CT, MA, RI, What state is best? (Boston, Fall River: real estate, car insurance)

[spth005a]

Newlyweds, No children but soon, $600-800K housing budget, Husbands job will be in West Kingston, RI but willing to drive 45 minutes, seeks friendly, diverse, town with shops, restaurants, etc. Moving from Nashville, TN(A place we love).

If you were us which state would you live in?

Kristi

[holden125]

I love Mass. best of the three states but in your shoes I'd look in Newport (one of New England's great towns) or nearby Jamestown, RI (which is between West Kingston and Newport). Also perhaps near Mystic and Stonington, CT. Nothing in Mass. is really all that convenient to Kingston.

There is a long-established Portuguese fishing culture in both Newport and Stonington. Newport also has decent-sized Irish, Italian, Hispanic/Latino, and African American populations, and a good restaurant and shopping scene for that area. Jamestown is not teeming with diversity by any stretch, but you get more land and more house for the money than in Newport. It's also closer to Kingston, and you're only a few minutes across the bridge from Newport anyway.

The Providence area is also more diverse and has shopping, etc., but I'm not a huge fan of it. It has a particular kind of run-down New England character to it but I don't think I'd move there personally.

[seamusnh]

RI would be the best. You'll pay higher income tax if you live in MA. Higher real estate costs. Higher car insurance...

[professorsenator]

Originally Posted by spth005a

Newlyweds, No children but soon, $600-800K housing budget, Husbands job will be in West Kingston, RI but willing to drive 45 minutes, seeks friendly, diverse, town with shops, restaurants, etc. Moving from Nashville, TN(A place we love)....If you were us which state would you live in?i

I think it is more dependent upon your style and the individual community. There are some fabulous -- and awful -- places in all three states. The area around W. Kingston and Eastern CT tends to be more rural. So if you're an urban hipster who likes trendy restaurants, nightlife, etc. you would likely be better off on the East Side of Providence (though Prov. has lousy schools).

I second the idea that Newport, RI might be worth a look. The main knock against Newport is lackluster public schools, something definitely to think about if you envision kids Otherwise, it is a very nice place. East Greenwich, RI is a nice suburban community with some of the best schools in RI. You should check it out. There really aren't any MA communities within 45 min. of W. Kingston. Pawcatuck, CT might also be worth a look.

Overall, I think CT is probably the best run state of the three; RI the worst. But as I said, I think it really does depend more on the individual town than the state.

[holden125]

Originally Posted by seamusnh

RI would be the best. You'll pay higher income tax if you live in MA. Higher real estate costs. Higher car insurance...

I'm going to contest this. RI income taxes are higher than MA at income levels over about $40,000. Mass. has a flat rate of 5.3% while RI has a low initial rate but the marginal rate hits 7% on taxable income of as little as about $32,000. If you live in MA and work in RI, I believe you pay the 5.3% to Mass. and the difference, if any, to RI, so you come out the same. But MA is not higher income tax. On the other hand, working in NH (which has no state income tax) and living in MA does result in higher taxes.

The real estate costs depend on what you're comparing. The immediate Boston area may be more expensive than most of RI, and the statewide average may be higher (I'm not sure), but the areas of Mass. closest to Kingston, RI are the Fall River area, the Attleboro area near Providence, and the Blackstone/Whitinsville area. None are all that close to Kingston, but all are less expensive to buy real estate in than Newport and Jamestown.

[seamusnh]

Originally Posted by holden125

On the other hand, working in NH (which has no state income tax) and living in MA does result in higher taxes.

I did not know RI had higher income taxes than MA. Regarding NH and MA, that is not true. I live in NH and work in MA. My total taxes (income, property tax, etc.) are lower when I live here in NH than in a similar house in a similar town in MA....

[lrfox]

This topic could be debated forever. However, for the OP's situation, It's hard to argue against Rhode Island.

Plenty of communities that are MUCH closer to West Kingstown offer excellent schools, cultural options and competitively priced housing. I suggested East Greenwich RI (particularly around Wickford Village), Newport area (maybe Middletown), Jamestown, etc. in the same thread in the Rhode Island forum.

It's hard to find a great community within 45 minutes of West Kingstown in either MA or CT (I actually don't know of a town in MA within 45 minutes of the area where the OP works).

So again, given the specific situation at hand, I have a hard time arguing against Rhode Island, even though in a more general sense, I may have a more different answer.

Also, how did New Hampshire even get mentioned? It's not one of the choices (Though it is a great state, I just defended her in the General U.S. forum).

[Valerie C]

seamusnh....ssssshhhhh! Don't tell anyone--this is a list that we don't want to be on!!!

Originally Posted by seamusnh

I did not know RI had higher income taxes than MA. Regarding NH and MA, that is not true. I live in NH and work in MA. My total taxes (income, property tax, etc.) are lower when I live here in NH than in a similar house in a similar town in MA....

[holden125]

Originally Posted by seamusnh

I did not know RI had higher income taxes than MA. Regarding NH and MA, that is not true. I live in NH and work in MA. My total taxes (income, property tax, etc.) are lower when I live here in NH than in a similar house in a similar town in MA....

Seamus, just to clear it up. I was saying the reverse: if you work in NH and live in MA, you'd have to pay MA income tax. If you work and live in NH, you don't. So my point was that if you happen to work in NH, you should probably live in NH if you want to minimize taxes. Working in MA, though, you have to pay MA income tax no matter where you live.

[ackgirl]

Madison, CT. is a great town, but I am not sure of how far it would be from husband's job.