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Old 08-18-2013, 09:29 AM
 
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Trying to figure out where to live. Really attracted to Miami Beach particularly for Beach access--but are there any other places to consider? My kids love the ocean and it would be nice to live near it.

Also, are there tolls from Miami Beach to downtown? How much is it each way with a pass? (Have to budget accordingly since it's likely one child's school will not be in Miami Beach.)
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Old 08-18-2013, 09:41 AM
 
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Addendum: maybe I should've asked what it would cost in terms of transportation and utilities to live in a rental building in Miami Beach. (Not looking for a SFH--we like living in buildings!) Presuming rent includes parking--how much would electricity, gas, heat cost? Also, who are the cable/internet providers in Miami? How much does it cost?

Thanks again!
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Old 08-18-2013, 09:42 AM
 
Location: Miami Metro
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Perhaps downtown. It is really happening, has mass transit, and isn't that far from the beach.
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Old 08-18-2013, 11:39 AM
 
Location: western East Roman Empire
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vickieny View Post
Addendum: maybe I should've asked what it would cost in terms of transportation and utilities to live in a rental building in Miami Beach. (Not looking for a SFH--we like living in buildings!) Presuming rent includes parking--how much would electricity, gas, heat cost? Also, who are the cable/internet providers in Miami? How much does it cost?

Thanks again!
What is your budget for rent?

There will be a big difference in quality between an older building and a newer condo building (built in 2000s onwards), and also a significant difference in rental rates.

In any case, in a newer building at least, rent includes parking in an indoor garage (usually the first several floors of the building itself) with automatic gated entry, water, property and pool maintenance and cleaning and probably a gym, cable TV and internet, elevators and maintenance, overall building insurance up to each unit's outside walls, concierge and probably unarmed security, common area electricity and other common area utilities. The main cable providers are AT&T and Comcast.

In an older building, I would ask about what the rent includes on a case-by-case basis.


I-395 (which is also A1A) to and from the South Beach area of Miami Beach is not a toll road. Not sure about I-195 (Julia Tuttle Causeway) a bit further north, but I think not as well.

Generally speaking, there is no gas in southern Florida, your unit cooking and heat would be electric and you might turn on the heat 7-10 days a year, you would use electricity to cool your unit at least 6-9 months of the year, which is cheaper than heating, and Florida has among the lowest electricity rates.

How high your electricity bill is depends, first, on what temperature you put, second the size of the unit. Generally speaking, 78 degrees is comfortable and you could keep your monthly bill below $100 almost all the time, but a lot of people like it around 73 or 72 degree, or even lower, and they will have noticeably higher monthly bills.

Good Luck!

Last edited by bale002; 08-18-2013 at 11:47 AM..
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Old 08-18-2013, 01:24 PM
 
Location: Miami/ Washington DC
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Only one bridge has a toll. The tow other bridges which are the two main entrances and exits of Miami Beach have no tolls as they are interstate highways.

We really need to know you budget and how big of a place you are looking for to help you with anything.
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Old 08-18-2013, 03:37 PM
 
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If you have an enormous budget, Sunny Isles, if you have a a decent budget Surfside, stay away from South Beach not a great family place more in line with singles.
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Old 08-18-2013, 04:58 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bale002 View Post
I-395 (which is also A1A) to and from the South Beach area of Miami Beach is not a toll road. Not sure about I-195 (Julia Tuttle Causeway) a bit further north, but I think not as well.
No toll on Julia Tuttle.

Quote:
Originally Posted by bale002 View Post
Generally speaking, there is no gas in southern Florida, your unit cooking and heat would be electric and you might turn on the heat 7-10 days a year, you would use electricity to cool your unit at least 6-9 months of the year, which is cheaper than heating, and Florida has among the lowest electricity rates.
That may be true for newer buildings/areas, but not true for older neighborhoods. My parents have lived in West Miami since 1957 and have gas heat, gas water heater and gas cooking in their house.
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Old 08-18-2013, 05:03 PM
 
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Originally Posted by vickieny View Post
Trying to figure out where to live. Really attracted to Miami Beach particularly for Beach access--but are there any other places to consider? My kids love the ocean and it would be nice to live near it.
If you want to get an idea of rental prices in Miami Beach, go to Realtor.com and search for rentals using zip codes 33139 (south beach), 33140 (mid beach), 33141 (north beach), and 33154 (Surfside). Here's the list for 33140 for example:

33140 Apartments, Homes and Houses for Rent | MLS Rentals - realtor.com®
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Old 08-18-2013, 05:22 PM
 
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Thanks for the info so far.

Re cooking and heat--is it generally true that buildings don't have gas stoves?! Should we be looking for SFH to get gas?!

We were thinking our max. rent would be 3500.
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Old 08-18-2013, 06:21 PM
 
16 posts, read 22,868 times
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How about places south of Miami--Pinecrest, Coral Gables, etc--are there accessible beaches there? Thanks again!
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