I'm just exicting to be know about Miami economy.

where u from blink? cause ur english aint that great

not criticizing, just curious

Corona, California

Honestly, English is my first language but I cannot write popular english cuz I'm deaf. Do not make fun of me though.

not making fun of u at all, i admire u tremendously

Glad your on this forum Blink182,

to your questions YESSS!

miami has a great economy and future!
ill let others give you some statistics of this great city

miamis economy is booming, trade with the rest of the americas is driving many companies to locate their latin american departments here, and south american and carribean companies looking to expand into the us often begin in miami

miami is considered the most obvious choice for the headquarters of the ftaa, which will continue to cement its spot as the major link between the us and the rest of the americas
http://www.miamitodaynews.com/news/041014/story7.shtml just one article demonstrating what im talkin about

also, miami has the greatest amount of international banking activity of any city in the western hemisphere outside of new york and brickell avenenue has the highest concentration of international banking IN THE WORLD!

dade county is also undergoing a major initiative to construct much more affordable housing, because much of the current construction is not accesible to the average middle class citizen... if there is one place that miami is lacking in its current economic boom, its construction of affordable housing that isnt out by krome ave, homestead, or in west broward somewhere

not making fun of u at all, i admire u tremendously

What is tremendously means?

I'm not mean guy but I always nice to people.

well, most of the jobs you will find in Miami will be in Hotels or restaurants.
Miami does not have many high tech companies, industry or biotech.
most of the economy is service just like Orlando.
The per capital income in Miami is one of the lowest in the country.
Good luck Blink

the per capita income of the city of miami is low because the actualy city of miami is rather small, consisting of downtown and a few neighborhoods around it that yes, admitedly are rather poor mostly (exceptions including brickell, coconut grove, and the roads), but the greater miami area and dade county in general is much the same as most other places in the country, and if im not mistaken dade county has a higher per capita income that the national average (dont quote me on that one tho)

the per capita income of the city of miami is low because the actualy city of miami is rather small, consisting of downtown and a few neighborhoods around it that yes, admitedly are rather poor mostly (exceptions including brickell, coconut grove, and the roads), but the greater miami area and dade county in general is much the same as most other places in the country, and if im not mistaken dade county has a higher per capita income that the national average (dont quote me on that one tho)

don't even bother with fredcalif..I (and many others) have tried to teach him not to pay such close attention to city borders...he doesn't understand that these lines are imaginary!

anyway... stated by MiamiTodayNews (http://www.miamitodaynews.com/news/041014/story3.shtml)...

"... The Southeast - led by North Carolina, Georgia and Florida - ranks second behind New England among US regions in its concentration of life-science companies, according to Ernst & Young's annual report on the industry..."

well, most of the jobs you will find in Miami will be in Hotels or restaurants.
Miami does not have many high tech companies, industry or biotech.
most of the economy is service just like Orlando.
The per capital income in Miami is one of the lowest in the country.
Good luck Blink

That is all fine about Miami. You want me to stay in Los Angeles forever because cost of living is higher than Miami (about 15%-20% more than Miami). I will visit first if like or dislike in Miami.

Los Angeles was inexpensive cost of living about until late 1980s.

Not to question the ways of others, but why would a deaf person have the name of a band as their username? Seems kinda odd.

Well Fred, there are several reasons for per capita income being "low" in Miami. If you listen to one of our more prominate real estate consultant/guru's, he'll tell you that Miami has an "underground" economy that simply doesn't make the census numbers. In certain parts of the city, you can find 3 generations of people living in the same house, some not reported as a "capita", but still earning. This is a very significant number here. Additionally, many of these same people that are living here (definitely not poor) are involved in family businesses where they do not receive income.
Further, many people that "strike it rich" move to Florida/Miami to buy big houses (protected by the Homestead protection laws from creditors) and live off the money that they have already earned. Not much income, but lots of wealth.
So you can see, the numerator AND the denominator of per capita income are skewed in Miami.

