Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I am sure this topic has popped up from time to time but could use some input..
I am currently in NYC. I have been dreaming of moving to CA for years...specifically LA...BUT now that it looks like I might actually be able to do it, I started looking at apartments there and it just seems unaffordable. I doubt we will be making six figures when we move out there (I am a paralegal...boyfriend is in health care). The areas I'm interested in (Santa Monica, Venice beach, Burbank, etc..mostly west side of LA) seem ridiculously expensive to rent a one bedroom apartment, and those apartments that are affordable, seem run down and gross.
So we have been thinking of Miami...a friend of mine just moved there and could get me in a law firm we works at...I have found a beautiful condo to rent in Miami that costs about 1500 a month and it's stunning, with washer dryer, stainless applicances, etc.
I just hate giving up on my dream of moving to the west coast...I hate humidity, which is why I am dying to get off the east coast, and I know FL can be very humid in the summer...but the rest of the year is pleasant. I also despise the cold and snow, which is why somewhere warm is important.
Anyone have any experiences living in both places that could give an idea of the major differences?
I live in Miami but travel to LA very often. Miami is somewhat like a smaller LA. Obviously there is a big difference between living on the East Coast and West Coast. Especially California and Florida. California you have mountains and earthquakes, in Miami you have the Caribbean and hurricanes.
Miami should be more affordable, also there is no state income tax in Florida which is a nice money saver. Miami is a younger city with not as many museums and not as good transit as LA too. Both cities you will need a car though.
Miami is not for everyone though and if you are dead set on the west coast you will probably still want to get to the west coast at some point.
What else is important to you besides the weather?
If you're that much in love with California/Los Angeles, you should try looking at apartments through Craigslist. Your chances of finding cheaper apartments are better there.
I find it ironic you're trying to escape humidity, but considering moving to Florida.
I am sure this topic has popped up from time to time but could use some input..
I am currently in NYC. I have been dreaming of moving to CA for years...specifically LA...BUT now that it looks like I might actually be able to do it, I started looking at apartments there and it just seems unaffordable. I doubt we will be making six figures when we move out there (I am a paralegal...boyfriend is in health care). The areas I'm interested in (Santa Monica, Venice beach, Burbank, etc..mostly west side of LA) seem ridiculously expensive to rent a one bedroom apartment, and those apartments that are affordable, seem run down and gross.
So we have been thinking of Miami...a friend of mine just moved there and could get me in a law firm we works at...I have found a beautiful condo to rent in Miami that costs about 1500 a month and it's stunning, with washer dryer, stainless applicances, etc.
I just hate giving up on my dream of moving to the west coast...I hate humidity, which is why I am dying to get off the east coast, and I know FL can be very humid in the summer...but the rest of the year is pleasant. I also despise the cold and snow, which is why somewhere warm is important.
Anyone have any experiences living in both places that could give an idea of the major differences?
Aside from the prohibitively expensive barrier islands and maybe the Pinecrest area, most of Miami-Dade County is a third-world cesspool and truly leaves a lot to desired. Most people who move to South Florida from NY or other parts of the US avoid Miami like the plague, settling primarily in Broward and Palm Beach Counties to the north. Most of the people who move to Miami are Cuban and South American nationals. FWIW, even most Haitian and Jamaican immigrants now opt for Broward over Miami-Dade because the pervasive Hispanic culture of Miami-Dade is simply too strong for even non-Hispanic Caribbean immigrants. I lived in Palm Beach County for years, and you couldn't pay me to live in Miami-Dade. To this day, I'd still be more than happy to commute an a hour or more from Boca Raton, and lots and lots of people living in South Florida, especially the natives and long-time residents, will echo a similar sentiment. IMO, anything south of Boca is practically unlivable, especially now more than ever with all of the crime, traffic, congestion, poverty, language barriers, and so forth.
