$1,500 won't cover a studio apartment in Fort Lauderdale, study finds

State of play: A $1,500 budget now only gets you 513 square feet, down 7 feet from a year ago.

• The national average is 703 square feet.

Zoom out: Among the 14 Florida cities included in the study, only Miami offered less space than Fort Lauderdale at 498 square feet, roughly the size of a one-car garage.

• That same budget can get renters 633 square feet in Pembroke Pines and 603 square feet in Hollywood.
• On the other end of the spectrum, $1,500 in Jacksonville can get you 982 square feet.

By the numbers: In 2026, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development estimated the fair market rent for a one-bedroom in Broward County ranges from $1,730 to $2,850 a month, depending on ZIP code.

The bottom line: This shouldn't be entirely surprising given the post-pandemic migration to Florida.

• But the recent surge of new construction could help soften rental prices.