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My utility bills are negligible (electric never over $30 and average closer to $20, natural gas average about $10, water I don't know because it comes out of the HOA dues) but that doesn't help the OP because I don't live in a low-cost area.
The reason the utility bills are what they are is that where I live I rarely have to use the air conditioning even in summer (maybe 20 or 30 days a year) and rarely have to use the heat in winter (maybe 15 or 20 days a year).
Utility bills are the only thing low cost about living in coastal Southern California.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alberto33
why no texas high propertytax? or high utilities?
You asked for utilities
Natural gas is not available at any of my rural locations.
Wind and solar is available.
Central TX, Near SA. ($0.12 / kwh)
My TX taxes are $1200/ yr on 1 acre rural sites with view and double wide mobile home + shop
My TX Utilities (elect) are ~$90 on the same, full electric homes 1700 - 2000 SF
my TX insurance is high due to claim history in TX (Tornadoes, hurricanes / hail) I don't get those but I pay $1500/yr
Water is $75 on the few homes that don't have wells. (I will add rain and gray water recover systems to those homes)
I don't pay trash, I 'hand carry' it to the recycle / dump once / month / share small dumpster with 6 neighbors.
My more moderate climate in SW WA ($0.077, up from $0.0197/ kwh. I have friends in rural wa that still pay <$0.5/KWH) full electric is $93 / month annually on 4500SF (I use wood and solar for most heat).
Taxes on that home are $14,400 (But a home I bought for the same $$ and less than a minute away is $1700/yr taxes)
From your choices I would do higher elevation AZ or NV and build / retrofit a small passive solar home that is also earth sheltered.
"It really depends on how much you rely on the air conditioning and the size of your home"
which states are cheap where you can live on $ 1,500 a month. as the mortgage and the car is paid for two people. and where the Propertytax is cheap. Low utilities. what state would you advise us. Texas or Arizona or Alabama or Missouri I like to hear it from you
My widowed mother-in-law lives on around $1,500 a month but she does not own a home. This is her rough monthly expenses:
Rent on small 1 BR apartment water included - $450
Electric/Heat/AC - $30
Basic Cable - $50
Basic Cell Phone - $40
Car Insurance - $80
Funeral Insurance Policy - $25
Medicare B - $104
Medicare Supplement - $220
OTC Medication - $25
Food - $200
Hairdresser - $30
Car Gas - $120
Total - $1374
Even with no mortgage or car payment, if you swap the rent I listed for home owner's insurance, taxes, and health insurance for a 2nd person, plus add extra $$ that always pop up with owning and maintaining a single family home, to own a home regardless of location on a $1,500 budget would be very difficult. A $2,000 budget would be more realistic which you could probably purchase a small 2 BR condo that has low HOA fees in probably all the states you listed as well as in Florida.
My widowed mother-in-law lives on around $1,500 a month but she does not own a home. This is her rough monthly expenses:
Rent on small 1 BR apartment water included - $450
Electric/Heat/AC - $30
Basic Cable - $50
Basic Cell Phone - $40
Car Insurance - $80
Funeral Insurance Policy - $25
Medicare B - $104
Medicare Supplement - $220
OTC Medication - $25
Food - $200
Hairdresser - $30
Car Gas - $120
Total - $1374
Even with no mortgage or car payment, if you swap the rent I listed for home owner's insurance, taxes, and health insurance for a 2nd person, plus add extra $$ that always pop up with owning and maintaining a single family home, to own a home regardless of location on a $1,500 budget would be very difficult. A $2,000 budget would be more realistic which you could probably purchase a small 2 BR condo that has low HOA fees in probably all the states you listed as well as in Florida.
Your mother does a good job of living frugally. Congratulations to her. Obviously she does not live in a major city, as there would be no apartment available at $450 per month, at least not one she would consent to live in. So location is important if one has to live on a very limited monthly income. Or alternatively, perhaps she lives in a rent-subsidized apartment?
The part I find amazing is the food budget. Two hundred dollars divided by 30 is $6.67 per day. She must eat almost nothing, for starters, but on top of that she must know a lot of tricks about buying food. Eating out would be strictly taboo on that sort of food budget. Or again, perhaps she takes advantage of food give-aways of various sorts? That would make a big difference. Two hundred dollars would last me ten days at most for food.
which states are cheap where you can live on $ 1,500 a month. as the mortgage and the car is paid for two people. and where the Propertytax is cheap. Low utilities. what state would you advise us. Texas or Arizona or Alabama or Missouri I like to hear it from you
#3 Georgia
State Income Tax: 1% to 6%
State Sales Tax: 4%
Estate Tax/Inheritance Tax: No/No
Residents of the Peach State who are 65 and older can exclude up to $65,000 of retirement income (or $130,000 per couple) from state income taxes. Retirement income includes income from pensions and annuities, interest income, dividend income, net income from rental property, capital-gains income and income from royalties. Social Security is also exempt from state taxes.
The statewide sales tax is 4% (food and prescription drugs are exempt), but jurisdictions can add up to 4% of their own taxes.
A Georgia homeowner may pay a combination of county, city, school and state taxes, depending on location. Median property tax on a $162,800 median-valued home is $1,346, according to the Tax Foundation. Individuals age 65 and older are eligible for an exemption from all state property taxes on their home and up to ten acres of land. The state property tax is being completely phased out by 2016.
