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Ask The WizardHollywood is the Broadwalk city: a 2.5-mile oceanfront promenade of cafes, performers, and palms, a revived downtown around Young Circle, and a real, family-sized city behind it all. It suits beach lovers, retirees, first-time buyers, investors, and anyone who wants coast-adjacent living at a saner price than Fort Lauderdale, minutes north.
In this guide
The short answer, with the numbers
Yes, and Hollywood is one of the liveliest cost-to-lifestyle stories on the Broward coast. The 2.5-mile Broadwalk, a revived downtown around Young Circle, and a real city of nearly 160,000 people behind them: Hollywood delivers the beach life with Fort Lauderdale's energy dialed down and the prices dialed back. The August 2026 data put the all-types median near $500,000, with single-family listings around $650,000 and condos near $380,000, and houses spending roughly 50 days to contract.
The fit is the widest on this list. Beach lovers and second-home buyers get the Broadwalk and the oceanfront condo row. Retirees get a walkable shore, a lively downtown, and efficient condo stock. First-time buyers and investors get the county's heavy condo market with real negotiating room. Families get a genuine city with strong charters and magnets, and the honest caveat that zoned high schools sit in the solid middle of Broward.
The honest trade-offs: the Broadwalk is genuinely busy in season, the condo market carries 13.1 months of supply so fees and insurance must be modeled, and the school story needs planning. For a beach town with a real city behind it, at prices below Fort Lauderdale's, Hollywood is one of the best balanced bets on the coast.
Broward County · The beachfront Broadwalk city
Median sale price (all home types)
~$500,000
MyBrokerOne / Momentum, Aug 2026 (SFH listing ~$650K)
Median days to contract
~66
MoveWithMomentum, Aug 2026; PBP cites ~50 for houses
Months of inventory (houses)
4.5
PBP Real Estate, Aug 2026 (condos 13.1)
Cost-of-living index
~110.5
BestPlaces, 2026 (US average = 100)
Every figure on this page carries its source and its as-of date, because a good advisor labels the data before he uses it. Jump to the Hollywood Market Data Snapshot for the full grid.
The character of the town
Hollywood is built around its Broadwalk: two and a half miles of brick promenade between the sand and a wall of cafes, performers, and historic beach hotels. Pushcarts, musicians, and rollerbladers own it on weekends, and the beach pavilion hosts movies and concerts in season. It is the most people-friendly beachfront in South Florida, and the city knows it.
The city splits into three honest worlds. The beach side is the Broadwalk, the oceanfront towers, and the historic hotels. The middle is the real city: Young Circle's ArtsPark, the revived downtown with its old movie theater and dining scene, and the lake-and-canal neighborhoods that give Hollywood its residential charm. The west is the value corridor: family streets, the Turnpike, and the airport drive.
Hollywood's identity is beach-plus-community rather than beach-only. It has the oceanfront life and a downtown that actually works, a strong Latin and international dining scene, and a pace that keeps it approachable. It is the town people discover after Fort Lauderdale gets too expensive, and then they stay.
The money line, sourced
The honest numbers: the index, the home values, the income range, and the one tax break that changes the math for relocators.
The index, honestly
BestPlaces puts Hollywood's cost-of-living index at about 110.5, roughly 10.5 percent above the U.S. average and about 7 percent above the Florida average. Everyday costs sit near national norms; housing does the heavy lifting.
BestPlaces, 2026
Home values
The all-types median ran near $500,000 in August 2026, with single-family listings around $650,000 and condos near $380,000 asking. The waterfront and the Broadwalk towers carry the premium; the mainland and west hold the value.
MyBrokerOne / PBP Real Estate, Aug 2026
No state income tax
Florida taxes no wage or retirement income at the state level, a permanent line on the budget for relocators from high-tax states.
State law, applies in Hollywood
The bottom line
Hollywood gives you a real beach town with a real city attached, at prices below Fort Lauderdale's. The honest catch is the condo side: 13.1 months of supply means fees and HOA lines matter as much as the sale price.
