Trying to figure out Cleveland area taxes/cost etc. (Youngstown: sales, insurance)

[LewLew]

We are considering moving back up to the Cleveland area. We currently live in FL where we do not pay income tax. I am trying to figure out how much of a hit I'll take on my income.

1. I hear that most of the suburbs have city income tax,in addition to state income tax, is that true? What are we looking at for tax rates?
2. What is Ohio's current income tax rate? I heard it's 6%, but I was unsure. I am sure it's a sliding scale based on income. Most likely we'd be in the top bracket.

Therefore, we know we'll have higher property tax in Cleveland than here in FL, but we also know our insurance rates will be much less. What will impact us the most are all the city and state income taxes.

Can anyone shed some light on how much they usually run?

Lastly, we pay extremely high electricity bills and water bills in FL. Typical electric bill runs around $500 per month, and water bills run around $150-200 per month during the months we have to water our lawns (winter and fall) In the summer, due to the rain, we don't have to water the lawn, and the electric bill is about 1/2.

We know in Cleveland we'll have gas heat, and some homes don't have central air. I also remember water bills also being very low. Anyone have info on average utilities in a 2000+ sq. foot home?

Just trying to get a grip on the different cost of living.

Thanks!!!

[JR_C]

Check out the "Cost of Living" thread that is currently on the front page. This kind of stuff is discussed there as well.

Here is the link I provided in that thread:
Ohio Income Tax Rates - Ohio & other state tax rates information. OH tax calculator.

If you'll be making more than $200k, it looks like your state tax rate will be 7.5%.

From what I've read in the previous thread I mentioned, it looks like your city tax rate and property taxes can vary widely depending on the community you choose.

[LewLew]

Originally Posted by JR_C

Check out the "Cost of Living" thread that is currently on the front page. This kind of stuff is discussed there as well.

Here is the link I provided in that thread:
Ohio Income Tax Rates - Ohio & other state tax rates information. OH tax calculator.

If you'll be making more than $200k, it looks like your state tax rate will be 7.5%.

From what I've read in the previous thread I mentioned, it looks like your city tax rate and property taxes can vary widely depending on the community you choose.

Thanks; yes I've viewed this, and it actually says that Cleveland has a higher cost of living (I'm sure b/c of income tax and your sales tax is over 1% more as well). Given that I'll be keeping my same job, and not working for an Ohio employer, I was most concerned with the city income taxes, and how they were figured~ if they came out of the check or were paid when you filed etc. Are they close to income tax at 6-7% or much lower? The overall picture was my main concern. Thanks again for the info. I'll check out the other threads.

[JR_C]

I think the city income taxes are fixed rates. As far as I know, Youngstown's city income tax rate is the highest in the state at 2.75%. I think your employer usually would withhold your city income tax from your paycheck. But, I don't know how that would work with an out of state employer.

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by LewLew

Thanks; yes I've viewed this, and it actually says that Cleveland has a higher cost of living (I'm sure b/c of income tax and your sales tax is over 1% more as well). Given that I'll be keeping my same job, and not working for an Ohio employer, I was most concerned with the city income taxes, and how they were figured~ if they came out of the check or were paid when you filed etc. Are they close to income tax at 6-7% or much lower? The overall picture was my main concern. Thanks again for the info. I'll check out the other threads.

If you are an Ohio resident - whether or not you work for an exployer outside of Ohio, you are liable for Ohio state and local taxes.

If your employer does not withhold city taxes, you will need to file a return annually and you MAY need to file quarterlies with your city of residence. Each city has slightly different rules and it pays to research the rules for the city where you work AND the city where you live.

[rippedoff0421]

My home is 1500 sf. Water and sewer is billed quarterly and ours is normally around $100.00, so that's about $400.00 per year. My electric bill is around $150 and my gas bill (i live in a older home) is around $260.00 in the winter months and half of that during the warmer months.

[LewLew]

Originally Posted by rippedoff0421

My home is 1500 sf. Water and sewer is billed quarterly and ours is normally around $100.00, so that's about $400.00 per year. My electric bill is around $150 and my gas bill (i live in a older home) is around $260.00 in the winter months and half of that during the warmer months.

