Higher Cost Of Living In Eastern NC (Raleigh, Cary: real estate, rent)

[Cletus Awreetus-Awrightus]

Originally Posted by Richard Martin

Whether it's cheaper or not depends on where you came from and where you moved to. I can with all certainty tell you that people are moving to this area because it is cheaper. Homes are significantly, by about 50%, cheaper here than in the Northeast. Since the homes are cheaper the property tax is cheaper. Electricity is cheaper. You've never had to pay a expensive bill until you've gotten a Constellation Energy bill. It averages about 4 cents more per KWH.

Transfer taxes are cheaper when you buy and sell homes. Auto insurance is cheaper. Veternarians are cheaper. Medical costs are cheaper. Private schools are cheaper. Day care for children is cheaper. Just to have a dog is cheaper. In the county I moved from dog tags are $20 a year. They don't even have dog tags here. Vehicle license plates are cheaper.

The list just goes on and on. People move here because the cost of living is cheaper, the weather is more moderate and it's near the ocean.

the question is: cheaper than what?

Maryland, or wherever "people" are from, is not the center of the universe.

[Richard Martin]

Originally Posted by Cletus Awreetus-Awrightus

the question is: cheaper than what?

Maryland, or wherever "people" are from, is not the center of the universe.

Cheaper than living in MD. I never said it was the center of the universe.

[Florida15]

that is so true but one thing you left out money if you don't have a job or socialable or a sugar daddy good luck.

[Francois]

Originally Posted by escapenc

I've heard many retirees say they move to New Bern because of the "low cost of living" compared to other places such as Destin, Florida or even Morehead City, NC.

And before long, so many moving in will drive up the prices there, just as it is doing everywhere else in NC right now (that little law called Supply & Demand). The more people who want to live somewhere, the more the prices will go up, because they can.

[trlhiker]

Originally Posted by LLN

If you end up in an "electric city", New Bern being one, you are certainly screwed on electical costs, that is for sure!

I thought our wondeful mayor saved us from high electric rates.

[schil]

Are the homes in Winterville less expensive than New Bern? I too, want to migrate to a retirement home, and am thinking Winterville may offer cheaper housing. Did the drop in property values hit New Bern at all? I have also considered Wilmington, but that does look like a depressed area now.
My friend did get a lower cost house in Winterville, and i wonder if that is the norm.

[schil]

Anywhere you go is cheaper than MD!

[brocco]

i would imagine it would be a little more expensive along the shoreline just because its the beach. greenville is certainly cheap but theres a reason for that

[Nighthawk_md]

I was quite displeased with the cost of living in ENC compared to my most recent previous addresses in suburban Dallas-Fort Worth, urban Houston, Shreveport LA, and Phoenix AZ (at the very start of the housing collapse). My 1500 sqft house in Ayden with no garage and no formals would cost at least 25% less in those places I mentioned. Or, for the same money you'd get a 2-car garage and both living and dining rooms.

While I do agree that it is significantly less expensive than Manhattan or Connecticut or NJ (other places I've lived) relatively speaking, it is not nearly as cheap as you're lead to believe (IMO).

[macjr82]

Originally Posted by Nighthawk_md

I was quite displeased with the cost of living in ENC compared to my most recent previous addresses in suburban Dallas-Fort Worth, urban Houston, Shreveport LA, and Phoenix AZ (at the very start of the housing collapse). My 1500 sqft house in Ayden with no garage and no formals would cost at least 25% less in those places I mentioned. Or, for the same money you'd get a 2-car garage and both living and dining rooms.

While I do agree that it is significantly less expensive than Manhattan or Connecticut or NJ (other places I've lived) relatively speaking, it is not nearly as cheap as you're lead to believe (IMO).

My question is, who is leading peopleto beleive that ENC is so cheap? I thought it was well known that Wilmington is behind only Charlotte and Asheville when it comes to cost of living. As far as gasoline, gas will always bee more expensive in ENC, simply because it costs more to get gas to ENC. Now, why New Bern is more gasoline is more expensive than, Newport or MHC? That may be the distributor.

As far as I can tell, NC is only cheaper than places in the BOSWASH Megaopolis and that is where most of the transplants seem to come from. There and Ohio And though it may be more expensive than other areas of NC, it may not be more expensive than where that individual comes from. And as much as the OP hates New Bern, that may be for some of the same reasons people moving to that area like it. Different strokes for different folks.

Regardless, research should be done before any major move or life changing decision.