12 Cheapest Places to Live in South Florida in 2023
We looked through all the data to find the cheapest places to live in South Florida in 2023 so that you can be close to the action for an affordable rate.
South Florida can offer a very glamorous lifestyle with its lively beaches, electric cities, and warm weather, but it also has several cheap places that can be a good fit for budget-minded people. It was not easy to identify many of the cheapest places to live in South Florida, but we managed to uncover some of the top choices.
Ultimately, living in an affordable city here while being able to easily access all of the amenities that the big cities like Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach have to offer is like having the best of both worlds.
So, let’s see where the cheapest places to live in South Florida are so that you can plan your next move to, or within, the Sunshine State.
Before we begin, we should define what we mean by “cheap” since South Florida is not known for being the most affordable place to live.
We looked at different measures like the cost of living, average home prices, and average rent prices to figure out which cities in this area were truly affordable.
We also compared them to the state of Florida’s averages and tried to find places that were around or below all of the averages.
Just for your understanding, the current average home price across all of Florida is about $295,000 according to Bestplaces. We also used Areavibes to determine the average rental prices.
Additionally, we should define what we considered to be part of South Florida. We looked for cities anywhere south of West Palm Beach.
Meanwhile, we stuck to the eastern shores of South Florida as we think that the western part of the area is considered to be more Southwest Florida than the classic South Florida.
12 Cheapest Places to Live in South Florida in 2023
12. North Miami Beach
Cost of Living Index: 13% Above Florida Average
Average Home Price: $327,000 (11% Above Florida average)
Average Rent Price: $1,000 per month
Location: Check on Google Maps
The first entry on our list of the cheapest places to live in South Florida is part of the greater Miami metropolitan area. North Miami Beach is about 25 minutes north of Downtown Miami and is only 10 minutes to the nearest beach.
The cost of living here is a bit higher than most of the other places on this list, but it is also one of the closest cities to Miami.
11. Delray Beach
Cost of Living Index: 3% Above Florida Average
Average Home Price: $275,000 (7% Below Florida average)
Average Rent Price: $1,300 per month
Location: Check on Google Maps
Delray Beach is probably one of the most desirable cities on this list and features a vibrant arts and culture scene as well as a lively downtown area.
In fact, Downtown Delray Beach was listed as one of the top 10 shopping streets in all of America by USA Today.
We think it is a better value to buy in Delray Beach than to rent as its average rental costs are pretty high compared to many other cities on this list.
10. Princeton
Cost of Living Index: 16% Above Florida Average
Average Home Price: $299,000 (1% Above Florida average)
Average Rent Price: $1,400 per month
Location: Check on Google Maps
This small city of 22,000 people sits deep in the southern part of the state. But, it is only a 30 minute drive from Downtown Miami, so you can live in this quiet area and still be close by to the big city.
Princeton, Florida is also a great place for nature lovers. The city features numerous green spaces and is just minutes from the Florida Everglades.
9. Lake Worth
Cost of Living Index: 4% Above Florida Average
Average Home Price: $268,000 (9% Below Florida average)
Average Rent Price: $1,000 per month
Location: Check on Google Maps
Lake Worth is a small beach town located in Palm Beach County just 15 minutes from the elegant and glamorous West Palm Beach. You can also access Lake Worth Beach Park in about 5 minutes from downtown. Or, you can enjoy one of the many other top-rated beaches in the area, like Palm Beach or Ocean Ridge Hammock Park.
Lake Worth also has its own golf courses, which is pretty impressive given the area’s affordable nature. If you factor in its proximity to West Palm Beach and high quality beaches, we think Lake Worth represents an excellent value.
8. Naranja
Cost of Living Index: 9% Above Florida Average
Average Home Price: $247,000 (16% Below Florida average)
Average Rent Price: $1,000 per month
Location: Check on Google Maps
The city of Naranja is located adjacent to Princeton, Florida in the southern part of South Florida. It was previously used as a large orange grove and today offers a nice little community that is peaceful and quiet, yet still close to major attractions like Miami and South Beach.
7. Homestead
Cost of Living Index: 9% Above Florida Average
Average Home Price: $300,000 (2% Above Florida average)
Average Rent Price: $1,100 per month
Location: Check on Google Maps
Homestead is another city in the deep southern part of the state and is the largest city south of Miami.
