What it's like to live in Margate
Margate is a smaller city in Florida with unemployment below the national average and crime rates well below the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Margate deals with rent well above the national average, household incomes below the national average, commute times longer than most cities, and larger class sizes than the national average.
The good
- Low unemployment
- Low crime rates
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- Below-average household incomes
- Above-average commute times
- High student-teacher ratio
- High rent burden for renters
- Hot summers
How Margate compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Margate
Based on Margate's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,500
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $70,000 a year
- 61% of Margate renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$63,240
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $31,620
- Homes cost 5.1× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 24% above US
$1,750/mo median rent
Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,750 a month median. Whether that premium makes sense usually comes down to the local job market and what it pays. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $316,200. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $316,200 · 61% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▼ 16% below US
3.6% unemployment
Unemployment here is 3.6%, a little below the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 56% below US
177 violent crimes per 100k
Safety is genuinely one of the selling points here. Both violent and property crime run well below the national average, the kind of numbers that fade into the background after a week of living somewhere.
Property crime 1139/100k · Margate Police Department · 2020 data
Getting around▲ 18% above US
31 min average commute
Traffic is a real factor here. The 30.7 minute average means plenty of commuters are pushing 45 to 60 minutes on a bad day. Proximity to work matters more here than it might elsewhere. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 11% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 91°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 61°F. It's a wet climate overall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 2.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 31% below US
25% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 25%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
10 public schools inside the boundary
There are 10 public schools inside the boundary and 6 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 19:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Biscayne National Park (52 miles away). There are 3 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Margate's strongest points are unemployment below the national average and crime rates well below the national average; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and household incomes below the national average. A year of median rent ($1,750/mo) equals 34% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit anyone prioritizing low crime.
Other places near Margate
All Florida guides →Moving to North Lauderdale →
2 mi away · pop. 45,234
Rent $2,081/mo · Income $63,326
Compare with Margate →Moving to Coconut Creek →
3 mi away · pop. 58,330
Rent $2,102/mo · Income $75,014
Compare with Margate →Moving to Coral Springs →
3 mi away · pop. 136,103
Rent $2,084/mo · Income $93,602
Compare with Margate →Not sure Margate is the one?
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