How much do you need to earn annually to survive in Miami? (health insurance, purchases)

[TXRyan23]

Originally Posted by JacobMAX

Ooh, ooh, it's all horrible in Texas. No liberals, more freedom, ooohhh...it's horrible...gotta be kidding...At least it doesn't have nowhere bad of a reputation when compared to Miami (which is compared by most to major underdeveloped cities in average (or worse off) parts of the developing world). Fact, the economy there is much better; fact, more jobs. Fact, less poverty (that is, less people living in poverty). (Much) better crime rates overall (there will be exceptions, obvious). More freedom. It goes on and on. Clearly, as a whole, for the average Joe, for the regular American (family focused, proper, law abiding, etc.)...it's better...the facts are the facts; don't like it, that's a personal problem, it ain't the place. Your comparison to Somalia and something based in isolated incidents (which happen much more often in the rest of the Country) shows that's a flat out lie.

Everybody will trash me for that (frankly go ahead, and I will ignore it); but let the record say that my view towards SoFL is reasonable (it has some serious issues, but loads of upsides too - my posts speak for themselves), it isn't bad (at all) also.

Thanks for that reply. I have no ill will towards SoFL either, I grew up in Central Florida and often defend Miami against others who trash it, even though it deserves most of what gets thrown its way. Florida and Texas are two states that are comparable in many ways. Agricultural states, Southern states, both have large ports, beaches, both are ranked as the 2nd and 4th largest populations in the country, ect, ect. However, when all is said and done, it's much more affordable to live here. People work and jobs are plentiful. Our median income ranks around 25th in the nation, I believe Florida is in the high 30's (37th or 38th, I believe) Our economy is NOT build on tourism and is not driven by real estate bubbles.

We have low numbers of people who have medical insurance because no one can afford it. We have a lot of deaths in the workplace because a lot of our workplaces (oilfields, refineries, energy, chemical, ect, ect) are dangerous jobs and they pay accordingly. None of our cities made the FBI's top 25 most dangerous cities. When looking at the list of the top 100, Texas had one city on the list, Texarkana. Florida, on the other hand, had 14. (Riviera Beach, Homestead, Dayton Beach, Ft. Myers, Miami, Ft. Pierce, Lake Worth, Orlando, St. Petersburg, Lauderdale Lakes, North Miami, Miami Beach, Melbourne, & Sarasota.) Top 100 most dangerous places to live in the USA - NeighborhoodScout

There is a REASON why Texas makes all the lists as the best place to live/work/shop/play/ect, ect...

Again, I didn't want this to go in that direction, the only reason I even brought it up in the first place was to question why someone would want to blow $500k on an 800sqft apartment when they could have a massive "McMansion" in one of America's greatest cities with a pool and in one of the nicer neighborhoods. That was all. However, when attacked, I will respond.

[hurricaneMan1992]

Originally Posted by Calitomiami

In a very desirable area such as miami beach, $50k will get you nothing. Look, the average listing price in south beach right now is $1.6M. That's the AVERAGE.

You need to look at the MEDIAN!!!
That's the price for which half of the market is above and half is below. The average is skewed by those $10M condos at South Pointe.

Decent 1 br rentals in South Beach start in the mid 1000's, with North Beach coming in at just above $1k. You can still find crappy apartment in SoBe for under $1k. To afford this you should have a monthly gross income of around $3k - $4.5k or annually $36-54k, which is not wealthy by any stretch of the imagination. Grad students where I work make under $30k, live with roommates in nice condos, have cars, and go out to bars and clubs. Believe me, the "average" South Beach resident is not going out and buying a $1.6M condo...

[MadManofBethesda]

Originally Posted by TXRyan23

None of our cities made the FBI's top 25 most dangerous cities. When looking at the list of the top 100, Texas had one city on the list, Texarkana. Florida, on the other hand, had 14. (Riviera Beach, Homestead, Dayton Beach, Ft. Myers, Miami, Ft. Pierce, Lake Worth, Orlando, St. Petersburg, Lauderdale Lakes, North Miami, Miami Beach, Melbourne, & Sarasota.) Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed

First of all, that's not the FBI's list, that's NeighborhoodScout's list based on their interpretation of FBI data. Secondly, there's a very simple explanation for why many tourist destinations are on that list. Let's take Miami Beach for instance. Over 13 million tourists visit Miami Beach each year and some are the victims of crime while in the city. Yet when NeighborhoodScout determines the crime rate for the city, it takes the total number of crimes and divides it by the the relatively small 89,000 population, completely ignoring the other 13,000,000 people who are in the city at various times during the year. That's why the crime rate appears to be high.

Originally Posted by TXRyan23

Again, I didn't want this to go in that direction, the only reason I even brought it up in the first place was to question why someone would want to blow $500k on an 800sqft apartment when they could have a massive "McMansion" in one of America's greatest cities with a pool and in one of the nicer neighborhoods. That was all.

