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METRO RESEARCH / CBSA 33100

Salary and cost of living in Miami

Compare occupational wages, regional price levels, housing and travel-to-work indicators across the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metro area.

At a glance

For the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metro area (CBSA 33100), BEA 2024 all-items regional price parity is 114.2 (U.S. = 100). Census ACS 2020–2024 estimates median gross rent at $1,869 per month and a 45+ minute commute share of 19.9% among workers who commute. These are metro estimates, not current asking rents, neighborhood figures or an individual commute forecast.

Sources: BLS wages (May 2025) · BEA price parity (2024) · Census ACS (2020–2024) · metro areas, not city limits · How we calculate

ALL-ITEMS PRICE INDEX114.2U.S. average = 100, BEA 2024
MEDIAN GROSS RENT$1,869/moCensus ACS 2020–2024
45+ MIN COMMUTE SHARE19.9%Non-home commuters, ACS 5-year

How Miami compares with the other 74 metros

Each measure below is ranked across the 75 curated metros, where 1st means the highest value. A high or low rank describes the number, not whether the metro is a better or worse place to live.

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Miami context measures
MeasureMiamiMiddle value of 75 metrosRank (1st = highest)
BEA 2024 all-items price parity (U.S. = 100)114.298.42nd of 75
ACS median gross rent per month$1,869$1,43011th of 75
ACS median household income$76,527$83,46052nd of 75
ACS share of commuters with 45+ minute trips19.9%13.2%15th of 75

The metros with the closest BEA price parity are Los Angeles (113.6), San Francisco (115.6), New York (112.6). Similar price levels do not imply similar wages, rents or job markets; compare them with the city comparison pages or the interactive tool.

Where pay ranks highest and lowest in Miami

For each occupation reported in at least 50 metros, we ranked Miami’s price-adjusted median against the other metros reporting the same occupation. These ranks compare published medians for one occupation at a time; they are not measures of openings or of how an employer will pay.

Highest relative to other metros

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Miami highest-ranking occupations
OccupationAdjusted medianRank
Personal Financial Advisors$110,08721st of 73
Data Scientists$111,64627th of 73
Lawyers$140,44136th of 73
Financial and Investment Analysts$92,12051st of 75
Information Security Analysts$109,77250th of 72

Lowest relative to other metros

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Miami lowest-ranking occupations
OccupationAdjusted medianRank
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$47,82175th of 75
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive$41,56674th of 74
Retail Salespersons$30,07375th of 75
Registered Nurses$80,04974th of 74
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters$50,59875th of 75

Occupation wages in the Miami metro area

South Florida metro economy spanning international trade, services and tourism. The BLS geographic unit is Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL (CBSA 33100), rather than the limits of Miami city. Salary medians cannot be directly compared to a specific employer or neighborhood.

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Largest occupations in Miami
OccupationAnnual median wageAdjusted median*Employment estimate
Retail Salespersons$34,330$30,07391,370
General and Operations Managers$105,640$92,54174,960
Customer Service Representatives$39,560$34,65563,440
Registered Nurses$91,380$80,04961,670
Office Clerks, General$44,730$39,18461,160
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand$38,580$33,79648,860
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive$47,450$41,56633,380
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General$46,290$40,55031,890
Accountants and Auditors$80,920$70,88630,950
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products$62,400$54,66330,740
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers$51,580$45,18429,060
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks$50,300$44,06325,910
Show all 79 occupations, alphabetically

