Want to live and work in Hollywood?

The cost of living in Hollywood is high by American standards, but significantly lower than Miami Beach and slightly below Fort Lauderdale. A one-bedroom apartment away from the beach is priced reasonably for the region, while beachfront units or new buildings near the Broadwalk can cost twice as much.

The heaviest expenses are housing, home insurance (Florida carries extremely high premiums due to hurricane risk), car insurance (among the worst in the country), and summer electricity bills due to near-constant air conditioning. There is no state income tax, which offsets some of the other costs.

Dining out varies widely: Latin and Cuban lunch counters serve full meals at modest prices, while restaurants along Margaritaville or A1A charge tourist-level prices. Grocery chains such as Publix, Sedano's, and Presidente serve different demographic preferences and help those who cook at home save significantly.

Hollywood's job market revolves around three pillars: healthcare, tourism, and services. Memorial Healthcare System, headquartered in the city, is the largest private employer and offers positions ranging from nursing and medicine to IT, housekeeping, and administration. For those with healthcare credentials validated in the United States, it is an important entry point.

Tourism employs many workers at beachfront hotels, at the Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort, and at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino just to the north, which is enormous. Hospitality, wait staff, front desk, housekeeping, and casino positions are accessible to newly arrived immigrants, especially those who speak Spanish in addition to English.

Construction, landscaping, commercial cleaning, and services for the marine industry (Hollywood has several marinas) absorb manual workers. For those qualified in IT, finance, or international trade, Fort Lauderdale and Miami, both less than 30 minutes away, are where the corporate offices are located.

Hollywood has one of the best healthcare ecosystems in South Florida. Memorial Regional Hospital, the flagship unit of Memorial Healthcare System, is located in the city and is a Level 1 trauma center. The system also includes Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital, a pediatric reference center, and Memorial Cardiac and Vascular Institute, all on the same campus.

As in any American city, the critical issue is health insurance. Without coverage, a basic urgent care visit can cost hundreds of dollars, and a hospitalization can be financially devastating. Those without employer-sponsored insurance should look into Healthcare.gov during open enrollment or state programs for low-income individuals.

For primary care, community clinics such as Memorial Primary Care and federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) operate on a sliding-fee scale based on income and generally have bilingual teams in Spanish and Creole. Private dentistry is expensive, and many people travel to Miami or return to their home country for major treatments.

As in nearly every American city outside major centers, having a car in Hollywood makes daily life considerably easier. The main routes are I-95, US-1, and A1A along the coast. Traffic worsens significantly during high season (December through March) and during peak hours.

The recent standout is the Brightline Aventura station, a few minutes to the south, and the regional Tri-Rail service, which connects Hollywood to West Palm Beach and Miami by rail. For the airport, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International (FLL) is only 10 minutes away by car, which is rare by American standards.

Broward County Transit buses cover the main routes but run at low frequency. The city has bike lanes on several stretches, and the Broadwalk is fully walkable and cyclable for 4 km along the waterfront. Uber and Lyft work well and are the most practical option for those who do not drive, especially at night.

Hollywood's culture is more informal and outdoors-oriented than academic. The Broadwalk, the oceanfront promenade, is where the city comes together: cyclists, skaters, families, food trucks, and bands playing live at the gazebos. On Sunday mornings there is a farmers market. At night, sidewalk bars with Cuban, Colombian, and Haitian music fill the air with rhythm.

ArtsPark at Young Circle, in downtown, is a cultural park with an amphitheater offering free concerts year-round, food trucks, and family activities. Hollywood Boulevard features small galleries, restaurants from various culinary traditions, and Cinema Paradiso Hollywood, which screens independent and foreign films.

The local cuisine is fundamentally Caribbean-Latin American. Dishes found throughout the city include the Cuban sandwich, ropa vieja, rice and beans, Peruvian ceviche, Haitian griot, and Argentine milanesa. Festivals such as the Hollywood Beach Latin Festival and the nearby monthly Dania Beach ArtWalk bring live music, street food, and dancing.

Hollywood is one of Florida's most immigrant-dense cities proportionally. Cubans arrived in large numbers from the 1960s onward and form the most established Hispanic community. Colombians and Venezuelans have grown in recent decades, with a strong commercial presence along Hallandale Beach Boulevard and Pembroke Road. Argentines and Uruguayans are concentrated near the beach and the Hallandale border.

The Haitian community, heir to decades of Caribbean migration, is large in the western part of the city and in West Park, with its own churches and markets. Brazilians have a discreet but growing presence, with restaurants and markets along Hallandale Beach Boulevard. Russians and Ukrainians form a considerable community, especially in the coastal stretch of Sunny Isles just to the south.

There are also Canadians (retired snowbirds who spend part of the year here), Peruvians, Dominicans, Jamaicans, and Bahamians. Nearby consulates cover most nationalities in Miami, and local organizations assist newcomers with English, document validation, healthcare access, and housing.