Now, moving on to tech jobs...Miami is home to one of only 6 Network Access Points in the US (maybe a few more nowadays). The Tech Center of the Americas is home to Global Crossing and a host of other companies that are taking advantage of the best digital links to the continents of Africa and South America.

How about import/export? I don't think that Orlando isn't doing any water transport unless you count the Epcot Lake ferrying drunks from the Germany to Mexico.

And of course there are medical services. Miami does some very big business in these areas, and is not solely dependant on tourism.

This just in....

LATEST NEWS
October 15, 2004
Miami ranks as logistics-friendly
Despite its clogged highways, the Beacon Council said metropolitan Miami has ranked No. 22 among America's 100 most logistics-friendly metro areas in the 2004 Logistics Quotient ranking.
For the last four years, Expansion Management and Logistics Today magazines have produced an annual Logistics Quotient ranking of the most logistics-friendly cities in the United States.
The study looks at the 331 metropolitan statistical areas (MSA) established by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget and compares them according to 10 categories: the overall transportation and distribution industry climate; work force/labor costs/availability/skill levels; road/highway basic infrastructure and spending; road density/congestion/truck safety; road conditions; fuel taxes and fees; railroad access; water ports (both river/lake and ocean); air service; and interstate highway access (both main and auxiliary routes).
Miami, designated one of the top 50 "5-Star Logistics Cities" also ranked No. 1 in transportation and distribution industry climate; No. 5 in air cargo; No. 6 in workforce; No. 32 in interstate highways; and No. 42 in waterborne commerce.
"Logistics and transportation are very important to Miami-Dade County's economic vitality when you consider the volume of goods that come in and out of our community via the airport and the seaport," said Frank Nero, Beacon Council president and chief executive officer. "This ranking shows that we have the infrastructure and the labor to compete for business on a national and international level."
The state of Florida ranked No. 11 in road conditions, however, and Miami ranked No. 56 in the category of road/highway basic infrastructure and spending and No. 328 in road density/congestion/truck safety.
"Even though we have good rankings, we still have a lot of room for improvement," Nero said.
Miami ranked higher overall than such areas as Dallas, Indianapolis, San Francisco and Albany-Schenectady-Troy, N.Y.


© 2004 American City Business Journals Inc.

Not to question the ways of others, but why would a deaf person have the name of a band as their username? Seems kinda odd.


yes it does.

likewise, why would being deaf cause bad writing?
I assume deaf people can still read.

How about import/export? I don't think that Orlando isn't doing any water transport unless you count the Epcot Lake ferrying drunks from the Germany to Mexico.

Well duh. It's not on a coast. :weirdo:

Hello folks,

Just thought I would introduce myself to the forum... I've been lurking around on SSC, SSP, and Urbanplanet for a while now and finally decided to register! :) I am glad to be among people who share my passion for the Miami area, which never ceases to amaze. Pictures can't begin to describe the construction atmosphere, seeing it firsthand allows it to be appreciated within the appropriate context.

likewise, why would being deaf cause bad writing?
I assume deaf people can still read.
I can answer this question. For deaf people, English is a second language. The primary language used by the Deaf community in the U.S. is American Sign Language (ASL) -- a language in its own right, with its own grammar, syntax, and word order. ASL and English grammar are very different, i.e., ASL is not simply English words signed in English word order.

A lot of deaf people struggle with English, which is a second language that they don't have the advantage of being able to listen to, to know if they are using the language in a grammatically correct way. So when they write, their "ASL-ness" comes out in a way that is odd (or even just bizarre) to a native English speaker. On paper the words look fine; can't judge how it "sounds" out loud.

