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Hi everyone. We currently live and work in the Houston area but we both (my wife and I) have promising looking job opportunities in the Jacksonville area. My wife's job would be at Memorial Hospital on University Blvd. My potential job would be in Ponte Vedra Beach.
We have two kids, ages 9 and 4, so we are interested in areas that are family friendly with very good schools. We aren't sure at this point if we would buy a home now (price range around 500k) or just rent a home ($2,500 to $3,000/month) for a year or two as we would need to sell our current home here in Houston. We also have 2 smaller dogs so I'm sure that will limit our rental home options. I did notice the CDD fees. Is this part of your property tax bill? Do they vary a lot depending on the location? This sounds similar to MUD taxes that we have here in the Houston suburbs. Also, does the cost of home insurance vary a lot around the Jax area?
We did visit the area recently for a short trip when they flew my wife in for her final interview. In general, Jacksonville seems to have many similarities with Houston (except Jax has nicer beaches, more trees, prop taxes are lower, traffic is much better).
However, Jax doesn't really like a major city to us (not compared to Houston) so I'm not expecting the same level of shopping, food and entrainment options, or cultural diversity. We do live in the suburbs now and I'm sure that would stay the same for us living in the Jax area. At least when comparing the suburbs, they feel rather similar.
I know the suburbs in St. Johns County should be on our short list: Nocatee, St. Johns, Fruit Cove. We drove around this area and it looked very appealing. The PVB area was really nice, but probably well out of our price range. However, my wife would really like to not have a 30 minute or more commute. That being said, are there other areas closer to Jacksonville (family friendly with good schools) that we should be looking at? Ideally, my wife would like her commute to be no more than 20 minutes to the hospital. Thanks!
I lived in the Woodlands before moving here(with a detour to MA). If you are expecting anything close to a premier Houston suburb, you will be disappointed. There is zero comparison between The Woodlands, Sugar Land, or Katy and anywhere in Jax or even Florida in my opinion. Maybe Kingwood and League City would be a better comparison to the better suburbs in Jax. I miss the Woodlands dearly.
Now even with that statement, Jax is great, especially closer to the shore. The difference in temps is very noticeable. Summers are nice in comparison. The beaches are awesome, although I do miss the non-beach parts of Galveston.
Personally if you can afford $500k, go for Ponte Vedra Beach or Neptune Beach. Nocatee and St Johns are nice, but you can afford to be closer to the ocean on your budget. Having the shore breeze is a huge plus.
I chose Nassau county for this reason(I also work remote so commute didn't matter), but if I could have afforded your budget I probably would have gone to Neptune Beach. Not too far from either of your jobs there either.
This is very helpful insight, given that I used to work in The Woodlands and currently work in Sugar Land. Glad to hear the weather in Jax is more pleasant than it is here in Houston...our summers can be brutal. Good to know $500k is enough to buy a decent home near the beach, we'll look there as well. Based on what I've read online, I can see why you choose Nassau County, it appears to be a great place to live...if you don't have to commute. Thank you!
I lived in the Woodlands before moving here(with a detour to MA). If you are expecting anything close to a premier Houston suburb, you will be disappointed. There is zero comparison between The Woodlands, Sugar Land, or Katy and anywhere in Jax or even Florida in my opinion. Maybe Kingwood and League City would be a better comparison to the better suburbs in Jax. I miss the Woodlands dearly.
Now even with that statement, Jax is great, especially closer to the shore. The difference in temps is very noticeable. Summers are nice in comparison. The beaches are awesome, although I do miss the non-beach parts of Galveston.
Personally if you can afford $500k, go for Ponte Vedra Beach or Neptune Beach. Nocatee and St Johns are nice, but you can afford to be closer to the ocean on your budget. Having the shore breeze is a huge plus.
I chose Nassau county for this reason(I also work remote so commute didn't matter), but if I could have afforded your budget I probably would have gone to Neptune Beach. Not too far from either of your jobs there either.
Interesting you compared Jax area to Sugar Land/Katy/The Woodlands because this is exactly what we are considering. We live in New England and want to go to TX or FL and all the above mentioned towns are on our short list. We have traveled to both areas and like them both for different reasons already mentioned. Tons of stuff to do, see, eat in the the Houston area. Nice weather, beaches, commute in Jax area. I have been watching the news lately and seems like there is a lot of crime going on Houston and the suburbs, Jax more so than the burbs but still seems like a trend?
