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No one complains about Miami quite like a local, but deep down, we all recognize there’s no place like home. Yes, we live where others vacation, and although there’s always room for improvement, the world’s eyes are increasingly fixed upon our uniquely charming city for good reason. Consultancy firm Resonance has taken notice in recent years by ranking Miami high on its list of the World’s Best Cities. While this year is no exception, the Magic City has taken a bit of a tumble.
Miami slipped three spots in the recently released 2026 report, falling to No. 26 after coming in at No. 23 last year. The 2025 ranking (which was released in late 2024) was a significant jump from the previous year, when Miami failed to crack the Top 50 (it ranked at No. 54).
Though Miami left the Top 25 this year, Resonance had lots of praise for the Magic City, most of it focused on its growing business and fintech sectors. For the second year in a row, the consulting firm cited Jeff Bezos’ investment in the city as a factor in its ranking.
“[Miami] has attracted high-profile residents like Jeff Bezos, whose three Indian Creek property acquisitions now exceed $237 million in value,” the report reads, adding that Bezos-owned “Amazon has leased 50,000 square feet in trendy Wynwood for its expanding 400-person hub.” Last year, Resonance wrote that “notable new residents like Jeff Bezos reflect the city’s growing appeal.”
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Indeed, much of the report cites factors that reflect a changing city. “Investment capital is dramatically reshaping the skyline at an unprecedented scale,” the report reads. “PMG’s Waldorf Astoria broke ground with a record $668-million condo construction loan, while hedge fund titan Ken Griffin’s 1,032-foot Citadel headquarters should begin construction this fall, cementing Brickell’s status as ‘Wall Street South.'”
“Miami’s creativity is powered by its arms-wide-open acceptance of newcomers,” writes Resonance, an assessment that might surprise immigration activists who have criticized local cooperation with United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the construction of the so-called Alligator Alcatraz detention center less than 50 miles west of Miami.
Resonance shows its work, though, citing clear-cut evidence that Miami’s population is indeed booming: “University of Florida projections show Miami-Dade’s population — which currently boasts the nation’s largest concentration of foreign-born talent — growing by an astonishing 15 percent by 2030.”
What about perks for locals, who are fighting tooth and nail not to get priced out of the city amid this explosive growth? Miami ranked in the Top 30 across Resonance’s Livability, Lovability, and Prosperity indices, largely because of its outdoor and recreational options. The city ranked No. 15 for air quality and No. 26 for nature and parks.
Those charms also landed Miami just outside the Top 5 of America’s Best Cities. Coming in at No. 6, Miami earned high marks for its transportation infrastructure. Resonance cited “Brightline’s 235-mile Miami-to-Orlando service, [which is] projected to generate $6.4 billion in economic impact and 10,000 jobs statewide,” and “The Underline, [which is] completing a 10-mile multimodal corridor beneath the Metrorail.”
