One of the key advantages of living in Miami is its wide variety of neighborhoods to choose from. From luxury towers overlooking secluded beaches to modern skyscrapers in the heart of the urban jungle, there’s a place for every need and desire.
Two Miami neighborhoods that best exemplify both ends of this spectrum are Key Biscayne and Brickell. Not only do they differ in the housing options and price points they have available, but their particular dynamics also offer vastly different lifestyles, perks, and sceneries. And yet they are very close to each other.
In this blog, we'll compare both locales in several categories so you can make an informed decision when choosing to buy or rent a property if you’re considering Key Biscayne vs Brickell.
The Lifestyle
Key Biscayne oozes relaxed island charm. It’s a very residential neighborhood located on a small island accessible via the Rickenbacker Causeway, just off of mainland Miami where Brickell and Coconut Grove converge. Because of its island status, it’s a waterfront community, with condos lining the beachside and single-family homes dotting the bayside, away from the hustle and bustle of Miami.
Its idyllic location and tightly-knit community provide the perfect setting for those seeking a calm, upscale lifestyle with residential elegance, tropical beaches, and the safety that makes this a favorite for families. Known for its laid-back, yet sophisticated island village flavor, it offers an "old-Florida" feel that makes it an excellent place to raise children and live a health-oriented lifestyle.

In comparison, Brickell offers the metropolitan lifestyle. It’s truly a bustling urban hub known as “the Manhattan of the South,” ideal for you if you like a constant pulse of energy around you. If you’re a corporate go-getter, love being in an urban setting, look forward to happy hours and nightlife, and are seeking the convenience of living within walking distance of where you work, Brickell might be the perfect choice.
The population in Brickell is extremely diverse. You can find everything from young families making it their home to international executives and expats who are here for business, staying for extended periods, or even quite a few Latin American celebrities who have luxury condos in this growing financial center.
Similar to New York City, Brickell is home to many international corporate headquarters and finance companies, with its array of world-class restaurants and bars catering to this. However, it’s not all work. Brickell also offers plenty of opportunities to exercise, socialize, enjoy an active nightlife, and partake in sophisticated shopping experiences at destinations like Brickell City Centre and Mary Brickell Village.

Getting Around
Whether you choose Key Biscayne or Brickell, transportation and walkability play a crucial role in daily life. Key Biscayne has always been one of Miami’s most walkable neighborhoods, and is especially ideal for those who love to bicycle their way through life. With its distinct island feeling, it’s very common to see golf carts as the vehicle of choice, while others may choose the FreeBee Shuttle to get around on the island.
Now, while living in Key Biscayne will allow you to virtually give up driving while you’re on the island, if you’re driving off the key, you’ll want your car.
To get in and out of the island, you’ll have to take the scenic Rickenbacker Causeway, which will drop you on the mainland, right between Coconut Grove and Brickell. From there, getting to other Miami neighborhoods, such as Downtown Miami, the Wynwood Arts District, or the Design District, is a short 20- to 30-minute drive.

If you live in Brickell, you’ll also be in one of the most walkable neighborhoods in all of Miami. It’s much easier to get by without a car here. Everything you may need on a daily basis—stores, restaurants, banks, and offices—is within walking distance.
For longer distances, Brickell also benefits from being one of the best-connected neighborhoods in Miami, with plenty of transportation options available, including the free trolley, buses, Metrorail, the free Metromover connecting to neighboring areas, or the Brightline rail service, which goes all the way up to Orlando.
The Work-Life Flow

Brickell Financial District - Photo courtesy of Ines Hegedus-Garcia (Flickr)
In terms of business, this is no contest. And most make their decision based exactly on this factor. Brickell is a buzzing international financial center. In fact, it is the largest international banking hub in the U.S., and second only to New York as the national center of domestic economic activity.
With both the Miami River and Biscayne Bay surrounding its limits, Brickell provides a quintessentially and unique Miami urban lifestyle for a corporate demographic. Both office towers and condo high-rises share amazing water views. For entrepreneurs and start-ups, Brickell is also superior to almost every Miami neighborhood, with shared workspaces on almost every block.

