Is Miami a livable city? See how it stacks up against other US metro areas
The Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Palm Beach metro area boasts a fast-growing economy, as well as access to national parks and world-class beaches. But traffic jams make commuting a nightmare, and high rents make the area unaffordable for many.
So how does livability in South Florida compare to other metros across the country?
RentCafe recently published a study taking those factors and more into account to determine which U.S. metro areas have the best overall quality of life. Miami ranked 90th out of 149.
The report assessed 17 factors related to location and community, socioeconomics and quality of life, including housing and healthcare access, affordability and commute times.
Miami’s quality of life ranked 53rd, while its socioeconomics were 98th, and its location and community were 124th. The report cited the cost of living, which is 21% above the national average, as a major detriment to the livability of South Florida.
But Miami earned high marks for its income growth. Incomes here grew 7% over the last five years, according to the report.
The Miami metro area has a total population of about 6.5 million people, making it the sixth-largest metro area in the country.
How does Miami compare to other cities in Florida?
Miami, the largest metro area in Florida, beat out Tampa, the second-largest in the state, in its overall ranking. Tampa was ranked 105th, but it out-scored Miami in economics and community.
Orlando, the third-largest metro area in Florida, just edged out Miami at 89th, and Jacksonville, the fourth-largest in the state, earned 123rd.
Miami’s ranking was on par with several other metro areas in South Florida: Naples ranked 82nd, North Port ranked 88th and Cape Coral ranked 102nd. Both Naples and Cape Coral earned high marks for metrics related to their economies.
Port St. Lucie earned the best ranking of any city in Florida at 65th, beating out Miami in metrics related to the economy and community.
Pensacola was not far behind Miami at 95th, but it earned the best score of any Florida city for location and community, at 70th. Miami earned the highest ranking in the state for quality of life.
The Florida metro area earning the lowest livability rank overall was Tallahassee, which came in at 143rd.
Which metro areas scored best nationally?
Washington, D.C., topped RentCafe’s list this year. It scored the highest out of any metro area for quality of life, location and community. Its high marks in those categories owed in part to its large number of arts and cultural venues, as well as its wide range of clubs and associations for residents to join.
But despite these high scores, Washington, D.C., was ranked significantly lower than Miami in socioeconomics, at 133rd.
According to RentCafe, the top 10 most livable metro areas in the U.S. this year were:
Washington, D.C.
Portland, Maine
Kansas City, Missouri
Des Moines, Iowa
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Albany, New York
Columbus, Ohio
Asheville, North Carolina
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Boise, Idaho
