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→Lakeland
Lakeland has the largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture in the world, on the Florida Southern College campus (designed in the 1940s, all skylights and copper). The city sits between Tampa and Orlando, with actual swans patrolling its namesake downtown lake (the city even has a swan management program). Publix is headquartered here, which Floridians treat as a point of pride.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,665/mo
$1,834/mo
$831/mo less than Miami (45%)
Median home price
Median home price
$565k
$301k
$263k less than Miami
State income tax
State income tax
0%
0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$5,668/mo
$6,499/mo
Lakeland has $831/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
206 days
66 fewer than Miami
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
13 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
0 days
days below 20°F per year
Lakeland has 13 more days above 95°F each year than Miami.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
77 / 100
48 / 100
29.0 pts behind Miami
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
167 routes
68 routes
99 fewer direct routes than Miami
Metro size
Metro size
6.2M metro
818k metro
Miami has 82.2x more events per month than Lakeland.
the verdict
4
Miami
categories won
3
Lakeland
categories won
Miami wins on weather and lifestyle. Lakeland has the edge on money.
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