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South Florida—often called the “Magic City,” the “Wall Street of the South,” and the “Capital of Latin America”—is known for opportunity and growth. However, rising living costs are pushing some Gen Z residents to leave the region in search of more affordable living and better opportunities. Young adults say high housing prices, insurance costs, and a competitive job market are making it increasingly difficult to build a stable life in Miami.
Alejandro Malo, a law student pursuing his Juris Doctorate, said the high cost of education and living in Florida led him to move to Baltimore, Maryland.
Malo explained that “the options in Florida are very expensive,” while Baltimore offered a more practical alternative. He described the city as “a walkable city” with “a better public system, better metro, better bus system,” adding that overall “it is much cheaper here.”
Emergency medical technician Jared Infantalino also left South Florida, relocating to North Florida for a more affordable lifestyle and to continue medical school.
Infantalino said living in Miami long-term is difficult for people without financial stability.
“Most of those people are well-established in their fields,” said Infantalino, “or they have money to fall back on.”
Without that support, he said he would likely be “stuck in a studio apartment paying well, well above my pay grade.”
Both say the region’s economic pressures make it difficult for young adults to establish themselves. Malo added that returning to Miami would require major improvements, saying he would like to see “more investment on the behalf of the social structure and infrastructure,” particularly stronger public transportation so residents can travel from “point A to point B without having their own car.”
