Miami on $70, $180 or $500 a day
Florida's bilingual, sun-soaked party capital — the pastel Art Deco strip of South Beach, Cuban Little Havana, the murals of Wynwood, and the yacht-lined bay. Each May the Miami Grand Prix takes over the Hard Rock Stadium campus in Miami Gardens, turning the city into a week-long celebrity-and-champagne spectacle.
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Plan by budget
One city, three ways to travel it.
How much does Miami cost per day? Budget travellers get by on about $70 a day, mid-range trips run around $180, and luxury starts near $500 — accommodation, food, transport and activities included. That makes Miami the joint 12th most expensive of 110 cities for a mid-range trip (see all 110 ranked).
Daily budget · Budget
Budget Miami means South Beach hostels, $3 Cuban coffee and croquetas, free beaches and the Wynwood street-art walls. The sun and sand cost nothing.
Where your money goes
How to Get There
What to Do
Free Deco-lined beach and the pastel Art Deco Historic District — iconic
Map ↗ Get tickets on Tiqets →Where to Stay
Riverside Selina in Downtown with pool, coworking and private rooms
Map ↗ Check prices on Klook →Design-forward South Beach hostel with the famous Broken Shaker bar
Map ↗ Check prices on Klook →Lively South Beach backpackers with nightly events, steps from the sand
Map ↗Where to Eat
The Little Havana Cuban institution — ropa vieja and cafecito window
Map ↗Sample 3-Day Itinerary
Art Deco and the beach
Ocean Drive's pastel hotels early, in the soft light, from the Art Deco Welcome Center.
The beach at Lummus Park, then the pier at South Pointe.
A late baguette at La Sandwicherie.
Little Havana
A cafecito and a croqueta at the Versailles coffee window, then down Calle Ocho.
Domino Park and the cigar rollers, and a frita at El Rey de las Fritas.
The free Metromover loop over downtown and Brickell at dusk.
Wynwood and the Design District
The Wynwood Walls and the murals on every block around them.
The Design District's public art and the Institute of Contemporary Art, free with a reservation.
Tacos at Coyo Taco and the bar hidden behind it.
The beach is free and glorious — bring your own towel. Little Havana and Wynwood have the best cheap eats. Grand Prix general admission is the entry-level way into Hard Rock Stadium.
Daily budget · Mid-range
Mid-range unlocks a boutique Deco hotel with a pool, Wynwood and Design District dining, and a day on the water. Miami's food and nightlife scene peaks here.
Where your money goes
How to Get There
What to Do
Sightseeing cruise past Star Island mansions and the Downtown skyline
Get tickets on Tiqets →Half-day airboat through the sawgrass and gators of the Everglades
Get tickets on Tiqets →Where to Stay
Refined Ocean Drive Deco hotel with rooftop pool and jazz
Map ↗ Check prices on Klook →Brickell riverfront hotel with rooftop pools and marina views
Map ↗Mid-Beach Morris Lapidus classic with a pool and beach club
Map ↗Where to Eat
Garden Greek-Turkish in the Design District, effortlessly charming
Wood-fired Asian-BBQ, one of Wynwood's best tables
Speakeasy omakase counters, a lively mid-range sushi option
Sample 3-Day Itinerary
Vizcaya and the bay
Vizcaya's Italianate villa and gardens on the bay in Coconut Grove.
A Biscayne Bay cruise past the Star Island mansions.
Dinner under the trees at Mandolin Aegean Bistro.
The Everglades
An airboat through the sawgrass at the edge of the Everglades.
The Anhinga Trail inside the national park, alligators beside the boardwalk.
Stone crab at Joe's Stone Crab, in season from mid-October to May.
South Beach properly
A guided Art Deco walk from the Welcome Center on Ocean Drive.
An afternoon at the hotel pool, or the beach at Mid-Beach.
Omakase at Sushi by Bou, then the garden bar of the Broken Shaker.
Stay in South Beach or Brickell for walkability. A hotel with a rooftop or pool is half the Miami experience. Book GP grandstand seats and a table at a beach club early — May sells out.
Daily budget · Luxury
Luxury Miami is oceanfront Faena and Setai suites, yacht charters on Biscayne Bay, celebrity-chef tasting menus, and Grand Prix Paddock Club with the Hard Rock's marina paddock.