How are the schools in TX vs FL for elementary, middle, and high school?
What is a MUD tax?
Neither State has income taxes but overall is one cheaper than the other? We are selling our home for 580k but do not want to spend nearly that down south maybe 300-400k and rental around 2k at first. I am not willing to sacrifice life for work any longer.
We are both in healthcare so what do you think about the healthcare in both areas? Texas has some beautifully new "looking" hospitals but how is the care? I did not get to see many hospitals in the FL area but the one we went to looked nice. There seems to be a lot more hospitals in Houston TX area also (obviously the population is higher but it's a lot of large hospitals).
Priorities are schools, safety, families, commute, cost of living overall, and food (haha).
Currently our taxes are so high! We pay 10k a year in property tax, another ~2k a year in auto excise tax, paid almost 7k this year in state income tax. Our schools are old (but good education), roads suck, weather...well it's pretty but I hate the cold and shoveling snow and ice, people can be quite rude, no diversity really.
Interesting you compared Jax area to Sugar Land/Katy/The Woodlands because this is exactly what we are considering. We live in New England and want to go to TX or FL and all the above mentioned towns are on our short list. We have traveled to both areas and like them both for different reasons already mentioned. Tons of stuff to do, see, eat in the the Houston area. Nice weather, beaches, commute in Jax area. I have been watching the news lately and seems like there is a lot of crime going on Houston and the suburbs, Jax more so than the burbs but still seems like a trend?
How are the schools in TX vs FL for elementary, middle, and high school?
What is a MUD tax?
Neither State has income taxes but overall is one cheaper than the other? We are selling our home for 580k but do not want to spend nearly that down south maybe 300-400k and rental around 2k at first. I am not willing to sacrifice life for work any longer.
We are both in healthcare so what do you think about the healthcare in both areas? Texas has some beautifully new "looking" hospitals but how is the care? I did not get to see many hospitals in the FL area but the one we went to looked nice. There seems to be a lot more hospitals in Houston TX area also (obviously the population is higher but it's a lot of large hospitals).
Priorities are schools, safety, families, commute, cost of living overall, and food (haha).
Currently our taxes are so high! We pay 10k a year in property tax, another ~2k a year in auto excise tax, paid almost 7k this year in state income tax. Our schools are old (but good education), roads suck, weather...well it's pretty but I hate the cold and shoveling snow and ice, people can be quite rude, no diversity really.
Thoughts? Thanks!
Moving from CT by those tax numbers? I am originally from near the MA/CT border and worked in Hartford for a long time.
Schools - I personally think the ones in Texas are a little better. Especially when it comes to High Schools based on the amount of courses that are offered, many of them in Texas are closer to college campuses in setup. I have been told that Texas schools are much more of a pressure cooker environment though. When its time for College though, there are great scholarship opportunities in Florida to go to Florida schools if your kids excel, also the in state tuition rates are amazing here.
I will discuss two taxes... MUD taxes in Texas and CDD Fees in Florida. They both are essentially the same. They are taxes collected to pay bonds that were taken out to develop the community you live in. The HUGE difference between the two is how its calculated. MUD taxes are based on a set % of the property value(although it can change over time). CDD Fees are setup more like HOA fees, with a set $ amount based on the lot size(usually).
For Healthcare, both areas are ok, although I am not expert on this topic. Houston has the Texas Medical Center with its 100k+ employed workforce. Jax has the Mayo Clinic and other specialty and research hospitals. In both cases they tend to pay less than they do up north. Because of this they it may be better to find a job down here though.
As to who is cheaper... probably Jax. If you built a home in both locations.. in a Houston Suburb, expect total property taxes in the 3-4% of property value range. On the low end on a $400k home that would be $12k a year. In the Jax area expect to be closer to 1.2-1.5%. So on the high end about $6k.. so at a minimum 1/2 the property tax of the Houston market... although CDD fees will eat up $2-3k of that difference if you choose to build in a community with such a fee(there are many that do not have CDDs out there, but may not have the amenities with pools, clubhouses, etc). You also can choose to live in an area in Houston that has payed off their MUD taxes, which brings the cost a lot closer between the two.
