Coral Gables vs. South Miami, Pinecrest, Palmetto Bay: taxes, schools

Last checked Oct. 8, 2026. Sources are linked in each section: the Property Appraiser of Miami-Dade County’s 2025 adopted millage chart (PDF) and 2026 proposed table (PDF), the Florida Department of Education’s 2026 school grades, Miami-Dade County’s high school attendance boundaries and address points, Zillow Research and the Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey.

Coral Gables’ three nearest municipal neighbors are South Miami, about 3 miles southwest; Pinecrest, about 3 miles south; and Palmetto Bay, about 6 miles south. All four are in Miami-Dade County, share the county, school district and regional tax rates, and are served by Miami-Dade County Public Schools. What differs is the city tax rate, who provides fire rescue and garbage pickup, and the homes. This page sets out the official figures; it does not rank the cities.

What this means for you

• The city line decides your city tax and services, not the mailing address. Look up a parcel’s municipality in the Property Appraiser’s property search.
• The school zone is separate from the city. Check every address in the district’s SchoolFinder.
• 2026 rates are proposed in the Property Appraiser’s latest table; final bills go out in November.

Part of our Coral Gables neighborhoods guide.

Property tax rates

A mill is $1 of tax for every $1,000 of taxable value. These are the adopted rates for the 2025 tax year, from the Property Appraiser’s 2025 adopted millage chart (PDF). The 2026 columns are from its 2026 proposed table (PDF).

Rates every owner in all four cities paid for 2025, from the same chart:

Coral Gables’ city rate is the highest of the four, but the city runs its own fire department and is not in the county Fire Rescue district, so its total rate falls between the others. The City Commission kept the city rate at 5.5590 mills for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1, 2026; more in our property tax guide.

City tax rates compared

Homestead exemption

The homestead exemption is set by Florida law and works the same way in all four cities: about $50,000 off the taxable value of a home you own and live in on Jan. 1, with the second part not applied to school taxes, according to the Property Appraiser’s homestead page. Apply by March 1.

High schools

Shares are of each city’s address points in Miami-Dade County’s address data, matched to the county’s high school attendance boundaries on Oct. 8, 2026. Grades and the percentage of possible points are the state’s 2026 school grades; graduation rates are for 2024-25, from the same school grades file.

A few addresses in each of Coral Gables and South Miami fall in other zones (under 1%). Families can also apply to magnet and choice programs across the district. More in our schools guide.

Home values

The Zillow Home Value Index by city for August 2026. It is a modeled typical value for the middle third of homes, single-family homes and condos together, not a sale price. Zillow does not publish a city series for South Miami.

Home values compared

Population, income and commute

From the Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey five-year estimates (data table; QuickFacts). The median home value here is what owners told the survey their homes were worth, so it does not match Zillow’s index.

City services

Fire rescue and library rows are from the Property Appraiser’s 2025 millage chart, which charges the Fire Rescue district rate in South Miami, Pinecrest and Palmetto Bay but not in Coral Gables, and the library district rate in all four. Garbage is from Miami-Dade County’s waste collection page.

Police: Coral Gables and South Miami have their own departments (Coral Gables Police Department; South Miami Police Department). Palmetto Bay is policed by the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office through its Palmetto Bay Policing Unit, according to the village’s police page. Pinecrest’s website refused our requests when we checked, so we have not listed its police provider here.

How to check an address

1. Which city is it in? Search the address or folio in the Property Appraiser’s property search; the record shows the municipality, which sets the city tax rate and services.
2. Which schools? Enter the address and grade in Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ SchoolFinder.
3. What will the taxes be? Use the Property Appraiser’s tax estimator, and call the office at 305-375-4712 with questions. Bills come from the Miami-Dade County Tax Collector.

Within Coral Gables, our neighborhoods guide breaks the city into 11 areas, and our home prices guide tracks the market each month.

Frequently asked questions

Which has the lowest property tax rate: Coral Gables, South Miami, Pinecrest or Palmetto Bay?

For the 2025 tax year, the total rate was 17.3245 mills in Palmetto Bay, 17.5257 in Pinecrest, 18.1852 in Coral Gables and 18.9727 in South Miami, according to the Property Appraiser of Miami-Dade County. Coral Gables has the highest city rate, 5.5590 mills, but does not pay the county Fire Rescue district rate.

What is the typical home value in Coral Gables compared with Pinecrest and Palmetto Bay?

In August 2026, the Zillow Home Value Index was $2,212,376 in Pinecrest, $1,558,867 in Coral Gables and $1,112,736 in Palmetto Bay. Zillow does not publish a city series for South Miami. The index is a modeled typical value, not a sale price.

What high school serves Pinecrest and Palmetto Bay?

Every address point in both villages is zoned for Miami Palmetto Senior High in Miami-Dade County’s attendance boundary maps. It earned an A in Florida’s 2026 school grades.

Does Coral Gables have its own fire department?

Yes. Coral Gables runs its own fire department, so its owners do not pay the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue district rate. South Miami, Pinecrest and Palmetto Bay are in the county Fire Rescue district.