How Much Does Miami Cost per Day
A full breakdown of Miami prices: daily budgets by tier, every itemised cost from the guide, and where the money actually goes.
The short answer
Budget travellers in Miami spend around USD 130 a day. Mid-range travel runs closer to USD 320, and a splurge day lands around USD 700. Per person per day in USD. Miami runs close to other major US coastal cities; South Beach specifically runs higher than these averages for food and hotels.
Daily cost breakdown
- Stay
- Food
- Transport
- Activities
| Tier | Stay | Food | Transport | Activities | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | USD 60 | USD 35 | USD 15 | USD 20 | USD 130 |
| Mid-range | USD 200 | USD 70 | USD 30 | USD 20 | USD 320 |
| Splurge | USD 450 | USD 150 | USD 60 | USD 40 | USD 700 |
A mid-range day: USD 200 hotel room in Brickell or Wynwood, USD 20 rideshare rides across two neighborhoods, USD 12 Cuban coffee and pastry breakfast, USD 20 lunch on Calle Ocho, USD 18 PAMM admission, USD 60 dinner with a drink in Wynwood. Comes to roughly USD 330 before tax and tips are added on top.
Every priced item in this guide
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Vizcaya Museum and Gardens | USD 25 for adult general admission; promotional discounted pricing has been offered at times, check the official site |
| Little Havana / Calle Ocho | free to walk |
| Perez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) | USD 18 adult admission |
| Zoo Miami | USD 25.95 adult admission |
| South Beach public beach | free |
| Art Deco Historic District walking tour | self-guided walking is free; the Miami Design Preservation League's guided walking tour is priced on their site, private tours start around USD 400 for a group |
| Jungle Island | from USD 22.95, general admission tiers vary by add-ons |
| Everglades National Park (day trip) | USD 35 per vehicle for a 7-day pass, USD 20 per person entering on foot or bicycle; the park's fee page also lists an additional USD 100 per-person surcharge for non-US residents aged 16 and up unless holding an annual or America the Beautiful pass, confirm this before you go since it is an unusual added fee |
| Cuban sandwich | USD 9-14 |
| Cafecito | USD 2-4 |
| Stone crab claws | USD 30-60 per pound |
| Arepas and Venezuelan food | USD 8-14 |
| Ceviche and Peruvian food | USD 16-24 |
| Pastelitos | USD 2-4 each |
| Key lime pie | USD 6-10 a slice |
What I actually paid
- The single biggest mismatch between expectation and reality is thinking South Beach is Miami. It's one strip, built for tourists, priced for tourists. Little Havana, Wynwood, Brickell and Coconut Grove are genuinely different places with different character, and skipping them for a whole trip on Ocean Drive is the same as visiting only Times Square and calling it New York.
How to spend less
- Skip South Beach for lunch and eat in Little Havana or Wynwood instead, the same quality runs noticeably cheaper away from Ocean Drive
- Public beach access is free everywhere in Miami-Dade; bring your own chair and towel rather than renting on the sand
- The Metromover downtown and in Brickell is completely free and covers a surprising amount of ground
- Domino Park and the Calle Ocho walk cost nothing and are one of the better ways to spend an afternoon in the city