Living in Key Biscayne: an island guide with official data

Key Biscayne is a small municipality of about 3 km² on an island south of Miami Beach, linked to the city by a causeway and flanked by two large beach parks. It feels like a village: one public school for the whole island, bicycles everywhere, a big central green where children play and neighbors who know each other. For years it has been one of the top choices for well-off South American families. Here is what living in Key Biscayne is like and, with official data, what it costs, how its schools perform and what you really need to know about water.

What is Key Biscayne like in numbers?

Key Biscayne is an independent municipality, the Village of Key Biscayne, so we use its official Census boundary. It does not include the island's two large parks, which belong to the county and the state. Figures come from the Census Bureau (American Community Survey, 2020-2024 average) unless otherwise noted.

These are five-year medians: current listings are usually higher. The Census does not publish median rents above $3,500, so we can only say Key Biscayne's exceeds that figure. We explain each figure in the method note.

What is it like to live in Key Biscayne?

For decades Key Biscayne was an island of coconut palms and, later, a weekend escape for Miami residents. The Rickenbacker Causeway, opened in 1947, linked it to the mainland and made way for the first developments. Between 1969 and 1973, President Richard Nixon kept his retreat here, known as the "Florida White House." The island was incorporated as a municipality on June 18, 1991, the first new one in the county in more than 50 years.

Today it is a small, very family-oriented community: almost one in three residents is a minor, and households average three people. Life revolves around the school, the Village Green, the beach and outdoor sports, and it is common to see children on bikes. It is a very South American island: Colombians and Argentines are the largest communities, at about 12% of the population each, followed by Cubans and Venezuelans. Seven in ten residents speak Spanish at home.

What is there to do in Key Biscayne?

Outdoors and strolling

• Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, about 400 acres on the southern third of the island, with more than a mile of beach, a paved bike path and the Cape Florida Lighthouse, built in 1825, the oldest structure in the county. You can climb to the top on guided tours. The beach has no lifeguards.
• Crandon Park, the county park on the north of the island, with a beach, a tennis center and a golf course.
• The Village Green, the 9.5-acre municipal green, with fields, a half-mile jogging loop and splash fountains for children, next to the community center.
• The village beach park, reserved for residents, who get in with a key fob issued at the community center.

Where to eat

The offer is that of a village: cafés, Latin American restaurants and seafood places, mostly along Crandon Boulevard. In the state park, Boater's Grill serves seafood overlooking No Name Harbor. For more variety, Brickell is about 15 minutes away.

For the weekend

• Kayaking, paddleboarding and fishing from the island's parks.
• Cycling on the island's bike lanes and across the Rickenbacker Causeway.

How much does it cost to live in Key Biscayne?

Seven in ten homes are in buildings with 20 or more units, most on the ocean, and the rest are single-family houses, many on the canals. The housing stock dates from the 1970s, with a median year built of 1977, and two in three households own their home.

• Buying: the median value is above one and a half million dollars. In buildings over 30 years old, ask for the mandatory structural inspections and the reserve study, and ask about planned special assessments. And budget for insurance before you commit: on the whole island, flood insurance is essential. We explain it in our guide to buying property in Miami.
• Taxes and costs: Key Biscayne has the lowest property tax of the luxury areas we compared, about 15.5 mills in 2025, roughly $15,500 a year per million of taxable value. We work it out, with insurance and fees, in the true cost of owning luxury property in Miami. If you are buying from outside the U.S., also read how to buy luxury property in Miami as a foreigner.
• Renting: the median rent exceeds $3,500 a month, the highest in this series. Supply is limited. If you have no credit history, read how to rent in Miami without a credit history.

Current price: According to Zillow, in September 2026 the typical value of a house in Key Biscayne was $4,137,000 (+12.1% over a year) and of a condo, $1,374,000 (+6.8%). We compare it with other areas, along with rent and flood insurance, in Miami home prices by area, updated every month. Work out what it would cost you to live here →

How good are the schools in Key Biscayne?

The island has a single public school, which earned an A in 2026:

There is no public high school on the island. According to publicly available information, students are zoned to Coral Gables Senior High, rated B in 2026, and residents have priority for the Cambridge program at MAST Academy, a public magnet high school on neighboring Virginia Key, rated A in 2026. There are also 3 private schools, including St. Agnes Academy.

How do you get around Key Biscayne?

• The causeway: the only road off the island is the Rickenbacker Causeway, which crosses Virginia Key to Brickell. It is tolled in the direction of the island, paid with SunPass.
• Car: almost every household has a car; only 2.8% live without one. The average commute is 24 minutes, among the shortest in this series, but the causeway gets congested at rush hour and on beach weekends.
• Bicycle: on the island, many families get around by bike.

Is Key Biscayne safe?

According to the FBI, the Key Biscayne police recorded 56 violent crimes and 776 property crimes per 100,000 residents in 2024. The U.S. averages that year were 363 and 1,766. Violent crime is 85% below the national average.

We use 2024, the latest year with all 12 months reported to the FBI.

Within each area, risk changes from one street to the next: visit by day and by night before deciding. Compare it with other areas in Miami crime rates by area.

Does Key Biscayne flood?

This is the most important section of this guide. Key Biscayne is a low barrier island, and it is fully exposed:

• Flood zone: according to FEMA's current map, 100% of the land is in a high-risk zone: 98.8% in zone AE and 1.2% in zone VE, the wave-action zone.
• Hurricane evacuation: the whole island is in storm surge zone A, the first ordered to evacuate. With a single way out over the causeway, leave as soon as the order is given.

If you buy, flood insurance will be practically mandatory and will weigh heavily on the cost of living here. Before renting or buying, look up the exact address on the FEMA flood map and ask for the flood disclosure required by Florida law. We explain how to insure yourself in our guide to home and flood insurance in Miami.

What are the pros and cons of Key Biscayne?

Who is Key Biscayne right for?

A good fit if: you have young children and want village life close to the city, love the beach, cycling and outdoor sports, work in Brickell or downtown, and have a high budget.

Maybe not for you if: you want urban life and nightlife, want to avoid hurricane risk, need a public high school on your doorstep or have a tight budget.

Similar neighborhoods: if you want family life with greenery and good schools on the mainland, read our Coral Gables guide; if you want the water with more neighborhood life, our Coconut Grove guide; and if you prefer the beach in a bigger city, our Miami Beach guide.

If you are coming from Argentina, also read our guide to moving from Argentina to Miami.

Curious about Miami's most exclusive side? Read how many millionaires live in Miami, with the data and its caveats.

Want to compare them all? Read our guide to Miami neighborhoods: where to live based on what you want.

FAQ

Method note

We use the official Census boundary of the Village of Key Biscayne, which does not include Crandon Park or Bill Baggs State Park. Population, housing, income, language, origin and commuting figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2020-2024 five-year average); the Census caps the published median rent at "over $3,500." Density is our own calculation, on land area. The shares of land in flood and evacuation zones are our own calculations, overlaying that boundary with FEMA's current flood map and Miami-Dade County's storm surge zones. Schools are located using county open data, and school grades are the Florida Department of Education's official 2026 grades.