Where your money goes
How to Get There
What to Do
Half-day private yacht on Biscayne Bay with crew and drinks
Get tickets on Tiqets →Sightseeing cruise past Star Island mansions and the Downtown skyline
Get tickets on Tiqets →Half-day airboat through the sawgrass and gators of the Everglades
Get tickets on Tiqets →Where to Stay
Theatrical Mid-Beach landmark with gold mammoth and Los Fuegos grill
Map ↗ Check prices on Klook →Serene Asian-inspired luxury with three pools on the sand
Map ↗ Check prices on Klook →Restored 1930s Surfside club with Le Sirenuse dining and cabanas
Map ↗Where to Eat
Faena's open-fire Argentine grill, a special-occasion room
Positano's legend at the Surf Club, refined coastal Italian
Sample 3-Day Itinerary
Biscayne Bay by yacht
A private yacht on Biscayne Bay, past Star Island to a sandbar.
Lunch on board and a swim off Key Biscayne.
Spicy rigatoni at Carbone.
The Everglades from the air
A private helicopter over the Everglades and the skyline.
A cabana at a South Beach hotel beach club.
Open-fire cooking at Los Fuegos in the Faena.
Surfside and the Design District
The beach at the Four Seasons Surf Club — or, on Grand Prix weekend in May, the Paddock Club at Hard Rock Stadium.
The Design District's boutiques and the de la Cruz Collection.
Dinner at Le Sirenuse Miami, or Cote's Korean steakhouse.
The Faena, Setai and Four Seasons Surf Club are the marquee stays. For the GP, the Paddock Club and Hard Rock Beach Club are the see-and-be-seen tiers. A private yacht day is the Miami luxury signature.
About Miami
When to go, and what it's like on the ground.
Best time to visit
November–April is warm, dry and peak season; the Grand Prix is early May. Summers are hot, humid and stormy with hurricane risk Jun–Nov.
Tropical: hot humid summers (30–33°C, daily storms), warm dry winters (Dec–Feb, 20–26°C). Hurricane season Jun–Nov.
- January: 20°C average high, 6 rain days, high season
- February: 21°C average high, 6 rain days, high season
- March: 23°C average high, 6 rain days, high season
- April: 25°C average high, 6 rain days, high season
- May: 27°C average high, 11 rain days, high season
- June: 28°C average high, 16 rain days, moderate crowds
- July: 29°C average high, 17 rain days, moderate crowds
- August: 29°C average high, 18 rain days, moderate crowds
- September: 28°C average high, 18 rain days, low crowds
- October: 27°C average high, 15 rain days, low crowds
- November: 24°C average high, 9 rain days, moderate crowds
- December: 21°C average high, 7 rain days, high season
Getting around
Getting around Miami
Car-centric — rent a car or use Uber/Lyft. The free Metromover loops Downtown/Brickell; Metrorail is limited. South Beach is walkable but parking is pricey.
A travel eSIM gets you online the moment you land in United States — data plans start at $4 — no roaming bill, no queue for a local SIM, and nothing to swap in and out of your phone. Install it before you fly.
On foot
Walking routes in Miami.
The ocean front, the deco hotels behind it, and the two pedestrian streets inland.
The warehouse murals, the design district, then the cigar rollers and domino players on Calle Ocho.
Where to stay
Miami, neighbourhood by neighbourhood.
South Beach
The Art Deco District from South Pointe up to about 23rd Street: Ocean Drive's pastel hotels, Lincoln Road and the hostels. Walkable, loud and beautiful; parking is the problem.
Best for budgetLittle Havana
Calle Ocho's coffee windows, cigar rollers and Domino Park, west of downtown. Guesthouses and rentals, the city's most rooted food, and Viernes Culturales on the last Friday of each month.
Best for budgetBrickell & Downtown
The financial district on the bay and the river: high-rise hotels with rooftop pools, the free Metromover, and the Pérez Art Museum a short ride north.
Best for mid-rangeWynwood & the Design District
Warehouse blocks covered in murals, breweries and galleries, with the boutiques and restaurants of the Design District just north. Few hotels; best visited rather than slept in.
