[retired11]

Anyone looking to retire to Florida..beware! I just moved from NYC and am shocked. Houses are not cheap anymore by any means. Figure $450,000 to $530,000 for a used 3,000 square footer. The vehicle transfer tax for new residents is about $400 per car. Property taxes in Pinellas/Hillsborough about $8,000 to $9,000 yearly. Homeowners insurance is about $8,500 for waterfront, $4,500 for a county bordering the water and inland 10-15 miles about 1,500 plus. Add to that these silly HOA fees averaging $1,500 to $2,500 year along with the $3,000 HOA entry fee. Add to that car insurance is $500 more than I paid in NYC every six months. My water/sewage bill was $20 quarterly in NY, here it is $250 month. Food for a family of 5 runs $70 more a week here. Dining out is exactly the same as New York. As Floridians say, you missed the boat by twenty years. Do your research and you will find Florida is no place to retire economically. The weather and roads are nice though. Watch the speed limits carefully too, speed traps are all over Florida.

[Spring Hillian]

Originally Posted by retired11

Anyone looking to retire to Florida..beware! I just moved from NYC and am shocked. Houses are not cheap anymore by any means. Figure $450,000 to $530,000 for a used 3,000 square footer. The vehicle transfer tax for new residents is about $400 per car. Property taxes in Pinellas/Hillsborough about $8,000 to $9,000 yearly. Homeowners insurance is about $8,500 for waterfront, $4,500 for a county bordering the water and inland 10-15 miles about 1,500 plus. Add to that these silly HOA fees averaging $1,500 to $2,500 year along with the $3,000 HOA entry fee. Add to that car insurance is $500 more than I paid in NYC every six months. My water/sewage bill was $20 quarterly in NY, here it is $250 month. Food for a family of 5 runs $70 more a week here. Dining out is exactly the same as New York. As Floridians say, you missed the boat by twenty years. Do your research and you will find Florida is no place to retire economically. The weather and roads are nice though. Watch the speed limits carefully too, speed traps are all over Florida.

You could live a lot cheaper. U must be in or very close to Tampa.

[FLHfan]

Originally Posted by retired11

Anyone looking to retire to Florida..beware! I just moved from NYC and am shocked. Houses are not cheap anymore by any means. Figure $450,000 to $530,000 for a used 3,000 square footer. The vehicle transfer tax for new residents is about $400 per car. Property taxes in Pinellas/Hillsborough about $8,000 to $9,000 yearly. Homeowners insurance is about $8,500 for waterfront, $4,500 for a county bordering the water and inland 10-15 miles about 1,500 plus. Add to that these silly HOA fees averaging $1,500 to $2,500 year along with the $3,000 HOA entry fee. Add to that car insurance is $500 more than I paid in NYC every six months. My water/sewage bill was $20 quarterly in NY, here it is $250 month. Food for a family of 5 runs $70 more a week here. Dining out is exactly the same as New York. As Floridians say, you missed the boat by twenty years. Do your research and you will find Florida is no place to retire economically. The weather and roads are nice though. Watch the speed limits carefully too, speed traps are all over Florida.

Sounds like you didn't do YOUR research.
You don't have to spend half a mil on a house in Fl to be happy. Next time make better choices.

[tonyff67]

3000 sq ft?
That's a lot of house or a retiree

[jghorton]

Like anywhere, Florida housing costs are a supply-and-demand proposition ... which largely determines the cost of taxes and insurance. Are you suggesting that you can buy oceanfront property cheaper in New York? One can also avoid HOA fees by living in a condo or development that does not have an HOA.

Food is about the same, but, eating out will typically cost you more in NY, depending on where and what one eats. But, $70 per week for a family of 5 sounds pretty low anywhere. I don't know where you are spending $250 per month on water/sewage, but, it sounds pretty high.

