What does your car cost you on Miami Beach?

A monthly permit in a city garage costs $141.24 with tax, and the city says every garage and lot has a waiting list. A resident's scooter parking permit costs $137 for the whole year. Put your own numbers in below and see what a 50cc would change. We're Miami Beach Scooter on Bay Road, selling scooters since 1998.

The parking math

The City of Miami Beach charges $132 a month for a permit in most of its garages, including Sunset Harbour on Bay Road, plus 7% tax. Municipal lots are $94 a month plus tax. The city says there's a waiting list for all of them.

If you live in Miami Beach and own a scooter or motorcycle, the citywide scooter and motorcycle permit is $137 a year, tax included. That's about $11.42 a month. It's good only in the spaces signed for scooters and motorcycles, so you can't take a car spot with it.

If the scooter replaces the car, that's $129.82 a month less than the garage, before you count gas.

Keep the car or replace it?

The first setting assumes you sell the car and ride the scooter everywhere. The garage, the payment, the insurance and the repairs all come off, so the gap is big.

If you'd keep the car for weekends and the airport, switch to the second setting. It counts the gas you save on your daily miles, plus any paid parking you'd stop paying, like a spot near work. The car still needs its garage, so that stays on the car's side. It also tells you how many months the scooter takes to pay for itself.

Either way, change every number to your own. A paid-off car or a building with free parking changes the answer.

Where the default numbers come from

• Car payment $582: Edmunds' average used-car payment for the third quarter of 2026. New cars averaged $787.
• Car insurance $280: one quote site's Miami average for full coverage. Others range from about $230 to $410, so put in your own.
• Gas $4.03 a gallon: AAA's Miami average for regular in late October 2026.
• Scooter $1,449: our new Wolf RX-50, on sale, spread over 24 months for the comparison. That isn't a loan quote. Tax and fees are extra, and used scooters start at $499.
• 90 mpg: what dealers list for a 50cc like the RX-50. There's no official rating.
• Scooter insurance $10 and upkeep $15 a month: our estimates. A 50cc tune-up here is $95 before tax.
• 600 miles a month, 25 mpg and $100 a month of car upkeep: our guesses. Change them.

Questions we get at the counter

Do I need a motorcycle license for a 50cc?

No. In Florida a 50cc scooter rides on a regular Class E driver's license. Anything over 50cc needs a motorcycle endorsement.

Do I need insurance on a scooter?

Florida doesn't ask for proof of insurance to register a scooter. We still recommend liability coverage on every scooter we sell, because if you cause damage, you can be held personally responsible for it.

Can I park a scooter anywhere with the permit?

No. The $137 permit works only in municipal spaces signed for scooters and motorcycles. You apply in person at the city's Customer Service Center, 1755 Meridian Avenue, Suite 100, with a Florida photo ID showing your Miami Beach address, a Florida registration in your name at that address, and one proof of residency from the last 30 days.

Do I have to go to the DMV?

Not if you buy here. We do the plate, title, registration and taxes in the shop, and almost every local buyer has us do it.

Get today's prices

Send PRICE on WhatsApp to (786) 498-7208 and we'll reply with today's prices on the 50cc scooters and the monthly payment options. We're at 1743 Bay Road, Miami Beach, Monday to Saturday, 10am to 7pm, selling and fixing scooters since 1998.