costs to live in Florida, Wellington area (Jupiter, Royal Palm Beach: for sale, HOA fees)

[CravenClan]

I wanted to ask about costs of living there?

Electricity
Water
Gas

HOA's (some of them)

Taxes- property, sales tax

What is the price of unleaded gas and milk right now in the Wellington area?

What types of shopping are near Wellington? ie: groceries, target?

How far is the beach ( a nice one)

Vehicle registration fees?

[ang08]

I can answer some of those from my recent visit:

Shopping: Lots. Anything you can imagine within a couple miles - Costco, WalMart, big mall. Although I didn't see a Target, hmm. Stores are kind of set back from the road and there are lots of trees so sometimes it's hard to tell what's there at first glance. As far as a "normall" grocery, it's basically Publix, Publix, or Publix! OK, not exactly, there is a Whole Foods.

HOAs: really vary. Some have none, others maybe $175-$240+ month, depending if they have comm. pool, rec center, etc. All the neighborhoods look nice though since the city of Wellington is pretty strict with regulations.

Nice beach: About 35 minutes (Juno/Jupiter)

Gas: Was about $3.20 last week

[CravenClan]

Thanks!!

I know it is cheaper than California, but not as cheap as Texas...

here our gas is right at about $2.90 or so...
Milk went up to $1.49 a gallon (it was .99) (california is HIGH!!!!!! like $3+)

I know HOA's vary..it just depends what they offer...

I wonder about registration...

My car in Ca is $645 a year, in Texas it is $63...hello..can anyone figure that one out? In texas you pay an inspection fee of $30, yearly as well.
so that is cheap!!

Electricity is about 1/2 or more less than what we paid in California, so over all Texas has been way cheaper for us...but we lived in one of the biggest rip off states ever!! haha

[hdaddy]

A little over 1200 sq ft home:
Electric $90-160 depending on season
Water $50
Gas unleaded 87 oct $3.11
My HOA $250 mo
Taxes are in with my mortgage but I think it's a little over $2000 yr/ sales tax 6.5%
Milk can be had for $2.99 a gallon
Wellington has everything near by as far as shopping including a newer mall
Beach is a 20-30 min ride from Wellington to Palm Beach
Paid $92 for registration this year
Also consider the increased cost you're going to pay in insurance, both auto and home. Good records and newer car $700-800 semi-annual. More than one vehicle can knock that down to $600-700 due to multi car discounts.

[THX 1138]

I live in Wellington so I can give you somewhat an accurate idea on costs.

HOA Fees: Can vary, so this is kinda hard. Newer man gated community, expect to pay at least $300/month HOA at a minimum.

Water and Sewer: depends on number of household residents and usage, but expect $30-$50/month.

Taxes: Wellington has higher rates, but you can expect $3000-$5000/year for the average house with homestead exemption. Sales taxes are 6%, they were 6.5% for a number of years but that expired.

Insurance: Car and Home Owners Insurance rates are very high in South Florida.

Vehicle Reg. Fees in Florida doubled or more sometime ago, it's very expensive to register, transfer titles, get a license and etc.

Gas Prices: Stations in Wellington typically have over-inflated gas prices, it's more economical to drive over to Royal Palm Beach or some gas stations outside of the Village to save $.

Food costs: Are high in South Florida, Publix is a Monopoly here but we have Whole Foods and Fresh Market (more expensive).

Wellington is pretty much self sustaining, there are no Super Targets in the Village but there are several within a few miles.

You can easily access the beaches via Southern Blvd in about 20 minutes on a good day.

In general Wellington is like the rest of South Florida, expensive but not as high as other places in the USA. Keep in mind though salaries and jobs will also be less abundant. I live in Wellington but never worked close to home, there are no jobs or employers here that fit my background, I have always commuted south or north 20+ miles away.

Also suggest if your looking to work to do your homework, the market here is bad and unemployment is very high.

[CravenClan]

Thanks for the info!

We have very secure employment there, so that is not an issue.

When you say very high for car and house insurance, maybe you can give a round about what u pay, for both..on an average? I can call Geico, who insured us both in Ca and now in Tx.

Taxes seem much lower than we are used to, in vs and here, they are HIGH, $13k in Ca &$11k here in tx..so $6k, is a savings!

If rates are really high for car and house ons, it could make up for it..


So overall do you like it there in Wellington?
Do u have kids in school? Are u happy w them if so?
What neighborhood do u live in, do I like it, would u have chosen a different one, if do which one and why?
Thank u for your info, i appreciate it..

[randian]

Originally Posted by CravenClan

I know it is cheaper than California, but not as cheap as Texas...

here our gas is right at about $2.90 or so...

Nearly all the difference in fuel prices between Texas and Florida are due to Florida's higher gasoline excise tax (20.0 cents/gallon vs 34.5 c/g) and diesel excise tax (20 c/g vs 29.6 c/g). Florida also has a higher beer tax (20 c/g vs 48 c/g) and spirits tax (240 c/g vs 650 c/g). Cigarette tax is lower in Florida (141 c/20 packs vs 133.9 c/20). Once local sales taxes are figured in, Florida averages a point or two less in sales tax. Texas also has a higher maximum rate for sales tax (8.25% vs 7.5%).