Even on the area’s higher pay, Lake Clarke Shores costs more to live in than 75% of U.S. towns
It ranks #240 of 637 in Florida for affordability. Up 5.5% in a year, 78% above 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. Lake Clarke Shores’ area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($77K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up better than renters: 9% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 29% of renters.
In dollars
- $669Ktypical home, 78% above the Florida typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $2,060a 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
- 7.5 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$77K, Miami-area income
- 22%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 9%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Lake Clarke Shores, in brief
Few homes for sale, but they don’t sell fast
With about 2 months of supply (Florida: 4.7), the market counts as tight. Yet the typical home took 100 days to sell, against 66 statewide, and sold at 96% of asking. Tight supply here hasn’t meant quick sales. How fast homes sell ↓
Values rose faster than Florida’s over five years
The typical Lake Clarke Shores home is up 40% in five years, against 19% across Florida. Since October 2016 it has more than doubled, from $297K to $669K. Price trend ↓
Still rising while Florida slips
Over the past year the typical Lake Clarke Shores home gained 5.5%, while the Florida typical home lost 0.9%. Price trend ↓
Nearly every household owns
93% of Lake Clarke Shores 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 Lake Clarke Shores’ grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Lake Clarke Shores is more affordable than 25% of U.S. towns, #240 of 637 in Florida. Home prices pull the grade down most; the share of households paying 30%+ for housing holds it up.
Values have outpaced Florida: the typical Lake Clarke Shores home is up 40.4% in five years, against 18.6% statewide (Zillow).
Up 40.4% in five years
Faster than Florida (18.6%).
Show as a table
| January | Lake Clarke Shores | Florida |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $304,000 | $209,000 |
| 2018 | $332,000 | $226,000 |
| 2019 | $353,000 | $241,000 |
| 2020 | $370,000 | $252,000 |
| 2021 | $410,000 | $276,000 |
| 2022 | $502,000 | $339,000 |
| 2023 | $581,000 | $392,000 |
| 2024 | $628,000 | $402,000 |
| 2025 | $639,000 | $396,000 |
| 2026 | $645,000 | $377,000 |
| September 2026 | $669,000 | $375,000 |
A typical Lake Clarke Shores home worth $297K in October 2016 is worth about $669K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
Too few sales to read the market
Only 9 homes sold in May 2026, the latest month in Redfin’s figures: too few to describe the market or quote a median sale price.
A typical home costs 7.5 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Lake Clarke Shores’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $367K short of a typical Lake Clarke Shores home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $2,060 a month here, $1,920 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Lake Clarke Shores’s typical property tax (0.84% 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 $2,060
Renters already here pay a median of $1,427, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
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.
No new homes permitted in 2025
No permits for new homes were issued in Lake Clarke Shores in 2025. The last year with any was 2024 (1 new home).
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Lake Clarke Shores gained 188 residents while 8 new homes were permitted: about 24 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 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2024 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $650,000 |
| 2023 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $286,000 |
| 2022 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $650,000 |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2020 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $385,000 |
| 2019 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $175,000 |
| 2018 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $270,000 |
| 2017 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $360,000 |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | 0 | $349,000 |
| 2015 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $275,000 |
| 2014 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $424,000 |
| 2013 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $1.4 million |
| 2012 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $350,000 |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2010 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $350,000 |
| 2009 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $354,000 |
| 2008 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2007 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $395,000 |
| 2006 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $1.6 million |
| 2005 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2004 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2003 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $843,000 |
| 2002 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $150,000 |
| 2001 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $255,000 |
| 2000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
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 $4,845 (Florida: $2,730), 0.84% 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 Lake Clarke Shores
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.
Lake Clarke Shores vs. its neighbors
Of the 3 towns here with a Zillow value, Lake Clarke Shores 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Clarke Shores | C− | $669K | $574K | 0.84% | $2,060 |
| Lake Worth Beach | D | $442K | $401K | 0.86% | $2,090 |
| West Palm Beach | D− | $405K | $414K | 0.93% | $2,330 |
Questions about the cost of living in Lake Clarke Shores
Is Lake Clarke Shores expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Lake Clarke Shores costs more than 75% of U.S. towns: a C− for cost of living, #240 of 637 in Florida. The typical home costs 7.5 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 Lake Clarke Shores?
About $669K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 5.5% in a year. The Florida typical home is $375K.
What salary do you need to live in Lake Clarke Shores?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $171,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $3,980 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $82,000.
How much is rent in Lake Clarke Shores?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $2,060 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,427 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Lake Clarke Shores?
The median bill is $4,845 a year, 0.84% of the median home value (Florida: $2,730, 0.76%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Lake Clarke Shores going up?
Yes: up 5.5% in the past year and 40.4% in five years, against 18.6% across Florida (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Lake Clarke Shores 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.