BestPlaces / MLS data, 2026
| Category | Hollywood | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living vs. U.S. average | ~10.5% above (index ~110.5) | U.S. average = 100 (BestPlaces, 2026) |
| Cost of living vs. Florida average | ~7% above | Florida average near 103 (BestPlaces, 2026) |
| Median home sale price | ~$500,000 (all home types) | SFH listings ~$650K; condos ~$380K asking, Aug 2026 |
| State income tax | None | Florida state law, applies in Hollywood |
| Property insurance | Higher than most northern states | Coastal ZIPs carry the highest wind premiums |
The current picture, in numbers
Here is the honest, current picture, labeled by source and date. Hollywood's all-types median ran near $500,000 in August 2026, houses spent roughly 50 to 66 days to contract, single-family supply sat at 4.5 months, and the condo market carried 13.1 months, a genuine buyer's market on the tower side.
Three honest frames before the numbers: this snapshot is static and dated, not a live ticker. Different portals count differently, so the spread of figures is the truth, not the mess. And the tax angle that sweetens every line below: Florida has no state income tax.
Median sale price (all home types)
~$500,000
SFH listings ~$650K / closed ~$550K; condos ~$380K asking
MyBrokerOne / Momentum / PBP · Aug 2026
Median days to contract
~66
PBP cites ~50 for single-family houses
MoveWithMomentum / PBP · Aug 2026
Months of inventory (houses)
4.5
condos at 13.1 months, a buyer's market
PBP Real Estate · Aug 2026
Homes for sale
~1,475 active
441 houses + 1,034 condos/townhomes
PBP Real Estate · Aug 2026
Typical price per sq ft
~$377-$418
sales basis; asking $444 houses / $357 condos
MyBrokerOne / PBP · 2026
Market rating
Balanced to buyer-friendly
tight houses, deep condo supply
Multiple sources · 2026
PBP Real Estate MLS · August 2026
| Measure | Figure | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Median listing, single-family | $649,900 | MLS, August 2026 |
| Median closed, single-family | ~$550,000 | MLS, August 2026 |
| Median condo/townhome asking | $380,000 | MLS, August 2026 |
| Months of inventory | 4.5 houses / 13.1 condos | PBP Real Estate, August 2026 |
Broward MLS · Feb 2026 / PBP Real Estate · 2026
| Measure | Figure | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Single-family median sale price | $620,000 | Feb 2026, Miami Herald / Broward MLS |
| Condo/townhome median sale price | $242,000 | Feb 2026, Broward MLS |
| Months of supply, condos/townhomes | 10.6 | countywide, PBP Real Estate 2026 |
| Single-family supply | ~6 months | Jan 2026 MLS reports |
Read it honestly: Hollywood is the cleanest split market on this list: single-family houses at 4.5 months of supply trade close to $550,000 and hold their pace, while the condos at 13.1 months of supply give buyers real negotiating power and the fees demand real modeling. The Broadwalk towers carry the top, the mainland holds the value, and the honest read is that prepared buyers get a genuine deal on the condo side. For the freshest look at homes for sale in Hollywood today, the snapshot above is the honest starting point; your exact street gets current numbers on a call.
Where to look first
6 pockets buyers ask Michael about most, each with the honest read attached. The spread between them is the single most important thing to understand about Hollywood, and the reason the right neighborhood matters more than the town name.
The 2.5-mile oceanfront promenade and its historic hotels
Hollywood's beating heart: brick promenade, live music, pushcart cafes, and the ocean on the other side of the sand. Oceanfront tower and hotel-adjacent condos here carry the city's top prices and its highest rental potential.
Fits best: Beach lovers, second-home buyers, and investors
The revived 1920s core with the ArtsPark at its center
The old movie theater, the ArtsPark, galleries, and a dining scene that gets better every year. Downtown Hollywood is the walkable, cultural counterweight to the beach, and the streets around it mix vintage bungalows with new residences.
Fits best: Empty nesters, creatives, and walkability fans
Lakes, canals, and mid-century charm near the Intracoastal
Between downtown and the Intracoastal, the Lakes Section offers ranch and two-story homes on a web of lakes and canals, with dockage in places and the Broadwalk a short drive away. It is the city's quiet waterfront middle.
Fits best: Boaters and families who want the water side of the city
Elevated, lake-and-golf neighborhoods on the city's south side
Hollywood Hills' mid-century homes on its namesake elevation and Emerald Hills' gated golf community are the city's settled, family premium. Wide lots, lakes, and the golf course give them the strongest street-level feel in Hollywood.
Fits best: Families and established buyers
Canal homes and a genuine boating community
The Driftwood section and its canal neighbors put deep water, docks, and the Intracoastal at the door, the closest Hollywood gets to Fort Lauderdale's canal life at a softer price.
