Pros and Cons of Living in Miami 2022

Pros Of Moving To Miami

I have been living in Miami since I was just 8 years old and it has now been more than 20 years living in this beautiful city. I can’t believe the time has gone by so fast, I didn’t even know a word of English when I came to Miami in 1999 with my mother and three brothers but luckily for me, I have enjoyed every second of living in this city. But Miami is not for everyone so lets go pros and cons of living in Miami and you can decide if it is the right place for you or not.

Also, if you rather watch a video than read the blog, check out my YouTube video here.

And while Miami has a ton of wonderful sunshine and beachy vibes to offer, it is not always rose-colored glasses. So here are my pros and cons to living in world-famous Miami.

But first let me preface by saying, humbly, that there is a lot of bad information out there about what it’s like to live in South Florida. Trust me, as a real estate agent, I have heard all types of nonsense about what people think it’s like to live in Miami. People either hype it up or make it sound like you’re living in an alligator’s backyard, which you kind of are 🙂

My hope is to give you true, honest, and accurate information about living in Miami, at least my opinion of it. So, check out my YouTube video and keep on reading if you want to know what living in the Miami melting pot is like. Also, if you are considering moving to the South Florida area, click on the link here to get more information on what you should know and how to prepare to move to Miami. Now, let’s get started with the pros and cons of living in beautiful Miami.

Beautiful Weather

You’re probably thinking that this should be in the cons section, but I love hot weather! Listen. Listen. I know that hot weather is well… hot, and sweaty and sticky, But in 1902 a very skilled engineer invented this amazing thing called Air Conditioning. There is a reason why we have so many New Yorkers living in South Florida. In cold places you have to stack on layers and layers of clothes just to enter into a heated building and have to take off all that clothes and keep a paranoid eye on your $300 coat. In Miami, you can enjoy warm weather all year. And if you think you might miss the cold weather, well we get a nice chill in the winter season as well. Winter here lasts 2-3 months and the weather during these months of November-March are like heaven!

Breathtaking Views

I’m a visual guy. You can probably tell from my videos that I love the amazing angles, images, and shots that I can take on my drone and camera. For me the views that South Florida offers is what draws me back time and again just imagine a nice evening walk with amazing colors painting the sky and calming views of the ocean and beaches, the soothing sound of waves crashing and the fresh ocean breeze dancing on your skin, well in all honesty this is my reality. And this is why thousands of people choose to make their reality each year. It’s no surprise real estate is a huge deal down here. I can talk endlessly about the views, the Miami Skyline, the gorgeous Sunsets and palm trees and so much more to this! In my options you can find the best views in areas like: Edgewater, Downtown, Midtown, Aventura, Sunny Isles Beach, Surfside, Miami Beach, Bal Harbour, and areas along Biscayne blvd, but my favorite view and absolutely must see is the view from South Beach looking West toward the Downtown area. Ufff! Priceless!

Travel The World Living In Miami

Miami is literally a melting pot. Not only do we have the heat, but we have the diversity to make this the perfect place to blend all colors, shapes, foods, and music. Meeting people from all these places has allowed me to travel the world while living in just one place. I’ve learned so much in the last 20 years about cultures from all corners of the world. And each group brings not only their culture but also their food, music, gestures and traditions! I can find Argentinian dishes, Dominican foods, Central American cuisine, and have a taste of everything from European to African flavors all in a few miles radius. Which has also been a con for me because now when I travel somewhere and they only have one type of food I get disappointed since I usually eat a different variety of food daily.

Music events and venues

In Miami you can always find a Live Show. There are just so many venues to choose from. Our music venue is shaped by all the amazing artists on the local and international scale that are eager for the chance to perform an International Show in the famous city of Miami. This means that in South Florida you can enjoy concerts and live music scenes whenever you want. We have a selection of music events such as Ultra Music Festival, Miami Music Winter Conference, Art Basel Miami Beach, Wine and Food Festival and much more concerts and festivals year-round. Also of course we have major sport venues here like the Miami Heat, Miami Dolphins, Miami Marlins, the Panthers and the newest addition to our major league sports: Miami Inter Futbol.

No State Taxes

I am sure you have already heard that Florida is one of the few states in the country where you do not have State Taxes. You’re only required to pay federal taxes. So what does this mean? Well if you are getting relocated or moving from a state where you have high taxes you will more then likely make much more income at the end. I have so many clients from California and New York moving to Miami and maybe they even have the same salary as prior to moving down to Miami but with having to avoid state tax they end up making much more money! I can for sure say that this is one of the biggest advantages of living in Miami and due to the reason why so many large companies are moving down as well.

You Will Never Run Out Of Things To Do

Miami is one of the most lively and fun cities to live in the whole country, or maybe in the whole world! So many things to do! From beautiful parks, Outdoor activities, shopping malls, amazing restaurants, tons of nightlife, bars, Clubs, Beaches, water sports as well as many family-friendly activities like water parks, games, many national parks to do a BBQ and hang out, different kids events almost on a weekly basis and so much more! So it doesn’t matter your age or what you are into, Miami will offer it to you if you look for it.

Tons of Opportunities

Yes Miami has a high cost of living but also it offers a great potential to grow and for you to have a successful business and career here. There are many industries here, over 100 international banks, many fortune 500 companies, top cruise lines of the world, many events and venues, thousands of hotels, restaurants and now recently many top tech companies are moving to Miami so if you do a good job at job-hunting and are hungry to grow and succeed Miami will welcome you with arms wide open even though of course it won’t be so easy in the beginning just be consistent and don’t give up.