Commutes and Traffic are an immense difference. In Houston, plan on 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours commute on any given day if there is an accident and you are in the suburbs. Jax will be nothing in comparison.
There is a ton to do in the city of Houston, but again long commutes from the suburbs. I think The Woodlands is amazing for what it offers in its little pocket of space, but commute to the medical center would be pain. With Jax and Florida in general, activities are what you want to do. The beach is here, we have a Zoo, a NFL team, some minor league teams, lots of Farmers markets on the weekends. Then when you are willing to Travel you have Orlando nearby and all that Disney and Universal add(Annual passes for residents are really affordable). You also have NASA and all the rocket launches 2 hours down the coast as well, which can be seen from Jax.
Finally, we settled in Jax for another reason. People in New England HATE TEXAS. Our relatives never wanted to come visit us. Its the antithesis of what New England is politically and for some reason lower New England people have a real issue with that state. Florida in comparison is vacationland to New Englanders. They love to come visit. So if you want your family to come to you, it is a plus... of course if you dont want to see them its another story.
Moving from CT by those tax numbers? I am originally from near the MA/CT border and worked in Hartford for a long time.
Schools - I personally think the ones in Texas are a little better. Especially when it comes to High Schools based on the amount of courses that are offered, many of them in Texas are closer to college campuses in setup. I have been told that Texas schools are much more of a pressure cooker environment though. When its time for College though, there are great scholarship opportunities in Florida to go to Florida schools if your kids excel, also the in state tuition rates are amazing here.
I will discuss two taxes... MUD taxes in Texas and CDD Fees in Florida. They both are essentially the same. They are taxes collected to pay bonds that were taken out to develop the community you live in. The HUGE difference between the two is how its calculated. MUD taxes are based on a set % of the property value(although it can change over time). CDD Fees are setup more like HOA fees, with a set $ amount based on the lot size(usually).
For Healthcare, both areas are ok, although I am not expert on this topic. Houston has the Texas Medical Center with its 100k+ employed workforce. Jax has the Mayo Clinic and other specialty and research hospitals. In both cases they tend to pay less than they do up north. Because of this they it may be better to find a job down here though.
As to who is cheaper... probably Jax. If you built a home in both locations.. in a Houston Suburb, expect total property taxes in the 3-4% of property value range. On the low end on a $400k home that would be $12k a year. In the Jax area expect to be closer to 1.2-1.5%. So on the high end about $6k.. so at a minimum 1/2 the property tax of the Houston market... although CDD fees will eat up $2-3k of that difference if you choose to build in a community with such a fee(there are many that do not have CDDs out there, but may not have the amenities with pools, clubhouses, etc). You also can choose to live in an area in Houston that has payed off their MUD taxes, which brings the cost a lot closer between the two.
Commutes and Traffic are an immense difference. In Houston, plan on 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours commute on any given day if there is an accident and you are in the suburbs. Jax will be nothing in comparison.
There is a ton to do in the city of Houston, but again long commutes from the suburbs. I think The Woodlands is amazing for what it offers in its little pocket of space, but commute to the medical center would be pain. With Jax and Florida in general, activities are what you want to do. The beach is here, we have a Zoo, a NFL team, some minor league teams, lots of Farmers markets on the weekends. Then when you are willing to Travel you have Orlando nearby and all that Disney and Universal add(Annual passes for residents are really affordable). You also have NASA and all the rocket launches 2 hours down the coast as well, which can be seen from Jax.
Finally, we settled in Jax for another reason. People in New England HATE TEXAS. Our relatives never wanted to come visit us. Its the antithesis of what New England is politically and for some reason lower New England people have a real issue with that state. Florida in comparison is vacationland to New Englanders. They love to come visit. So if you want your family to come to you, it is a plus... of course if you dont want to see them its another story.
I know this was pretty long, but I hope it helps!
Thanks for mentioning the CDD fees, that helps a lot to know they are similar to MUD taxes. You are right on regarding property taxes. We currently live in Pomona, which is a newer MPC in the Pearland/Manvel area right off 288. I mention this as we specifically chose this area over SL and TW due to the much shorter commute to the Medical Center. Now that the new 288 toll road is open, its around 20 minutes door to door to the Med Center. The schools are good, but not as highly rated as the TW or SL schools are.