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All 79 occupations in Miami
OccupationAnnual median wageAdjusted median*Employment estimate
Accountants and Auditors$80,920$70,88630,950
Architects, Except Landscape and Naval$97,500$85,4101,810
Architectural and Civil Drafters$61,720$54,0671,740
Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics$49,550$43,40611,970
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks$50,300$44,06325,910
Carpenters$51,570$45,17510,100
Child, Family, and School Social Workers$59,710$52,3064,460
Civil Engineers$83,750$73,3656,850
Compliance Officers$79,770$69,87910,530
Computer Network Architects$133,650$117,0781,940
Computer Programmers$101,530$88,9401,100
Computer Systems Analysts$103,650$90,7989,000
Computer and Information Systems Managers$169,600$148,5709,190
Construction Laborers$45,520$39,87618,280
Customer Service Representatives$39,560$34,65563,440
Data Scientists$127,450$111,6463,040
Dental Hygienists$82,780$72,5153,460
Electrical Engineers$102,800$90,0532,050
Electricians$58,630$51,36012,990
Electronics Engineers, Except Computer$116,500$102,054880
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education$58,300$51,07119,910
Environmental Engineers$99,600$87,250240
Financial Managers$164,230$143,86614,540
Financial and Investment Analysts$105,160$92,1206,400
First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers$77,530$67,91616,720
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers$50,250$44,01922,220
General and Operations Managers$105,640$92,54174,960
Graphic Designers$61,870$54,1983,950
Healthcare Social Workers$64,510$56,5113,440
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers$51,580$45,18429,060
Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks$35,500$31,0986,860
Human Resources Specialists$67,580$59,20018,080
Industrial Engineers$103,740$90,8763,360
Information Security Analysts$125,310$109,7723,300
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand$38,580$33,79648,860
Lawyers$160,320$140,44123,270
Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses$62,610$54,8468,900
Light Truck Drivers$42,750$37,44920,000
Loan Officers$71,510$62,6434,190
Machinists$60,700$53,1732,170
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General$46,290$40,55031,890
Management Analysts$94,290$82,59816,540
Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists$78,990$69,195Unavailable
Marketing Managers$135,870$119,0227,530
Mechanical Engineers$99,660$87,3022,000
Medical Assistants$44,930$39,35918,670
Medical and Health Services Managers$128,770$112,80312,290
Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$58,070$50,8699,060
Network and Computer Systems Administrators$97,180$85,1306,340
Nurse Practitioners$131,340$115,0545,810
Occupational Therapists$101,480$88,8972,550
Office Clerks, General$44,730$39,18461,160
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators$51,800$45,3775,850
Personal Financial Advisors$125,670$110,0878,390
Pharmacists$135,210$118,4446,150
Pharmacy Technicians$45,240$39,63010,310
Physical Therapists$100,870$88,3624,950
Physician Assistants$132,360$115,9482,190
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters$57,760$50,5985,930
Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers$79,840$69,94014,710
Project Management Specialists$98,720$86,47919,340
Public Relations Specialists$64,600$56,5905,460
Radiologic Technologists and Technicians$78,890$69,1084,630
Registered Nurses$91,380$80,04961,670
Respiratory Therapists$80,880$70,8512,620
Retail Salespersons$34,330$30,07391,370
Sales Managers$130,180$114,03813,930
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products$62,400$54,66330,740
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products$106,970$93,7064,730
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$60,410$52,91912,010
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive$47,450$41,56633,380
Software Developers$132,650$116,20218,900
Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers$100,050$87,6441,960
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors$57,290$50,18610,240
Technical Writers$84,750$74,241560
Training and Development Specialists$71,990$63,063Unavailable
Web and Digital Interface Designers$77,730$68,0921,250
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$54,590$47,8213,510
Writers and Authors$66,470$58,2281,270

The table lists the 12 occupations with the highest BLS estimated employment in this metro, not an attractiveness ranking; the full list is expandable and its columns can be sorted. The price-adjusted wage equals the BLS May 2025 annual occupational median × 100 ÷ the BEA 2024 all-items regional price parity. Census rent, household income and commuting figures are ACS 2020–2024 five-year estimates. They describe different populations and do not determine take-home pay, employment prospects or individual rent. ACS gross rent includes contract rent plus estimated utility and fuel costs.

Occupational wage distribution examples

These occupations are selected by the highest BLS estimated employment within our curated career set for this metro—not by pay or predicted demand. Annual wage percentiles are descriptive estimates and can be suppressed independently.

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Occupation / 10th
Occupation10th25thMedian75th90th
Retail Salespersons$28,680$29,810$34,330$37,430$47,380
General and Operations Managers$49,220$71,390$105,640$162,400$242,380
Customer Service Representatives$31,010$34,860$39,560$48,030$60,650
Registered Nurses$72,640$80,510$91,380$104,320$129,150
Office Clerks, General$30,880$35,210$44,730$54,250$66,930
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand$30,670$35,250$38,580$45,760$48,890

The employment estimate indicates modeled occupational employment, not current job openings. Missing percentiles remain Unavailable. Each job classification has a different population and wage distribution.

Understanding the local context

BEA reports a 2024 all-items regional price parity of 114.155. It reflects the general price level of goods and services in this metro compared with 100 nationwide. The Census ACS reports median gross rent of $1,869 (MOE ±$7) and median household income of $76,527 (MOE ±$576) over 2020–2024.

ACS gross rent includes estimated utilities and is not an asking-rent median. Household income covers all household earnings, so it is not comparable to one worker’s wage. The 45+ minute commute share is 19.9% of workers who travel to work, excluding people who work from home.

Neither the rent nor household-income median exceeds our 30% relative-MOE quality-warning threshold; estimates still have uncertainty.

From the Miami metro average to a neighborhood choice

This profile covers the full Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL region. Its wage, rent and commute measures cannot show how a specific neighborhood or route compares with another.

This dataset has no neighborhood-level rent or commute estimates.

Using Miami figures in a real moving budget

The BEA index places the broad metropolitan price level approximately 14.2% above the U.S. reference. At the published ACS median gross rent of $1,869 per month, twelve months of that survey benchmark would total $22,428. This is simple annualization of a survey median, not a current listing price or a budget recommendation.

The 19.9% long-commute share does not tell you how long a trip from a specific neighborhood to a specific employer will take. Gather a real offer and recent rental quotes first, then enter the unadjusted gross offer in the worksheet.

Compare with another metro

Explore two-area price, housing and wage comparisons. These source-backed pages are not rankings of which city is best for you.

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