Cost of Living in Celebration (Orlando: sale, apartment, HOA)

[imacman]

Hello all,

We are thinking of moving to Florida in the next 12 months, and are trying to get a good cost of living comparison with the UK. If we sell-up and move to Florida we could bring along approximately $300,000 using $200,00 as a deposit for a house, $50,000 on 2 cars and $50,000 to leave in the bank.

Each time we visit Orlando we fall in love with Celebration and have already viewed a couple of houses in the $500,000 region. With a $300,000 Mortgage, monthly payments would be around $1800 but we can't get any estimated figures for other living costs.

I have listed our costs in the UK we currently put up with and hopefully someone can give us an idea of the equivalent in Florida. We live in a 4 bedroom detached Victorian house just outside London, myself & wife plus two young kids.

Uk monthly living costs :

Mortgage : $4100
Council Tax : $300
Gas & Electric : $360
Water : $120
Telephone : $44
House insurance $180
Mortgage insurance $140
Food shopping : $800
Cable TV $145
Petrol (car) $240
Car insurance $160

As you can see the cost of living in the UK is sky high at the moment with everything going up all the time. Our bills are around $6500 per month not including any credit card payments, car finance, holidays etc. Our actual monthly spending is nearer $9000 all in.

(I hope some of you are still with me and not bored by all this information)

I know a USA mortgage based on the above information would be around $1800/month (less than half ours) but I know house insurance and taxes are high in Florida ? Also, I've read about extra costs associated with living in Celebration.

I would be so grateful for any help especially from anyone living in Celebration. I've not mentioned work visas or what work I would be doing, I'll leave that for another topic.

Thanks in advance

[luvthatmouse]

Taxes are based on the sale price of the home. They will not be what the current owners are paying. It takes a while for them to get set too. My parents pay about $7,000/year in taxes on a 1400 sf home in Celebration. Ours are $2,600 on an 800/sf condo (no land.) HOA is $800/year for use of trails/parks/pools,etc..Trash is extra too. CDD (bonds) are paid every year-several hundred. Our water/sewer bill is $50+ a month (800 sf.) Our electric is $100+ a month (800 sf.) Groceries are VERY high we are in a tourist area. Milk was $4.09 today, bread pushing $4, rice $3.69 for 2lbs., ground beef close to $5/lb. Gas is $3.55-$3.65 a gallon today around town. My cell phone (ATT-iPhone) is $70+ a month. Phone bill-Vonage is pretty cheap. Cable is pricey because we have little choice in Celebration. There is a monopoly thanks to Disney. No very high speeds like Vios

[imacman]

Thanks for the reply, Could someone explain what HOA and CDD are ? In the UK we have just one "Council Tax" which covers everything from local schools and hospitals, rubbish collection and street maintenance. It sounds like there are a few different taxes to pay in Celebration.

Has anyone got a total monthly Tax estimate for a $500,000 house in Celebration ?

Also, one important thing I forgot to mention in my first post, How much is health insurance ? because in the UK it's free and I've heard it can be VERY expensive in the USA.

Many thanks.

[cfIfan]

HI there, These are 2 types of payments which need to be paid, but not all subdivisions have CDD fees. HOA refers to home owners association fees which are due. This is for upkeep and general maintenance of the subdivision. CDD fees are Community Development District fees imposed by developers to cover the cost of improvements (amenities).

these are paid seperatly, HOA are usually either monthly or quaterly and CDD are usually annually. Keep in mind also, if the HOA goes over their budget for the year, they can also raise money in the form of a 1 off assessment.

These types of charges you do not see in the UK. The closest thing in the UK is in an apertment block the fees to maintain the communal areas, but in the UK it is only limited to common areas in apartment blocks, here it has a wide scope and extends to normal homes aswell.

[wee_sassenach]

Originally Posted by imacman

Also, one important thing I forgot to mention in my first post, How much is health insurance ? because in the UK it's free and I've heard it can be VERY expensive in the USA.

Many thanks.

