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Moving to
Hobe Sound.
Hobe Sound is an unincorporated community in Martin County, FL. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.
What it's like to live in Hobe Sound
Hobe Sound is an unincorporated community in Florida with rent below the national average, air quality that stays clean most of the year, and schools with smaller class sizes than the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Hobe Sound deals with household incomes below the national average, commute times longer than most cities, a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin, and hot summers.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Clean air
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Above-average commute times
- High rent burden for renters
- Hot summers
- Very rainy — 64" of rain per year
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
How Hobe Sound compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Hobe Sound
Based on Hobe Sound's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,258
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $45,160 a year
- 54% of Hobe Sound renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$78,940
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $39,470
- Homes cost 6.2× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 20% below US
$1,129/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,129 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices run above average, with a median around $394,700. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.
Median home value $394,700 · 54% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.2% county unemployment
Unemployment in Martin County is 4.2%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Martin County (county-wide)
Safety
147 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Hobe Sound doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Martin County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction as a whole, which runs below the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.
Property crime 604/100k · Policed by Martin County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
29 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 28.5 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 17% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 90°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 55°F. It's a wet climate overall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 17% below US
30% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 30%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
1 public school inside the boundary
There is 1 public school inside the boundary and 4 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 14:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Big Cypress National Preserve (96 miles away).
Bottom line
Hobe Sound's strongest points are rent below the national average and air quality that stays clean most of the year; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and commute times longer than most cities. A year of median rent ($1,129/mo) equals 21% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and remote workers (17% of workers here already work from home).
Other places near Hobe Sound
All Florida guides →Moving to Port Salerno →
5 mi away · pop. 11,184
Rent $1,440/mo · Income $67,436
Compare with Hobe Sound →Moving to Palm City →
11 mi away · pop. 26,371
Rent $2,013/mo · Income $125,820
Compare with Hobe Sound →Not sure Hobe Sound is the one?
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