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Old 08-04-2011, 05:58 AM
 
Location: SW Ohio
9 posts, read 26,844 times
Reputation: 10

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So in considering a move to Florida I get pro arguments (no state income tax) and cons like the following and hoping for locals/transplants to weigh in. Primarily the logic is that if no state income tax that money must be made up somewhere else. I argue that some costs might be higher but that tourism taxes supply the bulk of revenue replacing state income tax so that it is still a net gain to move from a relatively high state income tax state to a no state income tax state.

It costs hundreds of dollars to own a vehicle in FL (license plate, registration) I vaguely recall seeing something in the Jacksonville forum once that this cost is higher. Any thoughts on insurance costs etc?

The home owners insurance in FL is much higher than OH. I tried a few online quote sites with no success. I am just curious if there are any Midwestern transplants that can share their experience.

Real estate taxes are much higher. I pay ~ $3650 now and obviously anything comparable is a wash Outside of looking at Clay, Duval or St John’s county’s local government sites any suggestions to get estimates?

The cost of living compares I have done all point to comparable COL of Jacksonville to Cincinnati except for groceries. Food seems to cost more for whatever reason. Any other factors I should consider?

Many Thanks.
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Old 08-04-2011, 06:03 AM
 
Location: Near the beaches
1,017 posts, read 1,879,055 times
Reputation: 417
I think you have to keep these discussions in perspective. I'm from NJ, just outside of NYC and this is one of the most expensive places to live so everything here (with very few exceptions) is much less expensive for me. However, if you move from an inexpensive area, this may be a little more expensive.

As far as owning a car, I can tell you my car insurance is less than half of what I paid in NJ. Of course, NJ is one of the most expensive states for car insurance. I can't speak for where you live. They do, however, hit you with a HUGE surcharge when you first register your car. It'll cost you around $400 to register your car here in FL the first time. That does suck.

Property insurance is much cheaper than where I'm from. I believe, however, FL has higher property insurance than most places in the South but it's not crazy by any means.

I've not found FL making up the lack of state income tax anywhere to be quite honest. I find FL offers a lot of things to residents I didn't get in NJ and we had high income tax and high property taxes. So go figure.

You have to compare the costs here to where you live to figure out if it's cheaper or not.
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Old 08-04-2011, 08:32 AM
 
278 posts, read 662,994 times
Reputation: 157
bunchabunk, my property taxes for my 1950s 2700SF brick home are about 1/3rd of your property taxes. It all depends on where in town you live, property appriasal, homestead exemption, etc.

Insurance rates can be crazy - some of that depends on where in FL you live, too. Example - I pay about $1,000 a year and have a $1,000 deductible. My mom, who lived north of Tampa in the sinkhole capital of the world apparently, paid $7K (before she fled for Texas) with a $3,000 deductible. So it varies. Jax is cheaper than other places in FL but the closer to the coast, the higher the price.

GadgetRick is right in that up front vehicle registration is expensive but insurance isn't appreciably more expensive than other places, depending on your age, driving record, etc. I think I pay $60 a month for full coverage with a low deductible on my '04 Honda.
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Old 08-04-2011, 08:46 AM
 
Location: NE Florida
1,658 posts, read 4,725,831 times
Reputation: 896
The thing that shocked me when I moved here was what I had to pay monthly for water. But property taxes compared to NYand NJ is cheap.
As GadgetRick said, your assessment of the cost of living here depends on where you lived before.
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Old 08-04-2011, 11:37 AM
 
Location: On the banks of the St Johns River
3,863 posts, read 9,485,866 times
Reputation: 3446
Quote:
Originally Posted by bunchabunk View Post
It costs hundreds of dollars to own a vehicle in FL (license plate, registration) I vaguely recall seeing something in the Jacksonville forum once that this cost is higher. Any thoughts on insurance costs etc?

The home owners insurance in FL is much higher than OH. I tried a few online quote sites with no success. I am just curious if there are any Midwestern transplants that can share their experience.

Real estate taxes are much higher. I pay ~ $3650 now and obviously anything comparable is a wash Outside of looking at Clay, Duval or St John’s county’s local government sites any suggestions to get estimates?

The cost of living compares I have done all point to comparable COL of Jacksonville to Cincinnati except for groceries. Food seems to cost more for whatever reason. Any other factors I should consider?

Many Thanks.
It costs hundreds of dollars to own a vehicle in FL (license plate, registration
There's a one time fee to register a car in Fl. Cost depends on the value of the vehicle. Avg is about $400 and tags avg about $50 a year again based on vehicle value.

The home owners insurance in FL is much higher than OH
Again its based on home value and where home is located. Oceanfront/flood zones being more expensive.

Real estate taxes are much higher
Again its based on home value and where home is located (what county) here's a link to estimate taxes in Duval county... Duval County Property Appraiser - Tax Estimator



That $3650 that you pay in Real Estate taxes, equates to about a $300,000 home in Jax. Fl., taking into account homestaed exemption and appraised valuation.