Hope this makes things a little clearer. :)

just go to the us census B Site you can look up percapita there
coral gables and kendall have high percapita's around 65-70 per head in the household at an average 3 heads in each household while fisher island brickell and brickell key have one of the highest in the usa. and that number is according to the us census remember have the people there are snowbirds the other half live overseas in south america only a few are locals so the number should be even higher if there was an accurate count. to find simliliar to these areas kind of money you would have to go to palm beach/boca raton area 1 hour away from miami. where the scripps labs are going up soon and alot of computer science jobs will be available.

miami also is home to companies like boston scientific and curdos corp also known as a division of johnson & johnson they make heart pacers and catheters and pay about 200k starting to thier engineers computer profesionals make about 80-150k starting and administrative assistants make from 45-65k a year.

so my reccomendation drop your resume in a few places when you come and visit. traffics much better then LA and Dallas that i can assure you

hopefully scripps will come to fruition. It's getting ALOT of opposition from environmentalists saying taht the current mecca farms location will threaten wetlands. I just hope it works out since the state needs to diversify.

Jennings: Universities crucial to Florida's economy

By Tom Harlan
An educated workforce is crucial to building Florida's biotech industry, state officials say.
Biotech jobs pay higher than minimum wage and require some technical schooling, but not necessarily higher education, said Florida Lt. Gov. Toni Jennings. A strong university system is critical to building Florida's diverse economy, she said during an interview last week at Miami Today.
"The state's biggest stumbling block will always be having enough people available and ready to go to work," she said. "That's why our community colleges, our universities, our technical centers and high schools need to be focused on preparing young people for the jobs that are here and that are coming."
The Scripps Research Institute announced plans last year to establish a science center in Palm Beach County that is to focus on biomedical research, technology development and drug design. Plans are being made for a research campus, projected to include many tenants, including biotech companies. Several colleges and universities are also expected to form partnerships with Scripps.
Scripps Florida began operations in a facility at Florida Atlantic University last spring and expects in 2005 to move to a temporary 40,000-square-foot laboratory building on its campus in Jupiter.
But biotech was a focus for the state before the Scripps deal, Ms. Jennings said. In 2002, Gov. Jeb Bush and the Legislature established the $30 million Technology Development Fund to create three centers of excellence at University of Florida, University of Central Florida and Florida Atlantic University.
The centers were established to develop Florida's high-tech industries and to help meet the state's education, capital and workforce needs. For example, the University of Florida's Center of Excellence in Regenerative Health Biotechnology is to undertake research that addresses the prevention, cure and rehabilitation of diseases and traumatic injuries, according to Enterprise Florida, the state's economic development agency.
After establishing the centers, Gov. Bush went to La Jolla, CA, and met with Richard Lerner, president of The Scripps Research Institute. While touring the institute, the governor decided that Florida needed a similar park to expand its economic base, Lt. Gov. Jennings said.
State officials went to La Jolla to study the area, and discuss what incentives Scripps Research Institute would need to open another operation in Florida.
Ms. Jennings said they named the effort to bring Scripps to Florida the air conditioning project, because they truly thought biotech would do for Florida for the next generation or two what the evolvement of air conditioning did for the development of Florida.
"Think about what Florida would have been like had air conditioning never been invented," she said.
After Scripps agreed to build a campus in Palm Beach County, the officials said their decision would have a "detonator effect" on Florida. The expansion is expected to spur Florida's economic development in biotech, just as Scripps in La Jolla helped build San Diego's bioscience industry.
"Scripps will be the catalyst for profit and not-for profit ventures throughout the state," the lieutenant governor said.
For example, La Jolla is surrounded by other life science companies, she said, adding that Pfizer has 1 million square feet in the city and Novartis has 500,000.
"Those types of operations feed upon having the Scripps Research Institute there," she said. "And that's really where biotech in Florida is going to be coming from."
In addition, Scripps' decision is to bring a whole new group of researchers and technicians to Florida and create stable, high-paying jobs to the area, Ms. Jennings said.
"And these jobs are less susceptible to downturns in the economy then tourism, agriculture or construction," she said. "Biotech is a prime example of Gov. Bush's focus on diversifying the economy."
Though Scripps will be headquartered in Palm Beach County, state officials see the outgrowths of this spreading throughout Florida.
South Florida, with hospitals like Jackson Memorial and universities like the University of Miami, is a prime location for biotech, Ms. Jennings said. A top-notch infrastructure and quality academic programs are key ingredients to a diversified economy, she said.
"Scripps will help expand our economic base in Florida," she said. "But the best economic development tool you can have is an educated workforce."

