Moving to North Palm Beach, FL

A village between the Intracoastal and Palm Beach Gardens

North Palm Beach is an incorporated village of 13,238 people. It runs along US-1 and the Intracoastal Waterway, with Palm Beach Gardens to the west, Lake Park to the south and Juno Beach to the north. Much of the village sits on or near the water, with canals running off the Intracoastal through residential streets.

Two things locals mention first. John D. MacArthur Beach State Park, at the north end of Singer Island, gives the village a large protected beach and nature area. The village also owns the North Palm Beach Country Club, a public golf course and club facility, so residents have access to golf without joining a private club. Shopping, restaurants and the main hospital options are a short drive west in Palm Beach Gardens. Palm Beach International Airport is about a 20 to 30 minute drive south, depending on traffic.

Housing: mostly condos, built around 1972

Census data shows 54.5% of housing units in North Palm Beach sit in buildings with 10 or more units. Only 32.2% are single-family detached homes, and mobile homes are close to zero at 0.1%. The median home was built in 1972.

That profile means most buyers here are looking at condos in buildings more than 50 years old. Florida's 2022 condo safety law matters a lot in a place like this: buildings three stories and taller must complete milestone inspections and a Structural Integrity Reserve Study, and associations can no longer waive reserve funding for budgets adopted on or after December 31, 2024. Before you write an offer on a North Palm Beach condo, get the milestone report, the SIRS, two years of board minutes and the list of any special assessments. Florida gives a resale condo buyer 7 days, not counting weekends and legal holidays, from receipt of those documents to walk away.

Many of the single-family homes date from the village's early decades, and some lots have since been rebuilt with newer houses. On a house, the age of the roof and the condition of the original systems tell you more about cost than the floor plan does.

Prices: a wide gap between condo and house

A one-bedroom is worth about $189,229 and a two-bedroom about $411,238 on Zillow's bedroom index, and those sizes are mostly condos. A three-bedroom jumps to about $936,268, a four-bedroom to about $1,859,812 and five bedrooms and up to about $5,462,059. The lower third of the market ends near $308,821; the upper third starts near $2,018,437.

Single-family values rose 5.7% over the past year, while condos rose 1.0%. Over five years, the all-homes index rose 19.2%, a slower run than Palm Beach Gardens or Jupiter on the same data. The village is priced below Jupiter ($704,524) and Palm Beach Gardens ($696,122) for all homes, but a house here costs more than a typical house in either, largely because so many of them are on the water.

Who lives here

The median age is 57.0 and 34.6% of residents are 65 or older. About 16.7% of homes are seasonal, so the village is busier from about November to April and quieter in summer.

For a buyer, an older and partly seasonal population shapes the condo market. Association boards are often run by long-time owners, and the pace of decisions about repairs and reserves varies a lot from building to building. Read the minutes to see how a board handles money before you join it.

Water, flood zones and insurance

Being on or near the water is the main reason people pay these prices, and it brings the main costs. Check the FEMA flood zone for each address; canal and Intracoastal properties are often in A or V zones, which means required flood insurance with a mortgage. Ask for an elevation certificate on any house.

For houses built in the 1960s and 1970s, insurers usually require a 4-point inspection of the roof, electrical, plumbing and HVAC. A wind mitigation report can reduce the premium on a house with a newer roof and impact protection. For canal homes, inspect the seawall separately and check the route to the Intracoastal for bridge clearance if you have a boat.

Taxes and what newcomers get wrong

Florida has no state income tax, and a permanent North Palm Beach home qualifies for the homestead exemption of up to $51,411 in 2026, plus the 3% Save Our Homes cap on assessment increases. The common mistake is budgeting from the seller's tax bill: the assessed value resets to market value after a sale, so a house that sold for the first time in 30 years can carry a much higher bill for the next owner. Seasonal owners who keep a primary home elsewhere get no homestead exemption.

The other surprise is the condo fee. A building with an older roof, aging elevators or concrete repairs ahead can carry a higher fee than a newer building down the road. Compare the full monthly cost across buildings before comparing prices. If you share what you're after, I can put together a shortlist of buildings and streets that fit it.