Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I did one of those Sperling cost of living comparisons. I compared where I am (Syracuse, NY) to Greenville, SC. It said in order to live in Greenville and have what I have now, I need to make approximately $5,000 more. Not going to happen.
I was shocked at what you said and used the cost of living site that I like (numbeo) and they said Greenville was about 7% more expensive to live in than Syracuse but they also said the average person in Greenville will have a take home of 55% more income so the net is 44% better lifestyle. I guess I never realized how bad things are in upstate NY. Anyway, Greenville is a wonderful area or was when I lived there about 7 years ago and I have no reason to think it's gotten any worse, in fact it's likely still improving.
I was shocked at what you said and used the cost of living site that I like (numbeo) and they said Greenville was about 7% more expensive to live in than Syracuse but they also said the average person in Greenville will have a take home of 55% more income so the net is 44% better lifestyle. I guess I never realized how bad things are in upstate NY. Anyway, Greenville is a wonderful area or was when I lived there about 7 years ago and I have no reason to think it's gotten any worse, in fact it's likely still improving.
It depends on the COL calculator. Based on an income of $50K, the 2015 CNN calculator had Greenville as less expensive than Albany by $8K, Ithaca by $6K, and Rochester by $2.5K but about the same cost as Buffalo. For example if your income in Albany was $50K, you could live in Greenville for $42K. Syracuse was not listed. You have to look at several sources for COL data. Even then, housing can fluctuate greatly from year to year so it can be difficult for the sources to maintain reliable data. I saw some significant errors in the Sperling housing data in the 2013 time frame when the cost of housing was increasing rapidly in the Pacific Northwest.
It depends on the COL calculator. Based on an income of $50K, the 2015 CNN calculator had Greenville as less expensive than Albany by $8K, Ithaca by $6K, and Rochester by $2.5K but about the same cost as Buffalo. For example if your income in Albany was $50K, you could live in Greenville for $42K. Syracuse was not listed. You have to look at several sources for COL data. Even then, housing can fluctuate greatly from year to year so it can be difficult for the sources to maintain reliable data. I saw some significant errors in the Sperling housing data in the 2013 time frame when the cost of housing was increasing rapidly in the Pacific Northwest.
I agree with you that's it's a good idea to check several sources and I was truly shocked that at least 2 sites have Greenville as more expensive than Syracuse. Also agree that you need to check current data particularly regarding house prices which can rapidly shift as we've seen where I live in Seattle area. I worked in Greenville for a couple of years and have numerous friends there and highly recommend it. I do wonder though about how liberals feel in such a Conservative and religious community.
I agree with you that's it's a good idea to check several sources and I was truly shocked that at least 2 sites have Greenville as more expensive than Syracuse. Also agree that you need to check current data particularly regarding house prices which can rapidly shift as we've seen where I live in Seattle area. I worked in Greenville for a couple of years and have numerous friends there and highly recommend it. I do wonder though about how liberals feel in such a Conservative and religious community.
There are a lot of transplants in the area, and it is becoming more diverse. Yes, religion is a part of many lives, but not all. We are not church goers and have not experienced any discrimination or negativity. We love it here. There is always something to do for low cost or no cost which fits our retirement budget and active lifestyle. My dh is 68. I am 54. We love the proximity to surrounding areas. We purchased our condo(detached) for 105K and our taxes are less than $400 per year!
Chicago born and raised looking at a few smaller cities. Louisville because we love the food scene. Lexington KY because its clean, historical and closer to the mountains. Chattanooga because its in the mountains and its a booming area, Knoxville because its very affordable and still pretty close to the mountains and finally Asheville NC because its nearly perfect in all the aspects we love but maybe growing to fast and becoming to expensive
I agree with you that's it's a good idea to check several sources and I was truly shocked that at least 2 sites have Greenville as more expensive than Syracuse. Also agree that you need to check current data particularly regarding house prices which can rapidly shift as we've seen where I live in Seattle area. I worked in Greenville for a couple of years and have numerous friends there and highly recommend it. I do wonder though about how liberals feel in such a Conservative and religious community.
Its what my wife fears most...Will we be able to adapt to living in the bible belt ?
