City comparison
Fort Lauderdale, FL is about 225 miles (350 km) from The Villages, FL in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 275 miles, or about 4 h 30 min 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 The Villages, FL takes about 27 min, covering roughly 225 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.
Fort Lauderdale has a population of 182,673, vs 79,108 in The Villages — about 2.3× larger by population. By land area, Fort Lauderdale covers about 35 sq mi vs 33 sq mi for The Villages.
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 | The Villages | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,627/mo | $1,711/mo | 5.2% higher in The Villages |
| Median home value | $417,600 | $346,900 | 20.4% higher in Fort Lauderdale |
| Median household income | $75,376 | $73,415 | 2.7% higher in Fort Lauderdale |
| Groceries index | 103.1 | 96.5 | 6.9% higher in Fort Lauderdale |
| Utilities index | 97.0 | 89.5 | 8.4% higher in Fort Lauderdale |
| Transportation index | 108.3 | 99.0 | 9.4% higher in Fort Lauderdale |
| Healthcare index | 107.8 | 98.5 | 9.5% 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 $64,505 in The Villages to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
The Villages, FL is about 35.5% cheaper overall than Fort Lauderdale, FL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 159% higher in Fort Lauderdale than in The Villages. If you earn $80,000 in Fort Lauderdale, you'd need about $51,604 in The Villages to keep the same standard of living.