Edgewater vs. Brickell: Comparing Miami’s Top Hotspots

When most people picture life in Miami, Edgewater and Brickell are two of the most popular neighborhoods that come to mind. Each has its own rhythm, skyline, and sense of community, but which one is the better fit for you?

Both areas have seen major growth in recent years, with a mix of high-rise and mid-rise residential towers offering plenty of housing choices, including many luxury options. The real distinction, though, lies in the lifestyle each neighborhood has to offer. 

Below, we break down Brickell vs. Edgewater to help you decide which of these two most popular Miami neighborhoods suits you best.

— The Lifestyle

Edgewater is a quiet, mostly residential neighborhood along the shores of Biscayne Bay, next to the 8-acre Margaret Pace Park. It’s peaceful, green, and largely free from tourist traffic, offering a nature-filled urban lifestyle in a walkable, bayfront setting. Plus, it’s incredibly central, with easy access to Downtown, the Arts & Design Districts, Wynwood, Brickell, and even South Beach via the Julia Tuttle Causeway.

While Edgewater already has a number of bayfront condos and luxury residences, it’s still up-and-coming, with more restaurants, grocery stores, and luxury condos on the way. It’s especially popular with young professionals and families who want Biscayne Bay views and a relaxed lifestyle without the beachside price tag. Think of it as one of Miami's most well-kept secrets for calm, connected living.

Brickell, on the other hand, is the heart of Miami's financial district, home to major corporate headquarters, and a fast-paced urban energy. Often called the “Manhattan of the South”, it’s filled with commercial and luxury residential skyscrapers. Dense, dynamic, and designed for people who want to live, work, and play all in one vertical neighborhood. 

Nonetheless, Brickell also attracts families and international residents who enjoy its upscale dining, refined nightlife, celebrity neighbors, and endless shopping options—all packed into one walkable urban core.

— Getting Around

Both neighborhoods are highly walkable and score bonus points for this compared to other Miami neighborhoods. While Edgewater is more tucked away, its central location makes it very well-connected. 

You can walk, bike, or hop on the Metromover to reach hotspots like the Pérez Art Museum (PAMM), the Frost Science Museum, the Adrienne Arsht Center, Wynwood, the Design District, and Downtown Miami. It's also close to the Miami-Dade College Wolfson Campus and Midtown’s shopping and dining scene.

Brickell, on the other hand, is the heart of Miami's financial district, home to major corporate headquarters, and a fast-paced urban energy. Often called the “Manhattan of the South”, it’s filled with commercial and luxury residential skyscrapers. Dense, dynamic, and designed for people who want to live, work, and play all in one vertical neighborhood. 

Nonetheless, Brickell also attracts families and international residents who enjoy its upscale dining, refined nightlife, celebrity neighbors, and endless shopping options—all packed into one walkable urban core.

— Getting Around

Both neighborhoods are highly walkable and score bonus points for this compared to other Miami neighborhoods. While Edgewater is more tucked away, its central location makes it very well-connected. 

You can walk, bike, or hop on the Metromover to reach hotspots like the Pérez Art Museum (PAMM), the Frost Science Museum, the Adrienne Arsht Center, Wynwood, the Design District, and Downtown Miami. It's also close to the Miami-Dade College Wolfson Campus and Midtown’s shopping and dining scene.

Edgewater also has a Metromover stop almost in its neighborhood on 15th Street, as well as nearby access to the Metrorail and the Brightline trains at the Miami Worldcenter station, making getting around South Florida quick and easy. Drivers and cyclists also have the Venetian and Julia Tuttle Causeways for fast access to Miami Beach.

Brickell is built for urban living. The free Metromover connects to Downtown, Wynwood, and Coconut Grove, while the Brickell Trolley makes it easy to get around the neighborhood. The Metrorail Orange Line offers a direct line to the airport. 

Here, walkability is a major plus, and because traffic can be heavy, most residents save driving for the weekends.

— The Work-Life Flow

Edgewater is a welcoming, mostly residential neighborhood, offering a slower pace where your neighbors will likely greet you by name. It’s the kind of place where you’ll see people walking their dogs, biking along the bay, and stroller-friendly parks are part of everyday life.

There aren’t many office towers or coworking spaces here. The few that do exist are tucked into mixed-use condo towers, which helps keep the neighborhood’s feel much more homey and focused on community rather than business. It’s a natural choice for people who like to leave work behind and unwind at the end of the day.

