Faced with rent that has climbed 27% in five years, searches for rooms to rent in Miami are in decline as Naples and Port St Lucie see huge uplifts in roommate interest.
Renting as a roommate in Miami today costs, on average, $1,314 per month - up 27% from $1,038 five years ago (Q2 2026 vs Q2 2021) - reports roommate site SpareRoom. Rent increases over the same five-year period have been slightly steeper in Fort Lauderdale (+28%), where the average roommate can now expect to pay $1,157 per month in rent.
Although roommates in Fort Lauderdale are saving, on average, $1,884 per year compared to roommates renting in Miami, the average roommate's budget in Fort Lauderdale is just $980 per month, considerably lower than the average rent.
Area interest data from SpareRoom suggests this affordability shortfall is pushing roommates to consider other options. While searches for areas in Miami and Fort Lauderdale fell in the year to 2025, searches for areas where priced-out renters might relocate saw roommate searches increase dramatically.
These include Port St Lucie and Fort Pierce, around two hours north of Miami on Florida's Treasure Coast, along with Vero Beach even farther north on the Space Coast.
The following area searches input by roommates all declined in the year to 2025: Miami (-27%), Miami-Dade County (-26%), West Palm Beach (-25%), Downtown Miami (-22%), Hollywood (-22%), North Miami (-21%), South Miami (-19%), North Miami Beach (-18%), Miami Beach (-15%), Pompano Beach (-14%), Boca Raton (-12%), Brickell (-10%), Fort Lauderdale (-3%).
The following area searches input by roommates all increased in the year to 2025: Naples (+74%), Port St Lucie (+72%), Vero Beach (+45%), Fort Pierce (+38%), Cape Coral (+30%).
Looking at other major cities in FL, Tampa - where the average roommate rent is now $959 per month and falling 2.6% year over year - saw a 42% increase in roommate interest in the year to 2025, while searches for Orlando stayed broadly level (-0.3%). The average monthly roommate rent in Orlando is $895 and falling 1.5% year over year.
The chart below shows roommate rent in Miami FL has been in decline since its post-Covid peak, but is still inflated well above pre-pandemic levels:
The chart below compares roommate rents in Miami and Fort Lauderdale since 2019:
Matt Hutchinson, director of roommate site SpareRoom, comments: “Miami isn't seeing the rent hikes of past years, but that price stability is small relief to roommates who are still paying way more for housing than before the pandemic. Relocating life and work to cut costs may simply be a reality for those who've found their finances stretched to breaking point. “The fact roommates are already saving by sharing rentals and are now looking around for bigger savings tells you everything you need to know about just how high the cost of living is today.”