The bottom line is that one can live as cheaply as they wish in either Florida or NY, but, not in a 3000 sf upscale oceanfront property. In any case, if things are so inexpensive in NY, perhaps you should stay there? However, Florida has no shortage of ex-New Yorkers.

[Crane's Rooster]

This is not news this is reality. Florida is no longer the retirement haven it used to be, it's the 3rd largest state in the country and not nearly as gray as it was in the past. Many Floridians now leave Florida to retire elsewhere.

[PDF]

It's not cheap, but it's not that expensive either.

[Icemodeled]

Who retires to a 3000sqft house for 530k???
course its expensive if you live that way. My parents retire and downsize to a 1000sqft $90k home. No waterfront, living modestly just like anywhere else.

[valicky]

Another 1 post troll maybe? Those figures seems to be very exaggerated and this is coming from someone who lives in Miami. $250 a month for water/sewer?!!! I'm paying $90 to $120 every QUARTER. Is there really that much difference from Dade County to Pinellas? I have a 3000 sq ft home and my property taxes are a bit under 5K. Maybe that 3000 sq ft home is on a very large lot?? Maybe no homestead exemption? I have no HOA fees because I did my research before buying. Even so, those sound extraordinarily high for a sfh. You must have many amenities and lawn care and maybe cable included.

OP said it's $70 MORE for food, not $70. I do find food here to be pricey and not amazing, especially produce. Homeowners insurance is high. No big news there. I don't find car insurance to be crazy here. We have safe driving records, been with the same company for awhile now and drive vans, nothing sporty. After you're a resident the vehicle registration is cheaper than many other places that charge you according to how new your vehicle is.

In any case, FL is like anywhere else. The bigger cities will be more costly. Bigger houses are more costly. Closer to the water is more costly. This isn't a FL exclusive. And if you're not someone who posts once and never returns, and have come back to read this - have your plumbing checked. You have a serious leak somewhere or someone is tapping into your line!

[MartinEden99]

Originally Posted by retired11

Anyone looking to retire to Florida..beware! I just moved from NYC and am shocked. Houses are not cheap anymore by any means. Figure $450,000 to $530,000 for a used 3,000 square footer. The vehicle transfer tax for new residents is about $400 per car. Property taxes in Pinellas/Hillsborough about $8,000 to $9,000 yearly. Homeowners insurance is about $8,500 for waterfront, $4,500 for a county bordering the water and inland 10-15 miles about 1,500 plus. Add to that these silly HOA fees averaging $1,500 to $2,500 year along with the $3,000 HOA entry fee. Add to that car insurance is $500 more than I paid in NYC every six months. My water/sewage bill was $20 quarterly in NY, here it is $250 month. Food for a family of 5 runs $70 more a week here. Dining out is exactly the same as New York. As Floridians say, you missed the boat by twenty years. Do your research and you will find Florida is no place to retire economically. The weather and roads are nice though. Watch the speed limits carefully too, speed traps are all over Florida.

So you thought you'd leave your $700k 900 sqft box of a condo in a mid-level burrow for ocean front 3000 sq ft in Tampa, Fl? And I guess you thought you were the first to think of that? What do you think Tampa is...some third world country?

Guess what? People who own houses like what you mentioned are not typically retirees. They are executives and actively working still. You want 3000 sqft for the family/friends to stay in when they visit you? You want a pool? You want reasonable insurance? You want an up to date home with a nice kitchen & beautiful bathrooms? You want something nearly new (if not new)? And you want all that for under $350k? Go inland and you can get that all day long & sometimes cheaper...just like the millions of other retirees and working families do.

Oceanfront is primarily for smallish condos, tourism, and millionaires. The rest of the working slobs & retirees live elsewhere & visit when they can. At least if they want the home size & amenities without the $500/month HOA, though I'm not sure why a retiree really "needs" 3000 sq ft.

Need to do some better research next time. There are places in Florida that get closer to your list at a cheaper price. They aren't called "Tampa Bay" but they are very nice places to live.