What does it cost to build a house in Fort Lauderdale in 2026?

As of November 2026, building a new house in Fort Lauderdale costs an estimated $215 to $575 per square foot before the lot, depending on how high-end the house is. On their permits, builders declare a median $111 per square foot. That’s the figure they give the city, and it usually runs well below the real cost.

$215–575estimated build cost per sq ft, builder grade to ultra-luxury, before the lot

$111declared per sq ft on new-home permits (median of 388 finished houses)

$2.35Mmedian lot bought for a new home on the water in the past two years ($835K inland)

$919median sale per sq ft of a new house on the water ($485 inland)

Build cost per square foot

The estimate, and what builders declare.

Groundbreak’s build calculator prices a house by what homes like it sell for: $215 a square foot at builder grade, up to $575 for ultra-luxury. Declared permit values barely move with price: a median $92 to $139 a square foot across the tiers.

How the calculator is tested →

Build cost by tier

$ per sq ft

Ultra-luxurySells for $1,000+ a sq ft · 20 houses

$575

LuxurySells for $700–999 a sq ft · 52 houses

$325

UpscaleSells for $450–699 a sq ft · 85 houses

$240

Builder gradeSells for under $450 a sq ft · 91 houses

$215

Calculator’s build cost
Declared on permits in Fort Lauderdale, middle half
Declared, median

Tested against 148 recorded Fort Lauderdale build-and-sell deals: with these build costs the calculator's land budget is a median 100% of what the builders actually paid for the lot, and within 25% of it on 87 of the 148 (the old defaults came to 41%).

Declared on permits, per sq ft

Every finished house: $111 median of 388 houses; middle half $89–$141
On the water: $142 117 houses; middle half $110–$186
Inland: $105 271 houses; middle half $84–$124

The declared value is the builder’s own figure for the construction work, and it sets the permit fee. It leaves out the lot and often much of the real cost, so read it as a floor, not a budget.

Both are per square foot of the tax roll’s total building area, garage and covered areas included, which runs larger than the area under air.

The lot, and the finished price

What land costs, and what new homes sell for.

Since November 2024, lots bought for new homes went for a median $2.35M on the water and $835K inland. Land sold for a median $251 a square foot on the water and $92 inland. Finished new houses have sold for a median $919 a square foot on the water and $485 inland.

Lots and land →

Lots bought for new homes

Since November 2024

On the water63 lots, a median 10,200 sq ft

$2.35M

Inland139 lots, a median 7,503 sq ft

$835K

Middle half in Fort Lauderdale
Median

New houses sold

$ per sq ft

On the water46 sales

$919

Inland206 sales

$485

Middle half in Fort Lauderdale
Median

Every lot is priced differently: see what builders paid nearby with a lot report for any address, or browse every vacant lot. Waterfront land in Fort Lauderdale sells for the most in Harbor Beach ($418 a sq ft), Las Olas Isles ($339 a sq ft) and Rio Vista ($294 a sq ft).

A worked example

Two new houses, priced out.

The typical new house on each side of the water, priced with the calculator’s own starting numbers. These are estimates, not quotes: a builder’s bid should replace the build cost.

A new house inland

3,850 sq ft · Upscale

Lot $835KBuild $924KSoft costs $92K

Lot: $835KThe median lot bought for a new home inland since November 2024 (139 lots, a median 7,503 sq ft).
Build: $924K3,850 sq ft, the median new house inland on the tax roll, at $240 a sq ft: the calculator’s Upscale tier, for homes that sell for about $485 a sq ft inland.
Soft costs: $92K10% of the build, the calculator’s default: design, engineering, permits and insurance.

Estimated total, before financing$1.85MFor scale: at $485 a sq ft, a new house that size inland would sell for about $1.87M.

A new house on the water

8,000 sq ft · Luxury

Lot $2.35MBuild $2.6MSoft costs $260K

Lot: $2.35MThe median lot bought for a new home on the water since November 2024 (63 lots, a median 10,200 sq ft).
Build: $2.6M8,000 sq ft, the median new house on the water on the tax roll, at $325 a sq ft: the calculator’s Luxury tier, for homes that sell for about $919 a sq ft on the water.
Soft costs: $260K10% of the build, the calculator’s default: design, engineering, permits and insurance.

Estimated total, before financing$5.21MFor scale: at $919 a sq ft, a new house that size on the water would sell for about $7.35M.

Run it with your own numbers: open a lot report for any address. Its calculator starts from the land sales and new-home prices around that lot. The calculator also counts interest over the build, which takes a median 28.3 months from permit to certificate of occupancy (33.1 on the water).

How long it takes

A median 28.3 months from permit to certificate of occupancy in Fort Lauderdale, stage by stage and builder by builder: how long it takes to build.

Pick a builder

Compare every builder on build time, waterfront work and sales, or match builders to where you want to build.

How the numbers work

Where the calculator’s build costs come from, and how they’re tested against recorded sales: the lot calculator.

Declared values are from new-home permits on LauderBuild; lot and sale prices from recorded deeds on the county parcel roll; square feet are the tax roll’s total building area. Build costs, totals and resale figures are Groundbreak’s estimates, not quotes or appraisals. Figures as of November 2026. How the data works.