Fort Lauderdale has plenty to offer, but the price of admission usually comes with traffic, sky-high rent, and a calendar that fills itself.
If you want the upside of Fort Lauderdale without the daily grind, the answer is almost always a good suburb. The catch: not every suburb is worth the move.
So we ranked them. Using Saturday Night Science, we pulled the numbers on every place within commuting distance of Fort Lauderdale: incomes, home prices, unemployment, schools, the works. The result is a no-nonsense ranking of where you actually want to live.
$145,485 median income · $887,063 median home price
Highland Beach is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Fort Lauderdale area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Highland Beach.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $145,485 a year, which is the 3rd highest in the Fort Lauderdale region. And only 3.5% are out of work. Homes average more than $887,063 each.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$198,669 median income · $1,058,618 median home price
Located in
Broward County, Florida
Parkland is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Fort Lauderdale for 2026.
It ranks 1st for incomes in the area and only 4.5% of residents lack insurance, good for 5th best.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$89,663 median income · $660,038 median home price
Located in
Miami-Dade County, Florida
Here in Bay Harbor Islands, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Fort Lauderdale metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Bay Harbor Islands.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$81,655 median income · $712,501 median home price
Located in
Broward County, Florida
Lauderdale-by-the-Sea ranks as the 4th best suburb of Fort Lauderdale for 2026.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea and the schools are some of the best around.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$161,051 median income · $1,437,706 median home price
Located in
Broward County, Florida
Coming in as the fifth best is Southwest Ranches.
Southwest Ranches gets kudos for having the 2nd most expensive homes in the Fort Lauderdale area, where houses sell for an average of $1,437,706. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$100,208 median income · $1,276,757 median home price
Located in
Miami-Dade County, Florida
Surfside is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 5.2%.
According to online reports, Surfside is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Fort Lauderdale area, meaning you need to get in soon.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$101,557 median income · $653,606 median home price
Located in
Miami-Dade County, Florida
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Miami Lakes.
Miami Lakes schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 19.1 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$139,825 median income · $730,059 median home price
Located in
Broward County, Florida
Weston is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 5.6% of people lack insurance, good for 7th in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$92,135 median income · $762,810 median home price
Located in
Broward County, Florida
Is ‘Everything Better In Lighthouse Point?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$144,050 median income · $735,780 median home price
Located in
Miami-Dade County, Florida
And rounding out the top ten for 2026 is Miami Shores.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Florida’s statewide median.
Florida statewide median: $74,568
Florida statewide median: $375,662
Florida statewide median: 4.8%
Florida statewide median: 12.6%
On the map
Where the best Fort Lauderdale suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the best suburbs around Fort Lauderdale for 2026
Figuring out the best suburbs around Fort Lauderdale was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2020-2024 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Fort Lauderdale.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 53 suburbs to evaluate around Fort Lauderdale.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 53 in each category, where 1 was the best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near Fort Lauderdale.” We’re lookin’ at you, Highland Beach.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best Fort Lauderdale suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
The full plate
Table: Best Fort Lauderdale Suburbs
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Suburb Score | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Highland Beach | 6.86 | 4,311 | $145,485 | $887,063 |
| 2 | Parkland | 10.43 | 37,178 | $198,669 | $1,058,618 |