Housing in Miami is significantly cheaper than housing in LA because salaries are considerably lower in Miami--and "considerably" is an understatement. What they don't tell you is that Miami is largely unaffordable for working and middle-class folks because the COL is completely out-of-whack with wages/salaries. I lived in the LA area for four years after living in South Florida for twelve, and I will have you know that salaries are much more proportional to COL in LA vs. Miami. Naturally, it goes without saying that salaries are more competitive in the LA area because there are more employment alternatives in both your industry and others. In essence, employers in LA compensate to keep you on board, especially if you're a hard worker and/or hold some valuable knowledge, experience, resource, or skill, because it's a lot easier for a professional to jump ship within the same industry or another altogether in LA vs. Miami, consistent with NYC.
Employers in Miami, OTOH, know that well-compensated positions are few and far between due to the area's overall lackluster, service-oriented economy, so they'll make it seem as though they're doing you a favor by hiring you--this is one of the things I hated most about South Florida. And even if you secure a decent, well-paying position in Florida, don't expect another similar position to be waiting for you in the event you're terminated/laid off or decide to quit because you dislike the job. It's almost scary how few F1000 companies are headquartered or with a major presence in South Florida given that it's the 6th or 7th most populous metro area in the US.
Unlike CA and NY, FL is a RTW state. In addition to lower, less competitive salaries, non-wage benefits tend to be a lot poorer to virtually non-existent in RTW states, but especially FL, than non-RTW states like CA, NY, IL, MA, et al. Difference with FL when compared to other RTW states is that the COL is quite high, on par with many non-RTW states, and most jobs are service-oriented in nature, so non-wage benefits are less frequently provided to employees than in almost all other states, save, perhaps, NV. The general lack of union presence/participation and, in turn, collective bargaining suppresses wages/salaries and diminishes the quality and scope of non-wage benefits offered by employers, even for nonunion employees. Needless to say, it's quite common for office workers in FL to have no health insurance. Even CNA's, who expose themselves to illness and disease every day, have no health insurance--that's unheard of in states like CA and NY.
Regarding the language issue--if you're not bilingual in English and Spanish, then it's going to be next to impossible to secure a position as a paralegal in the Miami area, not to mention difficult to navigate socially. Further north in Broward or Palm Beach, this wouldn't be as much of an issue, but in Miami-Dade, forget it. The overwhelming majority of Miami-Dade residents are Hispanic, and many people down there *only* speak Spanish, even if they're fluent in English. Spanish truly is the first language of Miami-Dade County, so needless to say, being fluent in Spanish for those who work in a service capacity (e.g., food and beverage, hospitality, legal, etc.) is a job requirement--and don't let anyone try to tell you otherwise. Even though LA has a huge Mexican-American population, you will find that Spanish is rarely, if ever, a job requirement for white-collar work such as paralegal positions. LA County is much more of a melting pot than Miami-Dade County, the latter of which is really only a melting pot of Hispanic cultures, so English is the first language of LA County residents and the language of trade because of its ability to unify residents. For example, in addition to both English and Spanish, you'll also hear Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Tagalog, Arabic, et al.
Obviously the dry, sunny, mild weather and the spectacular scenery of LA is far superior to the cloudy, muggy, rainy weather and pancake-flat scenery of Miami--that goes without saying. As an aside, if you *hate* humidity, I can't, for the life of me, figure out why Miami is even on the table for you as a possible relocation option.
In addition to superior weather and scenery, the people and culture of LA are far superior to those of Miami as well. Miami is an East Coast city with muted Southern undertones, so things are, for the most part, unprogressive. LA is a much more open and tolerant place than Miami will ever be, at least during our lifetimes. Even compared to neighboring Broward County to north, which is home to Ft. Lauderdale (the most open, tolerant, and progressive city in the South), Miami-Dade is still years behind from a social progressive standpoint, mostly due to the large African-American and Cuban-American population/strong Cuban influence, although this is changing as Cuban-Americans become less of a plurality in Miami-Dade.
