I want to move down here from North Carolina, what kind of income would I need to live okish down here? (Miami: car insurance, how much)

[Mrs.Kim]

Originally Posted by Lost in Translation

Why are you leaving NC? I've heard it's the promised land. In So Flo everyone is rude and no one speaks English. Crime is also worse here than any place in the world, and we have hurricanes every day during the terrible hot and humid summer. It's also a third world country with chickens in every yard.

And if you raise children here they will most definitely join a gang in grade school or die from the heat.

[Lost in Translation]

Originally Posted by Mrs.Kim

And if you raise children here they will most definitely join a gang in grade school or die from the heat.

No, that's not possible because once people have kids they all leave and move north. There are no children in Miami. The schools are empty.

[HopToIt]

Originally Posted by Mrs.Kim

And if you raise children here they will most definitely join a gang in grade school or die from the heat.

No, completely untrue. But more likely to do so than most other places in the US, probably. The hip-hop/bad a$$ culture and thug culture is rampid in parts of S FL, whereas in Raleigh, far less so.

[Shoegal1075]

Lost - you are great! Are you friends with Compelled? I think he would have come back with the same reply LOL!

[Lost in Translation]

Originally Posted by Chelsa1075

Lost - you are great! Are you friends with Compelled? I think he would have come back with the same reply LOL!

I think his dry sarcasm is rubbing off on me.

[miamiblue]

Originally Posted by BryceE

I'm thinking about moving down here within the next couple years, but I'm afraid I won't be able to afford it. I'm currently 20 and have a job, but my job doesn't really pay that good, but it seems there would be lots of computer jobs down there. Is this true? Anyways, either if there are or aren't I still got this job that I can work from anywhere in the country and I just wanna move out of this stupid state I'm currently in. How much is the average apartment for a single person down there?

Based on what you posted on the NC board, I am not sure what you mean by a job that "doesn't really pay that good". You are making $2200+ or so per month at 20 years old. I was most definitely NOT making that much at that age. I still don't take home that much and I'm quite older than you.

Let's address the budget you made in your other thread on the NC forum in relation to Miami (anyone correct my estimates if off, it's been three years since I moved):

Originally Posted by BryceE

So, I just got back from talking with a person at the apartment complex I'm thinking of moving to. And here's what I found out.

Rent: $650
Deposit: $150
Utilities Included: Gas, Trash Pickup

It is unlikely that you will find an apartment at $650 in a decent area in Miami unless you find a truly killer deal, and even then I would be highly suspect. I'm not sure what your standards are for a place to live, but I think you would definitely be looking at closer to at least $800/month for a studio apartment. Also, I don't know if things have changed with the housing mess in S FL, but typically you are responsible for first month's rent, last month's rent and security deposit equal to one month's rent up front when you sign a lease. So that is technically three months worth of rent in one fell swoop before you can even sign a lease. IMHO, your money will go a lot farther in Miami if you live with a roommate. I never lived by myself there because I wanted to live within my means and still have a social life.

That leaves me having to pay for

AC/Heat: $60
Electricity: $150
Water: $60
Utility Deposits: $100

You won't be paying much for heat (which is usually just part of your electric bill, just like your AC), but your electricity estimates are probably good on average. You could see $200+ electric bills in the summer depending on the efficiency of your AC.

I never paid for water at my rentals in Miami, so you may not have to worry about that depending on where you live. I never had to pay utility deposits, either, but YMMV.

Then I would have the following other things I would have to pay for

Car Insurance: $150
Car Payment: $240 (If I get a new car. Old one is a 1991 Honda Accord with 165k miles. Already had a transmission put in, etc)
Cable/Internet: $130
Food: $170
Gas: $120
Entertainment: $75 (Only thing I do in my free time is play WoW)

Car insurance will likely double from what you are paying right now. Food will be more expensive if you go out to eat, probably about the same if you cook for yourself. Gas will be slightly more expensive per gallon. Entertainment will likely be more depending on what you like to do.


However, since you said you spend most of your entertainment time playing WoW, it probably doesn't matter where you live if you aren't going to get out and take advantage of what the area has to offer, so you could potentially live just about anywhere you wanted to as long as the numbers work.

[HopToIt]

"Car insurance will likely double from what you are paying right now"


^^^ Why would his/her car insurance likely double? Raleigh is a decent sized city with lots of drivers too.

[HopToIt]

Has the OP posted back yet? And why do you think car insurance would double, coming to Miami from Raleigh? Raeligh isnt a small city, although not the size of Miami.

[doggiebus]

It most likely will double (doesn't matter what the size of a city is), my friends just moved to Atlanta from Miami less than a year ago, and their car insurance dropped in half. Now Atlanta isn't as safe as Raleigh, so the OP insurance will probably be more than double if they move here.

[HopToIt]

Originally Posted by doggiebus

It most likely will double (doesn't matter what the size of a city is), my friends just moved to Atlanta from Miami less than a year ago, and their car insurance dropped in half. Now Atlanta isn't as safe as Raleigh, so the OP insurance will probably be more than double if they move here.

Wow! That says a lot right there, move to Atlanta and car insurance drops in half! Moving from Raleigh, maybe it'll triple! LOL. No, seriously.

I figured the size of a city would matter, more drivers, more likely to have an accident, etc... but being in Miami with it's crazy drivers, I think it'd probably be one of the highest rates in the country, and Raleigh at probably one of the lowest, for a city of it's size anyway.