Moving From New York to Miami: What I Tell Every New York Buyer
The taxes you stop paying, what your Manhattan or Brooklyn money buys here, the neighborhoods New Yorkers actually choose, and the costs that go up. Numbers from the state tax agencies, the Census Bureau and the Miami MLS, not a listicle.
The one-paragraph version: a New York City couple with $300,000 of taxable income stops paying about $28,000 a year in state and city income tax the day they become Florida residents. Miami-Dade's median single-family home sold for $680,000 in August 2026 against a record $1,250,000 Manhattan median. Rent averages $2,732 here versus $4,843 in the city. What costs more: homeowners insurance, and property tax on a fresh purchase. What is the same: the 2h30m flight, and the fact that half your building will also be from New York.
- $0Florida state income tax. NYC couple at $300K taxable: about $28,264 a year saved.
- $680KMiami-Dade median single-family sale, Aug 2026. Manhattan median: $1.25M (Q2 2026).
- $465Per sq ft in Miami-Dade vs about $1,489 in Manhattan.
- 2h30mJFK to MIA nonstop. FLL about 3h15m.
The taxes you stop paying
Florida has no state income tax and no estate tax. That is not a loophole, it is the state constitution. For a New Yorker the number to look at is the combined state plus city bill, because New York City residents pay both.
| Where you live | $150,000 | $300,000 | $500,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York City (state + city) | $13,507 | $28,264 | $49,518 |
| New York State, outside NYC (Westchester, Long Island) | $7,918 | $16,860 | $30,363 |
| New Jersey | $5,513 | $15,068 | $27,808 |
| Florida | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Sales tax is 7% in Miami-Dade and Broward (6% state plus 1% county). New York City is 8.875%, so that moves in your favor too. Estate tax: Florida has none, so the state-level bill your heirs would face in New York disappears. The full breakdown, a calculator and the residency rules are on my Florida income tax page.
Cost of living: New York City vs Miami
Miami is not cheap. It is cheap compared to Manhattan, and the gap is almost entirely housing and taxes. Groceries, dining and a car are roughly what you are used to.
| Measure | New York City | Miami |
|---|---|---|
| Average monthly rent | $4,843 | $2,732 |
| Listing price per sq ft | $1,489 (Manhattan) | $465 (Miami-Dade) |
| Cost-of-living index (C2ER) | 230+ (Manhattan) | Above U.S. average, well below Manhattan |
| State income tax | Up to 10.9% state + 3.876% city | 0% |
| Sales tax | 8.875% | 7% |
Where the money goes instead: most of my New York clients end up owning a car for the first time in years (Miami is not a subway city, though Brickell, Miami Beach and Sunny Isles are walkable day to day), and condo association fees on the beachfront towers are real, typically covering the building's master insurance, staff, amenities and reserves. Ask for the association budget before you fall in love with a unit.
What your money buys: Manhattan vs Miami-Dade
This is the conversation that turns a "maybe someday" into a flight down.
| Market | Median sale price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Manhattan (all, Q2 2026) | $1,250,000 | Record high; about $1,694 per sq ft; inventory ~15% below a year earlier |
| Brooklyn (June 2026) | ~$1,050,000 | About $750 per sq ft |
| Miami-Dade single-family (Aug 2026) | $680,000 | Up 4% year over year |
| Miami-Dade condo / townhouse (Aug 2026) | $410,000 | Up 2.2% year over year |
In practice, the $1.25M that buys a Manhattan median apartment buys a two-bedroom ocean-view condo in a full-service Sunny Isles Beach tower, a three-bedroom waterfront condo in Aventura, or a four-bedroom house with a pool in the Fort Lauderdale or Boca Raton suburbs. The listings strip at the bottom of this page pulls what is on the market right now in that range.
One thing to price in: Florida's homestead cap resets on sale. The seller's tax bill reflects years of capped assessments; yours will be based on your purchase price at roughly 0.81% (Miami-Dade) or 0.96% (Broward) effective rates, minus the $50,000 homestead exemption. Still lower than Westchester's 1.84% or Nassau's 1.72%, but never assume the number on the listing sheet.
Where New Yorkers actually land
After years of walking buyers from JFK to a closing table, this is where they end up, and why. Every link goes to live listings.
- Most common
Sunny Isles Beach
The Collins Avenue towers: doorman, valet, gym, pool, beach service, the building life you had on the Upper East Side but with the ocean outside. Heavy New York and New Jersey ownership; you will hear the accent in the elevator. My office is here.
