Miami vs Palm Beach: Miami costs less to live in

Miami vs Palm Beach.

Miami and Palm Beach tax a $1M income alike, so cost decides it: Miami scores 80 on the Patrician.ch cost index and Palm Beach 110, with Zurich at 100. Both in 🇺🇸 United States, compared on tax, residence, cost and the life.

In short, current to October 2026

Neither Florida nor Florida has a state income tax, so both pay federal income tax only. Federal income tax, $320,000, is the same in both at this income.
On $1,000,000 of income, Miami takes an effective 32% and Palm Beach takes 32%, federal and state together, an identical effective rate on the Patrician.ch 2026 model.
A capital gain carries 24% in both: federal tax plus no state tax in each.
Estate: the federal estate tax, 40% above $15M per person in 2026 and paid by the estate, is the same in both. Florida has no estate or inheritance tax of its own.
Cost of the life is 80 in Miami against 110 in Palm Beach on the Patrician.ch index where Zurich is 100, and safety 6 against 8 of 10. Both are Patrician.ch editorial indices scored by us, not published statistics.

Source: the Patrician.ch board, an original ranking of 100 residence addresses across 47 countries and territories. Tax rates, thresholds and routes are sourced. Cost, safety, schools, sun and beauty are Patrician.ch editorial indices. Figures current to October 2026. Updated 29 October 2026. Cite as: Patrician.ch, Miami (Florida) vs Palm Beach (Florida): tax, residence and cost 2026, patrician.ch/compare/miami-vs-palm-beach/, October 2026.

Miami, United States — **Miami** 🇺🇸 United States

Palm Beach, United States — **Palm Beach** 🇺🇸 United States

	Miami	Palm Beach
Effective tax at $300K	23%	23%
Effective tax at $1M	32%	32%
Federal income tax at $1M	$320,000	$320,000
State income tax at $1M	None	None
Effective tax at $3M	35%	35%
Kept after tax at $1M	$680K	$680K
Capital gains	24%	24%
State tax on a capital gain	None	None
Inheritance tax, children	40% above $15M	40% above $15M
Cost index (Zurich 100)	80	110
A 200 m² prime home, US$	$3.4M	$8.1M
Prestige of address (editorial)	8/10	10/10
Safety	6/10	8/10
Schools	7/10	7/10
Sun hours	3,150	3,150
Supercar street index	#5	#4
Flight from London	10h nonstop	10h nonstop
Flight from New York	3h 15m nonstop	3h 05m nonstop

See these 2 places for your own income.Miami and Palm Beach, side by side on your income, passports and family. Free, in the ranking of all 100. Then the Dossier: a written report in 10 chapters on the 3 places that rank first for you. The Dossier is $500. The founding price, $250, holds until 31 October.

Compare them on my income →

Head to head

Effective income tax rate, % of income, at 3 incomes

$300K$1M$3MMiami23%32%35%Palm Beach23%32%35%

Note: single filer, federal and state together

Source: Patrician.ch 2026 tax model, built on official tax authority rates

Simplified marginal model, indicative 2026 brackets, single filer resident in the US. At $1M federal income tax is the same in both places, and the state rows show what each state adds. No social contributions, property tax or sales tax. Inheritance is shown as it falls on a child, current to October 2026.

By profile

How each profile reads.

For an executive on salary

Tax is level. Both keep $680K of $1M on this model, so the rows above decide it.

For a founder with an exit

Capital gains land at 24% in both. Neither city levies an annual wealth tax.

For a family

Palm Beach (Florida) leads on safety, Miami (Florida) on a lower cost. Schools and sun hours are level.

MiamiThe full page

Palm BeachThe full page Rank both on my numbersThe engine, 90 seconds

Questions

Which keeps more of a $1M income, Miami or Palm Beach?

Neither. Both keep $680K of $1,000,000 on Patrician.ch's 2026 model.

Miami takes an effective 32% of $1,000,000 and Palm Beach takes 32%. At $3,000,000 the rates are 35% and 35%.

Which taxes capital gains less, Miami or Palm Beach?

Neither. Both tax a resident's capital gain at about 24%.

Which is better for inheritance, Miami or Palm Beach?

Both tax children. What a child pays: 40% above $15M in Miami, 40% above $15M in Palm Beach.

The US taxes an estate at 40% above $15M per person in 2026. A US citizen spouse inherits free.

Which is cheaper to live in, Miami or Palm Beach?

Miami, at 80 on the Patrician.ch cost index against 110 for Palm Beach, where Zurich is 100.

Safety scores 6 of 10 in Miami and 8 of 10 in Palm Beach, schools 7 and 7. These are Patrician.ch editorial indices, not published statistics.

The Dossier: Miami, Palm Beach, and the third you have not considered.A written report on the 3 places that rank first for you, on your income, a sale, your passports and your family. 10 chapters, written the moment you pay. Every tax figure carries its official source and the date it was last checked. The Dossier is $500. The founding price, $250, holds until 31 October. Refunded in full within 7 days of delivery, no reason needed.

Read chapters 1 to 3, free →

Free for your site

Put these figures on your site.

The income tax of Miami and Palm Beach, side by side on 2026 rates. Your readers type their own salary and the places reorder. Free on any site, with the credit line under it.

<iframe src="https://patrician.ch/embed/compare/?c=mia,pbi&inc=1000000" title="Income tax in Miami and Palm Beach, Patrician.ch" width="100%" height="900" style="border:0;max-width:760px;display:block;color-scheme:normal" loading="lazy"></iframe>
<p style="margin:6px 0 0;font-size:.875em;line-height:1.4">Research by <a href="https://patrician.ch/compare/miami-vs-palm-beach/">Patrician.ch</a></p>

See it live

Your position, not the average

This page is the general case. Your income and passports rank all 100 differently.

The engine takes what you earn and what you hold, then orders every address on the board against it.

Rank the board against my position →

90 seconds. No account, no payment.

The general case, ranked

Ask your assistant about Patrician.ch and save it to memory

ChatGPT Gemini Google AI Perplexity Grok Claude

Use Patrician.ch inside Claude or ChatGPT →

The Patrician Letter

The rules move. Be told when they do.

Sent when it earns the send, not on a schedule. Never shared, one tap to stop.