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I would rather live in a cheaper place that gets occasional tornadoes than a place that might be subject to hurricanes. The hurricanes tend to hit a large swath of land but tornadoes just hit a few places.
Many of the states shown in your map, have a metro-center with high COL and vast regions of rural low COL.
Combining these numbers into a single graphic is not truly representative of reality.
For our state it says $16.71/hour. That would be an income far higher than my pension. My pension is sufficient to afford a 3bdrm house on 150 acres with river frontage.
Our state also has a metro-center that is very high COL, which throws off these kinds of state comparisons.
If I purchased a condo in Sun City AZ for around $100K cash and therefore had no mortgage payments, how much would it still cost me monthly/annually in HOA fees, taxes, insurance and utilities keeping the place cool during the peak of the hottest summer temperatures?
The yearly rec fees would be $472. Because you would be in attached housing the condo/hoa would run you between $140 to $200 a month but covers water, outside maintenance and garbage pickup. Insurance rates in Sun City are lower because of it being an age restricted community and because you are in an HOA, they have the outside coverage you would only buy coverage on your inside belongings (roughly $100 per year).A single family home would have no mandatory HOA, but you can join the Sun City Home Owners Association (SCHOA) for $20 per year (CC&R's are mandatory on all owners but membership is voluntary).
Utilities would run you on average $100 per month, most of it coming during the summer months. Internet, television and phone bundles are available and dependent on how high a speed you need and how many cable channels you want. That can range form $50 month to $150.
Sun City is 7 miles long and 3 miles wide; walled but not gated. It is perfectly flat so walking is easy as is riding a bike. You can buy a decent used golf car for around $2500 (or less). Insurance on one would run you $50 to $60 per year. Both gas and battery are plentiful with the trade off being batteries will last 3 to 4 years and are expensive to replace. Gas depends on usage, but $10 will get you near on a month with moderate use. A license would cost about $30-$40 a year.
The 7 rec centers are spread out across the community so buying a condo near one allows walking distance to them to be the norm. The older condo's in Phase 1 are the most moderately priced. There's a Fry's grocery store in Phase 1 and a Safeway store in Phase 2. Banner/Boswell Hospital is a massive complex and is rated in the top 100 heart hospitals in the country (Phase 2). Medical services are in abundance.
There is an additional cost to join clubs, usually $5 to $10 per year. Free concerts are held at the Sun Bowl Amphitheater (in Phase 1) in the "winter" months with admission being your rec card (from the $472 yearly fee). Every rec center has a pool and whirlpool, and most have had remarkable renovations with the rest slated to be upgraded in the coming years. We are debt free and we don't do anything without paying cash for it.
Just as a footnote, the rec centers and golf courses have 13 locations with solar generating approximately 60% of our energy costs. We leased them, for the first 6 years and will pay them off in 2018 when our biggest energy saving will be recognized. They also provide great covered parking that residents love.
Like i said, not everyone will love Sun City, but the vast majority of us that live here find both the value and values to be off the charts awesome.
Natural disaster/weather needs vs walkability to creature comforts
Sounds like Lake Powell which is both in a rural area and has a higher cost of living meets your weather needs if you could handle a few inches of sn*w in winter.
But it sounds like the Medford, OR area might be more your speed. The average home price is a little higher (about $180K) but if you found a bargain or are able to work a little, 30K give or take might be workable for you. They do have an inversion layer, which is not good if you have respiratory issues and for some reason the locals say jobs are scarce, wages are low and prices are high.
Places such as Lynchburg, VA or Greensboro, NC could have some choices you may find interesting.
Tornado and Hurricane risk is very low, cost of living is pretty low, housing is pretty decent at the $150 K level, and crime rates are pretty decent too.
Weather may be a little colder in the winter than you may prefer, but it generally hits the low 50's to 60 degrees many winter days. They get some snow, but generally only a few inches perhaps 5-10 days a year. So the weather is a lot more moderate than you'd find in the East or Midwest.
I was thinking the same thing: the middle-southern part of the Appalachians, or perhaps the plains just east or west of those. There are A LOT of limiting options here, and no place is perfect. There are always trade offs.
Still not much can be had for $150k housing options in much of the country. If you're going lower than that there are other trade-offs: crime, druggies, transportation/distance becomes a problem, homes in fairly poor conditions (much of the country is deteriorating, just in case anyone has not taken a peek lately). At least OP desires to avoid Florida, which is a notion I support fully.
Arkansas might be a good bet price and weather-wise, but then it does get a few tornadoes.
I recently drove very near Johnson City TN and many locals were telling me that it is a very nice "small city" with a low cost of living. I personally can recommend Greenville SC -- it is near the mountains in the western part of the state -- they have done a fantastic job with restoring their beautiful downtown area and they have a decent sized airport nearby also. I just loved it!
As I mentioned probably a year ago, Lakewood is a phenomenal retirement place as long as you are 1) a lower income and 2) not a home owner. Lakewood has great services for senior citizens and some great senior communities, far better than MOST of the communities that have been mentioned.
Having said that, it comes at a price of one of the highest tax rates in the state of Ohio.
I came within hours in 2010 of reacquiring my old home in a foreclosure sale which would have had me retiring in Lakewood. I did not have the winning bid which ended up turning out for the better.
Well said!
If one doesn't have a car the thought of riding a bus in Cleveland sends chills up my spine.
If one doesn't have a car the thought of riding a bus in Cleveland sends chills up my spine.
Why?
I would feel more comfortable relying upon public transportation in the Cleveland area than doing the same in Los Angeles and SOCAL. It has pretty good coverage of the city. If you live in the inner ring of suburbs like Lakewood and Rocky River, it is pretty darned convenient. Actually, we grove a lot less when we lived in Lakewood as we could walk to doctors, the hospital, church, the grocery as well as most of the things in town.
In addition, I never had to pay for parking at the airport as I could hop the rapid and I never had to pay for parking at the stadiums as they were a 15 minute rapid ride or a 20 minute bus ride.
Having said that, service between the suburbs was often difficult (try Bedford to Lakewood on a Saturday night). It was worse on weekends. Also service to communities outside of Cuyahoga Co. is nearly impossible. (4.5 hours from Lakewood to Elyria)
The only thing that was chilling about Cleveland's transit were the winds coming off of teh lake.
I agree with Gingercoyote. OP you should check out Sierra Vista, AZ.
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Natural disaster/weather needs vs walkability to creature comforts
