Moving from Minnesota to Florida

Are you sick and tired of the snow and cold weather of Minnesota, and would love to move somewhere warmer? Or maybe your job is taking you to Florida, and you’re feeling dread for leaving the cozy warmth of your Minnesotan home. If you are moving from Minnesota to Florida, this guide is for you. In this short comparison, we will try to outline many differences between the North Star State and the Sunshine State, that is, their largest metro areas: Minneapolis and Miami.

Topics considered when moving from Minnesota to Florida:

• Basic state information
• Cost of living
• Climate
• Housing
• Transportation
• Education
• Religion

Basic Information

Right off the bat, Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area beats Miami by some 2,000 square miles area. However, Miami takes the lead when it comes to population. In 2010 census, Minneapolis area had around three million people, which is almost half of Miami’s five and a half million people. That ratio remains almost the same when it comes to density. Twin cities have around five hundred people per square mile, while Miami almost reacher one thousand. If you are a fan of busy cities, you will lean towards Miami more (though that’s not to say that Minneapolis area is not as busy!)

The marriage rate is 4% less in Miami, but the median age is 7.4 years younger in Minneapolis. This means that, even though there are younger people in Minneapolis more, Miami is a place where singles go.

Cost of Living

What every person is interested in first when moving from Minnesota to Florida is the cost of living. And from the start, Miami is about 12.2% more expensive than Minneapolis. Heath expenses are 7.7% higher, whereas housing costs are a staggering 32.9% higher. Opposite of that gap, grocery, and utility costs are basically the same.

Climate

The second (and the one many cite as their main) reason people are moving from Minnesota to Florida is the weather difference. Due to its latitude, the Twin Cities area experiences one of the coldest climates than any other in the United States. It is ironic since its southern position in the state provides the area with a climate that is fairly tame compared to the rest of Minnesota. South Florida, on the other hand, falls under the tropical climate, and it is and is the only major metro area in the 48 contiguous states that fall into that category. In comparison, where Miami has no snow days per year, Minneapolis experiences 53 inches annually.

The scales on the rainfall are, however, turned. Miami annually experiences 59 inches, whereas Minneapolis has 32. This is due to the elevation – Miami stands on 7 feet from the ocean. Minneapolis, on the other hand, is at 854 feet – that is exactly 122 times more than Miami. The average temperatures in July are fairly close – Miami is 90 and Minneapolis 84 Fahrenheit, but the difference in January is significant. Miami’s annual temperature in this winter month is 60 Fahrenheit, while Minneapolis’ drops down to tremendous 7 F!

In conclusion, Miami has 21% more rainy and 25% more sunny days (that’s a quarter of a year!), which prompted BestPlaces to Miami a 121,4% better score than Minneapolis on their comfort index scale.

Weather trouble

Both metro areas have to deal with different weather issues. Minneapolis is sometimes troubled by thigh speed winds and tornadoes, as well as blizzards and bitter cold. On the other hand, Miami is a home to the hurricane season, which runs from June to November. Since being located between two major bodies of water – the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, Florida is the most likely place to be hit by a hurricane. Floods and rainfalls also happen here.

Housing

The topic people moving from Minnesota to Florida might be most interested in is of course – the housing. While both states score above the average United States median home cost of $185,500, the difference is still noteworthy. The median home cost in Miami is $290,800, while in Minneapolis it is $218,900. However, property tax rate is higher in Minneapolis – it’s $13.08 compared to Miami’s $11.19 average (per $1,000 of home value).

The median home age is 33.3% younger in Miami than in Minneapolis, and 16.5% more people rent houses in Miami than in Minneapolis.

Transportation

Two major interstates run through both the areas. Interstate 35 and Interstate 94 run through the Twin Cities area, Interstate 95 and Interstate 75, in turn, run through the Miami area.

Public transit

Where Metro Transit serves Minneapolis, Miami area has its own share of public transit agencies. Metrobus, Metrorail, and Metromover are just some of them. Many people living in Miami depend on public transport to travel from one place to another, but still can’t beat Twin Cities 13.5% of people using mass transit (Miami has 10.5%). However, twice more people decide to walk to work in Miami than in Minneapolis.

Maybe because the average commute time to work is 25 minutes, but 50% more residents work from home in Miami than in Minneapolis.

Education

If you are moving from Minnesota to Florida with your family, this may not be a pleasant surprise. Miami spends 46.7% less money per student than Minneapolis. On the contrast, there are 16% more students in the classroom in Miami than Minneapolis. Consequently, Miami had 19% fewer residents who had graduated High school compared to Minneapolis.

Religion

When it comes to religion, we can notice quite a difference between the two states. People in Minneapolis are 15% more likely to have a religious affiliation than those living in Miami. In contrast, there are 55% religious people in Minnesota, and 40% in Miami. The biggest gap is probably in the Lutheran church since there are 14% of Lutherans in Minneapolis and only 0.34% in Miami.

Conclusion

In conclusion, both Minneapolis – St. Paul metro area and Miami metro area have their charms and their difficulties. Adjusting to living in both of them can be a challenge, but it’s a challenge worth taking. Both states are amazing places to live and have absolutely different worlds to offer. Hopefully, this guide has given you some great overview of the differences between the two biggest metro areas, and via them, the two states. We hope we have helped you in your decision. Good luck!