— Outdoor Living & Waterfronts

If green space is high on your wishlist (and for many city dwellers it is), Edgewater has the edge in the Brickell vs Edgewater showdown. At its heart is  Margaret Pace Park, an 8-acre waterfront gem with winding paths, mangroves, a dog park for big and little dogs, a shaded playground, and courts for basketball, tennis, and volleyball. You’ll also find spots to launch a kayak or paddleboard, making it a great fit for outdoor enthusiasts, families, and anyone working from home who wants a midday nature break.

Edgewater’s calmer streets and nearby parks make it especially welcoming for dog owners, with plenty of space to walk, jog, or simply relax under the trees.

Brickell, while more urban and commercial, still offers its own pockets of outdoor escapes. You’ll find scenic walking paths and shaded spots at Brickell Park, Brickell Key Park, Alice C. Wainwright Park, and Miami Circle Park. These smaller green spaces offer welcome pockets of calm, with breezy water views and dog-friendly areas right in the heart of the city, giving even the busiest professionals a chance to pause and recharge outdoors. And depending on where you live in Brickell, you’re about a 10-15 minute drive to the many parks in Coconut Grove.

— Arts & Culture

When it comes to cultural access, both neighborhoods offer options. Edgewater’s location is hard to beat. Living here just next to the Downtown Arts District means you can walk, bike or uber to top venues like the Adrienne Arsht Center, Ziff Opera House, Pérez Art Museum (PAMM), Frost Science Museum, and the Kaseya Center. You’re also just next to the site of Art Miami, an anchor art fair during the annual Miami Art Week, which also includes Art Basel. Art Miami sets up just across the street from the Arsht Center.

Edgewater is also just minutes from Wynwood, home to Miami’s most famous street art, several top galleries, and other major annual art fairs, including Red Dot Miami and Spectrum Art Fair. It’s also a short ride to the Design District, where you’ll find high-end exhibition spaces like the Moore Building and the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA).

Brickell, on the other hand, leans more toward upscale dining and nightlife than traditional arts. But with easy transit connections to Downtown, including the arts district, and Wynwood, residents still have quick access to many of the same cultural landmarks that Edgewater enjoys up close without much extra effort.

— Signature Flavors

Brickell is a go-to destination for dining in Miami, with everything from upscale power lunches at The Capital Grille to Miami’s best Michelin-star restaurants like Elcielo, for an out-of-this-world Colombian dining experience.

Other standouts include Paperfish for great sushi, and Komodo, the buzzy “clubstaurant” known for its Southeast Asian flavors and late-night energy. And don’t miss Claudie, Kaori, and LPM Restaurant & Bar for incredibly authentic French fare. 

At Brickell City Centre, you’ll find more casual but equally tempting options like brunch favorite The Henry by Sam Fox, Casa Tua Cucina for a high-energy Italian food hall connected to Saks Fifth Avenue, Motek, Quinto and Pubbelly Sushi. For something more laid-back, Crazy About You offers a solid lunch menu set right on the water with endless bay views and Mediterranean flair.

Edgewater may be more low-key, but it’s home to some of Miami's most sought-after restaurants. Casadonna, set on the water in the historic Woman’s Club, and Klaw, offering rooftop, uber-fresh seafood with sweeping views in the same building, are the darlings of Miami’s restaurant scene, both backed by international nightlife impresario David Grutman. 

Amara at Paraiso remains a go-to for elevated waterfront dining, while Paolo Fontanot’s only U.S. café and bakery offers a cozy European feel with excellent coffee and pastries. Just across from the park, however, Pinocchio Con the Bay is a serious contender for the area’s most authentic Italian coffee—less than a block from Paolo’s, but offering a completely different vibe.

— The Shopping Edit

Brickell is a retail mecca, offering some of Miami’s best high-end shopping. At the heart of it is Brickell City Centre, an open-air shopping complex anchored by Saks Fifth Avenue and filled with some of the best names in European fashion, including Hugo Boss, Bally, Dior, and Kiton, must-have favorites like Sephora, Zara, Mango, and H&M, and boutiques like Aesop, Addict, and Gorjana. 

A few blocks away, Mary Brickell Village offers a more casual, neighborhood vibe with shops, cafés, and lifestyle retailers nestled into a walkable plaza. You’ll also find shops and service storefronts sprinkled along Brickell Avenue, perfect for everyday essentials.