Greenville is not some small backwater town. It is the anchor of upstate SC with a major presence of heavy industry, particularly some for overseas (I know Michelin and BMW have major presences in the area) that draw in a much more diverse crowd than you'd expect. It's an actual working city, unlike Asheville that has an extremely shallow economy. I like Asheville, but Greenville is the far more livable city with much more to do in every way, and that's not counting the easy interstate access to both Charlotte and Atlanta. It's about 150 miles from me and I spend around a weekend a month there, if not more during the warmer months.
Yes, it's very religious and home to Bob Jones University. Wofford and Furman, both nearby, are affiliated with the Methodist and I think Presbyterian churches. As long as you're not a combatant nonbeliever, most people are not going to give you a second look. Many people will invite you to church just to be polite and social, but if you decline it's left at that. It is not small town Bible Belt backwardness at all.
I used to live in Indianapolis and Louisville has an incredible dining scene, but I think both Asheville and Greenville can come very close to Louisville in dining. Louisville has great urban neighborhoods, AAA baseball and a major university as well. Greenville and Asheville have better downtowns than Lou but not by much, and worse urban hoods (though crime on Lou's west side is hideous). Lou is going to have more in the way of big city amenities than anything else on this lift. Lou is a very cheap big city. The IN side is a little cheaper and you won't pay Lou's city taxes.
Lexington is smaller, more manageable, incredibly clean. I prefer Louisville, but Lexington would also be a good option. You couldn't go wrong with either - it's going to be a coin flip whether you like smaller or more urban amenities.
I don't know much about Chattanooga, but it is hot these days. Knoxville is a decent city, but punches a bit below its metro size IMO. It's probably going to be the cheapest of all these options, though the IN side of Louisville also has low taxes (not as low as TN at all) and is probably next cheapest.
Just moved from Central TX to Co Springs. House here would have been double the price there. Wanted out of the six month summers and ridiculous congestion that is happening there. So far, so good.
Greenville is not some small backwater town. It is the anchor of upstate SC with a major presence of heavy industry, particularly some for overseas (I know Michelin and BMW have major presences in the area) that draw in a much more diverse crowd than you'd expect. It's an actual working city, unlike Asheville that has an extremely shallow economy. I like Asheville, but Greenville is the far more livable city with much more to do in every way, and that's not counting the easy interstate access to both Charlotte and Atlanta. It's about 150 miles from me and I spend around a weekend a month there, if not more during the warmer months.
Yes, it's very religious and home to Bob Jones University. Wofford and Furman, both nearby, are affiliated with the Methodist and I think Presbyterian churches. As long as you're not a combatant nonbeliever, most people are not going to give you a second look. Many people will invite you to church just to be polite and social, but if you decline it's left at that. It is not small town Bible Belt backwardness at all.
I used to live in Indianapolis and Louisville has an incredible dining scene, but I think both Asheville and Greenville can come very close to Louisville in dining. Louisville has great urban neighborhoods, AAA baseball and a major university as well. Greenville and Asheville have better downtowns than Lou but not by much, and worse urban hoods (though crime on Lou's west side is hideous). Lou is going to have more in the way of big city amenities than anything else on this lift. Lou is a very cheap big city. The IN side is a little cheaper and you won't pay Lou's city taxes.
Lexington is smaller, more manageable, incredibly clean. I prefer Louisville, but Lexington would also be a good option. You couldn't go wrong with either - it's going to be a coin flip whether you like smaller or more urban amenities.
I don't know much about Chattanooga, but it is hot these days. Knoxville is a decent city, but punches a bit below its metro size IMO. It's probably going to be the cheapest of all these options, though the IN side of Louisville also has low taxes (not as low as TN at all) and is probably next cheapest.
I found Greenville an interesting mix with one part hillbilly, one part Southern genteel, and then you have a lot of professionals that have moved there from all over that give an interesting mix. Like I mentioned before, I grew very fond of Greenville after living there awhile after doing everything I could to keep my employer from sending me there as I had a negative pre-conceived notion of South Carolina. I also think that climate is the best climate on the eastern half of the USA.
I am getting very frustrated at my search, focusing on the mountain range from WV to NE TN. We love the mountains and the milder climate than the south traditionally has. After reading this thread I did look at Greenville, SC. But the summers will be just too hot for my wife, she was pretty set on not moving anywhere that is hotter than it is here in MD
So it's back to Asheville I look. It's expensive but the healthcare in NE TN concerns me and I'd rather have solid health care than a 3rd bedroom. I'd be perfectly fine in a much smaller house after heating, cleaning and maintaining this old farmhouse for so long.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