Hello folks,



I can answer this question. For deaf people, English is a second language. The primary language used by the Deaf community in the U.S. is American Sign Language (ASL) -- a language in its own right, with its own grammar, syntax, and word order. ASL and English grammar are very different, i.e., ASL is not simply English words signed in English word order.



Well i stand corrected. I apologize. Thanks for clearing it up and welcome to the forrum.

Miami Economy is great but as for the people it isn't so great. Ever been in the right outside of Miami (downtown)?. Some parts truely look like Haiti (no insult to Hatians intended). I know every city has it's ugly parts, but these areas have to be REALLY improved...

Miami Economy is great but as for the people it isn't so great. Ever been in the right outside of Miami (downtown)?. Some parts truely look like Haiti (no insult to Hatians intended). I know every city has it's ugly parts, but these areas have to be REALLY improved...
Yes, just outside of Downtown would include Bay Point, Morningside, Belle Meade, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Key Biscayne, and Coconut Grove. Don't tell the Sultan of Brunei or Oprah that Fisher Island (4 minutes from downtown) looks like Haiti, or they might buy you and sentence you to hard labor in the 15 square block area that you are referring to.

Yes, just outside of Downtown would include Bay Point, Morningside, Belle Meade, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Key Biscayne, and Coconut Grove. Don't tell the Sultan of Brunei or Oprah that Fisher Island (4 minutes from downtown) looks like Haiti, or they might buy you and sentence you to hard labor in the 15 square block area that you are referring to.

He said SOME parts
there's no denying Miami has it's share of "rough" looking areas. It was on top the list of poorest large metro for quite a while, & last listing I saw it was around #4 or 5.

Coral Gables, the town of LAWS!

BUT ZULU :) , Thats WHY Coral Gables is called " THE CITY BEAUTIFUL ", Its the LAWS that keep it Clean and Beautiful, Many people love living in the city limits of Coral Gables, especially the UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI :) " GO CANES " !!!, is within the CITY LIMITS. Geoge Merrick, THE FOUNDER of Coral Gables, Would of been PROUD to see HIS CITY of TODAY at his age of 138 !!! :cheers:

He said SOME parts
there's no denying Miami has it's share of "rough" looking areas. It was on top the list of poorest large metro for quite a while, & last listing I saw it was around #4 or 5.
Sorry to nitpick, but what he said was, "Ever been in the right outside of Miami (downtown)?"
A question that I answered, "Yes".
THEN he said, "Some parts truely look like Haiti (no insult to Hatians intended)"

Of course there are bad areas of Miami, but the 8 neighborhoods/cities that I referenced are within 5 miles of the downtown. Most people would consider that "right outside of downtown". All eight are rather affluent. The purpose of mentioning that is to dispell any myth that the downtown is a total ghetto. Downtown is rather desolate as far as population is concerned (for now), but it has a great deal of wealth in very close proximity to the intersection of Flagler Street and Miami Avenue (the center of town).

Over this weekend Mayor Manny Diaz gave a talk to a group where he referenced the "Poorest City in the US" issue. You are correct, we had that dubious distinction, but that is no longer the case. The city of Miami's Bond Rating has gone from "junk" to Investment Grade" in the last 4 years. He has addressed the poverty issue and we are seeing the results now and will continue to improve in the future.

Why is it that people boast about the Miami economy and how well jobs pay?
I live in Broward and when I do a job search online or in the paper I do not see many companies with good positions open Miami/Ft. Lauderdale.
Secondly the jobs in South Florida pay shit.