Furthermore, people in Miami are, hands down, the angriest, most aggressive people in the entire nation, as evidenced by the astronomically high auto insurance rates. FWIW, there are some insurance companies that won't even write insurance policies for residents of Miami-Dade County, so that should be evidence enough of what I'm attempting to convey. Everyone in Miami is always trying to "one-up" you (e.g., drive a more expensive car than you, beat you to the stoplight, cut you off at the last possible second, race to cut you in line at the grocery store, etc.), and people down there have a preoccupation with being shrewd, ghetto, street-smart, anti-intellectual, or some other variant of "tough." Please, spare me.
LA, OTOH, has a classic live-and-let-live West Coast vibe--very casual; polite (e.g., you'll rarely hear a car horn in LA, esp. in the suburban areas, despite it being the second largest city in the entire country); open-minded; tolerant, even if not approving; and although people can seem aloof, they are usually pleasant if you talk first. LA has a strong counterculture element to it--more nature-lovers, more hippies, more surfers, etc.; people are just more chilled-out. Overall, LA is a far more humane place and no where near as aggressive or cut-throat as Miami--or any other East Coast city, for that matter, including *less* cut-throat East Coast cities like Atlanta and Charlotte.
At the end of the day, it comes down to how much of a change you want from NYC, where you're currently living. Miami will be NYC with palm trees and warmer weather whereas LA will be a complete 180. Don't let the COL of LA scare you away--it's really more affordable than it may seem on paper. After all, you're coming a place that's *more* expensive than LA, so you have that advantage over most transplants in the LA area, many of whom hail from the Midwest or Southwest. If you move to LA, you may not end up living on the coveted Westside on a paralegal salary, but there's no reason why you couldn't find a decent apartment in the SFV, SGV, or LBC among other parts of LA. If and when you and your boyfriend decide to settle down and start a family, my God in heaven, suburban LA, especially Orange and Ventura Counties, are, IMHO, among the best places in the entire country to raise a family. I can assure that you if you choose LA, you will not be disappointed, but can't guarantee the same if you move to Miami.
Aside from the prohibitively expensive barrier islands and maybe the Pinecrest area, most of Miami-Dade County is a third-world cesspool and truly leaves a lot to desired. Most people who move to South Florida from NY or other parts of the US avoid Miami like the plague, settling primarily in Broward and Palm Beach Counties to the north. Most of the people who move to Miami are Cuban and South American nationals. FWIW, even most Haitian and Jamaican immigrants now opt for Broward over Miami-Dade because the pervasive Hispanic culture of Miami-Dade is simply too strong for even non-Hispanic Caribbean immigrants. I lived in Palm Beach County for years, and you couldn't pay me to live in Miami-Dade. To this day, I'd still be more than happy to commute an a hour or more from Boca Raton, and lots and lots of people living in South Florida, especially the natives and long-time residents, will echo a similar sentiment. IMO, anything south of Boca is practically unlivable, especially now more than ever with all of the crime, traffic, congestion, poverty, language barriers, and so forth.
Housing in Miami is significantly cheaper than housing in LA because salaries are considerably lower in Miami--and "considerably" is an understatement. What they don't tell you is that Miami is largely unaffordable for working and middle-class folks because the COL is completely out-of-whack with wages/salaries. I lived in the LA area for four years after living in South Florida for twelve, and I will have you know that salaries are much more proportional to COL in LA vs. Miami. Naturally, it goes without saying that salaries are more competitive in the LA area because there are more employment alternatives in both your industry and others. In essence, employers in LA compensate to keep you on board, especially if you're a hard worker and/or hold some valuable knowledge, experience, resource, or skill, because it's a lot easier for a professional to jump ship within the same industry or another altogether in LA vs. Miami, consistent with NYC.
