[fbam]

Originally Posted by DanBev

All I can say is these posts are biased and on the dumb side.As said before not everyone in Ct make's $50,000 a year.Our daughter after working for 15 years in grocery store makes what I made when I retired from telco 22 years ago,many,many in her boat in CT.CT very high cost of living.

Really? because I thought the OP asked for perspective.

FYI the COL in Hartford is only 2.3% higher than St.Pete and the average salary is 17.5% higher in Hartford. (salary.com)
according census.gov median household income: CT $85,344 (family of four 102,124)
FL 57,455 (family of four 69,009)

[oc2nyc]

I think what it comes down to is where you want to live as far as climate, surroundings, social scene, etc. The cost of living is going to be relative no matter where you go. Wherever the cost of living is high the pay is usually higher. If the cost of living is low, so is the pay. Yes, there are those places where the cost of living is decent and you can get a job with good pay but for the most part the two go hand in hand. If you live in an area that you love because you love the weather, the people, the landscape then the high price of homes and high taxes are worth it. It's all a trade off. If you don't like where you live then you will always feel you are paying too much to live there. Places like NYC, Orange County, CA, CT are desirable to a lot of people for a lot of different reasons that is why the cost of living is so high. Yet there are many people out there who you couldn't pay to live there.
It all depends on what you are looking for. Do you want to be close to the beach, close to family, have four seasons? Figure out what you are looking for and you will be happy wherever you are.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

Yeah actually, in a beautiful neighborhood. It's about a mile from the beach and close to everything. If you were to go there and grab a rental booklet, there are plenty more like it for that price too.

I have to question this too. I had a coworker that seriously checked out West Palm for a relocation and he was shocked to find that housing was similarly priced to Hartford. even more shocking was that the employer wanted him to take a pay cut even with a propmotion. He declined.

As for the comment on Floridian's being lazy, I will say that ourside of the major cities and their suburbs, Florida does have that slow southern way of life. They do not rush to do anything. I have family in rural Florida and boy I do not know how they can stand it. Jay

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by JayCT

I have to question this too. I had a coworker that seriously checked out West Palm for a relocation and he was shocked to find that housing was similarly priced to Hartford. even more shocking was that the employer wanted him to take a pay cut even with a propmotion. He declined.

Keep in mind that most of the people who want to live in FL want to live right on the beach, or at least a walk to it. I'm not talking about home prices; I'm talking about rentals. There is so much inventory there (and they're still building them) so they're affordable for people just starting out. I know many people who live[d] there so I know for a fact these places exist at this price.

Just a few:

Right place and time. 2 bedroom (http://miami.craigslist.org/pbc/apa/1948802112.html - broken link)

2/1 GRACEFUL CONDO IN DESIRABLE COMMUNITY LOADED W/ AMENITIES~PETS OK (http://miami.craigslist.org/brw/apa/1948886260.html - broken link)

Great location, 2/2 all the amenities. Great owner (http://miami.craigslist.org/pbc/apa/1948782481.html - broken link)

Sorry, but you can't find anything like that in CT. Not even close.

[JViello]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

Keep in mind that most of the people who want to live in FL want to live right on the beach, or at least a walk to it. I'm not talking about home prices; I'm talking about rentals. There is so much inventory there (and they're still building them) so they're affordable for people just starting out. I know many people who live[d] there so I know for a fact these places exist at this price.

Just a few:

Right place and time. 2 bedroom (http://miami.craigslist.org/pbc/apa/1948802112.html - broken link)

2/1 GRACEFUL CONDO IN DESIRABLE COMMUNITY LOADED W/ AMENITIES~PETS OK (http://miami.craigslist.org/brw/apa/1948886260.html - broken link)

Great location, 2/2 all the amenities. Great owner (http://miami.craigslist.org/pbc/apa/1948782481.html - broken link)

Sorry, but you can't find anything like that in CT. Not even close.

I'll just say it again, what you see is not what you get just like looking at houses here.

The first two you posted are not even close to West Palm (Boynton and Pompano) and are 3 miles WEST of I95, and anyone who has lived in SE Florida will tell you that's not always a good thing.

The third one I actually know! lol Village Crossing apts are literally...literally across the street from I95. That price (And mostly likely the others) are loss leaders. They advertise from $890-$1050 for a 2 bed. I can assure you, in that complex the $890 probably has a great view of the highway. lol For $1050 you can get a nice 2 bed here in Manchester for sure. Heck you can get a 3 bedroom 1600sf place for $1300.00 here.