Golf | The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne, Miami
In contrast, Key Biscayne is primarily populated by families and commuting or work-from-home professionals seeking refuge from the urban setting. Or those who live on the island part-time.
This is reflected in its business landscape, where you’ll only find small offices providing legal, medical, and other professional services, alongside boutiques, art galleries, yoga studios, fitness centers, and an array of healthy and exotic dining options.
Retirees also love the area due to its many opportunities to remain active and connected to a caring and close community, including access to its golf course and tennis facilities.
Outdoor Living & Waterfronts
With Crandon Park and Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park stretching across much of its shoreline, Key Biscayne is all about nature, with both places offering distinct outdoor experiences.
In Crandon Park, you’ll find a pristine two-mile beach consistently ranked among the top in the nation, along with access to the Bear Cut Preserve, where you can explore mangroves, coastal hammocks, and native wildlife, including herons, ospreys, sea turtles, and rare tropical plants.

Crandon Park, Key Biscayne. Photo courtesy of GMCVB
Beyond the beach, Crandon Park houses a championship 18-hole public golf course, a 29-court tennis facility, a full-service marina for fishing and water sports, and opportunities for kiteboarding, sailing, boating, kayaking, and paddleboarding.
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, on the other hand, is centered around the historic 1825 Cape Florida Lighthouse. There, you’ll be able to explore the park on foot, by bicycle, or by boat and kayak, and take in stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay.

Brickell, Miami FL
As urban as it is, Brickell still manages to provide impressive green spaces at its diverse array of parks, which include Brickell Park, Brickell Key Park, Alice C. Wainwright Park, and Miami Circle Park. There is also a baywalk around Brickell Key, which offers scenic and expansive vistas.
While none of these small parks can compare to the vast, unspoiled natural splendor of the expansive Crandon Park in Key Biscayne, you can definitely enjoy an outdoor afternoon walking along shady trails and let your furry friends run freely in designated doggy areas. Now, despite being surrounded by water, Brickell lacks beaches but offers access to a few private marinas for boating.
Arts & Culture
In Key Biscayne, you can easily walk or bicycle to local galleries and a handful of artists’ studios, and enjoy smaller street fairs and festivals, such as the Key Biscayne Film Festival. The cultural landmark to the island is the beautiful Vizcaya Museum and Gardens in Coconut Grove, which provides an unforgettable experience with its majestic architecture, European gardens, and monthly events.

Artwork by Su Abbott. Key Biscayne Art Festival
But if a constant flow of art and culture is what keeps you going, Brickell is more likely to satisfy you. From here, you’ll be just minutes away from Downtown Miami and all of its cultural offerings:
On top of this, the free Metromover can quickly take you to the Performing Arts District, and you’re about a 15-drive from Wynwood, the Design District and some of the area’s best contemporary art exhibition spaces, such as the Moore Building and the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA).
The Shopping Edit
Being an island with a laid-back lifestyle, the shopping experience you’ll find in Key Biscayne revolves around strolling along high-end boutiques and one-of-a-kind shops, where you’ll find fashion, accessories, and home goods fit for beachside living, but that’s about it.

If, on the contrary, you’re looking to have world-renowned brands at your fingertips, Brickell is the place to be. There, you’ll encounter a wider range of shopping options, including the famous Brickell City Centre—Apple, Saks Fifth Avenue, Zara, Anthropologie—and the smaller Mary Brickell Village.
For grocery shopping, this contrast is also true. In Brickell, you’ll find Whole Foods and several Publix stores within walking distance, while Key Biscayne is limited to one large Winn-Dixie store and several gourmet markets.
Signature Flavors
Key Biscayne is home to some of Miami’s most delectable restaurants, including:
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The Rusty Pelican, which is technically on Virginia Key, also made our list of the most wonderful restaurants in Miami to dock and dine.
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Flour & Weirdoughs is where you’ll want to get your daily loaf and other delicious baked goods.
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The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne Resort's selection of restaurants, which includes favorites Luma and Paralía.
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El Gran Inka does authentic Peruvian right and is known for its lip-smacking Lomo Saltado.
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KeBo Restaurant is popular for its fresh take on Spanish and Mediterranean delights.
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Vinya Wine & Market has a wide selection of wines and bristró-style food, mixing Latin roots with European travels.
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Sir Pizza is the top spot for pizza on the island!
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Novecento is a meat lover’s paradise (with four Miami locations) serving Argentine classics in a casual, European-style bistro setting.
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Narbona offers Italian fare with an Uruguayan twist.