| 3 | Bay Harbor Islands | 11.07 | 5,847 | $89,663 | $660,038 |
| 4 | Lauderdale-by-the-Sea | 11.14 | 6,232 | $81,655 | $712,501 |
| 5 | Southwest Ranches | 11.50 | 7,656 | $161,051 | $1,437,706 |
| 6 | Surfside | 11.71 | 5,631 | $100,208 | $1,276,757 |
| 7 | Miami Lakes | 13.43 | 31,553 | $101,557 | $653,606 |
| 8 | Weston | 14.14 | 68,837 | $139,825 | $730,059 |
| 9 | Lighthouse Point | 14.57 | 10,600 | $92,135 | $762,810 |
| 10 | Miami Shores | 16.29 | 11,752 | $144,050 | $735,780 |
| 11 | Hillsboro Beach | 16.36 | 2,271 | $94,432 | $509,937 |
| 12 | Aventura | 17.71 | 39,885 | $89,274 | $425,757 |
| 13 | Miami Springs | 19.00 | 13,726 | $87,099 | $729,504 |
| 14 | Virginia Gardens | 19.07 | 2,423 | $70,469 | $600,367 |
| 15 | Coral Springs | 20.07 | 136,103 | $93,602 | $520,102 |
| 16 | Pembroke Pines | 20.64 | 173,194 | $85,104 | $487,422 |
| 17 | Sunny Isles Beach | 20.64 | 22,437 | $61,921 | $649,891 |
| 18 | Wilton Manors | 20.79 | 11,511 | $85,392 | $576,125 |
| 19 | Boca Raton | 21.64 | 100,234 | $106,273 | $562,566 |
| 20 | Doral | 21.64 | 79,216 | $94,164 | $549,014 |
| 21 | Bal Harbour | 21.86 | 3,055 | $80,806 | $1,942,193 |
| 22 | Biscayne Park | 22.71 | 3,085 | $77,083 | $927,080 |
| 23 | Miramar | 23.71 | 138,600 | $89,125 | $518,019 |
| 24 | West Miami | 24.86 | 7,162 | $61,274 | $662,496 |
| 25 | Miami Beach | 25.64 | 82,031 | $72,856 | $515,965 |
| 26 | Davie | 27.14 | 108,346 | $87,250 | $515,020 |
| 27 | Cooper | 27.14 | 2,220 | $76,000 | $456,392 |
| 28 | Sunrise | 27.86 | 97,918 | $77,652 | $360,656 |
| 29 | Margate | 29.43 | 59,198 | $62,450 | $318,811 |
| 30 | Coconut Creek | 29.43 | 58,330 | $75,014 | $283,669 |
| 31 | Hialeah Gardens | 29.86 | 22,915 | $65,439 | $416,365 |
| 32 | Miami | 31.93 | 459,745 | $62,462 | $579,564 |
| 33 | Tamarac | 32.14 | 73,019 | $61,718 | $295,512 |
| 34 | Delray Beach | 32.14 | 67,979 | $82,041 | $340,487 |
| 35 | Hialeah | 33.21 | 226,165 | $55,594 | $443,804 |
| 36 | Oakland Park | 33.43 | 44,682 | $72,708 | $366,517 |
| 37 | Sweetwater | 33.93 | 20,085 | $54,967 | $438,052 |
| 38 | Hollywood | 34.21 | 155,082 | $67,203 | $439,400 |
| 39 | North Miami Beach | 34.71 | 43,898 | $63,280 | $447,840 |
| 40 | Boynton Beach | 35.14 | 81,435 | $70,074 | $401,877 |
| 41 | North Lauderdale | 36.29 | 45,234 | $63,326 | $348,539 |
| 42 | Hallandale Beach | 36.57 | 41,854 | $52,340 | $292,053 |
| 43 | Miami Gardens | 37.29 | 113,177 | $63,627 | $469,434 |
| 44 | West Park | 38.21 | 15,249 | $65,952 | $422,622 |
| 45 | Deerfield Beach | 39.71 | 88,093 | $59,730 | $273,229 |
| 46 | North Miami | 39.71 | 60,344 | $57,188 | $416,688 |
| 47 | Hypoluxo | 40.00 | 2,798 | $78,214 | $302,879 |
| 48 | Pembroke Park | 40.14 | 6,360 | $52,928 | $246,080 |
| 49 | Lauderhill | 41.14 | 74,896 | $51,165 | $213,844 |
| 50 | Pompano Beach | 41.57 | 114,147 | $67,195 | $351,517 |
| 51 | Lauderdale Lakes | 43.43 | 36,404 | $50,006 | $140,910 |
| 52 | Opa-locka | 43.43 | 16,282 | $37,532 | $468,451 |
| 53 | Dania Beach | 44.29 | 32,180 | $52,748 | $326,898 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 53 suburbs within 30 miles of Fort Lauderdale.
Summary
Summary: Welcome to the Best Fort Lauderdale ‘Burbs of 2026
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
The best suburbs of Fort Lauderdale are Highland Beach, Parkland, Bay Harbor Islands, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Southwest Ranches, Surfside, Miami Lakes, Weston, Lighthouse Point, and Miami Shores.
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Fort Lauderdale but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you. Not sold on Florida? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Suburbs Of Fort Lauderdale FAQs
What is the best suburb of Fort Lauderdale?
Highland Beach is the best suburb of Fort Lauderdale for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Parkland and Bay Harbor Islands are next.
What are the best suburbs of Fort Lauderdale?
The best suburbs of Fort Lauderdale are Highland Beach, Parkland, Bay Harbor Islands, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Southwest Ranches, Surfside, Miami Lakes, Weston, Lighthouse Point, and Miami Shores. We ranked all 53 places within commuting range.
How expensive is Highland Beach?
The median household income in Highland Beach is $145,485 and the median home costs $887,063. Top suburbs rarely come cheap; that is part of how they got there.
What counts as a suburb of Fort Lauderdale?
Any place within 30 miles of Fort Lauderdale qualifies. 53 towns fit that circle, and every one of them got scored.
How do you rank Fort Lauderdale suburbs?
Each suburb is scored on income, home values, density, unemployment, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey data. The best combined score, Highland Beach, takes the crown.
