Ft. Lauderdale dethrones Miami as top FL rental spot | Real Estate
What Florida city are more renters flocking to? If you guessed Miami, you’d be wrong.
A new study shows a major shift in the rental market, with Fort Lauderdale now taking the top spot as Florida’s most sought-after city for renters in the state, coming in 20th nationally, jumping a whopping 41 spots in a year.
The results come from Rentcafe.com’s recently-published mid-year Renter Engagement Tracker (REnT) report, which tracks and reveals where most renters are moving to this season.
Fort Lauderdale placed sixth in the South as a whole, preceded by the winning city of Washington, D.C., and Atlanta (GA), Amarillo (TX), New Orleans (LA), and Louisville (KY).
There has been a 7% drop in available listings in Fort Lauderdale, pointing to the strong demand from renters for units in the area.
Miami has not been able to keep up, ranking 134th nationwide in the report. The city has implemented a 72% increase in properties, but only a 3% increase in apartments added to favorites, so it’s likely renters are unhappy with the results they’re finding.
Surprisingly, Miami did not even make the list of “Top 30 U.S. Cities for Renter Engagement in the 1st Half of 2025.” Orlando did, taking second place in the state and sitting at #23 nationwide despite being demoted by 15 spots from last year.
So why are people choosing Fort Lauderdale? Though reasons vary, the shifting trends can be partly attributed to lifestyle choices.
In a comparison between Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Apartments.com mentions that although rent in Fort Lauderdale as a whole is 3% more expensive than Miami, the city’s lifestyle is much more laid back.
With more–mostly young–renters preferring less fast-paced environments to live around, Fort Lauderdale provides the perfect spot to keep the hustle-and-bustle of work separate from their calm and collected home life.
On the same coin, the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood airport is even smaller and less busy than Miami International, making it a more favorable option for some.
Though Miami’s real estate scene is far from fizzling out, Fort Lauderdale provides an interesting challenge to the long-reigning Magic City.
For the full report, click here.