Employers in Miami, OTOH, know that well-compensated positions are few and far between due to the area's overall lackluster, service-oriented economy, so they'll make it seem as though they're doing you a favor by hiring you--this is one of the things I hated most about South Florida. And even if you secure a decent, well-paying position in Florida, don't expect another similar position to be waiting for you in the event you're terminated/laid off or decide to quit because you dislike the job. It's almost scary how few F1000 companies are headquartered or with a major presence in South Florida given that it's the 6th or 7th most populous metro area in the US.
Unlike CA and NY, FL is a RTW state. In addition to lower, less competitive salaries, non-wage benefits tend to be a lot poorer to virtually non-existent in RTW states, but especially FL, than non-RTW states like CA, NY, IL, MA, et al. Difference with FL when compared to other RTW states is that the COL is quite high, on par with many non-RTW states, and most jobs are service-oriented in nature, so non-wage benefits are less frequently provided to employees than in almost all other states, save, perhaps, NV. The general lack of union presence/participation and, in turn, collective bargaining suppresses wages/salaries and diminishes the quality and scope of non-wage benefits offered by employers, even for nonunion employees. Needless to say, it's quite common for office workers in FL to have no health insurance. Even CNA's, who expose themselves to illness and disease every day, have no health insurance--that's unheard of in states like CA and NY.
Regarding the language issue--if you're not bilingual in English and Spanish, then it's going to be next to impossible to secure a position as a paralegal in the Miami area, not to mention difficult to navigate socially. Further north in Broward or Palm Beach, this wouldn't be as much of an issue, but in Miami-Dade, forget it. The overwhelming majority of Miami-Dade residents are Hispanic, and many people down there *only* speak Spanish, even if they're fluent in English. Spanish truly is the first language of Miami-Dade County, so needless to say, being fluent in Spanish for those who work in a service capacity (e.g., food and beverage, hospitality, legal, etc.) is a job requirement--and don't let anyone try to tell you otherwise. Even though LA has a huge Mexican-American population, you will find that Spanish is rarely, if ever, a job requirement for white-collar work such as paralegal positions. LA County is much more of a melting pot than Miami-Dade County, the latter of which is really only a melting pot of Hispanic cultures, so English is the first language of LA County residents and the language of trade because of its ability to unify residents. For example, in addition to both English and Spanish, you'll also hear Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Tagalog, Arabic, et al.
Obviously the dry, sunny, mild weather and the spectacular scenery of LA is far superior to the cloudy, muggy, rainy weather and pancake-flat scenery of Miami--that goes without saying. As an aside, if you *hate* humidity, I can't, for the life of me, figure out why Miami is even on the table for you as a possible relocation option.
In addition to superior weather and scenery, the people and culture of LA are far superior to those of Miami as well. Miami is an East Coast city with muted Southern undertones, so things are, for the most part, unprogressive. LA is a much more open and tolerant place than Miami will ever be, at least during our lifetimes. Even compared to neighboring Broward County to north, which is home to Ft. Lauderdale (the most open, tolerant, and progressive city in the South), Miami-Dade is still years behind from a social progressive standpoint, mostly due to the large African-American and Cuban-American population/strong Cuban influence, although this is changing as Cuban-Americans become less of a plurality in Miami-Dade.
Furthermore, people in Miami are, hands down, the angriest, most aggressive people in the entire nation, as evidenced by the astronomically high auto insurance rates. FWIW, there are some insurance companies that won't even write insurance policies for residents of Miami-Dade County, so that should be evidence enough of what I'm attempting to convey. Everyone in Miami is always trying to "one-up" you (e.g., drive a more expensive car than you, beat you to the stoplight, cut you off at the last possible second, race to cut you in line at the grocery store, etc.), and people down there have a preoccupation with being shrewd, ghetto, street-smart, anti-intellectual, or some other variant of "tough." Please, spare me.