Fits best: Boaters and water families
Surburban streets with quick Turnpike and retail access
The western tier of the city trades beach proximity for space and value: family homes, the Turnpike at the door, and every retail corridor nearby. This is where Hollywood's entry-level and mid-family sales actually happen.
Fits best: First-time buyers, families, and commuters
Hollywood's honest question is which Hollywood: the Broadwalk towers, the downtown bungalows, the Lakes Section canals, the golf communities, or the value west. Tell Michael what you are optimizing for, beach access, walkability, schools, dockage, or price point, and he will point you at the pocket, not the plat map.
Find Your Hollywood NeighborhoodThe district report, with rankings
Broward County Public Schools serves Hollywood, and the honest story is the county's middle with strong charters and magnets doing the heavy lifting. Beachside Montessori Village is a genuine standout at Niche A- for both elementary and middle, while the zoned high schools, Hollywood Hills, South Broward, and McArthur, sit in the solid middle of the district.
| School | Rating / rank | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Beachside Montessori Village School | Niche A- · #177 best public elementary in Florida · #105 best public middle in Florida | Niche, 2026 |
| Somerset Academy Charter Elementary | Niche A- · a leading charter option for Hollywood families | Niche, 2026 |
| Hollywood Hills High School | U.S. News #516 in Florida | U.S. News, 2026 |
| South Broward High School | Niche B · #612 Niche Standout High School in America for 2026 | Niche, 2026 |
| McArthur High School | U.S. News #542 in Florida · serves Hollywood and Dania Beach addresses | U.S. News, 2026 |
| Broward County Public Schools | State-rated A for 2024-25, with the county's magnet and charter network | Florida DOE, 2025-26 |
PK-8 public Montessori magnet, Hollywood Beach area
9-12 public high school, Hollywood Hills
Rankings and attendance zones come from GreatSchools, US News, Niche, and PublicSchoolReview, all as of 2026 or the most recent published cycle, and they change. Michael always confirms the exact assigned schools for a specific address before you make an offer.
The drive math, by the numbers
Hollywood sits on the coast between Fort Lauderdale and Miami, and the commute math is genuinely enviable. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is about 10 minutes north, downtown Fort Lauderdale about 15, downtown Miami about 25 to 35 minutes, and Aventura about 10. Brightline stops nearby for the Miami-Orlando rail run.
The beach is the city's front yard, so the daily commute for most residents is the walk to the Broadwalk. For the work commute, I-95, the Palmetto, and the Turnpike all run within minutes, and Tri-Rail covers the county rail option.
The honest note: the beach roads and I-95 jam at the usual times, and snowbird season slows the Broadwalk traffic lights. For a two-market commute between Fort Lauderdale and Miami, Hollywood is one of the best-positioned cities on the coast.
To Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Int'l (FLL)
~10 min
Driving, I-95 / US-1 north
To downtown Miami
~25-35 min
Driving, I-95 south
To the Broadwalk and the beach
Walk or minutes
The beach is the city's front yard
Match the town to your life
The buyer types Hollywood fits especially well, each with the sourced reason attached. This is the audience range Michael works with every week as The Life Transition Specialist: buyers, sellers, retirees, families, and investors from the Treasure Coast to South Florida.
The Broadwalk at the door, oceanfront towers, and a beach town that is genuinely walkable. Hollywood delivers the beach life with the city behind it.
Flat Broadwalk walks, a lively downtown, efficient condo stock, and no state income tax. As a Certified Senior Transition Specialist, Michael helps plan the move itself.
13.1 months of condo supply gives buyers real leverage, and the Broadwalk's rental demand is constant through both seasons. Fees and insurance are the numbers to model.
Real neighborhoods from the Lakes Section to West Hollywood, strong charters like Beachside Montessori, and the honest caveat that zoned high schools sit mid-district. Plan the zone and the family math works.
Mainland ranch stock and a deep condo market give true entry points on the coast, with negotiating room that coastal markets rarely offer.
Two job markets within 10 to 35 minutes, an airport in town, and rail nearby. Hollywood is the coast's best-positioned commute address.
Flat, walkable beach access, medical services on the corridor, and efficient condos for the transition. Michael works families through it as a planning advisor.
For out-of-state movers
Moving to Hollywood from outside Florida is a life transition, and the people who plan it as one land better. Here is the practical short list, every point grounded in the sourced numbers on this page and in how Michael guides relocators from the Treasure Coast to South Florida.
