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Miami vs Orlando

Miami, FL  ·  Orlando, FL

TL;DR

Miami cost-of-living index is 131 vs 104 for Orlando (US = 100). Median home: $620,000 vs $360,000. Median rent: $1,951/mo vs $1,314/mo.

Source: Zillow ZHVI/ZORI · Census ACS, 2026-04-19

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Orlando is 21% cheaper than Miami overall.

Written by Jere Salmisto, Founder & Quantitative Systems Builder, CalcFi·Reviewed by CalcFi Editorial·Last reviewed 2026-04-19

Home Price

Miami: $620,000

Orlando: $360,000

Monthly Rent

Miami: $1,951/mo

Orlando: $1,314/mo

COL Index

Miami: 131

Orlando: 104

Median Income

Miami: $65,000

Orlando: $61,200

Side-by-Side Comparison

Metric
Miami
Orlando
Winner
🏠

Median Home Price

$620,000
$360,000
Orlando
🏢

Monthly Rent (Median)

$1,951/mo
$1,314/mo
Orlando
💰

Median Household Income

$65,000
$61,200
Miami
📋

Property Tax Rate

0.91%
0.91%
Tied
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Cost of Living Index

100 = national average

131
104
Orlando
🚗

Avg. Commute

30 min
29 min
Orlando
📈

Unemployment Rate

3.5%
3.3%
Orlando
👥

Median Age

40.9 yrs
36.4 yrs
Miami

What This Means For You

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Buying Power

A $100,000 salary in Miami has the same purchasing power as $79,389 in Orlando — based on each city's cost of living index.

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Housing

Homes in Orlando cost 42% more (-$260,000 extra). Expect a larger mortgage and down payment.

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Renting

Renting in Orlando saves you $637/month — $7,644 per year. Median rent: $1,951/mo in Miami vs $1,314/mo in Orlando.

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Property Taxes

On a median-priced home, Miami owners pay roughly $5,642/year in property taxes vs $3,276/year in Orlando. Rates are comparable.

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Local Earnings

Median household income is $65,000 in Miami and $61,200 in Orlando. Orlando residents earn 6% more — but remember to factor in cost of living.

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Daily Commute

Average commute is 30 minutes in Miami vs 29 minutes in Orlando. Commute times are nearly identical.

Salary Equivalence

To maintain the same lifestyle when moving from Miami to Orlando, here's the salary you'd need:

Salary in MiamiEquivalent in OrlandoDifference
$50,000$39,695-$10,305
$75,000$59,542-$15,458
$100,000$79,389-$20,611
$150,000$119,084-$30,916
$200,000$158,779-$41,221

* Calculated using cost of living indices (national average = 100). Does not account for state income tax differences.

Run the Numbers

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Mortgage Calculator

See monthly payments for homes in either city

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Rent vs Buy

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in these markets?

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Cost of Living

Full cost of living comparison tool

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Home Appreciation

Project future home value growth

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Affordability Calculator

How much home can you afford?

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Property Tax Calculator

Estimate taxes in Miami or Orlando

Miami Calculators

→ Mortgage calculator for Miami→ Rent vs buy in Miami

Orlando Calculators

→ Mortgage calculator for Orlando→ Rent vs buy in Orlando

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Miami vs Orlando: Common Questions

Is Miami or Orlando cheaper to live in?

Based on cost of living indices, Orlando is cheaper overall. Miami has a COL index of 131 while Orlando scores 104 (national average = 100).

How do home prices compare between Miami and Orlando?

The median home price in Miami is $620,000 vs $360,000 in Orlando — a difference of $260,000 (42%).

What salary do I need in Orlando to match my Miami income?

Use the salary equivalence table above. For example, a $100K salary in Miami is equivalent to $79,389 in Orlando in terms of purchasing power.

Which city has lower property taxes?

Orlando has a lower property tax rate (0.91% vs 0.91%). On a median-priced home, that means paying $3,276/year vs $5,642/year.

How does rent compare in Miami vs Orlando?

Median monthly rent: $1,951 in Miami vs $1,314 in Orlando. Annualized: $23,412 vs $15,768.

What is the median household income in each city?

Miami: $65,000/yr. Orlando: $61,200/yr (Census ACS).

Which city is better for remote workers?

Lower-cost Orlando typically lets remote-workers keeping a coastal salary stretch further. Higher-cost cities usually win on amenities and labor-market depth.

Where does the data on this comparison come from?

Numbers are pulled from Zillow ZHVI/ZORI (home values, rent), the U.S. Census Bureau ACS (income), and BEA RPP (cost-of-living index). Each value is timestamped on the page.

How often is this comparison updated?

Source feeds refresh on their native cadence — hourly for mortgage rates, monthly for ZHVI/ZORI, annually for ACS. Page caches revalidate every 24 hours via Next.js ISR.

Does this comparison replace tax or financial advice?

No. This page is educational reference using public data and standard formulas. It is not personalized tax, legal, or investment advice. Consult a licensed professional for material decisions.

Sources & Citations

  1. Zillow Research — Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI) and Observed Rent Index (ZORI) — zillow.com/research/data
  2. U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates for median household income, median age, commute time — census.gov/acs
  3. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities (RPP) by state and metro — bea.gov/rpp
  4. Tax Foundation — effective property tax rates and state tax rates — taxfoundation.org
  5. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — unemployment rates and regional CPI — bls.gov
  6. Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) — Cost of Living Index — coli.org
Methodology & Assumptions

City-level metrics (median home price, median rent, median household income, property tax rate, COL index, commute, unemployment, median age) are sourced from Zillow ZHVI/ZORI[1], Census ACS 5-year estimates[2], BEA Regional Price Parities[3], Tax Foundation[4], and BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics[5].

The Cost of Living Index uses 100 = national average (C2ER methodology[6]): values above 100 indicate a city is more expensive than the national average, below 100 less expensive.

Salary equivalence uses the ratio adjustedSalary = salary × (colDestination / colOrigin). This accounts for cost-of-living differences but does not model state income tax variation, which can be significant.

Annual property tax is computed as medianHomePrice × propertyTaxRate. Actual assessed value may differ from sale price. Effective rates vary within a metro; these are metro-wide medians.

Commute-hours calculations assume 250 working days/year and a round-trip commute. "Tied" in the comparison table means values within ±1% of each other.

Last reviewed reflects the maximum retrievedAt timestamp across every sourced dataset feeding this page. When any source refreshes, the next ISR revalidation (every 24 hours) picks the new date.

Cost of living data sourced from [6] C2ER, [2] U.S. Census Bureau, and [1] Zillow Research. Tax rates from [4] Tax Foundation. Last reviewed 2026-04-19.