[Spring Hillian]

He would also need to compare the income taxes, property taxes, insurance, automobile fees, electric rates, water rates and just about everything else that money is spent on. The cost of living in the N.E. is much higher than FL anyday. I've gotten annual salary increases due to performance every year that I've been in FL and I'm basically an independent contractor. I guess it depends on what one does for a living.

Perhaps you should look at the national picture instead of focusing all your bad thoughts on FL...

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/stran...ry?id=11325933

Originally Posted by D-R-B

You might want to compare what you make in New Jersey compared to what you will make in FL........

Also, be prepared for your pay in FL to stay the same for years and years....wages stagnate here like no other place i've been.

[ChrisA70]

COL in the NE is NOT ALWAYS less down here in FL. Rent where I am is the same here as in the city in MA I am from... Food is less there, car insurance is a LOT less in MA than FL. Apples to apples....

[Spring Hillian]

Really? I could not find one city in MA that is cheaper than Tampa as an example.



Cost of Living Calculator

Originally Posted by ChrisA70

COL in the NE is NOT ALWAYS less down here in FL. Rent where I am is the same here as in the city in MA I am from... Food is less there, car insurance is a LOT less in MA than FL. Apples to apples....

[D-R-B]

Originally Posted by Spring Hillian

He would also need to compare the income taxes, property taxes, insurance, automobile fees, electric rates, water rates and just about everything else that money is spent on. The cost of living in the N.E. is much higher than FL anyday. I've gotten annual salary increases due to performance every year that I've been in FL and I'm basically an independent contractor. I guess it depends on what one does for a living.

Perhaps you should look at the national picture instead of focusing all your bad thoughts on FL...

Economy: Will Middle Class America Ever See A Real Raise Again? - ABC News

I have family/friends in New Jersey, Massachusetts, and New York. Some of them have lived in Florida before and completely agree with me. They are WAY better off financially in the North East.....I`ll give you an example:

My friend owns a BEAUTIFUL 5 bedroom, 3 story cape that sits on 8.2 acres just 40 minutes out side of New York City in Northern New Jersey...he pays $8000 per year in property taxes.

My sister owns a 3 bedroom typical florida split plan ranch on a lot just big enough for the house to sit on.......less than 2/10ths of an acre, located 30 minutes west of Tampa......she pays $3600 per year in taxes.

If the cost of living is so much higher, and the weather is so much worse, than why do people still live up North??......

Us folks down here in Florida are probably just smarter than everyone else......right?...........hmmmm.

[Spring Hillian]

I have friends in NJ, NYC and LI. 2 people in LI pay $1,000-1,300 a month in property taxes. Friend in Washingtonville NY is paying $14,000 a year in taxes. Dont know what the Jersey friend pays, but I know its high. That's in Bergen Co. Friend in NYC pays much much less. My taxes this year here in Spring Hill were $1200. Granted, they do earn much more than most in FL. However, quality of life trumps a paycheck in my life.
Everybody lives somewhere. Its a matter of choice. Family, jobs, lack of
desire to live someplace else all factor into the equation.

So what keeps you here? Me? Quality of life, weather, recreational activities, life style.

I was born and raised in NYC and left when I was 30 years old.

Originally Posted by D-R-B

I have family/friends in New Jersey, Massachusetts, and New York. Some of them have lived in Florida before and completely agree with me. They are WAY better off financially in the North East.....I`ll give you an example:

My friend owns a BEAUTIFUL 5 bedroom, 3 story cape that sits on 8.2 acres just 40 minutes out side of New York City in Northern New Jersey...he pays $8000 per year in property taxes.

My sister owns a 3 bedroom typical florida split plan ranch on a lot just big enough for the house to sit on.......less than 2/10ths of an acre, located 30 minutes west of Tampa......she pays $3600 per year in taxes.

If the cost of living is so much higher, and the weather is so much worse, than why do people still live up North??......

Us folks down here in Florida are probably just smarter than everyone else......right?...........hmmmm.

[Spring Hillian]

Please give us an idea of the cost of living where you are. Income taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, car insurance, home insurance, electric, gas, water.

Thanks.

Originally Posted by whitelotusnmt

My parents & I are kicking around the idea of leaving NJ for FL in a few years. I currently live in a community 15 minutes from everything & the Jersey Shore, and would like to be close to the beach. I work as a massage therapist & think it would be good to be somewhat close to Orlando, as I believe I would have better luck finding work in that area, where tourists would be taking advantage of spa services.

