Advice on Miami (Miami Beach, Kendall, Miramar: to rent, credit card, neighborhoods)

[Browny82]

Hey,
I am a 25 year old single guy from UK.
I have been offered a job in Miami (fl 33172 is the area i will be working)
The pay i have been told is $45,000 - $55,000 to be neg.
How does this pay sound for a young singel guy.
I am just wondering where i would be best renting.
I have stayed in Miami near the beach before i was not to keen on it felt like i was in another country and not the USA. ( i hope that doesnt sound rude)
I did enjoy Ft lauderdale a lot more than miami.
Is Ft Lauderdale too far to travel to i thought it was not that bad last time i drove it.
I am working shift work so it would be early morning shifts and late shifts so i dont know weather that would make any differnce

Any advice would be appreciated.

[doggiebus]

Looks like you will be working in the Doral area. I hate to burst your bubble, but living in Miami you will not feel like you are in America. As Miami is very hispanic, feels like you are in Cuba or South/Central America. If you want to live in South Florida in a place that feels like America you need to about 45 minutes to an hour north of Miami. Ft. Lauderdale would be a good idea. But that is slowly starting to feel like South/Central America too.

As far as living in Ft. Lauderdale and driving to Doral, you could, many people do and commute. Ft. Lauderdale feels more American. And you said you will be working odd hours, so this way you would avoid rush hour traffic, that would be good then. If you do have to drive during rush hour traffic your commute time will be at least 1.5 hours to 2 hours. Without rush hour traffic probably 45 minutes.

Originally Posted by Browny82

Hey,
I am a 25 year old single guy from UK.
I have been offered a job in Miami (fl 33172 is the area i will be working)
The pay i have been told is $45,000 - $55,000 to be neg.
How does this pay sound for a young singel guy.
I am just wondering where i would be best renting.
I have stayed in Miami near the beach before i was not to keen on it felt like i was in another country and not the USA. ( i hope that doesnt sound rude)
I did enjoy Ft lauderdale a lot more than miami.
Is Ft Lauderdale too far to travel to i thought it was not that bad last time i drove it.
I am working shift work so it would be early morning shifts and late shifts so i dont know weather that would make any differnce

Any advice would be appreciated.

[Miami Vice]

Originally Posted by Browny82

Hey,
I am a 25 year old single guy from UK.
I have been offered a job in Miami (fl 33172 is the area i will be working)
The pay i have been told is $45,000 - $55,000 to be neg.
How does this pay sound for a young singel guy.
I am just wondering where i would be best renting.
I have stayed in Miami near the beach before i was not to keen on it felt like i was in another country and not the USA. ( i hope that doesnt sound rude)
I did enjoy Ft lauderdale a lot more than miami.
Is Ft Lauderdale too far to travel to i thought it was not that bad last time i drove it.
I am working shift work so it would be early morning shifts and late shifts so i dont know weather that would make any differnce

Any advice would be appreciated.

If your only job offer is in Miami, I wouldn't live here because it didn't feel like the U.S. to you in the past. If you move here, you'll end up on these forums letting off your steam like many others. You should try Ft.Lauderdale or Broward. Since your commute isnt during rush hour, traveling 35-50 minutes would probably be best for you. 33172 is in the Doral area which is pretty centralized. You wont have to travel to downtown Miami or deep south. I'm sure that 45-55k is enough for you to rent and have a decent life, as long as you're not bringing a $500 car payment and a ton of credit card debt with you. Good luck.

[eufo]

$45-55k is enough to rent and live pretty well (not luxurious, but definitely not starving! )

Its too bad you're working in Miami-Dade as that makes it difficult to find a place that feels "like America". I personally like it here, but many don't.

My best recommendation would be to look for something to rent in the western half of Miramar, which is about as south and west as you can get in Broward. The commute shouldn't be too bad from there and it has a very American suburbia feel to it.

[Pixie Dust]

Have I been dreaming the last eight years??? Wow, I live in Miami and I defiantely don't think I'm in another country. Thanks for letting me know guys. You know confusion sometimes creeps up on me. Ooops , I'll let my neighbors know to stop flying the good 'ole USA flag on Memorial Day too. It seems they are also confused. Whats next???

[ivcceo]

Try and find a place to rent in Coconut Grove. It's a trendy area with good stuff to do for a young guy and it is close enough to Doral for a commute as well as being not too far from Miami Beach for more fun stuff. "The Grove" as it is known here offers a good mix of a old charming neighborhood with just enough nightlife so you don't have to go to Miami Beach.

[Overmars]

Originally Posted by Browny82

Hey,
I am a 25 year old single guy from UK.
I have been offered a job in Miami (fl 33172 is the area i will be working)
The pay i have been told is $45,000 - $55,000 to be neg.
How does this pay sound for a young singel guy.
I am just wondering where i would be best renting.
I have stayed in Miami near the beach before i was not to keen on it felt like i was in another country and not the USA. ( i hope that doesnt sound rude)
I did enjoy Ft lauderdale a lot more than miami.
Is Ft Lauderdale too far to travel to i thought it was not that bad last time i drove it.
I am working shift work so it would be early morning shifts and late shifts so i dont know weather that would make any differnce

Any advice would be appreciated.

My advice - consider Broward County, for sure. At least a) you'll be able to afford to have a reasonable standard of living and b) you'll feel like you're still in the United States.

[investorscooter]

I live in South Gables and drive to Doral each late morning. The commute is MUCH better from south of Doral than from Ft. Lauderdale, although you may find Broward more to your liking. The nicer neighborhoods of South Miami-Dade are the Grove, Coral Gables, South Miami, East Kendall/Pinecrest . In all of those neighborhoods you will find bilingual English/Spanish, or just English spoken. Once you go out of those neighborhoods, you begin to get into populations where you may have to speak Spanish instead of English. There are large stretches of Miami-Dade where you can get by speaking Spanish only. This is the remarkable thing about Miami. Many people believe that we are highly diverse. We are not. We are highly populated by non English-speaking, foreign born Latin Americans. Makes it very interesting, but not very American in the traditional sense.