My worst month for utilities was for July this year which was $315 and included electric, water, sewer, garbage pick up and gas. The big one was electric because it do get warm in Georgia and I do keep that house at a comfortable 71 degrees.
Average utilities for the year I would peg at $200/month and as I said I keep very comfortable and I like lots and lots of light at night.
Oh, and golf carts. In most small towns with populations less than 5,000 golf carts are street legal and lots of retirees, and non retirees, have them.
A MOTORIZED CARTS ORDINANCE FOR INCLUSION TO THE CITY OF HAHIRA CODE OF ORDINANCES .
Section 9 - 8. Operations & Limitations.
Motorized Carts may be operated within the corporate limits of Hahira by:
Those persons who are 16 years of age and older and have a valid motor vehicle drivers license, or;
Those persons who are 15 years of age, but not yet 16 years of age, if accompanied in the front seat by a person at least 18 years of age who holds a valid motor vehicle drivers license, or;
C. No person under the age of 15 years of age shall be permitted to operate a motorized cart on any public street within the corporate limits of the City of Hahira.
D. All operators of Motorized Carts shall abide by all traffic regulations applicable to vehicular traffic.
E. Motorized Carts shall not be operated on sidewalks or in City parks other than in parking areas.
snip
I know some retirees with golf carts that *might* start their car once a month if they are leaving town.
Edit!
After I got the July electric I added 12" blown insulation to the attic and just receiving my bill for August, even hotter than July, my electric dropped $35 so time will tell.
Your mother does a good job of living frugally. Congratulations to her. Obviously she does not live in a major city, as there would be no apartment available at $450 per month, at least not one she would consent to live in. So location is important if one has to live on a very limited monthly income. Or alternatively, perhaps she lives in a rent-subsidized apartment?
The part I find amazing is the food budget. Two hundred dollars divided by 30 is $6.67 per day. She must eat almost nothing, for starters, but on top of that she must know a lot of tricks about buying food. Eating out would be strictly taboo on that sort of food budget. Or again, perhaps she takes advantage of food give-aways of various sorts? That would make a big difference. Two hundred dollars would last me ten days at most for food.
My MIL lives in Warwick, R.I. in a rent controlled elderly high rise apartment complex. This complex hosts a meal site which is part of the Meals on Wheels program were seniors can get a decent lunch for around $2.00. Lunch is my MIL's main meal, and she has mostly oatmeal and fruit for breakfast and a bowl of soup or a sandwich for supper. She also has a deal with the grocery store across the street where once a week she picks up free day old bread and pastries for the folks in the complex so she hasn't bought bread in years. Her complex also hosts lots of free or minimal charge activities like crafts, bingo, low cost movie outings, etc. On her small budget she lives a pretty good life, her apartment is cute as a button, and she has lots of friends there and family close to assist when needed.
which states are cheap where you can live on $ 1,500 a month. as the mortgage and the car is paid for two people. and where the Propertytax is cheap. Low utilities. what state would you advise us. Texas or Arizona or Alabama or Missouri I like to hear it from you
Quote:
Originally Posted by txfriend
Stay away from Texas, at least my part of N. Texas.
Agreed. Contrary to popular belief, Texas is not as inexpensive as people think it is. I'm in Houston, SE Texas, and I wouldn't recommend people on a tight budget move here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jtur88
South Texas is still very cheap, but went up a bit with the shale oil boom.
But the downside is the high property tax, which offsets the absence of a state income tax. But anyone living on 1500 a month would be below the income tax threshold anyway, so such low income retirees would be better off in an income tax state.
The Homestead Exemption helps if they own one home, although property taxes are still high, among the highest of all the states. However, assuming they are retired seniors, they have the big senior property tax discount. But having no state income tax doesn't help up much because we have a high state income tax of at least 8.25%. Not only that, we have more toll roads than any other state, so driving is quite expensive in urban areas. In my neck of the woods, we get hit for $1.75 in tolls every 5-10 miles if we want to get anywhere without dealing with constant gridlock traffic. We have 9 toll road highways in our area, at last count, I believe.
Utilities are very high due to the heat. You can expect electric bills of at least $200/month in the summer. Lastly, real estate has gotten more expensive. The median value on a home is around $200K, still much less than many areas, but when you add up all the other things, you'd be hard pressed to hit that $1500 budget. And car prices vary widely, as in all areas.
Last edited by Scooby Snacks; 09-08-2015 at 09:04 AM..
Utility bills have a lot to do with one's tolerance/comfort levels. Here, in Las Vegas, throughout the summer, I keep the temp at 80, and that's more than comfortable to me, my house is all-electric, and even in the peak summer months, I never pay more than $150 a month. Some months here, there's no need for A/C or heating. Water bill, on an average, $15 a month.
I had a real toughie for a neighbor, she was retired, and she never put her A/C on in the summer, only ceiling fans, nor did she have heat on the winter time. But, surprisingly, she drove a newer Cadillac! Go figure!
The part I find amazing is the food budget. Two hundred dollars divided by 30 is $6.67 per day. She must eat almost nothing, for starters, but on top of that she must know a lot of tricks about buying food. Eating out would be strictly taboo on that sort of food budget. Or again, perhaps she takes advantage of food give-aways of various sorts? That would make a big difference. Two hundred dollars would last me ten days at most for food.
I didn't blink an eye at $200 for food. My parents average roughly $300 month, and that's for two people. And I'm positive about that cost because I do the grocery shopping and keep track of the receipts.
What I found unusual was that not one penny was allocated for prescription drugs.
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