Pretty much what you'd expect
-
8/11/2020
CULTURE
Miami is pretty much what you'd expect: party city, superficial and materialistic. Fake body parts are more common than real ones. Despite being a populous city, you'll find that the overall culture is pretty close-minded. I had a lot of coworkers who would say homophobic, racist, and sexist things very casually. People are overall rude and flaky.
PEOPLE
Most people in Miami were born there. You get a lot of NY transplants and a mildly international population, but mostly from Latin America, Russia, some European countries. People who move to Miami are usually attracted by the party culture, so don't be surprised if the people you meet are mostly into that. However, if you dig deep you will find pockets of more mindful people. But in general people are pretty superficial.
RENT/COST OF LIVING
It's pretty pricey, although not as expensive as NY or LA. I lived in a studio in Edgewater, a nice area, for $1,400. Salaries aren't commensurate to cost of living - most positions will pay lower than in other major cities. Parking is a bitch too, get ready to rack up $30+ per day in parking.
DRIVING
The traffic is pretty rough here. And drivers are very rude, constantly cutting you off.
SUMMARY
The beach and scenery is absolutely amazing. Weather is amazing. Culture and everything else - not so great. It can be fun if you're into partying, and my Spanish got really good. There are also a lot of cool, free events (before COVID) where I was always meeting new people. But not very intellectual or cultured.
mia | Miami, FL