Our home is worth around $400k and our property tax bill this year is around $13k, which includes the MUD tax. HOA dues is another $1,200 annually. As we live in newer home, 4 years old, our home insurance isn't too high, around $1,500 annually, which includes windstorm coverage for hurricanes. I will mention home and windstorm insurance will be much higher if you choose an older home. Add another $500/annually for flood insurance, which is a must especially after seeing how many "non flood zone" areas were under water during Hurricane Harvey.
Overall, we are looking forward to relocating to the Jax area for many reasons. However, if you both are in healthcare, Houston would be hard to pass up, given the largest Medical Center in the world is here, which contains some of the best healthcare around (MD Anderson is the #1 cancer hospital in the world, Houston Methodist is the #1 hospital in Texas and highly rated nationally in many different specialties).
Thanks for mentioning the CDD fees, that helps a lot to know they are similar to MUD taxes. You are right on regarding property taxes. We currently live in Pomona, which is a newer MPC in the Pearland/Manvel area right off 288. I mention this as we specifically chose this area over SL and TW due to the much shorter commute to the Medical Center. Now that the new 288 toll road is open, its around 20 minutes door to door to the Med Center. The schools are good, but not as highly rated as the TW or SL schools are.
Our home is worth around $400k and our property tax bill this year is around $13k, which includes the MUD tax. HOA dues is another $1,200 annually. As we live in newer home, 4 years old, our home insurance isn't too high, around $1,500 annually, which includes windstorm coverage for hurricanes. I will mention home and windstorm insurance will be much higher if you choose an older home. Add another $500/annually for flood insurance, which is a must especially after seeing how many "non flood zone" areas were under water during Hurricane Harvey.
Overall, we are looking forward to relocating to the Jax area for many reasons. However, if you both are in healthcare, Houston would be hard to pass up, given the largest Medical Center in the world is here, which contains some of the best healthcare around (MD Anderson is the #1 cancer hospital in the world, Houston Methodist is the #1 hospital in Texas and highly rated nationally in many different specialties).
You mentioned one item worth talking about... homeowners insurance. I pay $1100 a year on a $240k home which is 3/4 mile from the intercoastal and 3 miles from the shore(as the crow flies). I have only a $1000 deductible, including on windstorm. I paid a lot more than that one a house in the woodlands(actually steps outside in Tomball) back in 2011 worth 150k and had a 2% windstorm deductible(also new build). Houses are made so much stronger here and the insurance costs show on the new builds. I have neighbors who have gone with other companies getting similar coverage for $700 a year too, I am just pickier on carrier and willing to pay for quality on claims.
Finally, we settled in Jax for another reason. People in New England HATE TEXAS. Our relatives never wanted to come visit us. Its the antithesis of what New England is politically and for some reason lower New England people have a real issue with that state. Florida in comparison is vacationland to New Englanders. They love to come visit.
Don't worry. We dislike you too! We do a better job of hiding it though.
Moving from CT by those tax numbers? I am originally from near the MA/CT border and worked in Hartford for a long time.
Schools - I personally think the ones in Texas are a little better. Especially when it comes to High Schools based on the amount of courses that are offered, many of them in Texas are closer to college campuses in setup. I have been told that Texas schools are much more of a pressure cooker environment though. When its time for College though, there are great scholarship opportunities in Florida to go to Florida schools if your kids excel, also the in state tuition rates are amazing here.
I will discuss two taxes... MUD taxes in Texas and CDD Fees in Florida. They both are essentially the same. They are taxes collected to pay bonds that were taken out to develop the community you live in. The HUGE difference between the two is how its calculated. MUD taxes are based on a set % of the property value(although it can change over time). CDD Fees are setup more like HOA fees, with a set $ amount based on the lot size(usually).
For Healthcare, both areas are ok, although I am not expert on this topic. Houston has the Texas Medical Center with its 100k+ employed workforce. Jax has the Mayo Clinic and other specialty and research hospitals. In both cases they tend to pay less than they do up north. Because of this they it may be better to find a job down here though.
