[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by Christine7910

I do have to say when I was back in CT about 2007, I could not believe how hot it was. We were staying in Farmington and at the time I was living in SC near Columbia and it over 100-115 there. I was very shocked at the heat in CT.

100-115 in CT? You must have come during one of our hottest weekends here. We likely broke records that day.

[Christine7910]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

Really? Because every statistic I've seen has pointed to the southern states having a far lower standard of living than any state in the Northeast.

Tell me about it. Everyone here in NC says I have high standards of living. But then again I want to have things that are better made and last longer, it's not my fault they cost more, lol. My ex MIL always said I am a gourmet cook. I didn't know that by adding herbs and spices to my food made me gourmet, oh and she was born and raised here in the mountains of NC.

[3DogNight]

Originally Posted by 31st State Citizen

Many Americans are moving to states with no state income tax and/or right to work states and/or Southern states, because the cost of living is much less and you have a higher standard of living.

Some states have it. Most of these are in the South.

I am convinced there is a horde of people who are being paid by the southern states to perpetuate this craziness. TN may have no state income tax but their sales tax is insane, up to 9.75% depending on the local tax + state tax. NC has state income tax, so does SC to my knowledge and NC taxes more things than I ever even knew could be taxed. FL is a no state income tax state but blech, who cares? TX, AR, MS, GA, AL...egads. Those choices - [[SHUDDER]]

So what if they smear out the taxes over a broader base of items? High tax state is a high tax state -- my electric bill, my food, my gas bill -- all have sales tax. Sales tax on food should just be a damn crime...that's the biggest irritant. Just because my property tax is lower, I'm shoveling off that money to another hand that's picking my pocket.

Oh yes, right-to-work states: be sure to make a cap of $9/hr and "your shoes are ugly: you're fired."

And on another note, Charlotte is cooler than Bridgeport? I nearly fell off the chair on that one. This is the most hot, humid, stagnant air on the planet. Somewhere between Asheville and the OBX is the stagnant, wet, soggy and hot area that is RTP and Charlotte. It's like walking into hot flypaper during the spring, summer and fall. You can say goodbye to any sort of breeze around May 1st, like clockwork. It will be back again in November, in time for the violent rain.

Another pleasure...the weather-lovers... Rain is horizontal here, and always ALWAYS violent. I never woke up in the middle of the night when I heard the first drop of rain hit the roof anywhere else I have lived because I have never experienced perpetually violent weather before. Here? Me and the dogs snap upright and watch the windows. Hot and violent. But these fools who move down here in January to 50* temps will learn come June/July/Aug/Sept and sometimes Oct, when it's 87 and 90% humidity as my husband leaves for work at 4.15am. You know that soft, gentle, all-day rain you might get in New England? Jam that into an hour and add 40mph winds, lightning that defies this planet's atmosphere (hello Jupiter??) and you have the weather.

FYI. Weather.com is taking way too long of a stretch of time and using it to compute averages. We fell for it; don't buy it. The average high temp here in the summer is *NOT* 87. Period. Unless recordings are taken at 2am.

[LRPct]

Originally Posted by Christine7910

I do have to say when I was back in CT about 2007, I could not believe how hot it was. We were staying in Farmington and at the time I was living in SC near Columbia and it over 100-115 there. I was very shocked at the heat in CT.

100-115 all weekend ehh? Highly doubtful as the highest temp ever recorded in Ct. was 106 in 1995.

[willow wind]

I think Christine may be referring to Columbia, SC, where temps over 100 are typical in the summer.
I don't think she meant Bridgeport was 110-115. I didn't read it that way.

[LRPct]

Originally Posted by willow wind

I think Christine may be referring to Columbia, SC, where temps over 100 are typical in the summer.
I don't think she meant Bridgeport was 110-115. I didn't read it that way.

Yeah.. after rereading it a few times Im still not sure where/what she is saying. Although I have been in Columbia a couple times and saw multiple graduates at boot camp graduation hit the deck/pass out during ceremonies. The Afghanastan heat must be a nice break after boot camp there..lol

[bobtn]

Originally Posted by 3DogNight

I am convinced there is a horde of people who are being paid by the southern states to perpetuate this craziness. TN may have no state income tax but their sales tax is insane, up to 9.75% depending on the local tax + state tax. .

So? And yes, I'm serious.

Let's do a payback analysis: Using the CT Income Tax calculator, a single person with AGI of 75k owes $3,755 in income taxes.

Now if we assume the sales tax differential of 3.4% (Tn max vs Ct) covers 90% of ones taxable purchases, and 2.4% covers 10% (Tn food tax is 1% under what you quoted), we'd get around a 3.3% sales tax difference. On average, most people spend no more than 1/3 their net pay on taxable purchases, and on a 75k income, it is safe to assume net is at most 75% Gross (FICA, FIT, 401k, Health Care employee premium portion, etc).

75K * 75% (Net/Gross) * 1/3 on taxable purchases = 18,750 subject to sales tax * 3.3% differential =$619 more in sales tax. Taken away from Ct Income tax, the person in the example above pays $3,136 less in State Income and Sales taxes.

Note: Short of a poverty level income, State Income taxes always exceed sales taxes.

Now this should never be the sole reason for a move, but short of a EU style VAT (20%), one never, ever pays as much in sales tax differences as they would in an income tax. That is the reason 42 states charge an income tax-it generates far more revenue for the state.

[3DogNight]

You can play alllll the numbers games you like. Wish I knew of someone in TN making 75k - fantastic comparison. NOT. I know of a person who moved there to a director's position in town government which usually pays more than state - he may have broken 40k just last year.

And I didn't quote TN food tax, slick. There is income tax here, some of the highest in the southeast. Food tax in NC ranges from 1-4%, I have no clue what it is in TN nor do I care.

The point of the post is you can take all you want in money - there are things that can't be made up in "savings" by moving here: i.e. hot-azz weather, leaving family, expense to visit family (which no one thinks of!) as mentioned in an earlier post, missing local foods or traditions or any type of lifestyle accoutrements.

I'd write out a check tomorrow now that I have been on both sides of the fence, in CT and NC.

[bobtn]

Originally Posted by 3DogNight

You can play alllll the numbers games you like. Wish I knew of someone in TN making 75k - fantastic comparison. .

You are talking to one making much, much more than that. Our corp has tons in the same boat, as did my last one, based in Memphis.

In none of the states would a sales tax difference ever equal or exceed an Income Tax difference. One state, New Hampshire, is both Income and Sales Tax Free.

The math does require time, but is well worth the effort. I'd love to find a site which would list state tax freedom days by salary level, compared versus prior decades. I suspect much of Ct's longer period to pay all taxes is in fact, the state, not federal, portion. One can argue if it is needed, but at least , in all states, light should be shone on the states' role in the lenthening of tax freedom day. It is not all Uncle Sam's fault.

Again, I would never move solely based on COL, but math is our friend, even if it isn't the politician's friend.

[3DogNight]

My dad was a transplant in TN too for a while. I do not agree there are tons of these transplant opportunities available but whatever.

You are rating your life on a grudge match with Uncle Sam in terms of $. We did the same thing from our kitchen table in CT. Then we realized that no amount of failed pissing contests with the government was going to replace what we are missing.