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You get out of the immediate Boston area and this comparison changes greatly. A person can live in Central MA and commute by train to Boston or live in Western MA and commute to Hartford CT very easily. Both places would pay wages much higher than Florida.
Florida is a great state as long as nothing bad ever goes wrong for you and your family. Lose a job, have a hurricane destroy your property, etc and you are screwed. Part of the higher cost of living up north is the safety nets in place. Also its hard to compare the school quality if you have kids. It certainly has not been a positive experience in one of the better schools here in the Jacksonville area compared to what our friends back in New England are getting for their children in average schools.
I feel these are the reasons why you have so many late career stage people moving here... they have less of an issue with a temporary negative hit and don't need the schools for their kids anymore.
I am trying hard to convince my wife to move us back north. Seems like the insurance market here will finally win out since its making the total house cost a lot closer. I am terrified of my increase this year, the 45% one last year was painful enough.
Commuting for that higher wage, lets just imagine 2 hours a day on the train. 10 hours a week/520 hours a year. Did you factor that into your higher wage?
What state is paradise when you lose your job? What if your house burns down from a fireplace accident? What exactly is the safety net up north for either of those scenarios? Non sequitur argument.
Insurance is an issue in Florida with companies leaving the market and the recent storms ringing up the losses for the companies that are insuring the market. What's the cost of heating oil right now? If you add your heating oil to your insurance cost up north does that exceed what you pay for insurance in Florida?
I'd rather live in Jacksonville than Western Mass and commute an hour each way.
But also consider that 80K secretary job in NYC would only pay 55-60K in Flariduh so you are making less and paying less in taxes.
Part 2- 100% correct nobody from a big city is going to want to move to Sebring FL.
FLA has overtaken NY in population for good reasons, & the diff is rapidly expanding. Thousands each year make the quality-of-life decision to leave NY for FL. Most have made enough $ in NY (& elsewhere) to leave, & don't have to work anymore. They see FLA as being better/nicer. NYC is in decline, & Miami is on the rise, & NY is losing population to domestic migration outflows, while Florida is gaining.
Some who still work, are willing to make less in FLA, to have a higher quality of life.
part 2: Thousands of big city (mostly NYC) retired police officers & firefighters have moved to Spring Hill/Brookesville through the years...its shocking to see, if you visit the area.
We can debate specific cost areas like groceries, & insurance, & cities (Boston) vs. rural areas (W. Mass) ad nauseum. Here's an aggregate of ALL costs by state:
Florida destroys New York, & is only 1 notch below Mass., even though Mass taxes are insanely high
Conclusion:
-Florida has way lower taxes
-Florida has way lower cost of living (taxes aside)
-Florida schools rank high (higher learning #3, prep #16)
Florida has lower wages because our economy is very unique...hardly any manufacturing or energy jobs...we like it that way, its keeps our environment cleaner than places up North.
Our wages are increasing due to all the financial sector jobs moving down from Wall Street to Miami, but it will take decades to catch up. Most people who move to Florida have jobs, or have a lot of stored wealth, so they don't need any job here....42% don't work here...don't need to.
Summary:
Florida isn't #1 in every human existance category, but it is #1 when they are all taken as a whole...but not for everybody....just those w/ jobs that match our needs, & those affluent enough to handle slightly above average cost of living expenses.
Florida would not have grown to the 3rd most populated state, & the most visited state, if it wasn't a nice & affordable place for many (not all) to live. Some come, then leave....fine, its a free country and not everyone can make it here. Florida is no longer below average in cost of living like it was for 50+ years, its now slightly above average, & still rising due to its popularity.
Is imho...those who criticize FLA, couldn't make it here, or are failing here, or are mad because their neighbors, friends, & family from up North moved here, or plan to move here, which impacts their lives. For others knocking FLA...its political.
No state, or place, can make everyone happy all of the time, but FLA can make more people happy more of the time, than any other state. The misery factor is very high in many other states....but not FLA
That’s an honest summary of Florida! You should do them for the other state boards too, they normally have so much spin and bs and it’s true, FL can make more people happy. One of my biggest happiness factors is how clean this state is. The misery factor in the PNW was huge trash plies in all the homeless camps. I never saw so much garbage in town, roadside, plus four of my neighbors threw a mattress in their yards. Down here, my yard is the only one that’s full of debris, but our renovation is winding down and one more dumpster should do it. FL is a clean state, roads, towns, neighborhoods.
Spouse was amazed he paid eight dollars for a dozen eggs in the store yesterday, but if more large grocery chains come down here, the competition should help. Overall, FL has more way positives than negatives.
Commuting for that higher wage, lets just imagine 2 hours a day on the train. 10 hours a week/520 hours a year. Did you factor that into your higher wage?
What state is paradise when you lose your job? What if your house burns down from a fireplace accident? What exactly is the safety net up north for either of those scenarios? Non sequitur argument.
Insurance is an issue in Florida with companies leaving the market and the recent storms ringing up the losses for the companies that are insuring the market. What's the cost of heating oil right now? If you add your heating oil to your insurance cost up north does that exceed what you pay for insurance in Florida?
I'd rather live in Jacksonville than Western Mass and commute an hour each way.
Yes because driving in Florida is such a breeze… Floridians never have huge traffic jams, reckless endangerment, annoying toll roads.