As for other costs I don't believe homes cost more here than in Cincinnati(probably less), and I cant believe foods any more expensive here than anywhere else.(on average)
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Old 08-05-2011, 11:24 AM
 
Location: SW Ohio
9 posts, read 26,844 times
Reputation: 10
Quote:
Originally Posted by madcapmagishion View Post
It costs hundreds of dollars to own a vehicle in FL (license plate, registration
There's a one time fee to register a car in Fl. Cost depends on the value of the vehicle. Avg is about $400 and tags avg about $50 a year again based on vehicle value.

The home owners insurance in FL is much higher than OH
Again its based on home value and where home is located. Oceanfront/flood zones being more expensive.

Real estate taxes are much higher
Again its based on home value and where home is located (what county) here's a link to estimate taxes in Duval county... Duval County Property Appraiser - Tax Estimator



That $3650 that you pay in Real Estate taxes, equates to about a $300,000 home in Jax. Fl., taking into account homestaed exemption and appraised valuation.

As for other costs I don't believe homes cost more here than in Cincinnati(probably less), and I cant believe foods any more expensive here than anywhere else.(on average)

Quote:
Originally Posted by madcapmagishion View Post
It costs hundreds of dollars to own a vehicle in FL (license plate, registration
There's a one time fee to register a car in Fl. Cost depends on the value of the vehicle. Avg is about $400 and tags avg about $50 a year again based on vehicle value.

The home owners insurance in FL is much higher than OH
Again its based on home value and where home is located. Oceanfront/flood zones being more expensive.

Real estate taxes are much higher
Again its based on home value and where home is located (what county) here's a link to estimate taxes in Duval county... Duval County Property Appraiser - Tax Estimator



That $3650 that you pay in Real Estate taxes, equates to about a $300,000 home in Jax. Fl., taking into account homestaed exemption and appraised valuation.

As for other costs I don't believe homes cost more here than in Cincinnati(probably less), and I cant believe foods any more expensive here than anywhere else.(on average)


Madcapmagishion, Thanks for the rough guide on real estate taxes.

That is exactly the kind of info I was looking to get. It especially helps me understand that homestead exemption factors in quite a bit - we don’t have that here in OH. I am not arguing that Jax has higher food cost - just relaying that on several cost of living guides found via google they reported higher food costs than OH - not a big deal to me just a data point that could even be outdated or wrong.

And Thanks all for the input. I am coming from OH to FL and am well aware of how expensive NJ and other areas of the US run typically. I am just comparing Cincinnati, OH to Jax. I understand I need to look at specifics - I just wanted to get a general sense of comparison.

To help any present of future searches on this forum here are the link to St Johns and Clay County tax appraiser where one can estimate taxes. The real trick is you need to understand homestead exemptions and appraisal value rather than market value else your estimate will be much higher.

St Johns Link
http://www.sjcpa.us/Estimate%20my%20Taxes.html

Clay County
http://www.qpublic.net/fl_search.php?county=fl_clay&searchType=address2_n ew
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Old 08-05-2011, 02:09 PM
 
Location: Near the beaches
1,017 posts, read 1,879,055 times
Reputation: 417
I did forget to mention the cost of water...crazy high! And I thought I moved to FL--where there's LOTS of water...
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Old 08-05-2011, 03:33 PM
 
Location: On the banks of the St Johns River
3,863 posts, read 9,485,866 times
Reputation: 3446
HMMM! I never realized that water from the JEA costs so much. Makes me glad I spent all that money on those 3 artesian wells for drinking water and all 5 rock wells for irrigation needs all those years ago, well that and the fact that JEA would never come this far out to service maybe 10 separate homesteads. LOL OHH and lets not forget the 7 septic systems too. Because where JEA kills you is in sewage fees.
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Old 08-07-2011, 03:00 PM
 
677 posts, read 931,805 times
Reputation: 1160
Not so fast! I highly suggest you investigate what's about to befall the residents of FL re: homeowners insurance. Yes the rates are high, but they're getting ready to lower the boom on the residents with sinkhole insurance rates. It seems it will be optional, but only optional if you have no mortgage cause mortgage companies will make it mandatory you have it. New rates increases being imposed are 400 - 2000%!! And that's on top of your regular homeowners rate! Citizen's Insurance Co. (primary insurance company since others all fled the state after hurricane Katrina) is the main culprit, with other insurers whose rates will be even higher. There's even a thread here on CD about it. Housing values in FL will go even lower after new rates are imposed. Why do you want to move to "the hurricane state" anyway? Just do your homework before you make that leap, because it might be a fatal one.
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Old 08-07-2011, 04:38 PM
 
Location: NE Florida
1,658 posts, read 4,725,831 times
Reputation: 896
My research tells me there is little difference in COL between Cincinnati and Jacksonville. In spite of the above poster wanting to scare you about a "hurricane state" Jacksonville happens to be the least prone of Fl cities for hurricanes. Yes, insurance companies will find any reason to raise rates. I am not sure that a lower COL should be your main reason to move to Jacksonville. I would think unless you love frigid winters, getting away from that awful cold might be a better reason.
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