Because they would be living on the ocean in a world-renowned city. Ask people in Europe, Asia, Australia and/or South America to name five U.S. cities that they are familiar with or would like to visit, and the answers would most likely include NYC, Washington (they don't say D.C.), L.A./Hollywood, Las Vegas, and Miami/Miami Beach). I doubt any city in Texas makes that list.

[April2014]

I moved to Miami about one year with a significant pay cut. The rental market here is outrageously expensive and so is the general cost of living (groceries, dry cleaning, dining out, etc.). On top of living expenses, it has been difficult adjusting to the rude people (generally speaking), rude drivers, and lack of professionalism in the workplace that I am experiencing. Miami lacks a corporate presence relative to other large cities, so I tend to believe the workforce here reflects that. If someone calls a coworker/colleague "sweetie" or "darling" elsewhere, a potential lawsuit would erupt. Plus, if I treated my tenants in the homes I own like the landlords treat me here, my homes would be vacant. "Acceptable" behavior in Miami on all levels is not like anywhere else I've seen.

Miami has a lot to offer; however, I plan to move due to the cost of living and population.

[Sugah Ray]

Originally Posted by MadManofBethesda

Because they would be living on the ocean in a world-renowned city. Ask people in Europe, Asia, Australia and/or South America to name five U.S. cities that they are familiar with or would like to visit, and the answers would most likely include NYC, Washington (they don't say D.C.), L.A./Hollywood, Las Vegas, and Miami/Miami Beach). I doubt any city in Texas makes that list.

And rents are high because there is demand, it is basic economics. If most people eventually decide Miami (or Florida) is not for them then landlords will have no choice than to lower their rents. The chances of Miami becoming the next Detroit are extremely low due to our weather and beaches. It is up to each individual to live wherever they want and many people will live here if they can find a job.

In my opinion South Florida doesn't need more people anyway. We don't have unlimited land or resouces to accomodate more people. 5 million is more than enough.

[himain]

I'm thinking 70k+ if you want to have a "quality" life here in Miami

[tonyff67]

Here's my scenario. I can retire now, don't have to, but can.
If I sell my real estate, I'll have about $600k to pay cash for a condo, on the water, in one of the beach communities. My pension is about $50k a year. If my residence is paid for, would this be enough for living expenses in north Miami beach, surf side, or bal Habor?

[robertobaggio]

Originally Posted by TXRyan23

Not to hijack the thread in anyway, and I know that Houston is NOT Miami Beach, but I just can't see why anyone would blow $525k on a 800sqft condo when they could have something like this 22834 Rachels Manor Dr, Katy, TX 77494 - HAR.com for less.

Because Houston sucks! It's a very lame city. The beaches are disgusting, the night life is a joke, and most people are naive bible beaters getting married by age 25. It's just a giant suburb of nothing. You must DRIVE everywhere, which may not sound like a big deal, but the the deal is that there is no cultural or community connection.



Everything is separated by income levels and cars. Outdoor spaces are few and far between. It is a very unwelcoming place for a young professional person. I left Houston for Miami and could not be happier!
Houston is ok if you are married with children and want a cheap cookie cutter McMansion.
Houston is not walkable AT ALL. There is no culture. There is no sense of community. It's just people making money and there's nothing to do other than eat, drink, and shop.

[robertobaggio]

Originally Posted by Sugah Ray

A lot of people especially in Miami don't want to live in Texas. I don't know why you keep comparing Florida to Texas. We don't care. Texas has earned its bad reputation and for us Texas is non existent. We rather pay extra to live in a more civil society. If cheap housing was the only important factor we would move to Tijuana or Somalia.

Most of us don't want to live in a state where psychopaths can get away with torture and murder just because the archaic state law say so.

In San Antonio, an escort is killed after a date gone bad, but the shooter goes free:

In San Antonio, an escort is killed after a date gone bad, but the shooter goes free | Bud Ke...

I am from Italy. Just moved to Miami after 4 years in Houston. I have also lived in Austin, Tampa, and San Francisco. Houston has higher paying jobs, cheaper cost of living, BUT terrible quality of life and it's one of the ugliest cities I have ever seen. The people are naive bible beaters and rednecks for the most part.

All in, those factors for me don't make up for the lack of quality of life in Texas. There are 15,000 registered Italians in Miami versus 1,000 in Houston (mostly expats in oil & gas). I never heard one Italian from Italy liking Houston more than Miami. I'd like to think Italians know what quality of life means. The same applies to all Europeans I met in Houston. Virtually all despise Texan living, the culture, and definitely prefer the Miami latin vibe.

[OptimusPrime69]

Minimum of $50k a year without much debt.