Is It Still a Good Idea to Buy Property in Miami?

That depends. Do you want to place capital in a city that still has room to grow or one that’s already peaked?

Miami doesn’t need another headline. It needs context. It’s easy to flatten this city into a postcard or a panic button. People love to ask if it’s “too late,” as if smart money moves on a group chat timeline.

The better question isn’t is it a good time?
It’s: What role does Miami play in your portfolio, right now?

Because that’s how the real buyers are thinking. They’re not here for a tax vacation or Instagram balcony. They’re here to place capital in an asset that checks boxes: U.S. foothold, rental flexibility, a home for their kid, a hedge against chaos elsewhere.

And they’re comparing it to Geneva. To Paris. To London. To cities that mean something.

Real estate doesn’t lie, it reveals what people value when they have every option.

Here’s what Miami is up against:

• Monaco
  $5,000–$7,000/sq ft
  No income tax. No inventory. No noise. Pure capital preservation for those who don’t need the view — just the vault.

• Hong Kong
  $3,000–$4,500/sq ft
  High-density scarcity meets mainland proximity. Less about comfort, more about control.

• London (Prime Central)
  $2,500–$4,000/sq ft
  Rule of law, legacy schooling, and generational prestige. Still the crown jewel for old-world capital.

• New York (Manhattan)
  $2,000–$3,500/sq ft
  Liquidity on tap. A prestige play with a built-in resale engine. Blue Chip.

• Geneva / Zurich
  $2,000–$2,800/sq ft
  Discreet, stable, and never on sale. For buyers who prefer silence over headlines.

• Paris (6th/7th arrondissements)
  $1,800–$2,500/sq ft
  Romance, heritage, and heirloom architecture. You don’t buy for yield, you buy for identity.

• Singapore
  $1,800–$2,300/sq ft
  Clean, orderly, and tax-smart. A relocation darling with tight government control.

• Tokyo
  $1,500–$2,200/sq ft
  Design-forward and culturally undervalued. Quietly brilliant for patient capital.

• Dubai
  $1,000–$1,800/sq ft
  Speed, yield, and visas with every deed. The flashiest tool in the capital mobility toolkit.

• Miami (Ultra-prime)
  $1,500–$4,000/sq ft
  U.S. residency access. Tax protection. Education. Lifestyle arbitrage. Still underpriced relative to its utility.

It’s not the cheapest, and it’s not the oldest. But it is one of the few places in the world where you can still enter a prime building at sub-$2,000/sq ft in a Tier 1 country with no state income tax, year-round rental demand, and direct flights to São Paulo, Mexico City, and New York, all in under eight hours. That’s not a vacation play. That’s a strategic layer.

Buyers don’t just come here for the ocean. They come for leverage.

For educational anchors: access to U.S. universities, top private schools, and the ability to place their children in the system quietly and legally.

For Plan B residency: real estate that supports F-1 student visas, EB-5 green cards, and a broader long-game around American foothold.

For asset diversification: offshore capital repositioned into onshore living. Sometimes discreetly. Often strategically.

For lifestyle arbitrage: a life upgrade with fewer taxes, better weather, and more space, in a country that still respects private property and global liquidity.

And increasingly, they’re buying pre-construction. Not because they’re chasing appreciation, but because they want control. The ability to hold title in an LLC, wrap it in a trust, customize the layout, build in staff quarters, and set the whole thing up on their terms before they ever step through the door. Try doing that in Paris.

You don’t get that kind of flexibility in cities that already decided what you’re allowed to do with your square footage.

Buyers aren’t asking if it’s a good time. They’re asking if the asset is doing enough.

Will this close under my foreign entity? Can I reposition it later through an LLC? How fast can I onboard property management? Does this give me optionality five years from now — or just another set of keys?

If you’re still asking if Miami is “too late,” you’re not asking the right question.

Better to ask: what kind of buyer do I want to be here?

Because Miami doesn’t need to convince you. It’s already sold out of certain lines. It’s already hosting families who exited São Paulo, Dubai, and Toronto and brought their capital with them. It’s already giving structure to family offices who’ve done Geneva, done London, and now want a little sun without the shell game.

And if you’ve been watching this city and wondering whether it’s hype or hedge maybe it’s both. But the smart ones don’t wait for the press release. They move before the market gets glossy again.

If you're ready to talk options, I’ll tell you what’s actually worth your time. Quietly. Strategically. Without the sales pitch.

📩 nadia@beyondsquarefootage.com

Just perspective.