Miami Vs. Atlanta: Which City Is Better to Live In?

Ossiana Tepfenhart
by Ossiana Tepfenhart

When it comes to the Southeast, it’s hard to ignore how many major cities have gained major attention on TV and mainstream media. Miami and Atlanta are two of the most popular places for people to move in this part of the US. If you pay attention to the way shows display them, you might get the wrong idea about moving here. Believe it or not, it’s pretty easy to see which city is a better place to call home.

Miami has excellent entertainment and amenities, plus year-round access to the beach. However, Atlanta beats Miami when it comes to income, cost of living, education, and crime rates. As a result, most people tend to prefer living in Atlanta and would rather visit Miami once in a while.

Living in the South is definitely a lifestyle. If you are debating between relocating to Miami or Atlanta, you might want to do a bit of research before you call the movers…or a realtor.

Which City Is Better: Miami Or Atlanta?

There are a lot of ways to answer this, and truthfully, the answer might be different if you are a celebrity. However, for the sake of our article, we are going to focus on how regular people would experience life in each one.

Considering other places to live? We also wrote a guide comparing Austin vs. Houston and Denver vs. Portland!

Quality Of Life

We’re going to assume that the quality of life question is going to be a matter of overall happiness with their living situations. When it comes to the overall joy that people feel when they’re here, both Miami and Atlanta have similar ratings. Maybe we could blame it on the sunshine, but they both seem to create a sunny demeanor in people.

Winner: Tie

Cost Of Living

Miami’s cost of living index rests at around 109, compared to Atlanta’s 107.5. This lands both cities fairly close to the national average in terms of living costs. With that said, the cost of living in Miami is ever so slightly higher for day-to-day goods. Moreover, if you want to partake in the nightlife here, things can quickly skyrocket in price tag.

As a result of the higher prices for entertainment and the slight margin on regular items, we’re going to have to say that Atlanta won this round.

Winner: Atlanta

Housing Costs

It’s clear that there is a pretty big divide in housing prices between renters and buyers in Miami. This is because there is a huge divide between Miami’s rich and poor. If you own, you’re probably wealthy. If you rent, you’re probably going to be in the poor section of the city. Atlanta tends to have a more stable housing market all along the area.

AtlantaMiami
Average Cost 1 BR Apartment$1,500$995
Median Home Price$259,000$425,000

Winner: Atlanta

Job Market

Miami is one of those places that has a sharp divide in the job market too. Most jobs in this city are dedicated towards retail and tourism, which means that they don’t pay well. Around 8.3 percent of the town is unemployed at any given moment, partly due to lack of opportunity and partly because it just doesn’t always pay to work. Some only get part-time jobs.

The bottom line here is that Atlanta has the better job market. Higher wages, better opportunities, and more major companies to anchor your life to make it a good choice.

Atlanta Miami
Unemployment5.3%8.3%
Projected 10-Year Growth46.8%42.7%
Median Household Income$59,948$41,818
Median Personal Income$34,218$31,642

Culture

Where do we even begin? It’s a battle between two of the biggest names in the South. Georgia is all about BBQ, Southern-fried goodness, friendliness, and just a pinch of glamour. Georgians love their basketballs and footballs, as they do their hip hop and cars. It’s good ol’ fun there, and it’s all about progress.

Miami is a heavily Latin-influenced place that’s filled with surf, sand, and beaches. The city acts as one of the largest nightlife hotspots in the world, which means that concerts are pretty big here. Lots of music involves pride in the city, and yes, there are a lot of people in entertainment within city limits too. You never know who you’ll run into in Miami.

Winner: Tied.

Leisure/Entertainment

Where do we even begin? Both cities are known for having a heavy club influence, especially when it comes to meringue. They both have tons of restaurants to choose from, great concert venues, as well as great art venues. It’s hard to find fault with either, but we’re going to be blunt: Miami has more.

Miami is literally a quick drive to Orlando, which means that you can visit Disneyworld on a regular basis. You also get to enjoy way more beach time when you live in Miami. Did we mention that the club scene is obscenely popular, too? Mr. Miami (erm, Pitbull) was right to shout out his town.

Winner: Miami.