Florida has 4 freeways I-75 I-10 I-95 and the Eyesore and then a few supplemental freeways but very few ways to move people around due to Florida’s shape on top of Florida’s millions of people. Please commute from St Pete to Tampa or anywhere in Miami and tell me how exactly that’s better than a train. That hour commute on the train you can catch up on the latest episode of your favorite TV show or work or whatever but that hour commute in Miami spent memorizing the license plate in front of you because all you are allowed to safely do is focus on the road and traffic conditions? Tell me which one exactly is a better use of time and your health and also costs less?
I’d rather spend more time commuting if I’m allowed to destress like read or listen to music rather than a same amount of time or slightly less in a high stress congestion zone focused on making sure to avoid some moron who refuses to abide by some painted lines on the ground or signage and collides their thousands of pounds of metal into my thousands of pounds of metal.
Florida has higher transportation costs when you factor in car prices gas and car insurance, did you factor that in to the wage too?
Posters who knock FLA often use absolutes...like "FLA never has traffic jams". Of course FLA has traffic jams, but the traffic overall in FLA is nowhere near as bad as most other states. NYC, Boston, LA, & DC all have worse traffic than Miami.
The proof is with the millions who have moved to FLA from elsewhere, making it the 3rd most populated state, and the amount of snowbirds & tourists that visit FLA (#1 in tourism).
Those who criticize FLA are entitled to their own opinions, but they are grossly outnumbered by 22M residents, & 105M annual visitors....they are not buying, what Florida's detractors are selling.
Those who criticize FLA are entitled to their own opinions, but they are grossly outnumbered by 22M residents, & 105M annual visitors....they are not buying, what Florida's detractors are selling.
Florida has lower wages because our economy is very unique...hardly any manufacturing or energy jobs...we like it that way, its keeps our environment cleaner than places up North.
the mental gymnastics people try to do to justify low wages.
the mental gymnastics people try to do to justify low wages.
The low-skilled service-sector workers who choose to work here in FLA, are willing to earn low wages to live in paradise, & us Floridians appreciate them greatly.
Nobody is being forced to stay here, & nobody is being forced to work for wages they dont agree to.
Facts can be hard for some to deal with, & some have axe's to grind for reasons they won't reveal, so I endeavor to save the saveable. Some people choose to be unhappy I can't save them.
FLA has one of the best state economies in the USA, w/ massive surplusses, & wealth....highest Bond Ratings of all states, pensions 83% funded...Florida is the envy of nearly every other state.
Where are you from, that is so much better overall than FLA...do tell. What are that states finances like?
I started a thread as a public service announcement titled "WARNING:Florida's low-skilled service-sector jobs pay is very little" so people can be aware of our unique service-sector economy's low wages. Nobody is trying to mislead anyone.
We like it just the way it is...very few smoke spewing factories, or oil refineries...we have a very clean environment...having a smaller carbon footprint than manufacturing states...cleaner air & cleaner water than nearly every other state. FLA ranks #1 in its natural environment.
Florida has higher transportation costs when you factor in car prices gas and car insurance, did you factor that in to the wage too?
In my experience, it is less expensive to own and operate a motor vehicle in Florida than it is in Connecticut or Rhode Island.
Urbanized areas in Connecticut and Rhode Island usually have higher motor vehicle insurance premium rates than Florida. Additionally, the cities and towns in Connecticut and Rhode Island have historically imposed personal property taxes on motor vehicles. Florida does not impose this tax (and never has). However, over the past few years, Rhode Island has phased out this tax, which will bring much-needed relief for motorists in that state, especially those who enjoy driving newer and/or more expensive vehicles. And for the record, motorists in Connecticut and Rhode Island are/were required to pay personal property taxes on their motor vehicles *IN ADDITION TO* sales taxes.
On the topic of fuel and tolls, Connecticut in particular has always had the highest fuel prices in nation (after California and Hawaii), but the state does not have any tolled roads. Rhode Island has relatively low fuel prices (by national standards), but it costs $4 or $5 to cross one or two of the bridges in the state, and if I am not mistaken, all trucks (over a certain size or weight) are subject to tolls on the state's interstate highways.
Then, of course, Connecticut and Rhode Island require emissions and/or safety inspections for all or certain vehicles, whereas Florida does not require either type of inspection for any vehicle registered in the state. And FYI, these tests are not usually free of charge.
That's not even factoring in the added expenses of all-wheel drive vehicles (which always cost more money than front-wheel drive vehicles), winter tires and/or general vehicle wear-and-tear from winter weather conditions, although I will concede that the winters in southern New England are significantly milder in the 2020s than they were 30 years ago.
While many states have red-light cameras, Connecticut and Rhode Island have the added distinction of having speed traps every few miles on their major (and even minor) roads. Motorists are regularly ticketed by law enforcement officers in those states (to a degree I have never, ever observed in any other state, including Florida). Of course, tickets are expensive (upfront) and, depending on the circumstances, may increase your motor vehicle insurance premium rate.
You're forgetting one crucial factor. Moving requires money.
You need money for gas, moving furniture, maybe a stay at a motel, first/last month rent upfront, security deposit, etc. And you should have an emergency fund on top of that. So all in all, you need at least $8-10k in the bank for a move.
If someone is living paycheck to paycheck just to pay rent, that leaves them with very little money to save toward a move.
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I can't save them.
