Best AFFORDABLE beach cities (home owners insurance, condos, motels)

[acs.1979]

Which cities have nice beaches, an overall decent quality of life, yet are still affordable enough for middle class individuals to live in comfortably?

[Steve-o]

There are wonderful beaches on MI's west coast, but of course they freeze over in the winter. I guess the question is: are you talking tropical beaches (ie Florida), mediterranean beaches (ie California), cold beaches (LOL like Oregon and Washington), or will any beach do?

[acs.1979]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

There are wonderful beaches on MI's west coast, but of course they freeze over in the winter. I guess the question is: are you talking tropical beaches (ie Florida), mediterranean beaches (ie California), cold beaches (LOL like Oregon and Washington), or will any beach do?

I want the thread open to any kind of beach town, but personally, I like tropical and mediterranean beaches much better....Oregon's coast has amazing beaches, and a relatively low cost of living...but yeah...6 months of cold, dreary rain....ugh

[Steve-o]

IMO, Florida has the best beaches in the nation, even better than Hawaii from what I understand. There are hundreds of miles of beachfront to choose from, and southern Florida is as tropical as it gets (hot sticky summers, warm winters, no snow ever). The only downside are the hurricanes of course....

Western coast? Id have to go with SoCal of course, especially the San Diego area, its beautiful. But then again its outrageously expensive, and I do mean outrageous. Midwest? Michigan has beautiful beaches, some with 300 ft tall sand dunes, its beautiful beyond belief. South Carolina also has nice beaches, and is a little more affordable than all others mentioned (minus MI).

[acs.1979]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

IMO, Florida has the best beaches in the nation, even better than Hawaii from what I understand. There are hundreds of miles of beachfront to choose from, and southern Florida is as tropical as it gets (hot sticky summers, warm winters, no snow ever). The only downside are the hurricanes of course....

Western coast? Id have to go with SoCal of course, especially the San Diego area, its beautiful. But then again its outrageously expensive, and I do mean outrageous. Midwest? Michigan has beautiful beaches, some with 300 ft tall sand dunes, its beautiful beyond belief. South Carolina also has nice beaches, and is a little more affordable than all others mentioned (minus MI).

Thanks...and I do agree; Florida has great beaches. I used to live there. I have been thinking about moving back, but Florida definitely has downsides... insane suburban sprawl, really bizarre politics, expensive housing market / home owners insurance. Still...those beaches are hard to beat....

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by acs.1979

Thanks...and I do agree; Florida has great beaches. I used to live there. I have been thinking about moving back, but Florida definitely has downsides... insane suburban sprawl, really bizarre politics, expensive housing market / home owners insurance. Still...those beaches are hard to beat....

Yep, the bottom line is: if youre looking for great weather and unbeatable beaches, Florida is king. And its not really that expensive from what I see. On the way out from a local grocery store out here in St. Charles, IL (no beaches LOL), I picked up a Florida condo guide. Man, those are stinkin cheap compared to out here! The wife had the little light-bulb pop on above her head, I immediately shot it out with a mental bb gun: A little too humid for my tastes. Winters in Florida are the best though, I give it that much. Its the summer I couldnt take.

[dyt937]

from my experience as i used to live in central florida[space cost] there are many nice towns along the space coast such as satellite beach, indianatlantic, patrick shores. very nice . you might want to check those out.

[dullnboring]

I suppose it depends upon your reference point, but Virginia Beach to me is a pretty affordable city and offers a decent quality of life. The beaches aren't Florida caliber but are nice enough, and the Outer Banks aren't that far of a drive away for a completely different sort of beach vibe.

[decafdave]

If you don't want the heat and problems of florida or the high costs if cali, look into Virginia Beach. Really nice, beachy feeling city and part of a growing region. Also, take a look at Charleston. Charleston metro could see alot of growth in the upcoming years but now its an unspoiled and affordable area.

Both very affordable-especially compared with just about all the stuff posted above.

[dyt937]

Originally Posted by dullnboring

I suppose it depends upon your reference point, but Virginia Beach to me is a pretty affordable city and offers a decent quality of life. The beaches aren't Florida caliber but are nice enough, and the Outer Banks aren't that far of a drive away for a completely different sort of beach vibe.

The only bad thing about Virginia Beach is that it might be to much of a resort town with resorts, condos, motels all along the coastline. Also the temperatures aern't ideal for year round living if your not into the cold temps because such in Jan and Feb temperatures average high 40's.