Well, let’s compare these two East coast states. Though to be honest I am not sure how to categorize Florida because it is for sure not an East coast state despite being on the East coast and it isn’t really a southern state despite being the most southern state.
So let’s compare one East coast state against Florida!
I have lived in both states though I have spent much more time in New York. Both states are great for their own reasons and it would be difficult to pick one as better objectively, but in the end, I will probably lean towards New York.
Anyway here are 17 pros and cons of moving to New York vs. Florida!
17. Prestige: Advantage New York
Saying you’re from or moving to New York carries weight. It has a vibe of being serious and mature. Umm the same isn’t totally true of Florida. Though the stereotype is most likely not true, saying you’re from Florida gives people the impression of focusing on vain things and possibly not being the most educated… Of course, it’s not true! But when it comes to what other people think of you, New York holds an edge.
16. Voting responsibility: Advantage Florida
This is meant on a national level. Everyone, please vote in local elections.
New York hasn’t voted for the Republican candidate since 1984 when basically every state voted for Ronald Reagan. The vote in Florida has been decided by fewer than 400,000 votes every election since 1988. That is incredible. In contrast, New York’s vote is usually decided by around 2 million votes.
There’s a joke in New York that you don’t really have to vote. So living in Florida is amazing because it truly is a battle to see who will win the office of President of the United States.
15. Road Conditions: Advantage Florida
It makes a difference. Driving in New York is synonymous with avoiding construction and potholes. The salt that is dumped on the roads every year to help protect drivers from crashing in the snow turns evil in the spring and eats the roads away. It is comical how many potholes there are. It is such a constant problem that it is not that uncommon to just let your driveway fall apart over the course of a few years and just redo it all at once instead of patching it up every spring. It will not take you long to notice that there are asphalt bandaids every 5 feet on the roads in New York.
Florida does not have this intrusive and obnoxious problem. In fact, if you want to see nice cars that don’t have crippling rust, Florida is the place for you.
14. Real Estate Prices: Advantage Florida
To be honest I was surprised to learn that the average price of a home in New York is noticeably higher than that of Florida. I would’ve thought Floridian homes were worth more since much of it is touristy and filled with celebrities but I was wrong.
The average cost of a home if New York is $305,000. For Florida: $237,900. $67,100 Is not something to pass up.
13. Job Opportunity: Advantage Florida
Partially due to the fewer governmental regulations, Florida is a great home for businesses and economic opportunities. Florida continues to grow in population and accordingly so are jobs and opportunities. There are states that have better economic growth like Utah or Colorado but between Florida and New York… Florida Wins.
New York is so old that it has pretty much settled in terms of what it is known for. Finance and Insurance take their homes in New York, but it isn’t supremely known for much else.
12. History: Advantage New York
The difference in history is not gigantic, but New York as a state just holds more weight when it comes to historical significance. New York was America’s first capital, it was the sight of some of the most important battles of the American Revolution, it is home to some of the first women’s suffrage movements, and has been a global economic center for hundreds of years.
Florida is still extremely old when it comes to American history, but it was just never as important as the original 13 colonies of England.
11. Entertainment: Advantage Florida
Well if you’re going to live in Florida you might as well take advantage of all the attractions it has to offer. Whether that is the beaches, Disney World, the Keys, or Miami, Florida has an endless supply of attractions. The weather that is nearly perfect all year long is perfect for anything you could possibly want to do down there and chances are there is something exciting close to where you live.
The cities of Florida are all known for great nightlife and most of them are crawling with celebrities. These are the reasons college students, retired people, and tourists flock to Florida in the millions.
New York City can rival any Floridian one in terms of entertainment, but once you get outside the largest city in America it doesn’t really hold up anymore. I mean do you know a single person that has ever tried to spend a vacation in Albany New York?
10. Relaxation: Advantage… New York
So here’s the explanation. We are talking about moving to the state. Not just visiting. Accordingly, Florida is not fun to live in because of all of the tourists. First, you have the obnoxious amount of college kids who come down to party and destroy whatever is around them. Then you have all the snowbirds who come to clog the streets and criticize everyone else. Then you have all the tourists from around the world looking for a good time and flocking to Disney World.
If you are actually looking to live in Florida, the constant stream of stimulated guests will wear on you. It’s like always having house guests that invited themselves. Yes, it’s good to be friendly and civil, but it doesn’t mean you have to enjoy it.
9. Diversity: Advantage Florida
This was actually closer than I thought it would be, but Florida still remains one of the most diverse states in the nation.
Florida has a white population of 51.5% not including Hispanics. New York’s population is 55.3% white. Florida also has a more Hispanic population though the percentage of black people is about the same. Something cool about Florida is the substantial Haitian population in the South for the state.
