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→Kansas City
Kansas City is barbecue (burnt ends are a local invention), jazz (the 18th and Vine district fed Charlie Parker and Count Basie), and fountains everywhere you turn. The city straddles two states and doesn't make a big deal out of it. The Plaza shopping district looks like Seville, which is delightfully odd for the Midwest. Friendly here means genuinely friendly.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,665/mo
$1,502/mo
$1,163/mo less than Miami (77%)
Median home price
Median home price
$565k
$326k
$238k less than Miami
State income tax
State income tax
0%
4.7%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$5,668/mo
$6,440/mo
Kansas City has $772/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
170 days
102 fewer than Miami
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
8 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
26 days
days below 20°F per year
Kansas City has 8 more days above 95°F each year than Miami. Kansas City drops below 20°F on 26 more days per year than Miami.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
77 / 100
56 / 100
21.0 pts behind Miami
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
167 routes
43 routes
124 fewer direct routes than Miami
Metro size
Metro size
6.2M metro
2.2M metro
Miami has 11.7x more events per month than Kansas City.
the verdict
6
Miami
categories won
3
Kansas City
categories won
Miami wins on weather and lifestyle. Kansas City has the edge on money.
run your numbers
How far does your Miami salary go?
Enter your salary to see a full ranked list of cities where you would live better.
see your top citiesWe use a proprietary blend of data from the US Census, Zillow, Ticketmaster, and more.
Walk Score® is a trademark of Walk Score, a Redfin company. How Walk Score works