Photograph: MDV Edwards / Shutterstock.com

Yes, we recognize the error of our ways.

Written by Virginia GilWednesday July 27 2022

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Oh, how the mighty have fallen. A couple of weeks ago, Miami was ranked as the second best city in the world for nightlife, according to you, willing Miamians who participated in our 2022 City Index. And now, it’s the third rudest city in the world.

This brutal reality check is courtesy of Time Out’s annual survey, which polled 27,000 city-dwellers worldwide from Melbourne to Madrid, Chicago to Copenhagen and Tel Aviv to Tokyo. Our editors used your responses to come up with our annual ranking of the world’s best cities, as well as the forthcoming look at the coolest neighborhoods.

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The results also help us discover other interesting tidbits, like which city in the world is the dirtiest and where in the world is it nearly impossible to make new friends—which brings us back to Miami.

According to the thousands of people who took this year’s City Index, Miami was named the third rudest city in the world, with Berlin first and Hong Kong second. Ouch—but also, we’re in good company? The top three rudest cities are thriving metropolises with great food, culture, and nightlife so while we’re not entirely pleased by the superlative, we’re also not insulted—nor are we surprised.

In 2015, Condé Nast(y) Traveler ranked us as the 12th rudest city in the world, with folks writing in things like Miami is a hot mess or Miami is like the worst parts of Los Angeles slathered in coconut oil. This Reddit thread confirms the Index results with nearly 100 comments from users trashing our city for its ill-mannered servers, its terrible drivers and the overall population of people who insist on speaking other languages besides English. There’s also this list of bad behaviors we rounded up a few years ago, most of which you’ve probably observed today.

If all of this is turning you off to Miami or piquing your interest in where else you might want to live or visit, here’s an idea. Manila, the capital of the Philippines, was voted the least rude city in the world. We’re sure it’s a lovely city, but do its beaches, nightclubs and restaurants really stack up to ours? Highly unlikely, and certainly not worth the trade-off for a few friendly smiles from strangers. 

• Virginia Gil Editor, Time Out Miami