
| Combined sales tax | 6.98% | 6.98% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 26.1 | 20.7 |
| Work from home | 19% | 13% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.3% | 3.6% |
| Poverty rate | 15% | 15% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 76° / 61° | 73° / 52° |
| July high / low | 90° / 78° | 91° / 75° |
| Precipitation per year | 61 in | 49 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 68 | 85 |
| Nights below freezing | 0 | 1 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.5 | 98.2 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 53% | 63% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.8% | -0.5% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +49.8% | +37.5% |
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. Sarasota: November to April.
Full monthly tables: Fort Lauderdale weather by month and Sarasota 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 $76,800 in Sarasota. Moving from Fort Lauderdale to Sarasota, you would need about $67,300 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Fort Lauderdale and Sarasota
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 Sarasota.
Which would you pick?
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