Wow, water is a lot cheaper in Ohio. Thanks for the breakdown. I think we'll end up better in Ohio even considering the taxes. Although the relocation calculator does say that it's 12% higher cost of living in Cleveland compared to where we are in FL. The housing costs are much lower (or, at least I should say what you get for the money is better and usually larger).

I will rationalize the whole thing....paying higher taxes means more programs, community infrastructure, better schools etc. I guess if we are forced to pay more taxes, we can be happy in the fact that we'll get more for doing so!

Thanks all.

[1mimi1]

Go for all electric if possible, much cheaper! I have a 3,000 sq ft home, all electric including a hot tub, 2 fridges & a humongo extra freezer & my highest bills in the winter are around $300ish.

[LewLew]

Originally Posted by 1mimi1

Go for all electric if possible, much cheaper! I have a 3,000 sq ft home, all electric including a hot tub, 2 fridges & a humongo extra freezer & my highest bills in the winter are around $300ish.

I have heard though, that electric doesn't keep your home as warm as gas heat. We have all electric here in FL....electric must be cheaper up there too. Our elec bill is always nearly $500.

[JennySquirrel]

LewLew~ Are you getting a job transfer? I just can't understand why someone would leave Florida for Ohio??? I am from Ohio and moved to Florida. If I left Florida I would never go back to Ohio. It is the most expensive, depressing place a person could live.

We did all the comparisons and Florida is much cheaper. Hands down.

I had a 3,000 sq ft home in Ohio. My utilities ran $200 elec. 250 gas, $50 sewer, $41 garbage collection $75 water and $140 cable $70 phone.

BTW, if you had an all electric home in Ohio, you would be broke from the bills! In Ohio you have to have a gas home. When I was a teen, my parents had an all electric home and we were paying $600-$700 bills a month back then.

My Property taxes were $5000 a year And my hub paid $22,000 a year for State and city tax. ALSO, he has his home built in 91. We put THOUSANDS of $$ in upgrades in the house (probably 90K) and in 2008 we sold it for less than he paid to have it built. Homes do NOT appreciate in Ohio. It is a dying state and unless you are in the medical field, I would think twice about moving ther. Do your homework and you will find that Ohio is the 5th highest state for taxes in the US. It is NOT cheap to live there. My hub stayed with his same company, same pay and we have at least $2,500+ more a month down here than we had up in Ohio. Between the cheaper food, cheaper property taxes and no income tax, we are able to save that much more per month. We are THRILLED to be in Florida.

The unions have driven all the big companies out of the state and they have left the country or headed south. So job loss is horrible in Ohio.

Don't rationalize more taxes equals better programs, schools,etc. That is not the case. The streets are falling apart yearly from all the cold weather. All they do is patch. Bridges crumbling. Graffiti and garbage everywhere. The schools are being closed and programs are not there. We lived in a nice neighborhood and during storms our neighborhood got plowed days AFTER the storm. They couldn't keep up with the snow on the main roads so the side roads don't get plowed.

There is high crime and drugs,etc in Ohio. There is a city called Mansfield. It's a small, farm type town. If you drove there you would say " Oh this isn't bad". OK well, they were on a special on TV for having the worst heroin problem in the USA! Parents and kids do it together. Nice! Even in my little 30K population city that was mainly professionals, we had gang symbol graffiti. Now I know it is here in Florida too, but I am just saying, it is also in Ohio.

Also, unless you like cold, dreary weather, gray skies it's not a great place to live.

Another thing is Ohio has horrible chem trails. I am not talking about the little con trails that come from a plane and disapear quickly. I am talking about grids sprayed from jets that linger and spread out and eventually white out the sky. They spray A's, H's, Tic Tac Toes and X's all over the sky. They are unmarked, white planes and they cover the skies. I repeat these are not CON TRAILS I am talking about. These do not go away.

Anyway, down here in Florida, we are living in a house that is the same value and the taxes are actually less than in Ohio. The utilities are the same and the only thing we noticed was more was the insurance. The agent said it is because there are so many illegals here in Florida. License plates are less down here and food is less.

If you lived in Ohio and have fond memories of the past, I suggest you go up and visit before you relocate. It is a dirty, dying state. I for one am THRILLED to be out of that place. I suggest you look into other areas. Ohio is not a place to move to. It is a state to flee. It has the title of one of the states that has the highest negative population growth each year. Does that tell you somehting????