Moving to Pembroke Pines, FL

What kind of city you are moving into

Pembroke Pines has about 173,194 residents, per Census data, which makes it one of the largest cities in Broward County. Only 1.0% of homes are seasonal, so the streets are busy all year and neighbors are mostly full-time residents. The median age is 44.3, and 20.0% of residents are 65 or older. That mix shows on the ground: family subdivisions in the west, large retiree condo communities such as Century Village, and a lot in between.

The city stretches a long way east to west, from older areas near the Florida Turnpike out to newer communities near the edge of the Everglades. Pines Boulevard is the main east-west road and carries most of the shopping. I-75 runs through the western part of the city and connects north toward Weston and Sawgrass and south toward Miami.

Housing costs, and the gap between condos and houses

Zillow's all-homes figure for Pembroke Pines is about $486,731, down 1.5% over the past year and up 27.6% over five years. That average hides two markets. The typical condo is about $187,128 and fell 6.4% in a year. The typical single-family home is about $590,377 and barely moved, down 0.6%.

By size, a 1-bedroom runs about $134,396, a 2-bedroom about $234,109, a 3-bedroom about $546,375 and a 4-bedroom about $719,570. The jump from two bedrooms to three is more than $300,000, because almost all 2-bedroom homes are condos and almost all 3-bedroom homes are houses or townhomes. Newcomers often underestimate this and plan a budget around the citywide average, which fits neither market.

Census data shows 46.0% of homes are detached single-family and 29.7% are in buildings of 10 or more units. Mobile homes are 1.1%. The median build year is 1992.

Neighborhoods at different budgets

Zillow tracks about two dozen Pembroke Pines neighborhoods, and their values spread widely:

• Under $200,000: Century Village at about $172,655 and Hollybrook at about $133,121, both condo-heavy, and both down sharply in the past year.
• About $380,000 to $560,000: Pasadena Lakes South, Cobblestone, East and West Sunswept, Tanglewood Lakes, Pine Village, Walnut Creek and Westview.
• About $590,000 to $690,000: Pembroke Isles, Pembroke Lakes, Pasadena Lakes, Town Gate, Chapel Trail, Keystone Lake, Grand Palms, Spring Valley, Silver Lakes and Estancia.
• Above $730,000: Pembroke Shores, Encantada, Laguna Isles and Pembroke Falls, the highest at about $843,211.

Zillow's boundaries do not always match the names on community gates, and many neighborhoods contain several HOAs with different rules and dues.

Getting around, and what is nearby

Most residents drive everywhere. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Miami International are both reachable by highway, and the Turnpike and I-75 handle most longer trips. Rush-hour traffic on Pines Boulevard and on the routes toward Miami is a real daily cost for commuters, so test-drive your commute at the hour you will make it.

The city has Memorial Hospital West, part of the Memorial Healthcare System, and C.B. Smith Park, a large Broward County park. Shopping is spread along Pines Boulevard, including Pembroke Lakes Mall and The Shops at Pembroke Gardens. The beach is a drive east through Hollywood or Fort Lauderdale; Pembroke Pines itself is inland.

Taxes, insurance and storms for a new resident

Many families arrive here from states with an income tax, and Florida has none. Property tax and insurance take its place in the budget. If you buy a home here as your permanent residence, you can file for homestead, worth up to $51,411 off assessed value in 2026, with future increases capped at 3% or inflation. Your bill is based on your purchase price, not the seller's old assessment.

Western Broward is flat and low, and the city is laced with lakes and canals that manage stormwater. Check the FEMA flood zone for each address, ask about the roof age and wind mitigation features, and get a homeowner's quote during the inspection period. Lenders require flood insurance in A zones, and some buyers carry it outside those zones too. Condo buyers should ask about the building's insurance and its hurricane deductible, since a storm loss can become a special assessment.

Pros, cons and what newcomers get wrong

• Pro: a wide range of prices in one city, from condos under $200,000 to 5-bedroom houses near $922,127.
• Pro: mostly planned neighborhoods with HOAs, so streets and common areas tend to be maintained.
• Pro: cheaper than Weston, where the typical home is about $718,627, while sharing the same side of the county.
• Con: heavy car dependence and traffic on main roads.
• Con: HOA rules can be strict, and some communities stack a master association on top of a sub-association.
• Con: older condo communities are going through costly reserve and repair cycles.

The usual mistake is choosing a neighborhood from a map before checking the HOA and insurance numbers for it. Two houses at the same price can differ by several hundred dollars a month once dues and premiums are in. A shortlist that shows those costs next to each price is the fastest way to narrow the city down.