Tamarac sits in northwest Broward County as a suburb of Fort Lauderdale with easy access to the Sawgrass Expressway and the Everglades. Many residents use University Drive as a daily spine for errands, dining options, and recreational facilities. If you like to live near parks and nature preserves yet want quick trips to beaches and major metro areas, living in Tamarac provides that balance.
Tamarac real estate offers a varied housing scene that runs from one bedroom apartments to townhomes and single family neighborhoods. The city’s parks network includes Tamarac Park and the Woodmont Natural Area, and you can get to Sawgrass Mills Mall in nearby Sunrise for shopping, boutique outlets, and many restaurants. Life here is South Florida casual, with a lot of things happening outdoors most of the year.
What’s The Housing Market Like In Tamarac?
On price, the local trend has been steady to slightly soft in entry level segments. In September 2025, the median sale price in Tamarac was about $320,000, down 3% year over year, with a median 101 days on market, based on Redfin’s city page for Tamarac in that month. That tempo reads closer to a balanced market than a pure seller’s real estate market, since days on market are lengthening while list prices still need to meet buyers where they are.
Nearby comparisons help frame expectations. Sunrise posted a September 2025 median around $337,000 with a 12.5%annual decline, while Coral Springs sat higher at roughly $643,000 with a 2.8% annual increase. Those gaps reflect product mix, school zoning, and lot sizes more than a single trend. If you are moving to Tamarac from Coral Springs or Plantation, expect more attainable list prices in many Tamarac condo and villa communities.
What Are The Best Neighborhoods In Tamarac?
Neighborhood preferences are highly personal, so the safest way to compare is by features and convenience rather than subjective labels. Areas off University Drive put you close to city facilities, parks, and public transportation stops that serve Tamarac residents.
Communities around Woodmont and the northwest corridor provide golf course views, access to heritage art events at local pavilions, and a short drive to the Sawgrass Expressway for regional commutes. For buyers who want easy access to Fort Lauderdale beaches, the east side of the city offers shorter drives to coastal points of interest while keeping suburban convenience.
What Are The Most Popular House Types in Tamarac?
Condominiums and villas are common, especially for people living on a fixed budget who want lower exterior maintenance. Townhomes with small yards are popular with owners who want a bit more privacy without a large mortgage or high upkeep.
Single family homes appear in established neighborhoods that were built in phases, so you will see ranch styles, updated interiors, and some newer infill properties.
Rental listings also span the range, from apartment communities with on site amenities to single family homes that accept VA backed tenants or households that need flexible lease terms.
What Is The Cost Of Living In Tamarac?
As of November 2025, a third party cost index estimated that the overall cost of living in Tamarac is about 13 percent higher than the U.S. average and roughly 3 percent higher than the Florida average, assuming a two bedroom rental baseline. Housing, transportation, and food run less affordable than the U.S. average within that model. This is consistent with broader South Florida pricing where insurance, fuel, and groceries trend higher than national norms.
Compared with nearby towns, the average cost profile feels similar to Sunrise and Lauderhill, with Coral Springs skewing higher due to larger single family housing stock. If you rent, factor in association fees that some condo communities pass through to tenants.
If you own a mortgage, include wind, flood where required, and property taxes when you calculate the average cost of living in Tamarac. Those line items often explain the difference between an attractive list price and the monthly payment that feels comfortable.
Who Are The Major Employers in Tamarac?
Healthcare anchors a lot of local employment. HCA Florida Woodmont Hospital on North University Drive is a full service facility and a long standing employer serving Tamarac and Broward County. The facility’s profile lists inpatient rehabilitation, emergency services, and specialty care, and the campus participates in graduate medical education.
Regional retail and logistics also matter. CITY Furniture, headquartered in the Tamarac area, reports thousands of employees in Florida. The broader Sunrise corridor around Sawgrass Mills supports seasonal and year round retail jobs and management roles that serve residents in Tamarac, Sunrise, and Plantation. Many residents also commute to Fort Lauderdale, Coral Springs, and Lauderhill for work in county government, education, marine industries, and technology.
What is commuting in Tamarac like?
Tamarac’s street grid makes it easy to get around, with University Drive, Commercial Boulevard, and McNab Road handling most daily trips. Broward County Transit operates local and express routes along these corridors, including service that connects to Miami Dade during peak hours. Stops near Tamarac Park and University Drive show late evening service on key lines, which helps shift workers and students.
For drivers, the Sawgrass Expressway and Florida’s Turnpike offer direct access to the metro areas of South Florida.
