01 · the cities
Miami
Miami is Spanish before it's English, salsa before it's small talk, and a cortadito before it's a coffee. South Beach Art Deco glows pink at night, Wynwood is a city-sized mural, and the Cuban sandwiches in Little Havana could end fights. Summer is bath-warm ocean and ceiling fans turned up high, and October feels like everywhere else's perfect August. Bring linen.
full dispatch→Daytona Beach
Daytona Beach has hard-packed sand you can actually drive your car on (yes, on the beach, it's a tradition). The Daytona 500 brings NASCAR to town every February and shakes the whole city awake. Bike Week is its own beast. Outside of the events, it's a quieter Florida beach town than its reputation suggests, with affordable oceanfront and the Halifax River making the geography interesting.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,665/mo
$1,784/mo
$881/mo less than Miami (49%)
Median home price
Median home price
$565k
$331k
$234k less than Miami
State income tax
State income tax
0%
0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$5,668/mo
$6,549/mo
Daytona Beach has $881/mo more gross after rent at $100k
Gross left after rent reflects state income tax but not federal, based on $100k salary. Enter your salary to find your ideal city.
03 · the weather
Pleasant days/yr
Pleasant days/yr
272 days
212 days
60 fewer than Miami
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
11 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
0 days
days below 20°F per year
Daytona Beach has 11 more days above 95°F each year than Miami.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
77 / 100
63 / 100
14.0 pts behind Miami
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
167 routes
2 routes
165 fewer direct routes than Miami
Metro size
Metro size
6.2M metro
722k metro
Miami has 70.4x more events per month than Daytona Beach.
the verdict
4
Miami
categories won
3
Daytona Beach
categories won
Miami wins on weather and lifestyle. Daytona Beach has the edge on money.
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