As to who is cheaper... probably Jax. If you built a home in both locations.. in a Houston Suburb, expect total property taxes in the 3-4% of property value range. On the low end on a $400k home that would be $12k a year. In the Jax area expect to be closer to 1.2-1.5%. So on the high end about $6k.. so at a minimum 1/2 the property tax of the Houston market... although CDD fees will eat up $2-3k of that difference if you choose to build in a community with such a fee(there are many that do not have CDDs out there, but may not have the amenities with pools, clubhouses, etc). You also can choose to live in an area in Houston that has payed off their MUD taxes, which brings the cost a lot closer between the two.
Commutes and Traffic are an immense difference. In Houston, plan on 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours commute on any given day if there is an accident and you are in the suburbs. Jax will be nothing in comparison.
There is a ton to do in the city of Houston, but again long commutes from the suburbs. I think The Woodlands is amazing for what it offers in its little pocket of space, but commute to the medical center would be pain. With Jax and Florida in general, activities are what you want to do. The beach is here, we have a Zoo, a NFL team, some minor league teams, lots of Farmers markets on the weekends. Then when you are willing to Travel you have Orlando nearby and all that Disney and Universal add(Annual passes for residents are really affordable). You also have NASA and all the rocket launches 2 hours down the coast as well, which can be seen from Jax.
Finally, we settled in Jax for another reason. People in New England HATE TEXAS. Our relatives never wanted to come visit us. Its the antithesis of what New England is politically and for some reason lower New England people have a real issue with that state. Florida in comparison is vacationland to New Englanders. They love to come visit. So if you want your family to come to you, it is a plus... of course if you dont want to see them its another story.
I know this was pretty long, but I hope it helps!
Thanks for the reply. Interesting things to think about I suppose. You were close, RI but I didn't realize a commute could be 1+ hours(that's each way!?) hmmm the lucky thing is I would be leaving early in the morning before 6am and not 5 days a week but still that's a long commute, by New England standards, I could be in Boston or half way to NY.
So some tough choices! You are correct when you say FL is vacationland for NE, that's what my wife and I said we think of FL as vacation but TX more like a home, not sure if I lived in FL it would always feel like that or if that goes away. We love both states honestly and it will depend on job opportunities.
Do you mind mentioning some areas to research in the metro Jax area? Also, is there another area of FL that would be worth looking into? We have been to Tampa, granted 10yrs ago, but just didn't feel like it was very clean or nice maybe that has changed but eh.?
I noticed that house prices can be a bit more in areas of FL we looked at but the taxes are definitely less in FL on the real estate end anyways. Having kids that will be driving soon what do you know about the auto differences for insurance/taxes/fees?
p.s. I like my firearms and TX is a good state for that but I believe FL is as well right?
Thanks for mentioning the CDD fees, that helps a lot to know they are similar to MUD taxes. You are right on regarding property taxes. We currently live in Pomona, which is a newer MPC in the Pearland/Manvel area right off 288. I mention this as we specifically chose this area over SL and TW due to the much shorter commute to the Medical Center. Now that the new 288 toll road is open, its around 20 minutes door to door to the Med Center. The schools are good, but not as highly rated as the TW or SL schools are.
Our home is worth around $400k and our property tax bill this year is around $13k, which includes the MUD tax. HOA dues is another $1,200 annually. As we live in newer home, 4 years old, our home insurance isn't too high, around $1,500 annually, which includes windstorm coverage for hurricanes. I will mention home and windstorm insurance will be much higher if you choose an older home. Add another $500/annually for flood insurance, which is a must especially after seeing how many "non flood zone" areas were under water during Hurricane Harvey.
Overall, we are looking forward to relocating to the Jax area for many reasons. However, if you both are in healthcare, Houston would be hard to pass up, given the largest Medical Center in the world is here, which contains some of the best healthcare around (MD Anderson is the #1 cancer hospital in the world, Houston Methodist is the #1 hospital in Texas and highly rated nationally in many different specialties).
That's some interesting stuff to think about with the insurance! I wouldn't have expected an older home to be more but it makes sense given construction standards. I never heard of windstorm insurance = hurricanes? Those are hefty taxes 13k + hoa ok 400k! So you are paying 3k more than me for a house that's 180k less BUT are you getting brand new schools, infrastructure, police/fire/trash etc?
My wife who is a provider said that TX healthcare is generally considered better but neither are as good as Boston-NY metro areas? The hospitals looked beautiful though when we drove through the campuses (several in TX and one in FL).
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