[Nikki75]

Many people say the job market in these counties are highly competitive and the wages are low, degree or not. I haven't found a thread where someone really goes into detail of what salary can be expected as well as what household salary is good enough to live on.

Can someone please shed some light by using scenarios with family make-up, # of incomes, children, rent or mortgage payment, etc. please? What's a realistic working salary in these counties. And are most people who complain use to make BIG bucks such as $50k+ or average incomes $25-40K?

TIA!

[RedWingsFan]

I remember months ago in the paper there was a breakdown of average salary in Volusia and Flagler counties. And they were right around $33,000 per year if I recall. Not very good. It's not so much the problem of the salaries being lower than in other places, but when you couple that with higher costs of living than many other places it becomes a problem. It all depends on what type of work you do, but those are the averages for these counties.

[Nikki75]

I've noticed that a lot of govt. jobs average $26k-39k for salary. Other jobs between $8-12hr. There is no way a household can be run on the latter salary, MAYBE if both hubby and wifey are making that with no more than 3 children and are very budget conscious.

I think that a lot of people who move to N FL are under the misconception that it's cheaper in those counties based on what you will live in. Getting a nice, decently sized Single Family Home with a big yard, 2 car garage, 2 bathrooms for under $200k/mtg -or- less than $1k/mo rent in comparison to places like (CA, NY, NJ, DC, MD, VA and S FL) it is a steal.

I know that if you buy a home you have the high RE taxes in addition to utilities which can be high due to the need for A/C and water. Everyone pays property taxes as well as suffers the high cost of home, auto, rental insurance for obvious reasons.

Insurance cost alone in comparison with the salaires is too much. Let's not EVEN include personal debt and having children in daycare or growing boys, ALL on a single average income be it single mom or dad works mom stays at home. I know it can be done but I'm sure not without frustrating moments.

[riveree]

Originally Posted by Nikki75

Many people say the job market in these counties are highly competitive and the wages are low, degree or not. I haven't found a thread where someone really goes into detail of what salary can be expected as well as what household salary is good enough to live on.

Can someone please shed some light by using scenarios with family make-up, # of incomes, children, rent or mortgage payment, etc. please? What's a realistic working salary in these counties. And are most people who complain use to make BIG bucks such as $50k+ or average incomes $25-40K?

TIA!

In St. John's county, you would likely be working in Duval county. There are just not many jobs in St. John's outside of some service and retail (and those are for terrible pay).

So I would say in Duval county, it is pretty typical/not difficult for an individual with some work experience to earn $30-$35k. I'm not talking about jobs you need degrees for, I'm speaking of call center-type jobs or admin jobs, that kind of thing. So a two-earner family should reasonably bring in $60-$70k. There are certainly higher paid jobs, but there are a lot of variables there.

But a salary of $60-$70k is not going to take you far in St. John's. If you were already living there and had secured your housing pre-2003, you could live fairly well, but housing has gone way up and a salary of $70k does not buy what it used to...but again, variables, and if you already have a home and you'll be bringing that equity with you, then that's a big boost.

Also, if you are planning to live in St. John's, you could be looking at a long commute into Duval, so you will have more wear and tear on your car, big gas bills, etc. and that should be taken into account (so often it isn't).

My advice would be if you plan to relocate to the NE coast, look into Jacksonville. I've lived in both St. Augustine and Jacksonville, and while I love St. Augustine, I think it is better suited for retirees, not a young working family or individual......just my opinion .

[Nikki75]

Riveree, I honestly would only go to St John's for the shopping. Jacksonville, seems to be the hot spot for the NE coast employment wise. It's either there or Orlando and somewhat Daytona. Housing is another issue in comparison to the 3 counties listed above.

Palm Coast has really beautiful homes for a really good price. Daytona and St Aug the cost is higher and the houses not as new. Jacksonville, has tons of older homes that are the same cost of those in Palm Coast however they have 1 bathroom, cosmetic defects and just an outdated look.

The apartment communities in Jax look better than the houses that are affordable on $35k total household income. It's just all confusing.

Being born in MD my idea of FL was that it was always expensive to live and visit because it has Miami and the beaches, boaters and celebrities. I would not have guessed that it was as cheap as it WAS in some parts. Really sorry I missed that boat. Yes, it is catching up real estate wise with other cities but passes the cost of living in the insurance area. All in all, the value of the experience could be worth the struggle as long as the struggle isn't for long.

[riveree]

Originally Posted by Nikki75

Riveree, I honestly would only go to St John's for the shopping. Jacksonville, seems to be the hot spot for the NE coast employment wise. It's either there or Orlando and somewhat Daytona. Housing is another issue in comparison to the 3 counties listed above.

Palm Coast has really beautiful homes for a really good price. Daytona and St Aug the cost is higher and the houses not as new. Jacksonville, has tons of older homes that are the same cost of those in Palm Coast however they have 1 bathroom, cosmetic defects and just an outdated look.

The apartment communities in Jax look better than the houses that are affordable on $35k total household income. It's just all confusing.

Being born in MD my idea of FL was that it was always expensive to live and visit because it has Miami and the beaches, boaters and celebrities. I would not have guessed that it was as cheap as it WAS in some parts. Really sorry I missed that boat. Yes, it is catching up real estate wise with other cities but passes the cost of living in the insurance area. All in all, the value of the experience could be worth the struggle as long as the struggle isn't for long.

Palm Coast's new housing, and housing in general, is definitely less expensive than Jacksonville's at this time, but I have no idea what they do for employment there. I realize there is SOME employment there, but I imagine most people commute out of area for work.

The difference in Jacksonville is that you would not have to commute out of area for work - there is plenty of work right in Jax (even if you lost a job, you'd find another in Jax). I think that's an important distinction.

We do have a lot of nice apartment complexes in Jacksonville. I live near the University (University of North Florida) and there are many well kept complexes in the area. They're not "cheap", but they're not all luxury either - it's a mix (the students are finding some of them affordable). There are other parts of the city with apartment living as well.

Only you know what you can live on and how much you can put towards housing, and only you know what type of housing you'd be comfortable in.

Lastly, don't let the internet fool you - we have a big mix of housing in Jax, new, old and in-between. It is so big here (840 square miles!), you can even find rural areas inside of the city limits. Talk about a choice of housing options ! Also, markets change. I think it's important to choose the city you want to live in, then see what housing is available there when you're ready to buy.

Best of luck with your choice.

[TeeJayMaJay]

I live in Palm Coast and the pay is terrible. In fact the school systems are going to cut back and the only jobs you can find in PC are working for big boxes for low pay. Nothing major here. We moved here 15 yrs ago and Palm Coast was just starting to grow - it was built around the housing market as top revenue - in fact that was about all we had for many years and now since that has taken such a fall that there are not much of any jobs here. There is commercial growth: HDEPOT, LOWES, SUPERTARGET but as you can see those are the big box stores....not much for advancement or good pay. That is why there are so many retirees here. So if you NEED a good job I would definitely say keep nearer to JAX. More ops and I would think better pay being such a large city.

[RedWingsFan]

Originally Posted by Nikki75

Palm Coast has really beautiful homes for a really good price. Daytona and St Aug the cost is higher and the houses not as new.

Palm Coast homes are cheaper because there's nothing there. The town is dreadful.

There are plenty of new home communities all around Daytona. Although I wouldn't buy in Daytona, look more toward Ormond Beach or Port Orange.

[WANAMOV]

Would You Consider Duval To Be A Walkable Area ? Everyone Always Talks About Buying Homes. What Is The Rental Situtation There? I Am Living In The Virgin Islands Now And Have Been Considering Ne Florida.