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San Antonio vs. Miami

San Antonio, TX  ·  Miami, FL

TL;DR

San Antonio cost-of-living index is 92 vs 131 for Miami (US = 100). Median home: $270,000 vs $620,000. Median rent: $899/mo vs $1,951/mo.

Source: Zillow ZHVI/ZORI · Census ACS, 2026-06-09

San Antonio is 42% cheaper than Miami overall.

Written by Jere Salmisto, Founder & Quantitative Systems Builder, CalcFi·Reviewed by CalcFi Editorial·Last reviewed 2026-06-09

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Home Price

TX: $270,000

FL: $620,000

Monthly Rent

TX: $899/mo

FL: $1,951/mo

COL Index

TX: 92

FL: 131

Median Income

TX: $58,600

FL: $65,000

Side-by-Side Comparison

Metric
San Antonio
Miami
Lower / Higher

Median Home Price

$270,000
$620,000
↓San Antonio

Monthly Rent (Median)

$899/mo
$1,951/mo
↓San Antonio

Median Household Income

$58,600
$65,000
↓Miami

Property Tax Rate

1.8%
0.91%
↓Miami

Cost of Living Index

100 = national average

92
131
↓San Antonio

Avg. Commute

26 min
30 min
↓San Antonio

Unemployment Rate

3.8%
3.5%
↓Miami

Median Age

34.3 yrs
40.9 yrs
↓Miami

What This Means For You

Headline insight

Buying Power

A $100,000 salary in San Antonio has the same purchasing power as $142,391 in Miami— based on each city's cost of living index.

Housing

Homes in Miami are 130% cheaper (-$350,000 less). That's a meaningful down-payment and monthly-payment difference.

Renting

Renting in San Antonio saves $1,052/month — $12,624 per year. Median rent: $899/mo in San Antonio vs $1,951/mo in Miami.

Property Taxes

On a median-priced home, San Antonio owners pay roughly $4,860/year vs $5,642/year in Miami. That's a $782 annual difference.

Local Earnings

Median household income is $58,600 in San Antonio and $65,000 in Miami. San Antonio residents earn 11% more — but factor in cost of living.

Daily Commute

Average commute is 26 minutes in San Antonio vs 30 minutes in Miami. Commute times are nearly identical.

Salary Equivalence

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

Salary in San AntonioEquivalent in MiamiDifference
$50,000$71,196+$21,196
$75,000$106,793+$31,793
$100,000$142,391+$42,391
$150,000$213,587+$63,587
$200,000$284,783+$84,783

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

Run the Numbers

Mortgage Calculator

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Rent vs Buy

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Cost of Living

Full cost of living comparison tool

Home Appreciation

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Affordability Calculator

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Property Tax Calculator

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San Antonio Calculators

→ Mortgage calculator for San Antonio→ Rent vs buy in San Antonio

Miami Calculators

→ Mortgage calculator for Miami→ Rent vs buy in Miami

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San Antonio vs Miami: Common Questions

Is San Antonio or Miami cheaper to live in?

Based on cost of living indices, San Antonio is cheaper overall. San Antonio has a COL index of 92 while Miami scores 131 (national average = 100).

How do home prices compare between San Antonio and Miami?

The median home price in San Antonio is $270,000 vs $620,000 in Miami — a difference of $350,000 (130%).

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

Use the salary equivalence table above. For example, a $100K salary in San Antonio is equivalent to $142,391 in Miami in terms of purchasing power.

Which city has lower property taxes?

Miami has a lower property tax rate (0.91% vs 1.8%). On a median-priced home, that means paying $4,860/year vs $5,642/year.

How does rent compare in San Antonio vs Miami?

Median monthly rent: $899 in San Antonio vs $1,951 in Miami. Annualized: $10,788 vs $23,412.

What is the median household income in each city?

San Antonio: $58,600/yr. Miami: $65,000/yr (Census ACS).

Which city is better for remote workers?

Lower-cost San Antonio 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.

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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 2026-06-09.