Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I've been contemplating either moving to Florida or California. I know the weather between the two are different and the summers can be unbearable in the summers in Florida. California has great weather for the most part, however, California is so darn expensive.
I checked and since Florida has no income tax I would bring home a little over $600 per month more in my paycheck and the cost of living is cheaper.
California i would lose $600 monthly and taxes are higher but the weather is gorgeous and I have family out there so I'm back and forth with my decision.
In Florida I could afford to live either on or very close to the beach. California would be impossible financially.
What would your choices be and for what reasons?
Thank you
Theresa
Depending on what type of income you will make here, California being expensive is moot if you are talking SoFla, which is without a doubt the best part of Florida in my opinion, we lived in the West Palm Beach area, my wife and I lived in FL a combined total of 30 years. I left SoFla and moved to the San Diego Area and I do not miss the low wages, lack of opportunity in many career paths, insane car insurance rates, very high property taxes, Publix Monopoly, Bad Traffic and Drivers and People in general. That's the short list.
The weather in FL never bothered me, but some people cannot deal with it. Since moving here though, it has been a welcoming change.
We do miss the warm ocean waters, beaches, natural stuff, animals (wild not the people) and etc. Not the sprawl, strip mall concrete jungle, cookie cutter gated communities it has become. There are more affordable places to go outside of SoFla but job options are also lacking and salaries are often very low, but if you are lucky and don't mind it, you can probably live okay in these areas.
Since moving out here, I am amazed by the California's I meet who think SoFla is like the rest of FL, cheap and affordable, they are so ignorant and much of what I read on this thread places that in bold font. It's much like CA, people say CA is expensive, yet you can move to areas outside of the major Metro zones and live quite cheap, even with the state income tax. I think in general using "CA" or "FL" in terms of $ is not accurate, should focus more on metro areas or regions where it's obviously more expensive to live, but salaries are often relative or not for many.
Depending on what type of income you will make here, California being expensive is moot if you are talking SoFla, which is without a doubt the best part of Florida in my opinion, we lived in the West Palm Beach area, my wife and I lived in FL a combined total of 30 years. I left SoFla and moved to the San Diego Area and I do not miss the low wages, lack of opportunity in many career paths, insane car insurance rates, very high property taxes, Publix Monopoly, Bad Traffic and Drivers and People in general. That's the short list.
The weather in FL never bothered me, but some people cannot deal with it. Since moving here though, it has been a welcoming change.
We do miss the warm ocean waters, beaches, natural stuff, animals (wild not the people) and etc. Not the sprawl, strip mall concrete jungle, cookie cutter gated communities it has become. There are more affordable places to go outside of SoFla but job options are also lacking and salaries are often very low, but if you are lucky and don't mind it, you can probably live okay in these areas.
Since moving out here, I am amazed by the California's I meet who think SoFla is like the rest of FL, cheap and affordable, they are so ignorant and much of what I read on this thread places that in bold font. It's much like CA, people say CA is expensive, yet you can move to areas outside of the major Metro zones and live quite cheap, even with the state income tax. I think in general using "CA" or "FL" in terms of $ is not accurate, should focus more on metro areas or regions where it's obviously more expensive to live, but salaries are often relative or not for many.
Well put!! If one doesn't have an "upper income" in most of California life can be a struggle. I know it's tacky to put a number on income but for the most part, in my opinion, one needs to make $180-250k to be really comfortable. Let the negative pounding begin!
Well put!! If one doesn't have an "upper income" in most of California life can be a struggle. I know it's tacky to put a number on income but for the most part, in my opinion, one needs to make $180-250k to be really comfortable. Let the negative pounding begin!
I live on less than 1/3 your lower figure in California. Waterfront. Gated security. Easy parking. San Diego. Happy as a clam at high tide. Split my time with more of the same living on the Central Coast. Waterfront. Gated security. Surrounded by miles of nature preserve filled with wildlife.
