Bethesda vs Miami
The short version
- Bethesda is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 5% lower than in the Miami area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $518,100 in Miami and $1,169,900 in Bethesda.
- Households earn more in Bethesda ($192,237 vs $62,462 median).
- Miami has the warmer winter: January highs of 74°F vs 45°F.
- Bethesda gets far more snow: 14 inches a year vs 0.
- Miami is growing faster: +10.8% since 2020 vs +0%.
- Florida has no state income tax on wages; Maryland's top rate is 6.5%.
Side by side
| Bethesda, MD | Miami, FL | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 69,397 | 489,812 |
| Growth since 2020 | n/a | +10.8% |
| People per square mile | 5,233 | 13,607 |
| Median age | 42.8 | 39.3 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 87% | 37% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $192,237 | $62,462 |
| Median home value | $1,169,900 | $518,100 |
| Home value to income | 6.1× | 8.3× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,469 | $1,758 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 108.9 | 114.2 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 151.1 | 155.6 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $81,700 | $85,600 |
| Homeowners | 64% | 31% |
| Top state income tax | 6.5% | None |
| Combined sales tax | 6% | 6.98% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 27.7 | 27.3 |
| Work from home | 38% | 16% |
| Take public transit | 10% | 7% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 3.1% | 5.2% |
| Poverty rate | 4.3% | 19.4% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 45° / 30° | 74° / 61° |
| July high / low | 90° / 72° | 88° / 78° |
| Precipitation per year | 42 in | 57 in |
| Snowfall per year | 14 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 40 | 30 |
| Nights below freezing | 60 | 0 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 91.7 | 99.6 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 59% | 53% |
| Home prices, past year | +1.3% | +1.3% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +29.4% | +67.7% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Bethesda: April to June and September to October. Miami: November to April.
Full monthly tables: Bethesda weather by month and Miami weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $81,700 in Bethesda and $85,600 in Miami. Moving from Bethesda to Miami, you would need about $78,600 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Bethesda and Miami
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Bethesda and Miami.
Which would you pick?
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