Its 60,000 residents enjoy a wide-range of things to do, including restaurants and bars in the Homestead Historic Downtown District and recreation in the numerous parks around the city.
Education is also a big part of Homestead, as it features over a dozen charter schools alongside its expansive public system. There is even a college in Homestead, the Miami-Dade College Homestead Campus.
6. Seminole Manor
Cost of Living Index: 5% Below Florida Average
Average Home Price: $263,000 (11% Below Florida average)
Average Rent Price: $1,200 per month
Location: Check on Google Maps
Seminole Manor is one of the cheapest places to live in South Florida for folks looking for a small town. Its population is just 2,500 residents and it is located between West Palm Beach and Boynton Beach.
The benefits of living in Seminole Manor are its relatively low housing costs along with its proximity to the oceanfront. South Palm Beach is less than 10 minutes away from Seminole Manor.
While there is not a lot to do in the town itself, you can find everything you need in the major cities that are just a 10-15 minute drive away.
5. Opa-locka
Cost of Living Index: 1% Above Florida Average
Average Home Price: $270,000 (8% Below Florida average)
Average Rent Price: $1,200 per month
Location: Check on Google Maps
Opa-locka is the closest city to Miami on this list. It is just a 15 minute drive to Downtown Miami and only a 20 minute drive to Miami Beach.
Meanwhile, its average housing prices are 8% lower than the rest of Florida, while its cost of living is about average. Considering that the cost of living in Miami is about 23% higher than the rest of the state, we think that Opa-locka is a good value in the Miami area.
4. Greenacres
Cost of Living Index: 1% Above Florida Average
Average Home Price: $223,000 (24% Below Florida average)
Average Rent Price: $1,100 per month
Location: Check on Google Maps
Greenacres is located in Palm Beach County, just 20 minutes away from West Palm Beach and Delray Beach. It offers one of the cheapest options in this area, yet still offers its residents with many amenities and things to do.
It features the largest high school in Palm Beach County and was also named as one of the “100 Best Communities for Young People” by America’s Promise Alliance for Youth.
3. Florida City
Cost of Living Index: 1% Above Florida Average
Average Home Price: $228,000 (23% Below Florida average)
Average Rent Price: $950 per month
Location: Check on Google Maps
Florida City is the southernmost city in South Florida’s metropolitan area and is just below Homestead. The city offers the lowest rent on this list and housing prices that are also quite affordable, making it one of the cheapest places to live in South Florida.
Florida City benefits from being a small, affordable community that is also able to access the amenities of Homestead, which is less than 10 minutes away.
2. Pembroke Park
Cost of Living Index: 5% Below Florida Average
Average Home Price: $192,000 (35% Below Florida average)
Average Rent Price: $1,000 per month
Location: Check on Google Maps
Pembroke Park is a small community that is located near the water. It is situated between Fort Lauderdale and Miami, with each city just a 20 minute drive away.
Pembroke Park is also one of the most diverse cities in South Florida, with one of the highest percentages of Canadian residents in its city. It also is home to many British West Indians, Jamaicans, Cubans, Dominicans, and Haitians.
It also has the 2nd lowest home prices and cost of living on this list, making it a serious contender for being one of the cheapest places to live in South Florida.
1. Mangonia Park
Cost of Living Index: 7% Below Florida Average
Average Home Price: $157,000 (47% Below Florida average)
Average Rent Price: $1,000 per month
Location: Check on Google Maps
Mangonia Park takes the crown as the cheapest place to live in South Florida. It offers the lowest cost of living and lowest home prices on this list, with homes going for almost half the cost of the average in Florida.
It is a small town of just over 2,000 residents that is located a bit north of West Palm Beach. You can reach downtown West Palm Beach or the nearest beach in just 10 minutes.
Summary – Cheapest Places to Live in South Florida
We hope this list of the cheapest places to live in South Florida can help you understand where there could be affordable cities for you to settle in so that you can enjoy the region’s energy and countless number of things to do.
We recommend that you actually travel to these locations before you make any decisions to move, but we hope that this list gives you a good starting point for your research.