The Disadvantages Of Living In Miami

I had to think long and hard about what it is I don’t like about Miami. I mean really, it’s a very likable place.

Despite what you may hear in the news about Floridians or raging parties, this is a pretty amazing place to live. I mean there definitely are many cons and I can honestly say I do not think that Miami is for everyone so after some deep thoughts I came up with this accurate list of what I despise about living in Miami.

Horrible Traffic

This should come as no surprise. All big cities tend to suffer from this impossible consequence of being an attractive place to live. Still, it is important to mention that traffic is definitely number #1 on the list. During rush hour you can expect bumper-to-bumper traffic all around the city. From highways to I-95 to even backstreets, the city is going to be bustling with cars. What I always recommend to my clients relocating to Miami is to try and be as close to work as possible, unless the job is in an area where it reality doesn’t match your style of living. Since traffic is such a headache, here is a tip that I have adapted that has helped me manage time in traffic.

TIP: Leave 15 minutes earlier than you should!

I know, it isn’t some magical wand or Bruce Almighty parting the cars type of tip. But it works most of the time. Over the years, I have had to attend house showings, family meetings, soccer matches, and a bunch of other things. To reduce the risk of running late, which I of course learned the hard way, I started applying this method of leaving 15 minutes earlier than I would need to, and most of the time it is an effective method to make sure I arrived on time.

Bad driving Mixed With Traffic

I’m sure you’ve heard the term “Florida Drivers”. The term is usually used in a longer sentence that would look something like this:

“OMG! This bastard almost ran me off the road. Dang Florida Drivers!”

Florida, and South Florida particularly with all its diversity and cultural clashes, has managed to unite under a common cause it seems: Driving Poorly! One of the biggest disadvantages of living in Miami aside from the heavy traffic that you will find at rush hour and other pockets of time in the day, you also must be wary of swerving maniacs, people running red lights, aggressive drivers, and pretty much the whole package that comes with the term “Florida Driver”. I’m not sure if we feel like we have a reputation to keep, or if its because the term time is money really hits home for us, but people in the South Florida/Miami area drive really fast and really reckless.

My only tip here for you if you’re considering coming to the Sunshine State is to drive defensively, don’t be distracted on your phone, be focused and know where you are going before you go.  I honestly see 2-3 automobile accidents daily and I wish this does not happen to any of you so please be aware!

The city is too big and too crowded

I’m going to give you a sneak peak into one of the pros that I will be talking about in the next section. Miami beaches are awesome! Imagine miles of beautiful white beaches with a sea of many hues of blue as far as the eye can see. There is something else that your eyes will see however, and that is people. Lots of people. The thing with being a famous city is just that—everybody wants to know about Miami! As a result, the beaches are often packed with people. Particularly on Sunday. There are many beaches that you will most likely stay away from on Sunday because you have better chances of finding a pearl in a washed up clam than you do a spot to sunbathe. And the super abundance of people doesn’t only affect the beach. Commuting (as I mentioned earlier) takes really long because there are just so many people on the road.

FYI: The Metropolitan South Florida area which includes places such as West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and the Keys has a total of 6.7 million people. That is SO MUCH PEOPLE!!

It’ll be easier to count the grain of sand on the seashore that to count all the people that live here!

The overpopulation problem is not because the city is small. Along the same lines of too populated is that the city is just too big! I’ve lived here for 20 years and have not seen some of the places—and I am a real estate agent. The fact is there is a ton to see, and this can be a great thing, but it can also be a negative thing because well, it can take away the home-feel just a bit.

Crazy Tourist

If you are reading this and you are one of the craziest tourists that comes to my hometown. Just stop. If you are considering moving to this area and want to know just what it involves, well, crazy tourists are one of the worst things you will have to deal with. Particularly during the holiday season people come from different places from across the world and act a fool without  manners or respect for the city. Sadly, people want to enjoy the city, but don’t care to take care of the city. I’m not sure what it is about but if its just that people equate vacation time with no rules, but when tourist come to town, going to the beach or mall or any otherwise normal social area can be a nightmare! So just a heads up!

Parking

I once saw a commercial of a man driving his car for like 30 minutes real slow through a parking lot trying to find a spot to park his car. If the commercial wasn’t shot in Miami, then it should have been. One of the difficulties of living in Miami and wanting to drive to the more popular places like the beach, is that you are going to have to struggle with parking. I’ll break this down into a few separate but equally annoying problems.

1. You’ll have to find a spot. Many beaches have no parking zones that are longer than the state of Florida, so that is usually a headache.

• Not only do you have to find a spot, you also have to remember where you parked. And trying to remember where you parked is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

• You’ll be paying a lot for parking– $4.25 cents per hour in many places.

• You have to constantly keep a mental record of the time you paid for and parked for (or you can set an alarm). Either way, it’s a hassle to run back to a parking spot to put in more coins because you decided that you are having too much of a good time to leave so soon. Then, you’ll have to run back to the beach to try and find that sweet beach vibe that was so untimely interrupted by the parking meter.

• Towing cars is not considered a crime and it is extremely common. If you so much as leave a vent spew (the little rubber hairs on your tire) on the parking line, a tow truck is sure to come and steal away your vehicle while your innocently enjoying the beach life. Not to mention that to get your car out you have to pay some pretty hefty fines for the parking ticket, towing fee, and hospital after you do something really dumb for being so pissed that you got your car towed.