I'm not saying FL doesn't have "cheaper" rents, they do...but not by much when you compare apples to apples.

Edit: This is the latest luxury complex here in Manchester near Buckland. After deducting the specials it's $1290 for a 1200SF 2 bed that will rival anything in SE FL for that price.
http://www.vintagegrove.com/pages/photo-gallery.asp

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by JViello

The first two you posted are not even close to West Palm (Boynton and Pompano) and are 3 miles WEST of I95

You just proved my point that most people who come from up north want to live along the beach.

But thanks for admitting FL rents are a little cheaper. No doubt, they certainly are.

[JViello]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

You just proved my point that most people who come from up north want to live along the beach.

Ugh...

Listen, this isn't about winning an "interweb" argument. There is a big, big difference between coastal FL and interior FL on many many levels. It's nothing to do with "wanting to live on the beach". Trust me. It's even more evident in SE FL, especially when talking about the I95 split. It gets into massive sprawl, crowded blvds, or rural tin shacked areas...ah whatever. Just move there, you'll learn.

Perhaps FBAM will feel like chiming in with the difference between interior FL and coastal FL, I just don't fee like it.

[AnonChick]

Originally Posted by willowsmom

Anybody lived in both Connecticut and Florida and can give me their perspective on the pros and cons of living in each of these states? I live in South Florida, have for 20 years, but grew up in Michigan...so I know about living with snow, ice, overcast skies, and short summers...and lucky me...I now also know the joys of hurricanes, tornadoes and oppressive heat and humidity...so those things aren't issues for me. I am more interested in quality of life, cost of living, culture, jobs, housing, educational opportunities, the things that really matter. Is Connecticut a place where someone over 50 would enjoy living and could afford to live reasonably well after retirement? What about coastal towns there? Are they just out of reach for most people, or still affordable? Does Connecticut have a state income tax and what kind of a bite does it take out of your paycheck? Florida has no state income tax, but heavy sales taxes, so that is a major consideration for me. Also if anybody can speak about sea level rise from climate change in Connecticut that would be helpful. Is it forecasted to wipe out most of the state like it is in Florida?

I think people are really derailing this guy's thread. There's no employment issue when someone is retired. It won't matter if he can't find a job, since he's expecting to not have to look for one in the first place. So the high unemployment, in and of itself, is a non-issue.

However, with a high unemployment rate, comes businesses shutting down (which would often be why there are so many unemployed people), and foreclosures (by unemployed people who can't afford the mortgage anymore), and everything escalates further into doom and gloom from there.

Yes, there is a state income tax AND a state sales tax, AND a seperate gas tax, and several cigarette taxes, AND property taxes currently going up along with mill rates and assessments, and basically the cost of living in Connecticut is pretty significant. If you're wondering if you can retire in Connecticut, with a modest Florida retirement package, I'd say - basically - no, you can't. At 50, you're still "young" enough to work, so you might want to take that pension and work - and then you'd probably be able ot handle it just fine. But your social security isn't gonna kick in for quite awhile now, and you'd need to have retired with a pretty healthy golden parachute to be able to afford the Connecticut lifestyle.

[fbam]

Originally Posted by JViello

Ugh...
Perhaps FBAM will feel like chiming in with the difference between interior FL and coastal FL, I just don't fee like it.

Nope I say lets keep perpetuating stereo types. southerners are lazy and yankees are elitist.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by JViello

Ugh...

Listen, this isn't about winning an "interweb" argument. There is a big, big difference between coastal FL and interior FL on many many levels. It's nothing to do with "wanting to live on the beach". Trust me. It's even more evident in SE FL, especially when talking about the I95 split. It gets into massive sprawl, crowded blvds, or rural tin shacked areas...ah whatever. Just move there, you'll learn.

Perhaps FBAM will feel like chiming in with the difference between interior FL and coastal FL, I just don't fee like it.

I'm talking about living a walk to the beach vs a few miles inland. I'm NOT talking about living in "interior Florida". I know what interior Florida is like.

I'm very familiar with Florida. Very. So I don't have to "learn" anything. I know what rents there are like. A mile or two away from the beach, rents drop significantly. Period.