Not just Miami but Ft. Lauderdale and other areas including suburbs. Ive interviewed for jobs that pay 30K here and I had the same job in Ohio making 60K with a cheaper cost of living in Ohio. I LOVE living in South Florida but there needs to be better paying jobs here period.

Another point in case is the language situation. Im from the north and I was not exposed to spanish much. I have lost out on jobs that I was completely qualified for EXCEPT I do not speak spanish and therefore could not fill that position. This has not happened once but many times. Am I seeing this in the wrong light or has anyone else experienced this?

A theory of one of my friends who is a social worker in Broward is that people move to South Florida from other countries and will work for less pay and are equally educated as an American citizen. So corporations low ball everyone.

I'd like to hear anyones oppinion on this theory and help me better understand the economic foundation of South Florida.

TRUE DUDE, I would Agree about the PLENTY of JOBS at Mimmium WAGE, I mean there are Jobs in Miami that are paying their employees CASH at 5 bucks a hour on Roof and Concrete setting Jobs, If you don't beleive that, Just go out in the Western Suburbs where the new houses are being built near KROME Ave. between S.W. 8th St. and Kendall Drive, ITS real men and women, there's mexicans on uncompleted Roofs at 5 bucks a hour CASH.

I am not a Miami hater by far but what people see on TV and what they see when they get here are two different images. I love South Florida but its just a disgrace that the jobs pay a lot lower than other US cities....

thats because immigrants take any job that they can get,so employers pay alot less

It's not just the immigrants, Miami is an expensive city to live in remember most jobs do not even offer a cost of living raise on a yearly basis. That is basically unheard off unless you work for city or government. I have family that live in different states & when they come here to visit they even say that the groceries are more expensive than elsewhere. Before Miami use to have large corporations and many factories that had 3 shifts and great benefits, now they are all gone taken to other countries as every other business is doing. It gets expensive to live here, if you want to live in a descent area most homes are about $230k+ and most jobs pay $30k if that!

Before Miami use to have large corporations and many factories that had 3 shifts and great benefits, now they are all gone taken to other countries as every other business is doing. It gets expensive to live here, if you want to live in a descent area most homes are about $230k+ and most jobs pay $30k if that!
3 Shift factory jobs were probably before I landed here in South Florida in 1992, it was my understanding that Miami was mostly Agriculture and tourism. Regardless, as you can see now, white collar job outnumber service jobs by a very significant margin. 3 to 1 should be enough to dispell/debunk the "service jobs only" myth.

SOURCE: Florida Department of Labor and Employment Security, Bureau of Labor Market Information, Annual Averages Labor Force Summary, 1980-2000

Major Employers

Occupational Title Employees Percent
Employed 1,196,632 100.0
White Collar 687,836 57.5
Blue Collar 272,727 22.8
Service 236,069 19.7

It's not just the immigrants, Miami is an expensive city to live in
Sure, it's more expensive than some cities, but not much. Of course, it is a bit more expensive when my realtives visit too, but they aknowledge that our annual snow removal costs are much more affordable!!

Miami-Dade County Cost of Living Comparison
Selected Major Urban Areas
(U.S. Average = 100, July 2001)

Items Index

All Items 113.1
Grocery Items 106.9
Housing 130.1
Utilities 108.8
Transportation 107.2
Health Care 105.4
Misc. Goods and Services 105.0

Source: ACCRA Cost-of-Living Index, 2nd qtr 2003

Cost of Living Comparison
Selected Major Urban Areas
(U.S. Average = 100, July 2001)

City Index
New York (Manhattan), NY 175.0
Boston, MA 136.2
Washington, DC 133.5
Cleveland, OH 104.5
Miami 113.1
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN 109.8
Phoenix, AZ 98.5
Atlanta, GA 95.5
Dallas, TX 96.9
Baltimore, MD 96.0

Source: ACCRA Cost-of-Living Index, 2nd qtr 2003

Okay, it's a beautiful NOVEMBER DAY so I'll be walking to the beach, pick up some fresh fruit at the Lincoln Road market (not that kind of fruit, Nimby/Uptown!) then off to watch Shaq at the AAA!!!! Partly cloudy and 83 degrees, getting down to 72 degrees at night.

