This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Natalie Alatriste, a 35-year-old native Floridian who grew up in Miami-Dade County. In 2025, she moved to Arlington, Virginia. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Growing up in Miami in the ’90s, I remember it as a vibrant place. My family is Hispanic, and I’m of Cuban and Mexican descent. I grew up surrounded by so much culture — Cuban, Mexican, Haitian, Venezuelan, and Colombian — because that has always been part of Miami.
I also think Miami was a lot quieter when I was growing up. It wasn’t the vacation destination everybody wanted to visit or move to. It had small, cool spots like Little Havana, and while that’s still there, the city feels very different now.
There’s a pre-COVID Miami and a post-COVID Miami, and the post-COVID version is completely different. The cost of living has gone up, and so many people have moved in that traffic is always heavy.
In 2024, I seriously started thinking about leaving not just Miami, but Florida entirely. The state’s politics became a turning point for me. During the presidential election, everything I voted for — the amendments, the candidates, all of it — went in the opposite direction.
It was definitely a tough decision. My family had kept me anchored there for so long. But I just knew I needed to go.
Florida didn’t feel like home anymore
The pandemic brought a lot of people from out of town, and that drove up the cost of almost everything. I was working at a large global agency and making about $175,000 a year, yet I still felt house-poor.
Before leaving Florida, I lived in a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment in Coral Gables that I moved into in 2020. My rent started at $2,200, but five years later, management was asking for $3,750 — even though nothing in my unit or building had changed.
My energy bills and grocery bills also went up. Going out got more expensive, too. In Miami, there are so many places where it’s normal for a drink at a bar or restaurant to cost $25. I think that’s because so many people from higher-cost places like New York moved to Miami after the pandemic.
Even driving was a headache in Miami. The highways are always under construction, which only worsens congestion. I have so many stories about nightmare traffic there. Sometimes, getting somewhere within five miles of where I lived could take 30 to 45 minutes during rush hour.
Public transportation also didn’t feel like a real option because it’s limited, and Miami gets so hot. Even if you live in a walkable area, it’s still uncomfortable to walk, ride a bike, or take the bus — you end up showing up soaking wet.
The D.C. area is more suited to my lifestyle
I’ve always loved the D.C. area and visited often growing up. In high school, I attended Obama’s 2009 inauguration through a school program called Close Up. During that trip, we stayed in Arlington, Virginia — about 18 minutes from D.C. — and I fell in love with the area.
I’ve always gravitated toward this part of the region, so it felt like the natural place for me to move. Still, I was pretty nervous, especially once it all started to feel real.
Packing up boxes and knowing the movers were coming felt heavy. The day I left was very emotional. It felt like I was leaving behind everything I knew, and my support system, to start this new journey.
In Arlington, I live in the Shirlington neighborhood with my partner. The area has a small village with a few shops, and there are a lot of families and couples in their 30s and 40s. I’ve made really good friends with a lot of my neighbors, and I’m in a book club.
Miami has a very heavy drinking and partying culture. So stepping into something new — where I have a book club, I’m going to the gym, and I have neighbors I do game nights with — is exactly what I had always craved. And I finally found it.
Life is more affordable and enjoyable in Virginia
My partner and I live in a 2,500-square-foot, three-bedroom, three-story townhouse and pay about $4,350 a month in rent. Being in a dual-income household helps, but in general, everything feels more affordable in Virginia, from groceries to car insurance and eating out.
I was laid off from my previous job and started a new business. I’m a consultant for several large healthcare companies, and I also do some contract work on the side.
Starting my own consulting business in Virginia was much easier than it would have been in Miami. When I left in January 2025, there just wasn’t a big headquarters presence in Miami outside of industries like travel, tourism, food and beverage, and a growing tech scene. That’s really the city’s sweet spot and what drives the local economy, but it’s not the kind of communications work I focus on.
In Virginia, I’ve been able to network more effectively with people in the healthcare industry because so many people in that field are based here or regularly pass through. Right now, I have about five or six clients, and I recently made my first part-time hire, so things are going really well.
My quality of life feels much better in Virginia. I don’t feel like I’m wasting so much time or spending so much money just to live.
I do miss my family, and I won’t say I’d never move back. But I would need to see significant changes in Miami before seriously considering that again.
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