- Families
Aventura
Planned, quiet, waterfront condos and gated houses, Aventura Mall, good private schools within minutes. The pick for families who want a doorman building and a car that lives in the garage.
- Quiet money
Bal Harbour & Surfside
Low-rise, low-key, the Bal Harbour Shops, and the shortest walk between the beach and a serious dinner. Pricier per square foot than Sunny Isles, calmer than Miami Beach.
- Downtown life
Brickell & Edgewater
The closest thing to Manhattan energy: high-rises, finance, restaurants, walk to work. Most of the financial firms that opened Miami offices are within a few blocks.
- Beach + scene
Miami Beach
South of Fifth for the New Yorkers who want the best restaurants at their feet; Mid-Beach and North Beach for more space per dollar and a quieter block.
- Boats and yards
Fort Lauderdale
Broward County, twenty-five minutes north. Waterfront single-family homes with a dock, Las Olas, a smaller airport (FLL) with JetBlue and Delta nonstops to JFK. Lower price per square foot than Miami-Dade.
- Suburban
Boca Raton
Country-club communities, top-rated schools, the Long Island and Westchester crowd. Palm Beach County, about an hour from Miami.
The honest part
Homeowners insurance costs more
The latest finalized industry data (NAIC 2022, via the Insurance Information Institute) puts Florida's average homeowners premium at $2,677 a year, the highest in the country, versus $1,628 in New York. Current quotes run above that 2022 figure and vary enormously by property: a new-construction condo where the building's master policy covers the structure is a very different bill from a 1970s single-family house near the water. Get a quote on the specific property before you make an offer. I can introduce you to the brokers my clients use.
Condo buildings have new rules since Surfside
After the 2021 Surfside collapse, Florida changed its condo law. Buildings three stories and taller now face mandatory milestone structural inspections as they age and must fund reserves for major components instead of waiving them. The result is that older towers that deferred maintenance are passing special assessments, while newer and well-run buildings are stable. When a New York buyer asks me about a tower, the first things I pull are the milestone inspection status, the reserve study and the recent assessments. Do not buy a Florida condo without them.
Hurricanes
Season runs June through November. Modern towers are built to the post-Hurricane Andrew wind code with impact glass, generators and elevated equipment, and the beachfront buildings I sell in were designed for it. Houses need shutters or impact windows and a roof the insurer likes. What you are really buying is preparation and an insurance policy that matches the property; the day-to-day is far more about heat in August than storms.
Are people still moving to Florida?
Yes, but the 2021 to 2023 stampede is over, and I would rather you hear that from me than from a headline.
- Census Bureau, year ending June 30, 2025: Florida's net domestic migration was +22,517, down from +183,646 in 2023 and +310,892 in 2022. Florida ranked 8th among states for domestic movers. Net international migration into Florida was +178,674, the highest of any state.
- IRS tax-filer data, 2022 to 2023: Florida gained a net 55,349 filers, the most of any state. New York lost a net 71,987 filers and about $9.9 billion in adjusted gross income; New Jersey lost 19,370 filers; California lost 100,397.
What that means for a buyer: the bidding-war years are behind us, inventory has rebuilt, and negotiating room exists again, especially on condos and on anything that has sat more than 60 days. The buyers who are moving now are doing it for the reasons on this page, not because everyone else is.
Flights, residency and timeline
Getting back and forth
JFK to Miami (MIA) is about 2h30m nonstop on American and Delta; LaGuardia to Miami about 3h15m on Delta; Newark to Miami 2h30m to 3h. JFK to Fort Lauderdale (FLL) is about 3h15m on JetBlue and Delta with roughly 45 to 70 departures a week. Most of my clients keep a New York foothold the first year and commute; the flight is shorter than a lot of Metro-North rides.
Becoming a Florida resident, and stopping being a New York one
Florida has no day-count test because it has nothing to tax. New York does: keep a permanent place of abode in New York and spend more than 183 days there (any part of a day counts) and New York taxes you as a full resident regardless of where you say you live. The practical checklist my clients' CPAs give them: Florida driver's license and voter registration, a Florida homestead exemption on the new home, doctors and advisors moved down, a day count kept, and the New York apartment either sold or clearly secondary. If you keep the New York place, get a multi-state CPA before you move, not after.
A realistic timeline
- Month 0: a video call with me on budget, neighborhoods and the tax picture; I send a first set of listings.