Here is how the day is looking in the "cheaper" cities, add a Parka and some earmuffs to the cost of living.

Minneap-St. P 31 degrees mostly cloudy
Phoenix 60 degreesmostly cloudy
Atlanta 47 degress- part cloud
Dallas 49 degrees cloudy
Balt 42 degrees fair -- but at least this town is on the 57 degree water!

3 Shift factory jobs were probably before I landed here in South Florida in 1992, it was my understanding that Miami was mostly Agriculture and tourism. Regardless, as you can see now, white collar job outnumber service jobs by a very significant margin. 3 to 1 should be enough to dispell/debunk the "service jobs only" myth.

SOURCE: Florida Department of Labor and Employment Security, Bureau of Labor Market Information, Annual Averages Labor Force Summary, 1980-2000

Major Employers

Occupational Title Employees Percent
Employed 1,196,632 100.0
White Collar 687,836 57.5
Blue Collar 272,727 22.8
Service 236,069 19.7


Sure, it's more expensive than some cities, but not much. Of course, it is a bit more expensive when my realtives visit too, but they aknowledge that our annual snow removal costs are much more affordable!!

Miami-Dade County Cost of Living Comparison
Selected Major Urban Areas
(U.S. Average = 100, July 2001)

Items Index

All Items 113.1
Grocery Items 106.9
Housing 130.1
Utilities 108.8
Transportation 107.2
Health Care 105.4
Misc. Goods and Services 105.0

Source: ACCRA Cost-of-Living Index, 2nd qtr 2003

Cost of Living Comparison
Selected Major Urban Areas
(U.S. Average = 100, July 2001)

City Index
New York (Manhattan), NY 175.0
Boston, MA 136.2
Washington, DC 133.5
Cleveland, OH 104.5
Miami 113.1
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN 109.8
Phoenix, AZ 98.5
Atlanta, GA 95.5
Dallas, TX 96.9
Baltimore, MD 96.0

Source: ACCRA Cost-of-Living Index, 2nd qtr 2003

Okay, it's a beautiful NOVEMBER DAY so I'll be walking to the beach, pick up some fresh fruit at the Lincoln Road market (not that kind of fruit, Nimby/Uptown!) then off to watch Shaq at the AAA!!!! Partly cloudy and 83 degrees, getting down to 72 degrees at night.

Here is how the day is looking in the "cheaper" cities, add a Parka and some earmuffs to the cost of living.

Minneap-St. P 31 degrees mostly cloudy
Phoenix 60 degreesmostly cloudy
Atlanta 47 degress- part cloud
Dallas 49 degrees cloudy
Balt 42 degrees fair -- but at least this town is on the 57 degree water!

Wow. Miami have high cost of living with most unequal job paid. Miami need work on improve ecomony so add more wage for job that can afford high cost of living. In Los Angeles, People have equal wage to high cost of living. My uncle worked movie industy in Los Angeles so he made more than $100,000K. Los Angeles have worst ecomony in late 1980s and early 1990s. It was improved and boomed about mid-1990s. They only have almost 6 years with bad ecomony.

Can Miami make improve itself?

BLINK :) , I have an Answer For YOU, Since I've been a Resident here for the Last 35 Years. :sleepy:
IT IS; WORK, WORK, WORK, WORK, WORK Your Butt OFF, lol. And Keep Driving I-95 Everyday in A PICK-UP Truck With 4 Construction Men With Lunch Bags in Your Back Bed. :cheers:

work all day long,well theirs one job that i find the easiest in the world its called a subsitute teacher they get payed for doing nothing

Blink...I love theMonster.com relocation site (http://salary.monster.com/costoflivingwizard/layoutscripts/coll_result.asp?presentsalary=100000&presenthomemetrocode=98&presentworkmetrocode=98&newhomemetrocode=107&newworkmetrocode=107&x=50&y=6), these guys really have career and relocation down. Just type in a salary, where you work, and where you live, and the calculator will tell you the cost of living where you are going, and the expected salary of the place that you are moving.

