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→Sarasota
Sarasota is the home of the Ringling Brothers Circus (the museum is wild, and yes, there's a vintage clown college history), and Siesta Key's beach is regularly named the best in America for its pure quartz sand. The cultural scene is heavy for a Florida city of its size (theater, opera, art museum). Gulf sunsets here are the brochure shot. The food scene has caught up to the city's wealth and the retirees' time.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,665/mo
$2,121/mo
$544/mo less than Miami (26%)
Median home price
Median home price
$565k
$423k
$142k less than Miami
State income tax
State income tax
0%
0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$5,668/mo
$6,212/mo
Sarasota has $544/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
249 days
23 fewer than Miami
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
1 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
0 days
days below 20°F per year
Miami edges ahead on pleasant days, but both cities have comparable comfort overall.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
77 / 100
59 / 100
18.0 pts behind Miami
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
167 routes
6 routes
161 fewer direct routes than Miami
Metro size
Metro size
6.2M metro
262k metro
Miami has 328.7x more events per month than Sarasota.
the verdict
3
Miami
categories won
3
Sarasota
categories won
Miami wins on weather and lifestyle, Sarasota wins on money. Dead even.
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