Edgewater isn’t a primary shopping destination, but its location puts some of Miami’s top retail districts just minutes away. The Shops at Midtown Miami offer big-name stores like Target, HomeGoods, PetSmart and Dick’s Sporting Goods, in an easy, open-air setting. And just a few blocks north of Midtown, the Miami Design District delivers luxury flagship stores for Hermès, Fendi, Dior, Louis Vuitton, and many more of the best in fashion and home design.

— Architecture & Design

Edgewater has evolved into one of Miami’s most exciting places to call home. Once filled with modest mid-century homes and low-rise bayfront condos, its own iconic skyline along the water is coming to life with several new modern condo developments like Paramount Bay, Elysee, Missoni Baia and most recently, Aria Reserve South Tower. These residences offer the kind of design and lifestyle perks buyers dream about—panoramic bay views, oversized balconies made for entertaining, and resort-style amenities that feel like a permanent vacation, making Edgewater one of Miami’s most desirable up-and-coming neighborhoods.

Brickell is an older, bigger and more established neighborhood, and covers a larger area that is divided into three to four sections, each with its own architectural flair, lifestyle and feel.

South Brickell Avenue (south of SW 15th Road) offers a quieter, more residential feel, with older low- and mid-rise condos lining tree-shaded streets along the bayfront, many of which are still some of the most luxurious condos in Brickell, including the Santa Maria, and the under-construction Una Residences and St. Regis Residences Miami. There are also a handful of residential streets, some with historic mansions dating back to the Mary Brickell era.

More dense and vertical, The Financial District runs from north of 15th Road to the Miami River, and is packed with luxury residential high-rise skyscrapers and office towers that sit alongside small firms and international banks. Newer projects like the Dolce & Gabbana Residences, The Residences at 1428 Brickell and Ora by Casa Tua are situated just a few blocks from the water, but once completed will still offer incredible bayviews and over-the-top amenities.

And finally, just a block off of Brickell Avenue at 8th Street, in the heart of the Financial District, you will find the gated island community of Brickell Key. Living offers a more secluded feel with mainly upscale but older condos surrounded by water everywhere. It’s a favorite for those who want to be steps from it all but also able to detach from the hustle and bustle. Brickell Key will be home to the highly anticipated Residences at Mandarin Oriental Miami.

— Top Schools

Brickell is home to several top-rated public and charter school options, including Mater Brickell Academy, a high-performing charter school for grades 6–12, and Southside Preparatory Academy, a public school serving Pre‑K through 8th grade. 

Other notable options include International Studies Charter Middle School and Mater Academy East Charter, both known for their rigorous academics and well-rounded extracurricular offerings. It is additionally very close to Coconut Grove, where some of Miami’s most prestigious private schools are, including Ransom Everglades and Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart.  

Edgewater, while primarily residential, is also close to several top private and charter schools. Centner Academy’s Middle & High School Campus, which emphasizes academic excellence, leadership, and student well-being, is located in Edgewater, and The Cushman School, one of Miami’s most respected private institutions offering a Pre‑K through 12th grade college-prep education, is just about a 15-minute drive north in the MiMo/Upper East Side neighborhood

— Prices & Perspective

Edgewater is primarily a condo market with very few single-family homes, making it popular with young professionals and families seeking luxury high-rise living. 

As of the time of publishing, the average listing price sits around $793,000, or $347 per square foot, though luxury units can reach up to $2,470 per square foot.

Brickell offers a wider range of residential real estate options, from older mid-rises and exclusive penthouses to more accessible condos and multi-million dollar single family homes. 

The average condo price in Brickell is around $507,588, or $387 per square foot, with ultra-luxury listings climbing as high as $33 million, or $7,119 per square foot. While it’s mostly vertical, as noted, South Brickell does offer some single-family homes, generally starting around $2 million and up.

— Which Neighborhood Is Better? Brickell or Edgewater?

If you’re looking for a quieter, family-friendly neighborhood with less traffic, direct waterfront access, and a more relaxed pace, but still want to be close to Miami’s cultural, shopping, and entertainment hubs, as well as South Beach, Edgewater might be your perfect fit.

But if you prefer a faster-paced, high-rise lifestyle in the heart of Miami’s business and dining scene, Brickell is your spot. It’s ideal for those who want to live, work, and play in one of the city’s most dynamic, urban environments. If you need green space, cannot deal with traffic or want to leave work behind at the end of the day, we suggest considering Edgewater or Coconut Grove.

These guides will help you make an educated decision as to which South Florida spot is ideal for you. And if you'd like personal guidance or want to see listings in any of these neighborhoods, we're just a call, text, or email away. We're here to provide the expert guidance and real estate intelligence you deserve.