Moving to Miami: real costs, areas and your first 30 days

How much does it cost to live in Miami?

Short answer: housing is the largest cost. A typical condo rent in our data ranges from $2,900 to $9,250 a month depending on the area. Add electricity, insurance, a car and food. Florida does not tax your salary.

Rent by area

The table shows the typical (middle) building's median rent, from the condo buildings with the most listings on October 18, 2026.

For lower rents, many people also look just north, in Broward County. The typical building rent was $2,600 in Hallandale Beach and $3,150 in Hollywood. Our Miami vs Fort Lauderdale guide compares the two counties.

Other monthly costs

• Electricity. Under FPL's October 2026 residential rates, 1,000 kWh costs about $133 a month before taxes and fees: a $10.52 base charge plus about 12.3 cents per kWh. Summer air conditioning can push use above 1,000 kWh, and FPL charges more per kWh above that level.
• Renter's insurance. Not required by state law, but many landlords and condo buildings ask for it. Get quotes.
• Car and car insurance. Florida requires at least $10,000 of personal injury protection (PIP) and $10,000 of property damage liability (PDL). Real prices depend on your record and ZIP code, so get quotes.
• Sales tax. 7% on most purchases in Miami-Dade.

If you buy

Owners also pay property tax, insurance and, in a condo, the monthly HOA fee. The 2026 total property tax rate is 19.9544 mills in the City of Miami and 18.6681 in Miami Beach (a mill is $1 per $1,000 of taxable value). In Citizens, the state-created insurer, the 2026 average in Miami-Dade is $1,209 a year for a condo unit policy and $4,116 for a homeowners policy. If the home is your permanent home, the homestead exemption lowers the tax. Our condo buying guide shows a full yearly example.

Does Florida have a state income tax?

Short answer: no. Florida does not have a personal income tax. You still pay US federal income tax.

• Sales tax. The state rate is 6%. Miami-Dade and Broward add 1%, for 7%. Palm Beach County is 6.5% in 2026.
• Hurricane supplies. Since August 1, 2025, some disaster items are always free of sales tax, including many batteries, smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, gas cans of 5 gallons or less, generators up to 10,000 running watts and tarps up to 1,000 sq ft.
• The year you move. If you leave a state or a country with income tax, such as New York, ask a tax adviser how your old home taxes the part of the year before the move.

Where should I live in Miami?

Short answer: pick by how you want to live: near transit and offices, near the beach, or in a house with a yard. Then compare the monthly cost.

• Without a car, near offices: Brickell and Downtown. Both have Metrorail and the free Metromover.
• Near the beach: South Beach for walking, Mid-Beach and North Beach for lower prices, Sunny Isles Beach for oceanfront towers.
• A house for a family: Coral Gables, Doral, Kendall and Key Biscayne have more houses than the condo areas. Doral had 228 houses for sale and Coral Gables 171.
• Lower price per sq ft: Aventura, where the typical building asked $382 per sq ft.

Our best neighborhoods in Miami guide compares 12 areas with prices, rents, and pros and cons.

Do I need to speak Spanish?

Short answer: no, but it helps. In Miami-Dade, 54.5% of residents were born outside the US, and about two in three speak Spanish at home.

Those figures come from the US Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 survey. Miami-Dade had 2,802,029 people on July 1, 2025. English works for all official business, and many services also work in Spanish.

How do schools work in Miami?

Short answer: your public school depends on your home address. Miami-Dade County Public Schools is the third-largest school district in the US. Florida also offers school choice scholarships to every K-12 resident.

1. Find the assigned school. Use the school locator of Miami-Dade County Public Schools with the address of the home you plan to rent or buy.
2. Compare schools. The Florida Department of Education's "Find and compare Florida public schools" site shows school results.
3. Look at choice programs. The district runs magnet programs with their own applications and deadlines.
4. Scholarships. Since 2023, any Florida resident who can enroll in a public school from kindergarten to grade 12 is eligible for a Family Empowerment Scholarship, which can pay for private school. Families at or below 185% of the federal poverty level get priority.

Enroll as soon as you have a lease or a closing date. The school will ask for proof of address.

How do I get around Miami?

Short answer: most areas need a car. Downtown and Brickell have the free Metromover, Metrorail runs 25 miles to the airport, and Tri-Rail connects Miami with Broward and Palm Beach.

• Metrorail. 25 miles of track, with service to Miami International Airport. The fare is $2.25. It connects with Tri-Rail and with Brightline.
• Metromover. Free, with 21 stations in Downtown, Brickell and Omni.
• Tri-Rail. Runs from MiamiCentral and Miami Airport north to Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton and Mangonia Park, north of West Palm Beach.
• Brightline. Trains from MiamiCentral to Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, West Palm Beach and Orlando.
• Airport. Miami International Airport handled 55,314,661 passengers in 2025.

Test your commute at rush hour before you sign a lease. A short distance on the map can take a long time on I-95 or US-1.

What about hurricanes and flooding?

Short answer: the Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. Know your storm surge zone, keep supplies ready, and check the flood zone before you rent or buy.

1. Look up your address in Miami-Dade's storm surge planning zone finder. Evacuation orders use these zones.
2. Build a kit before June: water, food, medicine, documents, batteries and a radio.
3. Ask your landlord or building how they prepare: shutters or impact windows, generators, and what happens to elevators in a power cut.
4. Check the flood zone of the address on FEMA's flood map. Flood damage is not covered by a normal renter's or homeowner's policy.
5. Keep copies of your lease, insurance and ID in the cloud.

Our flood zones and insurance guide explains flood zones and policies.

What should I do in my first 30 days?

Short answer: get Florida car insurance and register your car (10 days under the law), get a Florida driver license (30 days), set up power and internet, and enroll your children in school.

First 10 days

• Car insurance. Buy a Florida policy with at least $10,000 PIP and $10,000 PDL. You need it to register the car. Proposals in 2025 and 2026 to repeal Florida's no-fault (PIP) law died in committee, so PIP is still required.
• Car registration. Florida law says new residents must register their vehicles within 10 days after starting a job or enrolling children in school. Some FLHSMV pages say 30 days, so do it early. The vehicle identification number (VIN) must be checked by a police officer, a licensed Florida dealer, or tax collector or FLHSMV staff. FLHSMV lists an initial registration fee of $225.
• Power and internet. Open an FPL account (or your area's utility) before move-in day.

By day 30

• Driver license. FLHSMV says you must get a Florida driver license within 30 days of becoming a resident. You count as a resident if you start a job, enroll children in public school, register to vote, file for homestead, or live in Florida more than 6 months in a row.
• What to bring. US citizens bring proof of identity, Social Security number and two proofs of address. Green card holders bring the card (Form I-551). Visa holders bring a passport with visa and I-94, plus an I-20 for F-1 and M-1 students, or an employment authorization card. Non-US citizens get a 60-day temporary paper permit first.
• School. Enroll your children with proof of address.
• Voter registration. If you are a US citizen, register at your new address.

If you have no US credit history

Many landlords and condo boards check credit. Without US credit, expect to show proof of income or savings and to pay a larger deposit or more months up front. Our guide to renting in Miami when you are new to the US explains deposits, applications and your rights.

If you buy a home

Apply for the homestead exemption by March 1 of the year after you move in. On November 3, 2026, Florida voters decide Amendment 3. If it passes, people who are not Florida residents on December 31, 2026 would get the larger exemption only from their fifth year of exemption. Check the result if you plan to move in 2027.