[mpassaro]

I have one more question that I should have added to my hurricane question below. I make 60,000 here in Long Island. Can anyone tell me what a comparable salary in Florida would be?? Thanks again.

[J'Mo]

And though housing prices have jumped to 2-3 x's what they were just 3-5 years ago, salaries have remained about the same.

I have been here since 1980, but have had to work for myself for the past 15 years to live above poverty level.

Unless you have some connections, and/or some very special skills, you may want to consider a commission-only sales job to be able to make it here.

[Karla with a K]

mpassaro
here is a site that has a salary comparison calculator
http://www.moving.com/Find_A_Place/C...Calc/index.asp

What you need to make and what you will pay for a home will vary greatly depending on where you live. Up here in NE FL we don't seem to be experiencing the outrageous INS fees that our friends down south are running into. Also a couple people have said you need to make over $100k to live here, again that will depend on where you live. We don't make near that amount and live a pretty nice lifestyle.
I have a friend on LI that lives in a small 1500 sq ft older house that he said is worth almost $400k and is paying close to $10k a year in property taxes. We live on a 2100 sq ft 5 yr old house and pay $3100 a year in taxes and a similar house down the street just went on the market yesterday for $380k.
Granted the taxes the new owners will pay will be slightly higher due to the new selling price but it will still be a far call from the propety taxes on LI.
So again if you are considering moving down here research the different areas I am sure you will find an area that will fit your needs.
Karla

[Need_affordable_home]

Originally Posted by mpassaro

I have one more question that I should have added to my hurricane question below. I make 60,000 here in Long Island. Can anyone tell me what a comparable salary in Florida would be?? Thanks again.

Depends on the job. There is a long island in NY and I know NYC pays alot more. Id venture to estimate youd get 40k or a little less in Florida. Not enough to afford houses here, I am afraid unless you are fine with a mobile home.

[RedWingsFan]

you can go to salar.com and it will do a city to city comparison for you for free

[bamboosmom]

If you have skills, or can run your own company you may be able to afford a nice home. We have been here 6 years and have done just that.

[simplistic007]

Originally Posted by mpassaro

I have one more question that I should have added to my hurricane question below. I make 60,000 here in Long Island. Can anyone tell me what a comparable salary in Florida would be?? Thanks again.

I really depends in what field you are in. I just had a call from a job in Clearwater that started at 65K so I guess the pay is not bad You just have to keep looking and looking. Try Monster.com.

[RedWingsFan]

Originally Posted by RedWingsFan

you can go to salar.com and it will do a city to city comparison for you for free

Oops, I meant salary.com, that was a typo...

[elfyum]

Just gotta comment since I've seen Need_affordable_home mention mobile homes more than once. You'd literally have to be OUT OF YOUR MIND to own a mobile home in FL or any other area on the coast or in a place that frequently gets tornados!!! Anybody that pays attention to the news at all knows that they're the first to go! And they're the first to have to evacuate! Even with Ernesto being a tropical storm, (at the moment-hopefully will not turn into a hurricane!) anyone living in a mobile in the Keys had to evacuate! What a drag! Also, why would you want to buy something that LOSES value! Real estate is an investment. Unless you plan on living in it forever (& how could you know something like that) & are IN THE DESERT or a state with no major natural disasters!!!, it's not a wise move to buy a mobile.

Also, on 40k you can definately buy a house in FL!!!

[chocomom]

Originally Posted by elfyum

Just gotta comment since I've seen Need_affordable_home mention mobile homes more than once. You'd literally have to be OUT OF YOUR MIND to own a mobile home in FL or any other area on the coast or in a place that frequently gets tornados!!! Anybody that pays attention to the news at all knows that they're the first to go! And they're the first to have to evacuate! Even with Ernesto being a tropical storm, (at the moment-hopefully will not turn into a hurricane!) anyone living in a mobile in the Keys had to evacuate! What a drag! Also, why would you want to buy something that LOSES value! Real estate is an investment. Unless you plan on living in it forever (& how could you know something like that) & are IN THE DESERT or a state with no major natural disasters!!!, it's not a wise move to buy a mobile.

Also, on 40k you can definately buy a house in FL!!!

Elfyum, that highly depends. Many people in FL cannot afford a home on 40k once taxes, insurance, and HOA/Condo fees are added in.