Florida taxes no wage or retirement income at the state level, a permanent line on the budget for anyone moving from a high-tax state.
Two and a half miles of oceanfront promenade, live music, and cafes: the most people-friendly beach in South Florida, and it is the everyday setting.
Fort Lauderdale 15 minutes, Miami 25 to 35, an airport in town, and rail nearby. Hollywood splits the difference beautifully.
Young Circle's ArtsPark, the revived 1920s core, and a dining scene with serious international depth: beach towns usually do not come with this attached.
A cost-of-living index near 110.5 and a heavy condo supply mean fees and insurance must be modeled. Michael builds the full monthly number into every search.
Michael treats every relocation as a life transition: a 15-minute strategy call sorts your timeline, school plan, and budget before you ever look at homes for sale in Hollywood.
New to Florida entirely? Start with the Moving to Florida Checklist, the Florida Tax Guide, and the Relocation Guide Hub.
Michael "Wiz" Wisniewski · The Wizard of Real Estate
Hollywood is the town I send people to when they want the beach and the city without the Fort Lauderdale bill. A Broadwalk morning, an ArtsPark evening, a canal home in the Lakes Section: that is the whole pitch, and it is honest. My job is to make sure the condo fees and the school plan are settled before the offer, because the choice of Hollywood here decides everything.
Michael "Wiz" Wisniewski · The Wizard of Real Estate · Talk Soon
Local favorites
Straight answers, no fine print
The questions buyers ask Michael most about moving to Hollywood, answered directly with the sourced numbers on this page.
Yes, and it is one of the best balanced coastal towns in Broward. The 2.5-mile Broadwalk, a revived downtown, and a real city of people behind them deliver beach life with the city attached, at an all-types median near $500,000 in August 2026. The honest caveats: the condo market is heavy at 13.1 months of supply, the zoned high schools sit mid-district, and the beach is busy in season.
Less than Fort Lauderdale, more than the inland suburbs. The cost-of-living index runs about 110.5, the all-types median is near $500,000, single-family listings run around $650,000, and condos sit near $380,000 asking. The Broadwalk towers carry the top; West Hollywood holds the value.
The beach is the city's centerpiece: the Broadwalk runs along the ocean for 2.5 miles, and most neighborhoods are within 10 minutes of the sand. Hollywood Beach, North Beach Park, and the Anne Kolb nature trails are all inside the city.
Yes, strongly. Flat Broadwalk walks, a lively downtown, efficient condo stock near the shore, and no state income tax make the equation comfortable. Michael, a Certified Senior Transition Specialist, helps retirees and their families plan the move itself, from timing the sale to choosing the right building.
The county's middle with strong magnets and charters. Beachside Montessori Village is a genuine standout at Niche A- for elementary and middle, while the zoned high schools, Hollywood Hills, South Broward, and McArthur, rank mid-district. Families should confirm the exact assignment and consider the magnet and charter paths.
Split and opportunity-rich. Houses at a ~$550,000 closed median held 4.5 months of supply in August 2026, while condos at 13.1 months gave buyers real leverage. This snapshot is static and dated, not a live ticker, so current numbers for your exact street are the ones that matter.
Yes for the everyday life: the lakes and canal neighborhoods, the parks, the beach, and a genuine downtown for the weekends. The school plan needs zoning and charter work, and the family that does it well gets a strong answer from Beachside Montessori and the district's magnets.
Have a question this page did not answer? Ask it directly: (561) 441-8420 or michael@thecompleterealestateteam.com.
Keep exploring
The canal city 15 minutes north, with more urban energy.
Read itThe oceanfront condo city at the Miami-Dade line.
Read itThe oldest city in Broward, reborn by the runway.
Read itThe family city west, minutes from the Turnpike.
Read itComparing Hollywood against its neighbors is the fastest way to see where it fits. Read the honest Hollywood pros and cons, then the guides above.
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Michael "Wiz" Wisniewski, The Life Transition Specialist, is a Certified Real Estate Planning Advisor and Certified A.I. Real Estate Advisor at The Complete Real Estate Team, powered by Dalton Wade Real Estate, Florida DRE #3301665. Bring your questions about Hollywood, your timeline, schools, and budget: he will tell you honestly whether this corner of the Treasure Coast fits your plan, and which neighborhood pocket your money should live in.
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