Photo: Ivan Curra via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
SETTLE · NEIGHBORHOOD GUIDES
Kendall is where Miami families trade the postcard for square footage — more house for the money, and a drive to match.
Kendall isn’t a city. It’s a big unincorporated stretch of southwest Miami-Dade where the suburbs won: single-family homes and townhouse communities from Dadeland to West Kendall, an enormous Latino community — over 70% of residents — and a daily life that runs on a car and a calendar. Relocated families land here for the space and the schools; healthcare professionals land here because Baptist Hospital of Miami and the Kendall Drive medical corridor are right here. The honest part: the beach and Brickell are a real drive away, and Kendall Drive, Bird Road and the Palmetto at rush hour are part of the deal.
Who Kendall is for
- Relocated families who want a house with a yard — or a townhouse with a garage — without paying east-side prices.
- Healthcare professionals working at Baptist Hospital of Miami or the clinics along Kendall Drive.
- Anyone who’d rather have space and solid public schools than a short commute to the beach.
- Not for you if: you need to be in Brickell or on the sand every day without a car. Kendall will wear you down.
What renting looks like
Zillow’s October 2026 snapshot for Kendall, all property types:
| Bedrooms | Average rent/mo |
|---|---|
| 1-bedroom | $1,895 |
| 2-bedroom | $2,283 |
| 3-bedroom | $3,131 |
| Average, all types | $2,200 |
Averages move with the market — treat these as orientation, not a quote. Availability changes week to week.
Photo: Dough4872 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
What buying looks like
- Zillow’s average Kendall home value was about $535,000 in September 2026 (up 0.4% year over year); the median sale price ran near $597,000 in August 2026.
- Condos and townhouses are the entry point — some list from the low $200,000s — while single-family homes cluster from the $500,000s upward.
- HOAs are common in the townhouse communities; factor them into the monthly math before you fall for the price.
- Newer West Kendall builds cost more than older East Kendall stock near Dadeland.
Schools
Kendall is zoned for Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and the big campuses sit right inside the area:
- Miami Killian Senior High School — public high school in Kendall.
- Felix Varela Senior High School — public high school serving West Kendall and The Hammocks.
- TERRA Environmental Research Institute — public magnet school in Kendall with an environmental-science focus.
- Kendale Elementary School and Oliver Hoover Elementary School — public elementaries in the area.
- Howard D. McMillan Middle School — public middle school serving the area.
Always confirm the assigned school for the exact address before you sign — zoning lines here don’t follow neighborhood names.
Parks and outdoor life
- Kendall Indian Hammocks Park — 11395 SW 79th St; a big county park with oak-hammock nature trails, an action-sports plaza, playgrounds and picnic areas.
- Westwind Lakes Park — 6805 SW 152nd Ave; a lakefront county park with sports fields, a skate park and a splash pad.
- The lakes are the local landscape — many communities are built around them, so a water view doesn’t always mean a premium here.
Shopping
- Dadeland Mall — the upscale indoor mall in East Kendall, anchored by Macy’s, Saks Fifth Avenue and JCPenney.
- Downtown Dadeland — the walkable mixed-use core around the Dadeland Metrorail stations, with shops and restaurants.
- The Falls — the open-air mall just south on US-1, with Macy’s and a Regal cinema.
Groceries
- Publix has multiple Kendall locations, including by Dadeland; Sedano’s covers the Latin staples across the area.
- Between the two, the weekly shop is easy — this is not a food-desert suburb.
Photo: Dough4872 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Commute and daily life
Approximate drive times, off-peak, from the Dadeland area:
- Coral Gables: ~15 minutes
- Downtown / Brickell: ~25–30 minutes
- Miami International Airport: ~20–25 minutes
- Miami Beach: ~35–45 minutes
The Metrorail is Kendall’s real advantage: Dadeland North and Dadeland South stations run north to Coral Gables, Downtown Miami and the airport — the rare Miami commute that doesn’t depend on the Palmetto.
Good to know before choosing it
- Kendall is unincorporated Miami-Dade County — no city hall; services come from the county.
- This is a car-first place. The Metrorail handles the northbound commute; almost everything else assumes you drive.
- Kendall Drive, Bird Road and the Palmetto at rush hour are the tax you pay for the space — test your actual commute before committing.
- Many townhouse communities carry HOAs. Get the full monthly number before you fall for the price.
Tell us about your move
No pressure and no generic listings blast. Tell us your dates, your budget and what matters most — we’ll reply with honest guidance on whether Kendall fits, and what else to look at if it doesn’t.