For example: If your Uncle makes $100,000 while living and working in LA, he would be better off in living and working in Miami. (I know the smart people in this forum will quickly notice that this calculation depends on Miami having the same job as LA. True, but I went through the service industry myth on the last post :) )

This is the analysis according to Monster.com:

The cost of living in Miami, FL is 22.7% lower than in Los Angeles, CA. Therefore, you would have to earn a salary of $77,314 to maintain your current standard of living.

Employers in Miami, FL typically pay 12.1% less than employers in Los Angeles, CA. Therefore, if you take the same type of job in the same type of company in Miami, FL you are likely to earn $87,865.

POSITIVE $10,550 net change in disposable income.

When you add that to the 15% that you can save by switching to Geico, you can easily afford a new condo.

WOW ROARK, :) Where do you Get all This INFO?, DON'T Have to Answer !, Just Keep on the INFO, Fantastic INPUT, Me, Johnny 5, I need to learn More, I'm a Subsitute Teacher :) that Don't know Nothing , But I get paid, lol. :cheers:
P.S. : I also saved 15 % on my Car Insurance by switching to Geico, It feels GREAT !, lol. :cheers:

i dont go by that cost of living index's
i lived in dallas and it was much more expensive then miami
the sales tax is 8.5 and the groceries where about 150-200 dollars a week
in miami i spend half that amount on groceries and tax is no where near 9 percent the rents where about the same as here and restaurants think they are on southbeach becuase they are costly out there.

so overall i think we have a better quality of life and lower cost of living then dallas tx

unless you live on a farm

i dont go by that cost of living index's
i lived in dallas and it was much more expensive then miami
the sales tax is 8.5 and the groceries where about 150-200 dollars a week
in miami i spend half that amount on groceries and tax is no where near 9 percent the rents where about the same as here and restaurants think they are on southbeach becuase they are costly out there.

so overall i think we have a better quality of life and lower cost of living then dallas tx

unless you live on a farm
Well....again, I think that the Monster.com calculator is right on when calculating cost of living/salaries. What is purely open to opinion is a personal idea of "quality of life". Personally, I like Miami's beaches more than Dallas'!!!
Here is what the calculator has to say about Dallas -v- Miami....pretty close.

The cost of living in Miami, FL is 1.7% higher than in Dallas, TX. Therefore, you would have to earn a salary of $101,722 to maintain your current standard of living.

Employers in Miami, FL typically pay 3.5% less than employers in Dallas, TX. Therefore, if you take the same type of job in the same type of company in Miami, FL you are likely to earn $96,498

WOW ROARK, :) Where do you Get all This INFO?, DON'T Have to Answer !, Just Keep on the INFO, Fantastic INPUT, Me, Johnny 5, I need to learn More, I'm a Subsitute Teacher :) that Don't know Nothing , But I get paid, lol. :cheers:
P.S. : I also saved 15 % on my Car Insurance by switching to Geico, It feels GREAT !, lol. :cheers:

...well, I un-switched from Geico on my car insurance and saved a lot more than 15%. I was with them for nearly 20 years. I have never claimed anything. There is plenty of competition out there. :)

Well Miami may have a good number of white collar jobs but that doesnt mean they pay well. Im sorry but cost of living index shit on monster.com doesnt prove anything. All I do is work my ass of down here in a corporate job and it still doesnt pay enough. Most corporate jobs here just dont. There may be plenty if jobs here but when majority pay shit what kind of economy is that? What is the percentage of people living around the poverty line in Miami? or South Florida metro even?