- Month 1: one trip down, two days, twelve to fifteen showings across two or three areas. Most buyers know their neighborhood by the end of day one.
- Months 1 to 2: offer, inspection, condo document review (milestone status, reserves, assessments), insurance quote, financing if any.
- Month 3: closing. Florida closings are typically 30 to 45 days from contract on a financed deal and faster for cash.
- After closing: homestead exemption filed with the county (deadline March 1 of the following year), license, registration, the residency paper trail.
Not tax or legal advice. I am a real estate broker. The tax and residency figures on this page come from the state agencies and sources listed at the bottom; your return depends on facts I cannot see. Confirm with a CPA before you act.
Live listings New Yorkers are looking at
Current MLS listings between $800,000 and $3,000,000 in Sunny Isles Beach, Aventura and Fort Lauderdale, refreshed as you load this page.
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Is Miami cheaper than New York?
For housing and taxes, yes by a wide margin: about $2,732 average rent versus $4,843 in New York City, roughly $465 per square foot in Miami-Dade versus $1,489 in Manhattan, and no state income tax. Homeowners insurance and property tax on a fresh purchase are the costs that run higher here. Day-to-day spending on food, dining and a car is comparable.
How much do I save on taxes moving from NYC to Florida?
On the 2025 married-filing-jointly schedules, state plus city income tax is about $13,507 on $150,000 of taxable income, $28,264 on $300,000 and $49,518 on $500,000. Florida charges $0. Run your own number on the calculator.
Where do most New Yorkers move to in Miami?
In my practice: Sunny Isles Beach and Aventura first, then Bal Harbour, Surfside, Brickell, Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton. The beachfront towers along Collins Avenue draw the most Manhattan buyers because they replicate the full-service building life.
Are people still moving to Florida in 2026?
Yes, at a much slower pace than 2021 to 2023. The Census Bureau counted about 22,500 net domestic movers into Florida for the year ending June 2025, down from about 311,000 in 2022. IRS data still shows Florida as the top net gainer of tax filers and New York as one of the biggest net losers.
Do I need a car in Miami?
Almost always, yes. Brickell, Miami Beach and Sunny Isles are walkable for daily life, and most of my clients still end up with a car within the first few months. There is no subway equivalent.
How long is the flight from New York to Miami?
About 2h30m nonstop from JFK to MIA, about 3h15m from JFK to Fort Lauderdale, and 2h30m to 3h from Newark, with dozens of nonstops a day.
Thinking about the move? Let's talk it through.
Tell me your budget, which borough or suburb you are in now and what you want your week to look like here. I will send you homes that fit, with the real property tax, insurance and association numbers for each one, and we can set up a two-day showing trip whenever you are ready.
Kevin Poler · Broker, The Poler Team · Optimar International Realty, 18246 Collins Ave, Sunny Isles Beach, FL 33160Sources
- New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, 2025 Form IT-201 instructions (NYS and NYC rate schedules); statutory residency guidance. tax.ny.gov.
- New Jersey Division of Taxation, Tax Rate Schedules. nj.gov.
- Florida Constitution, Article VII, Section 5; Florida Department of Revenue sales and surtax rates (DR-15DSS, effective January 1, 2026). floridarevenue.com.
- U.S. Census Bureau, "U.S. Population Growth Slows Due to Historic Decline in Net International Migration," Vintage 2025 estimates, January 27, 2026. census.gov.
- IRS Statistics of Income, Migration Data 2022–2023, as compiled by the Tax Foundation's State Migration Trends. taxfoundation.org.
- MIAMI Realtors, August 2026 monthly statistics (Miami-Dade single-family and condo medians); Redfin Miami-Dade County housing market page. redfin.com.
- Douglas Elliman / Miller Samuel, Manhattan Q2 2026 market report (as reported in real estate press); Redfin Brooklyn, June 2026.
- RentCafe, "Miami vs. New York City: Cost of living comparison for renters (2026)"; Fortune, July 26, 2026, citing the C2ER Cost of Living Index. rentcafe.com.
- Tax Foundation, Property Taxes by State and County (2024 ACS data). taxfoundation.org.
- Insurance Information Institute, homeowners insurance average premiums by state (NAIC 2022). iii.org.
- Flight times: FlightsFrom.com and TravelMath schedule aggregators (JFK–FLL, JFK–MIA, LGA–MIA, EWR–MIA), September 2026.