Well put!! If one doesn't have an "upper income" in most of California life can be a struggle. I know it's tacky to put a number on income but for the most part, in my opinion, one needs to make $180-250k to be really comfortable. Let the negative pounding begin!
It really comes down to whether you're fine renting or buying, or whether you want to live on the ocean or somewhere inland.
Well put!! If one doesn't have an "upper income" in most of California life can be a struggle. I know it's tacky to put a number on income but for the most part, in my opinion, one needs to make $180-250k to be really comfortable. Let the negative pounding begin!
For grinns and giggles I searched City-Data for a comparision of two inland cities nearly the same size.
City-Data says Orlando 92.9 is higher than Bakersfield 89.1 …
Depending on what type of income you will make here, California being expensive is moot if you are talking SoFla, which is without a doubt the best part of Florida in my opinion, we lived in the West Palm Beach area, my wife and I lived in FL a combined total of 30 years. I left SoFla and moved to the San Diego Area and I do not miss the low wages, lack of opportunity in many career paths, insane car insurance rates, very high property taxes, Publix Monopoly, Bad Traffic and Drivers and People in general. That's the short list.
The weather in FL never bothered me, but some people cannot deal with it. Since moving here though, it has been a welcoming change.
We do miss the warm ocean waters, beaches, natural stuff, animals (wild not the people) and etc. Not the sprawl, strip mall concrete jungle, cookie cutter gated communities it has become. There are more affordable places to go outside of SoFla but job options are also lacking and salaries are often very low, but if you are lucky and don't mind it, you can probably live okay in these areas.
Since moving out here, I am amazed by the California's I meet who think SoFla is like the rest of FL, cheap and affordable, they are so ignorant and much of what I read on this thread places that in bold font. It's much like CA, people say CA is expensive, yet you can move to areas outside of the major Metro zones and live quite cheap, even with the state income tax. I think in general using "CA" or "FL" in terms of $ is not accurate, should focus more on metro areas or regions where it's obviously more expensive to live, but salaries are often relative or not for many.
Great post. You're lucky in that the humidity didn't bother you. That is not the case for many.
My car insurance in CA is about $400 a year less than FL with a newer car. Yes, home ownership in parts of CA is out of reach for many people, homes are cheaper in FL.
You're right there are parts of FL that would cost you more than in parts of CA.
When I was still in FL and told people I had lived in CA I would hear "oh it's so expensive there", by people who never even stepped foot in CA never mind lived there. They got their information from watching TV shows.
So it's not surprising that you hear people in CA say the FL is cheap. It isn't cheap in many arenas such as property tax, car insurance, groceries, and homeowner's insurance. The salaries even for professional jobs like nurses and teachers are among the lowest in the country. I ran across a lot of people in FL who worked two jobs, their real job and than being a server on weekends. They weren't doing this for fun, it was out of need.
Well put!! If one doesn't have an "upper income" in most of California life can be a struggle. I know it's tacky to put a number on income but for the most part, in my opinion, one needs to make $180-250k to be really comfortable. Let the negative pounding begin!
Subjective on location, not all of CA is expensive nor is all of FL or other states you can move to. I got a serious pay bump moving here from SoFLa and I never would have done it otherwise. The biggest cost factor here is housing, I really do not consider taxes to be so bad since I lived in other states that took plenty in taxes as well, the no state income tax thing is FL is a misnomer when your salary is often adjusted lower and you are paying more for other things.
When I look at my expenses compared to SoFLa it cost me more in relation to live there than here, even with higher car registration fees that is all cancelled out with spare change after what I was paying for car insurance. Food costs are much lower, there is so much competition here and not just one player like what exists in SoFLa where Publix is a monopoly.
I do not drive far to work anymore so the fuel costs are not an issue for me, since I live and work in North County many of my coworkers drive farther, many drive Hybrids, a few commute from LA and Orange County.
We are renting at the moment and found rentals for homes here to be comparable in cost to rent if not less than SoFla depending on location.