Transportation

To absolutely no one’s surprise, Miami has a lot more traffic than most other cities of its size. It happens to be one of the biggest tourist cities, and we all know that tourists don’t always drive well. Especially at night, when they might be a bit tipsy. As a result, Miami’s commute is around 28 minutes on average. Atlanta’s commute is around 26 minutes on average, putting it on the same line as most other cities in America.

Winner: Atlanta

Demographics

Hm. This is going to be tricky since both cities are famous for being extremely diverse. Miami is around 72 percent Hispanic, which means that this area is technically less diverse than Atlanta. Atlanta has a far more even mix of people from every ethnicity—white, black, Hispanic, and AAPI included.

While it’s great to see a city that has as much Latin influence, having less diversity and less even representation can leave some folks feeling left out. Even so, it’s a great place to go if you want to soak in some new culture!

Winner: Atlanta

Education

It’s no secret that Miami is a city that’s struggling with education, big time. Unless you have a fortune to spend on a private school, your chances at having your kids have a decent education are slim. Atlanta spends over $16,000 per kid, while Miami can’t have much to offer at around $9,600 students.

Miami grad rates suck. In Miami, your child will have a one out of four chance of dropping out of high school. Meanwhile, in Atlanta, the city has a college grad rate at around 48.6 percent.

Winner: Atlanta

Weather

Honestly, the weather in both Georgia and Florida is known for being warm and somewhat humid. However, it’s a matter of magnitude. Both Atlanta and Miami have hot, sunny weather in the summer and balmy weather in the winter. Unfortunately, both are privy to hurricanes and tropical storms due to the closeness to the ocean. Florida tends to bear the larger brunt of the problems there.

Crime Rates

I’ll be honest, I got mixed reports when it came to crime rates in both cities. In some, Miami had a higher violent crime rate and property crime rate than Atlanta. In others, Atlanta had the higher crime rate. Many people have alleged that the crime in Miami is grossly underreported and we’d be inclined to believe it due to the reputation for gang violence alone.

The truth is that both counties have serious gang issues, often paired with a serious drug trade. It’s not uncommon for innocent people to get caught in the crossfire.

Winner: Unknown, Suspected Miami.

The Verdict

No matter how you look at it, there’s one city that’s definitely more family-friendly than the other. If you want to have a more secure future or want to raise a family, it’s clear that Atlanta is the overall winner. However, living in Miami doesn’t have to be a bad thing. If you’re a fun-loving single, then you absolutely will adore it there.


Related Questions

What foods should you try in Miami?

Miami is a hotspot for all things Latin, especially when it comes to Cuban fare. Cuban sandwiches are super popular here, but there’s oh, so much more. The right place will get you mouthwatering seafood dishes, incredible empanadas, and once in a blue moon, you might even eat some gator bites.

Though it’s not exactly “native” to Miami, you also can find some pretty mean key lime pie in the city. Overall, the food here is amazing and you will love it.

What TV shows are filmed in Atlanta?

Most people are now aware that the ATL acts as a major hub for entertainment. Some of the shows filmed in the area include Real Housewives of Atlanta, Stranger Things, as well as The Ozark. The reason for all the shows that film in the area include tax breaks, low wages, as well as a lot of connections to the local government.

Simply put, Georgia makes a serious effort to attract Hollywood to Atlanta’s doors. As a result, there are a lot of stars in town and there is no sign of this stopping.

What foods are famous in Atlanta?

Atlanta is all about the flavor of good ol’ Southern cooking. The city’s most popular fruit is obviously peaches, and having the Coca-Cola factory within city borders also contributes to the cooking vibe here. Most locals will swear by the barbecues in this area. If you get invited to a cookout thrown by some locals in Atlanta, you can rest assured that they will find a way to make your taste buds sing with joy.

Other popular items include mint juleps and spicy ribs. Just be forewarned. Atlanta has a lot of venues that make their own hot sauces. Some of them can be a lot spicier than they first taste.

More Related Guides

Ossiana Tepfenhart
Ossiana Tepfenhart

Ossiana Tepfenhart is an expert writer, focusing on interior design and general home tips. Writing is her life, and it's what she does best. Her interests include art and real estate investments.

More by Ossiana Tepfenhart

Next