Better living in Miami or Key West?

[Reptoid Humidian]

I'll just say this from the perspective of my personal preference. Miami definitely! I thrive on Latin culture and music. There is a distinct lack of that in Key West. Most of the Salsa stations end by the time you reach the middle keys except for maybe one. A nice 80's music station though, but I've picked that station up in Fort Lauderdale. Key west does not get as much rainfall as Miami, but it does maintain the absolute highest Relative Humidities and dewpoints in the United States. The night time temps in the winter are generally at least 2 to 5 degrees higher than they are in Miami. The plants and trees usually look a little better and not as zorched by the winter cold fronts. The culture is odd and there's this whole Jimmy Buffet thing and some sort of "wanting to look like Earnest Hemingway" thing going on down there that I find to be a complete turn-off. Otherwise there's lots of tourists and then there are the eclectic oddballs who are kind of Ren Faire like who usually converge on KW during Fantasy Fest which might make things interesting. I got respect for the kooks! One of the first things you notice when you go down to Key West in the summer (If you plan your trip so that you'll arrive a bit after 1pm) is the position of the sun in the sky. For some reason it's very noticeable even though there's only a change of 2 degrees declination. It seems that the sunlight is considerably brighter than that of Miami. The Kelvin color values are even whiter with a barely detectable bluish tint that exceeds that of Miami.

[FLGator487]

Originally Posted by 1Expatriate

I have interviews for a job in Miami (Doral) and a job in Key West. Both jobs pay $80k-$90k per year. I've visited Miami a few times. I've never been to Key West. Help me decide which area is best for me.

I'm engaged with no kids, so it will be just me and my wife. We can fit in a 500 sq ft studio in Key West. But we could probably get a nice 2 bedroom apartment in Miami for the same price.

She's from Nicaragua, and I used to live in Central America. So we love Latin culture. I know we'll find plenty of hispanics in Miami. How about in Key West?

I'm addicted to the water. I can't wait to go scuba diving and kayaking every week. I'd love to learn how to sail. Is the diving decent in Miami?

What about things to do? Miami's has world-class nightlife, of course. Is there much to do after dark in Key West?

One last thing: my fiancee doesn't drive. When I'm not around she'll get around by bike or bus. Is there decent mass transit in Miami? Or is a car necessary?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.

Welcome (soon) to Florida!

Overall, this is going to be a very personal decision between you and your fiancee. Extremely different areas. You have a choice between a very large (city 400,000 residents, county ~2.5 million residents), cosmpolitan city and a much more laid-back, quirky, small (city 24,000, Keys total population 75,000) island community. There is unquestionably more to do in Miami and a broader range of neighborhoods to choose from; however, you will have to deal with the typical urban problems of sprawl, traffic, crime, stress, etc. Key West is in my opinion a much "easier" place to live in - particularly with an $80-$90K job guaranteed - but you're also EXTREMELY isolated. Consider how far Miami is from the rest of the country, and then add a 3-hour trip by car (on a good day) to that, and you get an idea of how far-flung Key West is. Beautiful place, though :-)

To your particular questions/points:
1. You are generally correct in your estimates regarding housing options in Miami vs. Key West. You'll be able to afford much more housing on the mainland, and in a more varied set of environments (i.e. on the beach, Western suburbs, urban highrise, etc.)
2. Hispanic culture is present in Key West (the city was about 18% Hispanic as of the last Census), but it, of course, is not a major Hispanic cultural center like Miami. If being surrounded by Hispanic culture is very important to you or your fiancee, this should weigh you heavily in the direction of Miami.
3. Key West is far, far better for scuba diving/kayaking than Miami; however, Key West beaches are, shall we say, lacking.
4. Key West does have the nightlife scene on Duval Street and in a few other pockets, but it obviously can't compare to Miami in this regard. Depends on how important nightlife is to you.
5. If your fiancee can't drive, that should immediately raise a giant red flag as it relates to living in Miami. Yes, Miami Beach and certain other areas (Brickell, Downtown, parts of Coral Gables, parts of Aventura, etc.) are fairly walkable. Yes, there is MetroRail. But overall, Miami is not a pedestrian/bike-friendly area. Key West is orders of magnitudes better in this regard. Again, this is a judgment call to you, regarding how important this is - but the more important walkability/bike-friendliness is to you, the more negatively you should view Miami.

Hope this helps! PM me if you have any other questions.

[bmorefreespirit]

Miami and Key West are both amazing, beautiful places but very different from one another. Miami is a huge city with a thriving, international cosmopolitan culture while Key West is small town that is relatively isolated, quirky, and very laid back. The nearest big city is Miami which is 3 hours by car.

Actually I think Key West is closer to Havana than Miami, so of course there's a Hispanic culture there as well. However, I feel like most Hispanics in Key West are usually Cuban-Americans who had ancestors that came to work in the cigar factories 100 years ago and have been in Key West for several generations. Miami, on the other hand, has many more newer Hispanic immigrants from all over Latin America.

One thing that would be a major pro for Key West is that it is a very compact city so your wife could walk or bike everywhere. I think Key West at its widest point is about 3 miles, so everything is very walkable no matter where you live on the island.

One concern about living in Miami is that if you want to live anywhere affordable, you will probably need a car. While Miami is walkable overall for a SunBelt city, and certain neighborhoods are very walkable and bikeable, I feel like it wouldn't really be feasible to live there without a car.

Personally, I would choose Miami over Key West because I like the big city amenities and hate being isolated, however I think it is a matter of personal choice in what you are looking for. I am sure whichever place you choose, the pros with far outweigh the cons and you'll really enjoy living there.

[WINTERFRONT]

Good post

[jaydog32]

Great information. We were considering the Keys as well but were looking more at the middle keys for cost of living and ability to have some property for the dogs.

Please post your decision.

[Hawaii4evr]

Key West weather is a bit warmer, but Miami water is a bit warmer, and the beaches in Miami are better since there is more sand. Key West is better for watersports though. Miami has more to do, so its a tie.