How are the Schools in Tamarac?
Broward County Public Schools, the sixth-largest district in the U.S., serves Tamarac, with zoned schools that typically include Tamarac Elementary, Challenger Elementary, Eagle Ridge Elementary, and Millennium 6–12 Collegiate Academy, depending on your address. Millennium 6–12 is a notable option locally, ranked #2 high school in Florida and #41 in the U.S., with a 100% graduation rate and a 97.7 college-readiness index in recent U.S.
In addition to zoned publics, Tamarac has several charter options, including Renaissance Charter School at University on N University Drive and Everest Charter School on W McNab Road, both tuition-free public charters.
Within a short drive you will also find private and faith-based schools in Sunrise, Coral Springs, and Plantation, such as Calvary Christian Academy (Fort Lauderdale), Center Academy Coral Springs, and American Heritage School in Plantation, which span grades from elementary through high school.
The district publishes annual timelines for school choice, magnets and career academies, testing dates, and transportation eligibility, so if schools are a priority, it is worth lining your move up with those application windows.
Is Tamarac A Safe Place To Live?
Public safety in Tamarac is handled by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office (BSO) Tamarac District, which provides full-time patrol, investigations, and community policing. Recent summaries put Tamarac at roughly 20 total crimes per 1,000 residents a year, with violent crime around 3 per 1,000 and most incidents falling into the property-crime bucket. Risk is higher along some multifamily and commercial corridors and lower in quieter single-family pockets, so it pays to look at the crime map for the specific area you’re considering.
On the prevention side, BSO runs neighbourhood watch and Citizen Observer Patrol programs, crime-prevention talks for HOAs, and countywide camera-registration and property-marking drives. For any address, the practical move is to check the BSO crime map and Florida’s state UCR dashboard for a few years of data, then layer in what you hear from local residents and the HOA.
What’s The Community Like in Tamarac?
Tamarac residents enjoy a steady calendar of recreational activities, from youth sports at Tamarac Park to outdoor activities at the Woodmont Natural Area. Weekends often include a quick drive to a beach or a visit to art galleries and heritage art events in nearby Fort Lauderdale. Dining ranges from local Cuban bakeries to global options along University Drive, with easy access to boutique retailers and large chains.
People who like Tamarac appreciate convenience. You can run errands quickly, attend a city event, then meet friends at a restaurant in Sunrise or Coral Springs. Parks, pavilions, and city facilities operate year round, and you have public transportation for a low cost way to get around Tamarac if you prefer not to drive.
What Are The Best Things To Do In Tamarac?
The Woodmont Natural Area offers shaded trails and birding close to residential neighborhoods. Residents often rotate weekend plans between Tamarac Park, Veterans Park, and nature preserves on the northwest side of the city. If you want retail and entertainment, Sawgrass Mills in Sunrise draws visitors for outlet shopping and dining, and it is a short drive from most Tamarac neighborhoods.
Fort Lauderdale beaches, Las Olas dining, and the Museum of Discovery and Science are within regional striking distance. On hot days many locals pick an indoor activity in Plantation or Coral Springs, then head out for dinner once the sun drops. The location makes it easy to get to a lot of things without a long commute.
FAQs
Tamarac is a suburb of Fort Lauderdale, so commutes often follow University Drive or the Sawgrass Expressway toward downtown and the beach. Many residents time trips around peak periods, and some use Broward County Transit express routes for predictable travel windows.
The best way to get around without a car is to pair Broward County Transit bus service on University Drive with rideshare for first and last mile gaps. Late evening trips are possible on key routes, and schedules show frequent daytime service for errands.
As of September 2025, Tamarac’s median sat near $320,000, Sunrise near $337,000, and Coral Springs around $643,000. This spread reflects different housing stock and lot sizes across these Broward County cities.
Rental costs vary by building age, amenity, and association rules. Apartments with newer recreational facilities and upgraded gyms often price higher than older condominium communities that may provide value but add to the move-in budget because of applications or association fees.
Major local employers include healthcare at HCA Florida Woodmont Hospital and large regional retail employers across Sunrise and Plantation. Many residents also commute to jobs in Fort Lauderdale and Coral Springs in education, government, and professional services.
Yes. For trips to distant points of interest or beaches, most people combine bus service with rideshare or occasional car rentals.
A recent cost index placed Tamarac about 13 percent more expensive than the national average as of November 2025, with housing and transportation as the main drivers. You will need to make budget adjustments most for insurance, fuel, and groceries in South Florida.
