cost of living-taxes (Wilmington, Greenville, Chocowinity: sales, car registration, insurance)

[blakesq]

hi. we are thinging of moving to Wilmington from Connecticut. the various cost of living calculators shows that it is about 25% cheaper in NC. does anyone know if that is accurate? does that take into account state taxes? looks like state income tax rate is higher in NC than in CT. thanks all!

[goldenage1]

Originally Posted by blakesq

the various cost of living calculators shows that it is about 25% cheaper in NC. does anyone know if that is accurate? does that take into account state taxes? looks like state income tax rate is higher in NC than in CT.

I have family in Connecticut. The major difference will be in the price of homes and the property taxes. In Onslow County, the mil rate is .58 per thousand. I have read of people complaining about property taxes of $10,000 on a house in Connecticut. Here we pay $2400.

Connecticut was slow to adopt an income tax, and they apparently are unwilling to raise the rate to tax rich folks. So they have to make up for it in property and other taxes. Our sales tax is 6% and 2% on food. The price of gas is probably way less than in Connecticut, at about $3.89/ gallon now.

Which cities is your cost calculator comparing? I believe Wilmington is among the more expensive cities in NC, and it's not fair to compare it with towns in the boonies. But, in general you will find the COL cheaper than in Connecticut.

[bgpeacock]

Goldenangel has covered most of it but on top of tax is insurance. if you buy and are on the coast insurance rates are high due to hurricane threats. Also if low areas you will need flood insurance which is also pricey. But over all even with the slaes tax and insurance still way cheaper than Conn.

[Richard Martin]

Depending on where you are in Conn., the amount of energy you use to heat and cool your house will be significantly less in Wilmington or anywhere in Eastern Carolina. I know fuel oil is very popular up north and it is very expensive to heat your house it it. The 2 main types of heat in Eastern Carolina is electricity via heat pumps and propane. It also doesn't get nearly as cold and when it does get cold it doesn't stay that way for long.

Summers are obviously much longer here so you will spend more to cool your home but overall it still ends up being cheaper in Eastern Carolina.

[bgpeacock]

NAtural gas is pretty comon also in the cities where lines have been run. But yep depending on the age of the house cooling can be expensive. Nice big shade trees help lots, which is why you see them around the older houses. Our bill in the summer runs about $200-250 a month and winter about $80. !800sq ft ranch house with lots of shade. My sister 2300sq ft no shade trees runs close to $400 month summer to cool and about %150 to heat

[Richard Martin]

Originally Posted by bgpeacock

NAtural gas is pretty comon also in the cities where lines have been run. But yep depending on the age of the house cooling can be expensive. Nice big shade trees help lots, which is why you see them around the older houses. Our bill in the summer runs about $200-250 a month and winter about $80. !800sq ft ranch house with lots of shade. My sister 2300sq ft no shade trees runs close to $400 month summer to cool and about %150 to heat

Here-in lies the problem. It's a case of perception. You think $400 to cool a house is expensive. If you have a house in Conn that heats with fuel oil and it uses 250 gallons a month then that cost is $1,000. Plus the electricity. In 2 or 3 winter months in Conn, you're spending an entire year's worth of electricity in Wilmington.

[blakesq]

thanks all, the cost of living calculator shows Wilmington NC as one the cities. So, is Wilmington 25% cheaper to live in than New Haven County Connecticut? Thanks.

[Richard Martin]

Originally Posted by blakesq

thanks all, the cost of living calculator shows Wilmington NC as one the cities. So, is Wilmington 25% cheaper to live in than New Haven County Connecticut? Thanks.

How much does it cost to live in New Haven County? Honestly, we wouldn't have a clue. You'll have to do what I did before I moved here. I dug in depth into what it costs to live in Greenville, NC. I looked at electricity, insurance (car, health and home), food, taxes (personal, property, sales and income), the climate, car registration fees, medical, veterinary costs (we have 2 pets), garbage collection, water, TV (cable, antenna or satellite), telephone, shopping and just about everything else I could think of at the time. I was not surprised by anything when we moved here. We also spent a good amount of time in Greenville, over a period of years, before we moved too.

We kept a travel trailer at Twin Lakes in Chocowinity and would come here for a week at a time.

I actually made a chart with the costs from where I used to live and the costs to live in Greenville. Edgewater, MD on one side and Greenville, NC on the other. It was easy to see where the cheaper place to live was.

This hasn't been touched on (in this thread) but I even knew what areas to avoid in Greenville. All of the data to truly make an informed decision is available, without getting biased opinions from members of City-data.

Every situation is different for each individual. To look at one of those comparison charts is a mistake. You can be very greatly surprised by things that those charts don't take into account.

[Bill Hitchcock]

Contract a buyer's broker. Finding out that info with supporting documents should be part of their service to you.

[goldenage1]

Originally Posted by blakesq

thanks all, the cost of living calculator shows Wilmington NC as one the cities. So, is Wilmington 25% cheaper to live in than New Haven County Connecticut? Thanks.

I haven't a clue either. Those calculators assume average choices, and so much depends on your personal housing choices. If you buy a house in New Haven, I would expect at least 25% more. On the other hand, you could buy a million dollar house in Wilmington, and spend much more in property tax, insurance and electricity.