Moving to
Key Largo.

All Key Largo data Compare Key Largo

13,026people live here $85,778median household incomeNear US average $1,887median rent per month▲ 34% above US $643,900median home value▲ 94% above US

Key Largo is an unincorporated community in Monroe 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 Key Largo

Key Largo is an unincorporated community in Florida with county unemployment below the national average, a highly educated workforce, 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. Key Largo deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city, and a car-dependent commute, with few people using transit.

The good

Low unemployment in the county
Highly educated workforce
Low student-teacher ratio

The not so good

Rent well above the national average
High home prices
Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
Car-dependent — few commuters use transit

How Key Largo compares

Median household income

Key Largo$85,778

Florida avg$74,568

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Key Largo$1,887

Florida avg$1,669

US$1,413

Median home value

Key Largo$643,900

Florida avg$359,000

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Key Largo

Based on Key Largo's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$3,774

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

Income to keep rent under 30%: $75,480 a year
45% of Key Largo renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$128,780

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $64,390
Homes cost 7.5× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 34% above US

$1,887/mo median rent

Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,887 a month median. Whether that premium makes sense usually comes down to the local job market and what it pays. Home prices are steep, with a median around $643,900. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.

Median home value $643,900 · 45% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

2.8% county unemployment

Unemployment in Monroe County is 2.8%, a little below the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.

Monroe County (county-wide)

Safety

243 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction

Key Largo doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Monroe 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 502/100k · Policed by Monroe County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data

Getting aroundNear US average

26 min average commute

Commutes run about average, at 26.4 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; 12% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

69%

Carpool

14%

Work from home

12%

Other

2.3%

Walk

1.7%

Public transit

1.4%

Climate

Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 89°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 65°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforceNear US average

39% bachelor's degree or higher

Education levels run about average, with 39% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.

Schools

2 public schools inside the boundary

There are 2 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 13:1, 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 Biscayne National Park (32 miles away). There are 3 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Key Largo's strongest points are county unemployment below the national average and a highly educated workforce; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,887/mo) equals 26% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit job seekers (county-wide unemployment is low). It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget and anyone who doesn't drive.

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