8. Water Quality: Advantage New York
The water quality across both states does change, but overall New York is much better. I’ve lived in several places in Florida where the tap water is not safe to drink and so instead bottled water is used. In fact, almost everywhere in Florida uses bottled water over tap water.
New York water quality, after doing some reading is good. That’s it. I guess it is not the greatest in America but Florida’s water is usually ranked very low so at least New York’s water isn’t as bad as Florida’s!
7. Wildlife: Advantage Florida
This may not be terribly important to many people, but to some, it is the most interesting thing about Florida.
New York has lots of nature and an enduring presence of deer, bears, beavers, and others, but it doesn’t compare to Florida.
Florida has bears, pythons, panthers, alligators, crocodiles, iguanas, geckos, and a huge variety of lizards, fish, and birds.
6. Infestations: Advantage Florida
This is a category you don’t want to win. As great as all of Florida’s wildlife is, it can be a bit much. And it comes in the form of bugs. Cockroaches and mosquitos own Florida despite what the US legal documents say. They infest every home and fighting them off is continual labor. Mosquitos also can carry the Zika virus which is very serious for women planning on giving birth.
You know there is a cockroach problem when locals know the difference between different species. Watch out for the German cockroach or “Croton Bug”. It will cause problems.
5. Driving: Advantage New York
This might be a little subjective, (as if the rest are not) but driving in Florida is a nightmare. Miami especially.
Combine the vast swarths of retired people who tend to drive slow but at the same time not cautiously with the crazy drivers of both the urban and rural areas where apparently blinkers are optional and what you get is a disaster. There are some things that I have only seen on Floridian roads and nowhere else.
Ok so you already have a mess of driving in Florida, and now sprinkle in literally millions of tourists who aren’t used to the quirks of Florida roads and it is now safer to stay inside than try to brave that tornado of driving infractions.
New York City has a lot of tourists as well, but the rest of the entire state is perfectly fine. The weather isn’t always the most conducive to driving, but it beats a hurricane.
4. Sports: Advantage New York
Ok, this is a controversial one, but I am passing this off of professional sports. With college sports, Florida would win, but pro sports tend to be more popular.
New York has 10 (and a few extinct) professional sports teams in the 4 major sports of America, most with a history of winning national championships:
- New York Yankees – 27 world titles
- New York Mets – 2 world titles
- New York Jets – 1 world title
- New York Giants – 8 world titles (including pre-super bowl)
- New York Rangers – 4 world titles
- New York Islanders – 4 world titles
- New York Knicks – 2 world titles
- Brooklyn Nets – 0
- Buffalo Bills – 0
- Buffalo Sabres – 0
- Rochester Royals – 1 (franchise is now the Sacramento Kings)
That’s a lot of winning coming out of New York. Let’s compare to Florida:
- Miami Dolphins – 2
- Miami Heat – 3
- Jacksonville Jaguars – 0
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 2
- Tampa Bay Lightning – 3
- Florida Panthers – 0
- Miami Marlins – 2
- Tampa Bay Rays – 0
- Orlando Magic – 0
So if you want a state that wins… come to New York. Florida is a great environment for sports, but where it counts, New York scores high.
3. Weather: Advantage Florida (kind of)
This is a hard one for me to choose. In the end, I picked what I thought most people would agree with, even though personally I prefer the weather in New York.
Florida has beautiful weather. It is warm all year round and it actually never gets scalding hot like in other places. The summer is filled with big rainstorms but they are spectacular and typically only last a few hours. The problem is the hurricanes which threaten the lives of everyone on an annual basis. But the warm sunny days are the perfect vacation weather.
New York, the reason I love it and others don’t, experiences all four seasons every year. I personally like the snow and the fall is the best spectacle in nature. The weather is unpredictable and sometimes the weather is miserable like rain in February or snow in May.
So it depends on your tastes, but probably most people will side with Florida.
2. Schools: Advantage New York
If there’s one thing New York almost always gets right, it’s schooling. Florida doesn’t have a bad education system, but no one has anything close to the giant that is the Empires State schooling system.
In New York, an average of $24,900 is spent per student. Compare this to Florida’s $10,000 and it becomes clear just why New York’s public school system turns out such great results. In fact, on this list, New York is ranked as having the best quality schools in the nation.
1. Crime: Tie
Depending on your source for the crime rate in America by state, sometimes Florida or New York is worse for the crime. So it’s a tie!
Despite what you’ve heard about the Florida Man, it’s not enough to make Florida that criminal. They both rank about the middle of the pack when it comes to violent crime so if you’re looking for a safe state to live in both of these are pretty average! If it’s low crime you want to try Maine or New Hampshire.
