Even on the area’s higher pay, Highland Beach costs more to live in than almost every U.S. town
It ranks #626 of 637 in Florida for affordability. Up 4.9% in a year, more than twice the Florida typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metro area ($77K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Highland Beach’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($77K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up no better than renters: 40% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 15% of renters.
In dollars
- $920Ktypical home, 145% above the Florida typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $2,870a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 114prices across the Miami metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 156)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 11.9 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$77K, Miami-area income
- 55%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 40%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
The short version on homes in Highland Beach
Homes haven’t kept up with new residents
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Highland Beach gained 756 residents while 40 new homes were permitted: about 18.9 new residents per new home, against 2.8 across Florida. New homes ↓
A second-home town
41% of Highland Beach’s homes are seasonal or vacation homes, empty for much of the year. Year-round rentals are scarce: there are 82 renter households. Property taxes ↓
Still rising while Florida slips
Over the past year the typical Highland Beach home gained 4.9%, while the Florida typical home lost 0.9%. Price trend ↓
Nearly every household owns
93% of Highland Beach households own their home, against 68% across Florida. There are only 82 renter households, so rentals are scarce. Property taxes ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; sales and supply are Redfin’s for May 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Highland Beach’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Highland Beach is more affordable than 0% of U.S. towns, #626 of 637 in Florida. The four inputs sit close together, so no single cost explains the grade.
Values have outpaced Florida: the typical Highland Beach home is up 28.0% in five years, against 18.6% statewide (Zillow).
Up 4.9% in a year
Faster than Florida (-0.9%).
Show as a table
| January | Highland Beach | Florida |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $535,000 | $209,000 |
| 2018 | $561,000 | $226,000 |
| 2019 | $589,000 | $241,000 |
| 2020 | $589,000 | $252,000 |
| 2021 | $622,000 | $276,000 |
| 2022 | $782,000 | $339,000 |
| 2023 | $916,000 | $392,000 |
| 2024 | $954,000 | $402,000 |
| 2025 | $932,000 | $396,000 |
| 2026 | $883,000 | $377,000 |
| September 2026 | $920,000 | $375,000 |
A typical Highland Beach home worth $536K in October 2016 is worth about $920K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A balanced market
About 4.7 months of supply: neither buyers nor sellers have a clear edge.
Under ~4 months of supply favors sellers; over ~6 favors buyers.
Redfin Data Center, all residential sales, May 2026.
A typical home costs 11.9 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Highland Beach’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $616K short of a typical Highland Beach home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $2,870 a month here, $2,580 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Highland Beach’s typical property tax (0.81% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $2,870
Renters already here pay a median of $3,501.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (West Palm Beach-Boca Raton, FL HUD Metro FMR Area): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
2 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 2 new homes in Highland Beach in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $6.2 million to build. That's 0.5 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Florida (8.3). Over the past 10 years, Highland Beach has permitted 26 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Highland Beach gained 756 residents while 40 new homes were permitted: about 19 new residents per new home. Population grew faster than building, so existing homes filled up: a sign of tight supply. Across Florida: 2.8 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2025 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $6.2 million |
| 2024 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2022 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2021 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $4 million |
| 2020 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $2 million |
| 2019 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $10 million |
| 2018 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $2 million |
| 2017 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $9.8 million |
| 2016 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $16.2 million |
| 2015 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $7.9 million |
| 2014 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $6.9 million |
| 2013 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $14 million |
| 2012 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $5.4 million |
| 2011 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $2.6 million |
| 2010 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2009 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $2.7 million |
| 2008 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2007 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2006 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2005 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $4.4 million |
| 2004 | 13 | 13 | 0 | $10.6 million |
| 2003 | 160 | 5 | 155 | $56.4 million |
| 2002 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $5.6 million |
| 2001 | 152 | 0 | 152 | $52.5 million |
| 2000 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $4.5 million |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs above the Florida norm
The median bill is $7,391 (Florida: $2,730), 0.81% of a home’s value a year, against 0.76% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
The rest of a budget near Highland Beach
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metro area, or Florida. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 114 | FL 103 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 104 | FL 98 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 97 | FL 90 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 109 | FL 101 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
Price levels: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024 (metro area and state). Electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A.
Highland Beach vs. its neighbors
Of the 3 towns here with a Zillow value, Highland Beach has the 3rd-lowest.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highland Beach | D− | $920K | $909K | 0.81% | $2,870 |
| Boca Raton | D− | $580K | $723K | 0.84% | $2,900 |
| Delray Beach | D− | $345K | $420K | 0.80% | $2,440 |
Questions about the cost of living in Highland Beach
Is Highland Beach expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Highland Beach costs more than 100% of U.S. towns: a D− for cost of living, #626 of 637 in Florida. The typical home costs 11.9 years of the median household income of the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metro area ($77K).
How much does a house cost in Highland Beach?
About $920K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 4.9% in a year. The Florida typical home is $375K.
What salary do you need to live in Highland Beach?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $233,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $5,450 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $115,000.
How much is rent in Highland Beach?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $2,870 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $3,501 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Highland Beach?
The median bill is $7,391 a year, 0.81% of the median home value (Florida: $2,730, 0.76%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Highland Beach going up?
Yes: up 4.9% in the past year and 28.0% in five years, against 18.6% across Florida (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Highland Beach buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, May 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.