Moving to Key West, Florida

A practical city guide for deciding whether Key West fits your life, planning the move, and settling in with fewer surprises.

Moving to Key West, Florida? Start with the local context that changes a relocation decision in Monroe County. With roughly 26,000 residents, Key West sits in Southeast Florida. Locally it's known as the southernmost city in the continental US — Hemingway, Key lime pie, naval base, and the most distinctive housing stock in Florida. For relocators it's draws remote workers, hospitality entrepreneurs, and second-home buyers willing to pay Keys premium prices. Climate: tropical maritime — warm year-round, no real winter, intense hurricane and king-tide exposure. Before choosing a home, pay attention to direct hurricane exposure (Irma 2017), one-road evacuation, salt-air corrosion, the highest insurance and water rates in the state. Local areas to put on your research list include Old Town, Bahama Village, Casa Marina. Use the guides, comparison tools, apartment research, and hurricane profile below before you narrow the move to an address.