how much do i need? (for rent, car registration, crime)

[DivaCoast415]

What's the bare minimum one should have before moving to miami. A single person with 2 cats btw. What would be a comfortable amount?

[Chewie_77]

Do you have a job lined up and where do you plan on living?

[DivaCoast415]

No job, somewhere in miami/miami beach/downtown, need something affordable but not rediculously crime ridden a lil crime is ok.

[MissShona]

6 months of rent & utilities - $6,000
Fees for changing over license/car - $350 (approx)
Utility deposits - $250 (approx)
Transportation to FL - from $500 - $3,000
Money for incidentals (3 months) - $3,000

Not sure of what other expenses you would run into or incur. I would say $10K (to hold you for 3-6 months with no job).

[DivaCoast415]

Oh that response was good! What other expenses might I incur? Ill be driving from san francisco so maybe 1000 in gas and hotel?

[hurricaneMan1992]

Assuming no car trouble on the way and staying in basic motels and no fancy restaurants, it should cost you well under $1000. My total cost from Utah to South Florida was around $500...and that's when gas was still around $3.50/gal.

As for renting, I'd recommend going with a month-to-month roommate or room in a house situation. You should be able to find something near downtown for $600-700 utilities included (just stay away from Overtown). Deposit for these places is typically 1 month, with first+deposit to move in. I have to warn you though, your options will be limited with the two cats. You want to spend as little as possible on rent until you have a job lined up; remember we still have double digit unemployment down here, so finding a job probably won't be as quick as you would like it (though bilingual is a big help).

I wouldn't worry too much about the car registration unless it's expiring. A lot of people wait until theirs expires before changing though in theory you could get a ticket for doing this.

[DivaCoast415]

So now that I think about it I'm just a little scared of car trouble. Should I stop every ten or 20 hrs or so?

[intelfan11315]

Originally Posted by DivaCoast415

So now that I think about it I'm just a little scared of car trouble. Should I stop every ten or 20 hrs or so?

Driving is exhausting, just drive until you are tired, make sure you are well rested. A tired driver is just as dangerous as a drunk driver and we don't need that on the roads. What I like to do when I'm forced to drive cross-country is just take a short nap if I get tired (i hate paying for hotels and wasting time) so I will just stop at a taco bell and get some tacos and sleep at the table for a bit (probably look weird but hey, you'll never see them again )

[♥♥PRINC3Ss♥♥]

The $50-$100 you spend in a hotel are worth it. Taking a nap is extremely dangerous. You need at least 4 hours of sleep and probably more if you are doing a monotonous task like driving. A sleep deprived driver in my opinion is much worse than a drunk driver. Nothing scares me more than a sleepy driver so many people die this way. Maybe skip the tacos and use the money towards your hotel. It's good for your health too. You also get free breakfast in most hotels so you save $5 there too.

[DivaCoast415]

^ yes plus ill have my cats n I'm sure they will want to stretch out at least 2x on the way.