Property Taxes in SoFLa are high, since the rebound in the housing market it has gone up as is Homeowner's insurance due to the Hurricanes.
You can buy a home for less in SoFla but it will cost you plenty to own annually in taxes and insurance costs, if they have another bad Hurricane season anytime soon, it will get even worse.
My wife and I did not hate FL, we actually loved it and it was a tough decision to leave but the career options and salaries are just terrible for our careers, so we rode the storm long enough.
"$180 to $250K", to buy a nice home in the locations everyone thinks of when they here "CA", yes, with kids, sure, single wage earner or dual income, renter I don't think so.
Great post. You're lucky in that the humidity didn't bother you. That is not the case for many.
My car insurance in CA is about $400 a year less than FL with a newer car. Yes, home ownership in parts of CA is out of reach for many people, homes are cheaper in FL.
You're right there are parts of FL that would cost you more than in parts of CA.
When I was still in FL and told people I had lived in CA I would hear "oh it's so expensive there", by people who never even stepped foot in CA never mind lived there. They got their information from watching TV shows.
So it's not surprising that you hear people in CA say the FL is cheap. It isn't cheap in many arenas such as property tax, car insurance, groceries, and homeowner's insurance. The salaries even for professional jobs like nurses and teachers are among the lowest in the country. I ran across a lot of people in FL who worked two jobs, their real job and than being a server on weekends. They weren't doing this for fun, it was out of need.
Thanks and your points are valid as well, when I gave my notice at my old job and said I'm moving to CA, a few dropped the "expensive" line, I thought and SoFla isn't? I think many live in a bubble, watch way too much TV and think it's cheaper living there, I think if you can make above average wages it surely is but that's not typical for many.
My wife and I both lived in SoFLa long enough to know it wasn't affordable anymore, further South you go the more expensive it get's, we both had opportunity in Miami for jobs, but it just was not worth it to relocate further South after getting offers and seeing how much more our expenses would rise, then hearing what the salary would be, it just wasn't worth it.
Sure you could move to Central FL or elsewhere in the state and get more for you money, but there is little to no opportunity and on average salaries are just bad. I would have even considered moving to other parts of CA if the jobs were there, plenty of nice lower cost areas, but no opportunity.
I'm from Pennsylvania originally but I moved around a lot, lived in GA as well, hot humid summers were common and short, though we had the seasons the humidity was often brutal and I remember being in high school in August with no A/C, was a old school and the windows were open and the papers were sticking to my arms and hands. In SoFLa you live A/C, house, car work and stores. So many on average only hit the humidity walking in between.
I got use to SoFLa, though once you leave it and come back you realize how bad it really is, I must admit you can really feel it after being here for a couple of weeks.
Too many posts in this thread to respond to, but many of it is typical stereotypes that are applicable to both FL and CA, many are just laughable, Gators and Earthquakes you know the rest.
I suppose why the FL vs CA thing comes up so much is because when someone looks at moving to either state it's for the weather and lifestyle, personally I do not see any relation between CA and FL, aside from a few Palm Trees and etc, they are completely different places to live and work.
and air quality? florida is ranked just 3 spots ahead of California overall and sure its a big jump, but hardly the best air, you need actual trees and flowers an grass around to do that, not sand and palm "trees" which have nothing but dried brown "leaves" that will fall on the power lines daily with outages
The air-quality is definitely a big deal. Especially if you live in Los Angeles.
Back in SoCal I'd develop a cold, then a cough would develop after the cold symptoms would begin to decline. These cough symptoms were intense, and could last as much as 2 weeks after all my other symptoms went away. My doctor said its "Whooping Cough" and goes around, I remember taking medicine. But it would happen *every year* at least once if not twice.
I believe that was somehow related to the air quality, since moving to Florida I never experienced that again. And I live in Miami which has worse air quality than Central Florida, which has worse air quality than Northern Florida.
I imagine northern California has better air quality than southern California but still.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
$180-250K would indeed be a comfortable income in most parts of California.
