[LongNote]

Which major city in Florida is best for relocation based on it's job market and cost of living?

[StarfishKey]

I think this kind of question is really misleading - the answer is dependent on WHAT you do for a living, and on what kind of lifestyle you have. Not all job markets are the same, and not everything costs the same. Some locations will be far better for one profession than another, and some will have lower rent but higher govt. marketplace insurance costs, or might have higher car insurance, or might have such poor and dangerous schools that people feel forced to pay for private schools. Some places are cheap but so stressful and full of chemical pollution exposure that your costs go up in paying for treating diseases. Life is way more complicated than one simple answer as to what has a good job market and low COL.

Having said that, I can tell you probably the absolute worst on the list for the entire state would be the Florida Keys - nearly everything in every category is very expensive, and there are very few jobs, and what jobs there are pay almost nothing and frequently have no benefits. But there again, if one in in the military or plans to be crew on a boat, much of that may not apply. It all depends on what kind of life one plans to live.

Miami has far more corporate jobs, and health sector jobs, but most people find the COL to be very high - nearly as much as in NYC, despite salaries that are often half as much. On the other hand, if you're in something specialized like high-level IT that few people in Florida are qualified for, you may get 6-figure pay to move to the area to fill the slot.

[kyle19125]

Jacksonville in my opinion. It has a diverse job market (not largely based on tourism-sector jobs like Orlando for instance), the highest median household income of the major cities in FL (the suburbs of St John's County, Clay County and Nassau County rank 1st, 2nd and 4th respectively in the state) and a cost of living at or below the national average overall.

[djmanu]

What kind of jobs ?
If you look at the numbers, Orlando has the best job growth (4%) followed by South Florida (3.4%).
COL being cheaper in Orlando I would say that Orlando has actually the best job market and COL.

[chopchop0]

Op includes Naples and psl and fails to include space coast/Melbourne/palm bay. Fail

Looking for a good job? Try these cities - Feb. 3, 2015

[Fl1150]

Yes saying you have a good job market is kind of misleading because I think it depends on what field your in as for example I think the IT field is pretty strong in Tampa and Jacksonville markets but particularly in the Orlando area. The Medical field is strong all over as that's is one of the states strongest. Even education is pretty strong in all the major metro areas as areas are constantly growing and adding families. COL is going to be cheaper the more north you go but people are moving here in droves according to the latest reports so don't expect to find everything cheaper from where you come from.

[Sugah Ray]

Probably Orlando and Jax in that order

[centauri]

I think Orlando has the better market over Jax, and the COL is a little more expensive, but Jax is great for the High-Level IT gigs, but as for the low level stuff... Good luck!

[LongNote]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

Jacksonville in my opinion. It has a diverse job market (not largely based on tourism-sector jobs like Orlando for instance), the highest median household income of the major cities in FL (the suburbs of St John's County, Clay County and Nassau County rank 1st, 2nd and 4th respectively in the state) and a cost of living at or below the national average overall.

Originally Posted by Sugah Ray

Probably Orlando and Jax in that order

Originally Posted by centauri

I think Orlando has the better market over Jax, and the COL is a little more expensive, but Jax is great for the High-Level IT gigs, but as for the low level stuff... Good luck!

Thanks.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by djmanu

What kind of jobs ?
If you look at the numbers, Orlando has the best job growth (4%) followed by South Florida (3.4%).
COL being cheaper in Orlando I would say that Orlando has actually the best job market and COL.

Orlando's numbers are a mirage. It's largely built on part-time service sector/tourism jobs as evidenced by the city's lower average wages compared to other cities in FL.