Rusty Pelican, Key Biscayne
But if you’re looking to be surrounded by a limitless number of food and shopping options, Key Biscayne cannot compete with the vast assortment of eateries and dining options available in Brickell. This is no contest at all.
Some of Brickell’s star restaurants include:
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Elcielo is a Michelin-starred restaurant where chef Juan Manuel Barrientos reimagines Colombian tradition through dramatic, sensory tasting menus.
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Cipriani, credited with inventing both the carpaccio and the Bellini, brings the iconic Italian brand to Brickell with refined dishes, nautical elegance, and panoramic views of Biscayne Bay.
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The River Oyster Bar is a beloved seafood bistro where locals have both their romantic and business rendezvous over some of the freshest oysters in town.
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The Henry offers a wide range of foods, from avocado toasts to braised ribs, ideal for a large group or if you’re undecided on what to eat.
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Claudie channels the sun-drenched charm of the Côte d'Azur with elevated Mediterranean dishes.
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Dirty French brings bold prime-aged steaks, extravagant seafood towers, and a decadent martini lounge to a neon-glam, Paris-meets-Miami setting in Brickell.
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Casa Tua Cucina is a high-end Italian eatery and market with ten individual food stations offering gourmet ingredients, a hundred labels of wine, and a soulful approach to gastronomy.
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B Bistro + Bakery is where locals head to satiate their sweet tooth and comfort food cravings, serving croque madames, creative pastries, tuna avo toast, and pastelito pancakes.
Top Schools
Key Biscayne is a great place to raise kids, with such excellent neighborhood schools as the famed STEM magnet school MAST Academy, which ranks among the top public schools in Miami, and the Key Biscayne K-8 Center.
Private schools include Key Biscayne Community Day School and Key Biscayne Presbyterian School, as well as St. Agnes Catholic School. Students living in Key Biscayne also attend schools in nearby Coral Gables and Coconut Grove, where you’ll find some of Miami’s best private schools.

MAST Academy, Key Biscayne
Brickell-area students attend public schools such as Southside Elementary School, George Washington Carver Middle School, Ponce de Leon Middle School, and Miami Senior High School, as well as the Robert Morgan Vocational Tech Institute. Private schools include Open Hearts Language Academy (OHLA), Key Point Academy, and Brickell International Academy.
Architecture and Housing Options: Key Biscayne vs Brickell
Key Biscayne is a small community known for its elegant residences, including sprawling single-family homes and condos with gorgeous bay views or dock spaces.
And while there are fewer newer developments compared to Brickell, the island's architectural style reflects its quieter, more established nature, with many buildings offering generous floor plans and direct waterfront access, ideal for those seeking a more intimate island lifestyle.
Some of Key Biscayne’s most luxurious buildings include:

Brickell, on the other hand, is much larger and populated by skyscrapers with business and residential options, including condos, hotels, and mixed-use buildings. While older constructions in the area provide waterfront access to Biscayne Bay, many newer luxury high-rise buildings are being constructed inland.
Some of the most luxurious buildings you’ll find in Brickell include:
In recent years, Brickell has also become the epicenter of a new wave of luxury preconstruction developments, attracting the finest buyers from around the world. Some of these projects include:
Prices & Perspective
Both Key Biscayne and Brickell provide housing options at varying price points. Average listing prices in Key Biscayne range around $849,097 or about $447 per square foot, while ultra luxury, high-end listings may go as high as $15,200,000 or about $3,212 per square foot.
Brickell has a wider range of price points and sizes, with an average listing price of $473,529 (this will be for one bedrooms), or about $352 per square foot, with higher-end listings running as high as $7,119 per square foot with ultra luxury or penthouse units listing reaching $33,000,000.
Which Neighborhood is Best for You?
As you can see, both of these neighborhoods offer vastly different lifestyles, so the answer to which is better, Brickell or Key Biscayne, will depend entirely on your preferences.
If you’re looking for a calm, laid-back village community with access to nature and less traffic that is totally family-friendly, Key Biscayne may be ideal for you.
If you’d rather be surrounded by urban excitement, limitless happy-hour and dining options, and some of the city’s best nightlife, Brickell may be your place in the sun.
To view more of our neighborhood comparisons, check out the ones below:
And remember, whether you’re debating between Key Biscayne vs Brickell, or other neighborhoods, our team has over 20 years of expertise in Miami’s luxury condo market, which makes us the ideal choice to help you find the right property.
Let us get to know your preferences, desires, and budget to direct you to the most suitable neighborhoods and listings while sharing with you our knowledge and expertise of Miami and the South Florida area.