LA, OTOH, has a classic live-and-let-live West Coast vibe--very casual; polite (e.g., you'll rarely hear a car horn in LA, esp. in the suburban areas, despite it being the second largest city in the entire country); open-minded; tolerant, even if not approving; and although people can seem aloof, they are usually pleasant if you talk first. LA has a strong counterculture element to it--more nature-lovers, more hippies, more surfers, etc.; people are just more chilled-out. Overall, LA is a far more humane place and no where near as aggressive or cut-throat as Miami--or any other East Coast city, for that matter, including *less* cut-throat East Coast cities like Atlanta and Charlotte.
At the end of the day, it comes down to how much of a change you want from NYC, where you're currently living. Miami will be NYC with palm trees and warmer weather whereas LA will be a complete 180. Don't let the COL of LA scare you away--it's really more affordable than it may seem on paper. After all, you're coming a place that's *more* expensive than LA, so you have that advantage over most transplants in the LA area, many of whom hail from the Midwest or Southwest. If you move to LA, you may not end up living on the coveted Westside on a paralegal salary, but there's no reason why you couldn't find a decent apartment in the SFV, SGV, or LBC among other parts of LA. If and when you and your boyfriend decide to settle down and start a family, my God in heaven, suburban LA, especially Orange and Ventura Counties, are, IMHO, among the best places in the entire country to raise a family. I can assure that you if you choose LA, you will not be disappointed, but can't guarantee the same if you move to Miami.
Go to LA. It sounds like it is your dream, and you have an opportunity: take it. Many people less fortunate end up not being able to go more than a few vacations. Miami is a good city, and is cheaper than LA. BUT, it has less to do, the weather will not be to your liking (humidity most of the year coupled with hot weather), more materialistic, not as beautiful (though still pretty). The only reason it is cheaper than LA is because wages are lower and jobs aren't as plentiful. If you do find a job, many require you to know Spanish, or you will make a higher wage if you know Spanish. It's probably just better to vacation in Miami every now and then, but live in LA.
LA has issues with drought, and winters are chilly (of course, far warmer than most of the US). That's probably where Miami's advantages of weather end for you. LA has huge mountains and hills great for hiking, beautiful beaches with some of the world's best surf (the water won't be clear and very warm like Miami, but still is swimmable in summer). And excellent food, particularly if you are into exotic foods like Persian, Thai, Armenian, Sushi, Indian, etc...New York City is known more for expensive fine dining of European and fusion cuisines. LA has cheaper eats and food trucks that still manage to impress many people. LA also just has more culture-more museums than any other American city. Lots of nightlife, festivals, things of that nature. LA, like NYC, is great in the way that you can live there your whole life and still discover some new place to explore, and never get bored. It does have its problems, but what city doesn't? MOVE THERE! And if you don't like it, you can always move to Miami or somewhere else.
One of the main reasons we thought of Miami was because my friend could get me in a law firm she is working in down there...the salary is good, not low, and she said it's a very nice place to work. The firm is huge, also located here in NYC...and various other places.
Another reason is my cat. This is a big one, he is a very nervous traveler. He does not handle being in his carrier well...and we figured maybe a long, 1 day drive, would be much easier than a four day drive (taking him in and out of hotel rooms) and/or flight. I honestly don't see him surviving a flight...he would howl the whole time. I would never put him in cargo, so he would be driving me and other passengers nuts. I've read sedating cats on flights is not safe....although I haven't consulted with a vet yet about this issue but what I've researched so far scares me.
Also, even though I am not a huge fan of humidity...I will take it any day over the cold. I cannot tolerate the cold/snow anymore. I have been in Miami in June and in August and yes, the humidity was bad, but for some reason, it felt more tolerable to me than it does in Manhattan, where it feels worse (to me anyway).
If you can secure a good paying job in Miami, I think you'll be better off there than in LA.
People seems negative about Miami in these forum but I lived there and I loved it, the city is newer and cleaner than LA, cheaper, no income tax and it's changing rapidly for the better ...
People can be rude at first but it's easier to make real friends in Miami than in LA (like NYC).
Why not San Diego? It is not as expensive as LA but is urban and west coast enough. Better weather than LA.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
