Known as “The Capital of Latin America” for its diversity and “Magic City” for its swift economic growth, the city of Miami is an awesome place for anyone who’s embraced the remote working lifestyle. This is because in recent years it has evolved with the times to cater to a wide variety of different work setups. So with that in mind, here are five reasons why freelancers, remote workers, and digital nomads should visit Miami.
A Work-Life Balance-Friendly Culture
The evolving corporate culture in Miami has led the city to adopt a progressive stance towards promoting work-life balance – so much so that it is changing the city’s landscape. The 20-story, $320 million Grove Central is one example: an under-development residential condo with 400 apartments and a focus on co-living – the inclusion of shared personal spaces, gyms, bars, and even dedicated co -working areas for residents.
Real estate developers, not just in Florida, speculate that the coliving concept will soon catch fire in North America as it has in Asia and other parts of the world. On reason that Miami is ready for this trend is that it already has a strong coworking culture. This is evidenced by prominent flexible office provider Industrious installing three branches in Miami at Brickell, Aventura, and Coral Gables – some of the city’s most commercial areas. Elsewhere in the city, coworking space providers like WeWork, The LAB, StartHub, and many others have set up shop. A testament to Miami’s drive to provide workers with a good work-life balance, led by freelancers, startups, and companies that have embraced flexible working.
Florida’s Statewide No Income Tax Policy
Miami is located in one of the few states that don’t take income tax from its workers. Instead, the Sunshine State gets most of its taxes from property as well as sales taxes, which are almost equal in their contribution to the state’s overall tax revenue. The massive and regular influx of tourists from other states and abroad also helps in raising Florida’s revenue and supporting the state’s decision to not collect personal income tax.
As a result, living in certain central areas in Miami can get expensive. However, with no personal income tax imposed, this also gives digital nomads an edge in terms of earning more from jobs and commissions – within a highly diverse economy that also presents tons of opportunities for securing work contracts. Furthermore, as mentioned above, with Miami’s still burgeoning coliving and coworking culture, freelancers and other remote workers are less obliged to settle for comparatively high rental rates pushed by high property taxes. In short, while it can be expensive to live and work in this city, not having to pay for income taxes could balance things out for digital nomads.
Fantastic Affordable Eats
The same above economic conditions and the racial diversity in the city has also given birth to a bustling culture of great cheap eats. In terms of affordable and awesome food in Miami Beach, very few can hold a candle to Chicken Kitchen’s Original Chop-Chop – yellow saffron rice, marinated and grilled chopped chicken, and mustard curry sauce. If you’re in the MiMo historic architectural district, the signature BBQ Pulled Pork Melt by Ms Cheezious is as cheddar-y and tasty as it sounds. Thrillist recommends several other cheap but awesome Miami eats that can be found all over the place.
Read all about my favourite New York City eats in this blogpost.
A Love Of The Arts
Miami has one of the oldest and largest Art Deco district in the world and some of these 800 structures have already appeared in several Hollywood movies. And much like any metropolitan city with a diverse population, it’s also home to a burgeoning arts scene. In terms of music, there’s no shortage of EDM and hip hop concerts and events on this side of Florida. In short, digital nomads here will always have tons of fun and worthwhile activities to do.
Tech Freelancers Are Extra Welcome
In a comprehensive report via Tech Republic, Miami was identified alongside New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington as a city with high demand for highly skilled freelancers. The obvious drawback here is the number and levels of competition tech freelancers can expect in Miami. At the same time, these factors also present tons of opportunity for freelancers to up their game.