Best for mid-rangeMid-Beach
North of South Beach along Collins Avenue: the Faena District, the Fontainebleau and the beach boardwalk, with quieter sand and the big statement hotels.
Best for luxuryCoconut Grove & Key Biscayne
South along the bay: the banyan-shaded Grove with Vizcaya and the marinas, and Key Biscayne's beaches across the causeway. Calm, green and far from the party.
Best for luxuryLocal etiquette
Dos & Don'ts
Do
- Check the bill before tipping — Miami Beach restaurants often add a service charge already
- Tip 18–20% where service has not been added
- Learn a few words of Spanish — for half the city it is the first language
- Drink water and wear sunscreen; the sun is stronger than it feels
- Respect the dress codes at the clubs and smarter restaurants
- Head indoors when the summer afternoon storms roll in — lightning is common
Don't
- Drink on the beach in Miami Beach — alcohol on the sand is banned
- Leave valuables on the sand while you swim
- Approach or feed alligators — they live in canals and lakes all over the region
- Drive to South Beach on a weekend night expecting to park
- Expect a big cup when you order Cuban coffee — a cafecito is a sweet thimbleful
- Use the beach chairs you have not paid for
Useful phrases
Say it like a local.
Beyond the city
Day trips worth the journey.
Everglades National Park
Sawgrass, mangroves, alligators and wading birds on boardwalk trails.
Key Largo
John Pennekamp's coral reef by snorkel or glass-bottom boat.
Key West
The end of the Overseas Highway: Hemingway's house, conch fritters and sunset at Mallory Square.
Biscayne National Park
A park that is almost all water — reefs, keys and shipwrecks — explored by boat.
Fort Lauderdale
Canals, Las Olas Boulevard and a calmer beach.
Palm Beach
Worth Avenue, the Breakers and Flagler's Gilded Age mansion.
Where to eat
Must-try dishes.
Cuban Sandwich
Roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard, pressed in Cuban bread.
Croquetas
Fried ham or chicken croquettes, eaten by the handful at the coffee window.
Stone Crab Claws
Cracked claws served cold with mustard sauce, in season from mid-October to May.
Ropa Vieja
Shredded beef braised with peppers and tomato, with rice, black beans and plantains.
Frita Cubana
A Cuban burger of seasoned beef and chorizo, topped with crisp potato sticks.
Pastelitos de Guayaba
Flaky pastries filled with guava paste, sometimes with cream cheese.
Key Lime Pie
Tart lime custard in a graham-cracker crust, the dessert of the Florida Keys.
Travel insurance
Do I need travel insurance for United States?
Travel insurance is strongly recommended for any trip to Miami. Safety is rated Generally safe in tourist areas; standard US city awareness at night, especially away from South Beach and Downtown. — even in safe destinations, unexpected medical emergencies or trip cancellations can be costly. Make sure your policy covers emergency medical treatment, hospitalisation, trip cancellation, and emergency evacuation.
Visa note: ESTA (visa waiver) or US visa required; apply online well before travel.. Some countries require proof of travel insurance as part of the visa application.
Good to know
FAQ: Miami travel questions
Is Miami safe to visit?
Generally safe in tourist areas; standard US city awareness at night, especially away from South Beach and Downtown.
When is the best time to visit Miami?
November–April is warm, dry and peak season; the Grand Prix is early May. Summers are hot, humid and stormy with hurricane risk Jun–Nov. Tropical: hot humid summers (30–33°C, daily storms), warm dry winters (Dec–Feb, 20–26°C). Hurricane season Jun–Nov.
How much does a trip to Miami cost per day?
- Budget $70–$140 / day
- Mid-range $180–$380 / day
- Luxury $500–$1500 / day
Do I need a visa to visit United States?
ESTA (visa waiver) or US visa required; apply online well before travel.
How do I get around Miami?
Car-centric — rent a car or use Uber/Lyft. The free Metromover loops Downtown/Brickell; Metrorail is limited. South Beach is walkable but parking is pricey. Miami has a metro system. Taxi base fare ~$6. Day pass ~$6.
Is tipping expected in Miami?
18–20% expected in restaurants and for drivers; a service charge may already be added on Miami Beach.
What currency is used in United States?
The local currency is USD, and the official language is English & Spanish.
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