I'm thinking of the Cocoa area..I like that it's on the coast, and admittedly I am a bit of a space nerd & like the idea of being able to watch the rockets launch, etc. But more practically, how is that area to live in? I would be looking to purchase a condo, preferably $140k or under. I am in my early 30's & would like to be in a nice safe area where there are other people my age. I have no problem working in a spa environment in a resort, but my focus as a massage therapist is also rehabilitative therapeutic massage, so I would also like access to sports/orthopedic doctors, chiropractors, holistic practitioners.

My parents are retired, Mom has arthritis that's getting tougher to bear during the winters up here, plus it's just getting too expensive to live. They currently live in a similar area to where I am now...Target right up the road, supermarkets, restaurants very nearby, etc. They are mostly homebodies, but would enjoy active adult community living, with most stores/restaurants, etc. near to them. They are very active in their Roman Catholic parish, so that would be important as well. The other thing is my mother also suffers from neurological difficulties & it's of highest importance they have access to a nearby hospital & a choice of good physicians in that specialty. They probably would not want to be far from the amusement parks since they have loved vacationing there (and if my brother makes the move that is likely where he will go, although we would both want to be close to them).

I appreciate any advice you guys could give me, thank you!!

[ChrisA70]

Originally Posted by Spring Hillian

Really? I could not find one city in MA that is cheaper than Tampa as an example.



Cost of Living Calculator

Those calculators are crap.... Real world is a lot different.

Example.

I am in Estero, FL. between Fort Myers and Naples. Where I work and live my 3 bedroom is $930 a month. Northampton MA, which is in WESTERN MA, NOT BOSTON, that is a whole different world out there.

Northampton is a GREAT city, Smith College is right there, UMASS is 20 minutes away... Camping, hiking, a real bike trail, etc. Where I want to be.

What do we have in Estero? Stores, and Naples/Fort Myers...BIG WHOOP.



1 Eastern Avenue – 6 rooms, 4 bedroom, parking, gas or electric heat, hardwood floors, close to downtown, available 05/01/2011, $1240.00 plus utilities.

Contact Joan at *******between 10:00 AM and 7:00 PM

Or Helen at ****** between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM

There is a 4 bedroom example.

Car insurance for me is HALF up there as opposed to FL, the ripoff insurance state.

[ChrisA70]

Originally Posted by Spring Hillian

I have friends in NJ, NYC and LI. 2 people in LI pay $1,000-1,300 a month in property taxes. Friend in Washingtonville NY is paying $14,000 a year in taxes. Dont know what the Jersey friend pays, but I know its high. That's in Bergen Co. Friend in NYC pays much much less. My taxes this year here in Spring Hill were $1200. Granted, they do earn much more than most in FL. However, quality of life trumps a paycheck in my life.
Everybody lives somewhere. Its a matter of choice. Family, jobs, lack of
desire to live someplace else all factor into the equation.

So what keeps you here? Me? Quality of life, weather, recreational activities, life style.

I was born and raised in NYC and left when I was 30 years old.

The sentence in red is how I feel about going back to MA, the quality of life for me up there outweighs anything down here. It's all relative...

[Spring Hillian]

I agree, it is all relative. Everybody has different desires, different tastes, different needs. I paid over 200 a month for car ins in NYC. Here i pay 90 for 2 cars. I could not buy a house in NYC. The prices are too high. i paid city, state and federal taxes on my income. electric rates were and still are the highest in the nation. A pack of cigarettes is over $10. Parking on the street is extremely difficult and garages are outrageous. The tolls on the inter-city bridges and tunnels are over $2.00 each way. The subway is like $2.50 a trip now. The winters suck, the summers suck, the crime is outrageous. So, yes, all relative.

Obviously you relocated here from there. Obviously it was pretty good there, quality of life, cheap car insurance, etc. Can you tell us why?

Originally Posted by ChrisA70

The sentence in red is how I feel about going back to MA, the quality of life for me up there outweighs anything down here. It's all relative...

[Spring Hillian]

Really? I would think those calculators are based on the real world, what else would they be based on? I always notice that when someone here shows factual information that disputes personal opinion it is always wrong, crap, not real, etc etc. Pick any calculator on the web and they all sing the same tune. Pretty strange if you ask me.

Originally Posted by ChrisA70

Those calculators are crap.... Real world is a lot different.

.