I Moved From San Francisco to Miami; It’s Slower, Cheaper, and Happier

This as-told-to essay is predicated on a dialog with Gustavo Fernandez, a 50-year-old photographer in Miami. It has been edited for size and readability.

I had lived within the Bay Area longer than wherever else, and I used to be prepared for a reset. Something in regards to the rhythm of Miami felt like the following chapter. More motion, extra tradition, extra coloration.

When COVID-19 hit, every little thing got here to a standstill. Like many service-based companies, the pictures enterprise that I had been working in SF since 2007 went to zero nearly in a single day.

It was an enormous reset second for me, and it was time for a change.

I needed to be nearer to household

My mother and father retired to Naples, Florida, about two hours from Miami, a number of years earlier, and being close to them felt extra vital than ever. My sister had just lately moved from St. Louis to Naples along with her household. The first Christmas after I moved in 2020, we had been all collectively for the primary time since we might lived collectively.

I additionally needed to be nearer to dwelling. I’m initially from the Dominican Republic, and Miami felt like a pure center floor. I missed listening to Spanish on the road. Miami did not simply supply extra range; it gave me a way of cultural belonging.

Since shifting to Florida, I’ve constructed an area pictures enterprise, primarily working with visiting corporations internet hosting company occasions, retreats, and activations within the Miami space.

California is unbelievable, but it surely usually feels removed from the remainder of the world

I like to journey, and I needed to be in a spot that made it simpler to leap between continents, particularly Latin America and Europe. California is kind of the center of nowhere, and my holidays had been restricted to Vegas, Hawaii, or Cabo.

The second yr I lived in Miami, I went to Europe twice, visited the Dominican Republic, and different Caribbean islands. I traveled extra that yr than the final 5 years mixed in SF as a result of it is really easy.

San Francisco is chilly. Because of the chilly, there’s additionally no actual seashore tradition, which I used to be enthusiastic about after I moved to California. I used to be trying ahead to paddleboarding, kitesurfing, and scuba diving, but it surely did not occur.

In Miami, the water is a part of the approach to life. It’s not a weekend factor. It’s day by day.

The shift from the Bay Area to South Florida has been eye-opening

The median home price in SF is $1.2 million. Being an artist, I did not need to be in that rat race of assembly somebody whereas residing in an house, then needing to maneuver out to the East Bay to afford just a little home. SF may be very apartment-driven until you are working in a really totally different revenue bracket.

Median property prices in Miami are round $570,000. Also, there is no state income tax. While Miami remains to be cheaper than San Francisco, costs are rising right here as effectively.

I hire now however plan to purchase ultimately. I need the best neighborhood, the best life-style match, and one thing that aligns with my long-term targets.

I miss the professionalism of San Francisco

I did not understand how skilled San Francisco was till I left. In San Francisco, individuals adopted via. I felt like an enormous fish in a well-run pond. In Miami, I usually really feel like a small fish swimming in opposition to the present.

You can nonetheless make issues occur, however now I’ve to ship 5 occasions as many follow-ups. There’s extra ghosting, extra last-minute adjustments, and loads of “let’s circle back” that by no means truly circles.

In San Francisco, individuals are very effectively educated and well-read. I was into mountaineering, and it appeared everybody in SF had already climbed Everest. If I stated I simply ran a 5K, somebody would possibly say, I simply ran the New York Marathon final weekend. Everyone was humble however extraordinarily achieved

Here in Miami, it is a flashy type of life-style, with individuals hustling to get into rooms they do not deserve, whereas in San Francisco, the Google guys are driving round in a Prius.

It’s tougher to create friendships in Miami

It’s simple to satisfy individuals, however tougher to construct deep, constant friendships. It can keep surface-level until you place within the work. People ask what you do earlier than they ask who you might be, and it is extra transient, with loads of snowbirds coming and going.

I solely had household in Naples after I first arrived, and I had one acquaintance in Miami. I’ve lived all around the world and constructed a robust community. As quickly as I landed, I reached out aggressively to my contacts and requested for introductions. Within a number of months, I used to be plugged in.

Miami rewards motion. If you sit again and wait, nothing occurs. If you attain out, doorways open rapidly.

I miss the number of nature and climate in SF, the mountains, and winding roads. You can drive as much as Napa, Mount Diablo, and Marin. I miss highway biking, mountain biking, or working up hills. Here, it is tremendous flat. The seashores are wonderful, although.

SF gave me construction. Miami offers me freedom.

I select freedom, however I additionally understand it takes extra self-discipline to create construction for your self. You do not simply plug into the group or methods. You construct it. That may be thrilling or exhausting, relying on the day.

I’m undoubtedly happier right here; I do not miss sporting layers. I nonetheless journey again to California usually since I’ve loads of shoppers there, however this metropolis is the best match for the place I’m in life now.