This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Gustavo Fernandez, a 50-year-old photographer in Miami. It has been edited for length and clarity.
I had lived in the Bay Area longer than anywhere else, and I was ready for a reset. Something about the rhythm of Miami felt like the next chapter. More movement, more culture, more color.
When COVID-19 hit, everything came to a standstill. Like many service-based businesses, the photography business that I had been running in SF since 2007 went to zero almost overnight.
It was a big reset moment for me, and it was time for a change.
I wanted to be closer to family
My parents retired to Naples, Florida, about two hours from Miami, a few years earlier, and being near them felt more important than ever. My sister had recently moved from St. Louis to Naples with her family. The first Christmas after I moved in 2020, we were all together for the first time since we’d lived together.
I also wanted to be closer to home. I’m originally from the Dominican Republic, and Miami felt like a natural middle ground. I missed hearing Spanish on the street. Miami didn’t just offer more diversity; it gave me a sense of cultural belonging.
Since moving to Florida, I’ve built a local photography business, primarily working with visiting companies hosting corporate events, retreats, and activations in the Miami area.
California is incredible, but it often feels far from the rest of the world
I love to travel, and I wanted to be in a place that made it easier to jump between continents, especially Latin America and Europe. California is sort of the middle of nowhere, and my vacations were limited to Vegas, Hawaii, or Cabo.
The second year I lived in Miami, I went to Europe twice, visited the Dominican Republic, and other Caribbean islands. I traveled more that year than the last five years combined in SF because it’s so easy.
San Francisco is cold. Because of the cold, there’s also no real beach culture, which I was excited about when I moved to California. I was looking forward to paddleboarding, kitesurfing, and scuba diving, but it didn’t happen.
In Miami, the water is part of the lifestyle. It’s not a weekend thing. It’s every day.
The shift from the Bay Area to South Florida has been eye-opening
The median home price in SF is $1.2 million. Being an artist, I didn’t want to be in that rat race of meeting someone while living in an apartment, then needing to move out to the East Bay to afford a little house. SF is very apartment-driven unless you’re operating in a very different income bracket.
Median property prices in Miami are around $570,000. Also, there’s no state income tax. While Miami is still cheaper than San Francisco, prices are rising here as well.
I rent now but plan to buy eventually. I want the right neighborhood, the right lifestyle fit, and something that aligns with my long-term goals.
I miss the professionalism of San Francisco
I didn’t realize how professional San Francisco was until I left. In San Francisco, people followed through. I felt like a big fish in a well-run pond. In Miami, I often feel like a small fish swimming against the current.
You can still make things happen, but now I have to send five times as many follow-ups. There’s more ghosting, more last-minute changes, and a lot of “let’s circle back” that never actually circles.
In San Francisco, people are very well educated and well-read. I used to be into mountaineering, and it seemed everyone in SF had already climbed Everest. If I said I just ran a 5K, someone might say, I just ran the New York Marathon last weekend. Everyone was humble but extremely accomplished
Here in Miami, it’s a flashy kind of lifestyle, with people hustling to get into rooms they don’t deserve, whereas in San Francisco, the Google guys are driving around in a Prius.
It’s harder to create friendships in Miami
It’s easy to meet people, but harder to build deep, consistent friendships. It can stay surface-level unless you put in the work. People ask what you do before they ask who you are, and it’s more transient, with a lot of snowbirds coming and going.
I only had family in Naples when I first arrived, and I had one acquaintance in Miami. I’ve lived all over the world and built a strong network. As soon as I landed, I reached out aggressively to my contacts and asked for introductions. Within a few months, I was plugged in.
Miami rewards action. If you sit back and wait, nothing happens. If you reach out, doors open quickly.
I miss the variety of nature and weather in SF, the mountains, and winding roads. You can drive up to Napa, Mount Diablo, and Marin. I miss road biking, mountain biking, or running up hills. Here, it’s super flat. The beaches are amazing, though.
SF gave me structure. Miami gives me freedom.
I choose freedom, but I also know it takes more discipline to create structure for yourself. You don’t just plug into the community or systems. You build it. That can be exciting or exhausting, depending on the day.
I’m definitely happier here; I don’t miss wearing layers. I still travel back to California regularly since I have a lot of clients there, but this city is the right fit for where I am in life now.
