This report covers residential leasing in Highland Beach, Boca Raton and Delray Beach for the twelve months ending 30 September 2026. The figures come from Beaches MLS, pulled on 2 October 2026. The window closes at month-end so each month’s report stays comparable with the last.
The twelve-month picture
| Market | Active | Avg asking | Leased (12mo) | Avg achieved | Days on market | Expired |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highland Beach | 47 | $9,102 | 145 | $7,342 | 77 | 78 |
| Boca Raton | 839 | $5,594 | 3,448 | $4,688 | 55 | 987 |
| Delray Beach | 659 | $4,785 | 2,159 | $3,918 | 61 | 812 |
Highland Beach commands a large premium — and waits for it
At an average achieved rate of $7,342 a month, Highland Beach leases 57% above Boca Raton and 87% above Delray Beach. That premium is real and it holds across the year.
It is not free. Highland Beach properties take 77 days to lease against 55 in Boca and 61 in Delray, and cumulative days on market reach 96 — more than three months from first listing to signature.
The gap between asking and achieved is where the money goes
Across the three markets, asking rates and achieved rates diverge by very different margins:
- Highland Beach: $8,339 asking → $7,342 achieved — a 12.0% gap
- Boca Raton: $5,088 → $4,688 — a 7.9% gap
- Delray Beach: $4,186 → $3,918 — a 6.4% gap
Highland Beach owners are asking roughly double the premium over achievable rate that owners in the other two markets ask.
And more Highland Beach listings never lease at all
Measured as expired listings against all concluded outcomes — leased, expired or withdrawn — the failure rate diverges the same way: Highland Beach 32%, Delray Beach 26%, Boca Raton 21%.
Roughly one Highland Beach listing in three comes off the market without a tenant. In the most expensive of the three markets, mispricing does not cost a few hundred dollars a month — it costs the season.
What this means if you own in Highland Beach
The premium is real, so the instinct to price high is not irrational. But the data says the market corrects it slowly and expensively. An asking rate within roughly 8% of achievable — the Boca discipline — is what separates a leased season from an expired listing.
If you are weighing whether to lease at all this season, the rate guide covers what sets your number. Building-level lease rules — minimum terms, approval requirements, pet policies — are on the community pages.
Methodology and limitations
Source: Beaches MLS, Municipality Statistics report, Res Lease/Rental property type, municipalities Highland Beach, Boca Raton and Delray Beach. Window 1 October 2025 – 30 September 2026, pulled 2 October 2026.
Limitation, stated plainly: this is all residential leasing, not seasonal-only. Annual leases are included, which blends both the rates and the days-on-market figures. A seasonal-only cut requires lease-term criteria this report does not carry, and we would rather publish the honest broader number than imply a precision we do not have.
Lease closings can report with a lag, so the most recent month may firm up slightly. Reports are not revised after publication; corrections appear in the following month.
Information is deemed to be reliable, but is not guaranteed. © 2026 Beaches MLS, Inc. and FBS.
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