City comparison
Fort Lauderdale, FL is about 200 miles (300 km) from Tampa, FL in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 250 miles, or about 4 h behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Fort Lauderdale, FL to Tampa, FL takes about 23 min, covering roughly 200 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
Tampa has a population of 388,768, vs 182,673 in Fort Lauderdale — about 2.1× larger by population. By land area, Tampa covers about 115 sq mi vs 35 sq mi for Fort Lauderdale.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Fort Lauderdale | Tampa | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,627/mo | $1,422/mo | 14.4% higher in Fort Lauderdale |
| Median home value | $417,600 | $333,200 | 25.3% higher in Fort Lauderdale |
| Median household income | $75,376 | $66,802 | 12.8% higher in Fort Lauderdale |
| Groceries index | 103.1 | 95.8 | 7.7% higher in Fort Lauderdale |
| Utilities index | 97.0 | 89.1 | 8.9% higher in Fort Lauderdale |
| Transportation index | 108.3 | 97.8 | 10.7% higher in Fort Lauderdale |
| Healthcare index | 107.8 | 97.3 | 10.8% higher in Fort Lauderdale |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Fort Lauderdale, you'd need $86,150 in Tampa to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Tampa, FL is about 13.9% cheaper overall than Fort Lauderdale, FL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 23% higher in Fort Lauderdale than in Tampa. If you earn $80,000 in Fort Lauderdale, you'd need about $68,920 in Tampa to keep the same standard of living.