Florida, vs California, vs Hawaii. (living, best, cost, state)

[hurricane123]

I am 20 years old and I am currently deciding what I want to do with my life. I currently attend a community college but I have stopped taking classes recently because I need to determine a direction to go in before I accumulate more student loan debt. The things I do know however are that I love the gym and I love warm tropical sunny weather and I must have a nice ocean. I went onto google images and I saw that Hawaii looks absolutely amazing I want to live in Maui so badly. However I have also heard nice things about Florida and even California. I understand Hawaii is very expensive but I would honestly hate to let something like that get in the way of what I truly want in life. Out of Florida, California and Hawaii what do you think is the best and why?

[Corvette Ministries]

All 3 are expensive. Stay in school.

[Restrain]

You want to get out and 'test your wings', go down to Key West. You can enroll at the JuCo there, get the basics out of the way while seeing island life. You will probably have to share a room, etc (see the KY thread here) but at least that is affordable. In CA you will be fighting for jobs against illegals and very high living costs. Hawaii, you will be a 'haole' aka a foreigner, and face a lot of racial hatred from native Hawaiians. Had relatives live there. Sorry, but true.

[Elbig]

Hawaii and California are considerably more expensive than Florida. Just showing up without a pre-arranged job would be a disaster. Having said that, the same would be true for Florida. Your best bet is to continue school - maybe in Florida if you can afford it. I agree with Corvette Ministries above. Stay in school.

[jwolfer]

Where are you living now? Florida and California are at least on the continent, much easier to get there and if things do not work out get home. Florida is hot and humid for most of the year, California has much more a of a varied climate and topography.

Remember as with anywhere living someplace is much different than beautiful locations and being on vacation.

You are young so going someplace and trying to make it would be much easier than being mid career or with family in tow. Now is the time to do it; but be smart.

1. What skills do you have?
2. What do you want to do?
3. Work experience?
4. Do you have any savings?

Plan your move well and good luck

[Fredesch]

Florida is less expensive than California or Hawaii. I don't know of any skills that are unique to Florida.

[floridarebel]

California is too expensive and crazily liberal. There's taxes on so many things there.

Avoid that place like the plague.

Hawaii is very expensive, maybe more so than CA and you have the isolation to deal with.

[StarfishKey]

Originally Posted by Restrain

go down to Key West. at least that is affordable.

That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Key West is one of the most expensive places to live in the country, with very few jobs, and virtually no jobs that pay a livable wage - especially for someone with no degree or work experience. No one would ever call Key West "affordable."

Most people your age who moved down to the Keys end up moving out within a year (or a month) on their family's dime, or they end up homeless, because they are completely broke. Starting one's career in the Keys is not a good idea, because the community colleges available do not offer a great education, and the Keys have much lower pay than most cold weather places - it's called the "sunshine tax." You are likely to end up an alcoholic, because that's what most people do there who are residents. They work 3 jobs just to afford an illegal apartment with 4 roommates, and then drink themselves into oblivion the rest of the time. Dating is abysmal, unless you like dating white men age 50+ with a bum liver. Just to get a place to rent you need proof of local employment, good credit history, plus first, last, and security. Prices average $900+ for a single room in a shared living situation. Do NOT bring a pet, you will not find a place to live. Landlords can afford to be very picky because there is a severe affordable housing crisis in all of the Keys, with far fewer places to live than there are people who need housing. The Keys are far too isolated and lonely for most people. After 2 or 3 months, Key West gets old and then you need money to afford to head up to the mainland to do something other than look at the same few bars and the same tourist activities you can't afford to engage in.

Basic rule of thumb - if you cannot afford to vacation in the Keys for a week or two, you have absolutely no chance of being able to afford living here. You need plenty of savings to coast on while you set up, and emergency money for those lean times. Key West motel rooms average $200+ a night. So do the math - can you survive in one of the most expensive places in the world, without any relevant skills or large savings?
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Hawaii is a terrible idea, which you will figure out if you read their threads. You'll likely end up broke with no money to get back to the mainland - meaning you stand a high probability of ending up homeless and stranded. They also have a bad crime problem stemming from meth and other drugs, which is certain to cause you problems especially in the cheaper areas. Hawaii costs even more than the Keys do. Maui in particular is one of the most expensive places on the planet. How will you get around? Do you know how much it costs to get a car on the islands? How will you ever afford to see your family or friends again?

California has a totally different climate from FL and HI - do you like desert, or jungle?

California at least has a mix of schools and employment, so if you find you're good at something you stand a chance of ending up with a decent job eventually, or at least a decent education. But you'll need to establish residency to get an affordable rate on state schools, in any state you move to.
California has more of a range of climates/topography, people, employment, and things to do than either FL or HI. But if you run straight to the most expensive parts, you'll end up with the same problem as with the Keys or HI.

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This is the time when you're supposed to be building the foundation the rest of your life will be built upon. Without a solid education and work experience, you will not be able to afford a long and happy life in the places that you want. It is no fun living along the coast somewhere and stressing for the rest of your life about money and poor quality of life. You'll have fun for 6 months or a year, and then end up broke and unhappy for decades. Life is long for most people. Work hard now, find out who you are and what you're good at, and then move to your ideal location when you have in-demand skills and the ability to pay for yourself to actually STAY there long-term. If you torpedo your skill building now and get sub-par experience, the rest of your life will probably suck and you'll pay for it in the long run.

Moving and starting over is very expensive. It's the last thing you should be doing when in your situation, unless you already have a job and affordable housing lined up and signed for.

You sound really lost at the moment. The best thing you could do right now is to stop school for a moment to think about what you want, before you spend more. Speak to your school's employment or career counselors for some help finding what direction you want to go in. Ask to shadow various professionals in your area who have jobs you think you might like. Don't limit yourself, aim for the sky. Interview people you can't shadow to find out what their job is like, and how they got there. Try a few different jobs at the bottom of those fields, to see if something clicks for you, or you find you have a natural gift for something that really has earning potential for your future - don't just say you're going to be a celebrity trainer, for instance, until you prove that you can bring in decent money as a trainer first. If you are good enough at whatever it is that you like for people to pay you to do it, and you actually enjoy it at least somewhat, then you're getting somewhere.

Once you figure that out (with 6 months or a year of research where you currently live), THEN if you're still hell-bent on moving somewhere hot near an ocean, check out the more affordable places with diverse schools and jobs - like cheaper parts of CA, or places like the FL Panhandle or the rest of Northern Florida. There are many other states that have huge lakes or border ocean also, that might be better options for you given your age and likely income. Work hard for at least the next 5 years, so you will have a great foundation on which to base the rest of your life.

I came from nothing, worked my ***** off and got a Ph.D., and that's how I am able to afford living the the Florida Keys in my early 30s while working from home on my own schedule. So it is definitely doable. But I didn't walk over here at 20 when I had nothing and expect to survive. It took several steps to get what I want. Good luck!

[BNBR]

Seems like a simple answer. Go to Hawaii. People there work jobs up and down the income scale and manage just fine. You are at an age where you can go and try it, because you probably won't when you get older and settle in.

Go to Hawaii, if it doesn't work out, you jump on a plane home, big deal. I've done the same around your age (different State, not Hawaii) and don't regret it one bit.

[Aaverso]

I agree with BNBR, if your dream is to live in Hawaii, go and do it. Worse case scenario, you absolutely hate it and can't do it and need to move back home. Is it going to be difficult? Absolutely, but at least you can say you tried.