Hi, I'm a Brit I'm from Surrey and I live in New Mexico.

If you're lucky, your employer will provide health insurance as part of your job, and you have a little bit (couldn't tell you how much, say about $100 per paycheque) taken out for your 'part' of the insurance. So your day-to-day health costs, will be zero, but it's when you go to the doctor's that you start to pay...

Whatever health service you use, whether it be a doctor or a hospital or some other kind of clinic, your insurance pays a set percentage of the bill - in my case, my insurance pays 80% of my costs, and I pay the remaining 20%. You have to pay a certain amount upfront - in my case, $250 - before your insurance coverage sets in. So, based on procedures I've had recently:

Doctors' visits (numerous): $1,000 (I'll pay $300)
X-rays: $700 (I'll pay $90)
Chiropractor: $30 per appt., I pay 100%
CAT scan: $5,000 (I'll pay $1,000)
Ultrasound: $700 (I'll pay $100)
ER visit: $900 (I'll pay $260)
Urgent Care vists: $650 (I'll pay $200)

Costs of these services vary by hospital and by city/state too. It's a real shock once the bills start rolling in; it's very easy to reach that $50,000 or $100,000 limit on your coverage. Causes a lot of stress. I earn minimum wage and I'm expected to pay all the above; I'll have to just pay in monthly sums. Oh, and I should say - I've been unwell recently, yes, but not that unwell; I'm not dying or in need of surgery. The above tests were recommended so that we could weed some serious conditions out.

The irony though - my insurance has been great. It's the hospital who've been bad with demanding money I don't owe. This varies by case too, of course. I'm going to be moving back to the UK soon because I find that the hidden costs of living in the US make my money go about as far as it does in the UK, and I would prefer to live somewhere with free healthcare and a better public transportation system and much less sprawl. That said, I absolutely love New Mexico. It's complicated. Both places have their downsides.

[Puddy4LyF]

Good ol' US of A and its apathy regarding the health of the common man! Thankfully, my job covers 100% of my health insurance at the moment but who knows how long that might last. Will you be having a job with a large employer? If so, you are in good luck -- but it sounded to me like you may be retired? I'd save all the money you'd be saving by moving to the States and pray for a revolution!

[krock67]

If your mortgage is $1800 a month (that’s a 6% fixed rate mortgage with a 30 year term), than based on some sensible ratios/assumptions your annual income should be $123,429. Twenty-five percent (25%) to thirty percent (30%) of your deposable income should be spent on housing (your larges expense); so, let's use 25% as a base: $1800*4(to increase to 100%)*12 (to annualize) = $86,400 after taxes: $86,400/.7(assuming a 30% tax rate) = $123,429 annual income before taxes. Since 25% of you income is going towards a mortgage that leaves about 5% ($4,320 annually) that can be used for other home ownership expenses (HOA, insurance, etc).

Your other monthly expenses generally will be well within the remaining 70% of your deposable income, which will allow you to save, travel, dine out, etc... Unfortunately a lot of Floridians are living far beyond their means and are spending about 43% to 54% of their disposable income on housing, which doesn’t leave any room for errors, emergencies, or much else.

[luvthatmouse]

DH's contract/temp agency pays his benefits. Since I am self employed we pay $800/month in health insurance for me (CIGNA.) I am 37, do not smoke and I am very healthy.

[imacman]

Thanks for the advise. I'm getting more information all the time and this forum is excellent for research. I can't believe health insurance is so expensive. I'm planning to run a business in Florida if I can sort out the Visa's so I would have to arrange my own insurance I guess. Ouch !

[A2Mich]

BTW, many of the houses in Celebration, with all of their "character and chram" are built like the same cheaply built homes scattered around Orlando. To live in Celebration, you are paying for location and for the snobbery factor...you are not getting a well-built home for your money. How do I know? I used to work for a large air conditioning contractor that installed the A/C systems in most of the new homes, depending on the builder.....believe me, the overpriced homes in Celebration are NOT worth the premium price tag you will be paying....