Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Florida > Jacksonville
 [Register]
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.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 11-11-2011, 01:05 PM
 
Location: Jacksonville, FL
38 posts, read 68,481 times
Reputation: 15

Advertisements

I am finding the cost of living is cheaper here so far.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 11-11-2011, 03:31 PM
 
139 posts, read 353,794 times
Reputation: 62
I was surprised to find out that ALL our insurance is much higher than up north - home, boat, health, auto. Some things are less like property tax and no state income tax. But wages are much less than New England. Then there are items we pay for here that didn't before - HOA fees, pest control, lawn service. All in all, our cost of living is slightly higher at Jax beaches.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-11-2011, 04:54 PM
 
Location: On the banks of the St Johns River
3,863 posts, read 9,461,932 times
Reputation: 3445
Quote:
Originally Posted by islandtimect View Post
I was surprised to find out that ALL our insurance is much higher than up north - home, boat, health, auto. Some things are less like property tax and no state income tax. But wages are much less than New England. Then there are items we pay for here that didn't before - HOA fees, pest control, lawn service. All in all, our cost of living is slightly higher at Jax beaches.
Isn't beach living wonderful? And remember living in paradise cost's more overall.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-11-2011, 07:06 PM
 
Location: Virginia
18,717 posts, read 30,954,453 times
Reputation: 42988
At least you don't have to pay for gas for your snowblower.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-11-2011, 09:15 PM
 
118 posts, read 339,640 times
Reputation: 119
I relocated from Colorado a number of years ago.

Let me preface this by stating that I'm a big fan of JAX. Here are two things that took a bit of getting used to for me:

1) There is significant economic inequality. Part of this stems from the fact the education system is broken with exception of certain magnet schools. People with resources tend to put their children in private schools. JAX has one of the highest private school enrollment rates in the Florida, which unfortunately, perpetuates economic inequality among the populace.

This is hard to overcome, but it has made me appreciate and value education more. We were forced to enroll our children in private school. The cost is offset, somewhat, by low taxes.

2) JAX is spread out and car-centric with very little public transportation. With the exception of a few neighborhoods, you have to get in your car to do just about anything.

To overcome the sprawl, I purchased a fuel efficient car and started driving fast.

Last edited by 904jax; 11-11-2011 at 09:27 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-12-2011, 04:59 AM
 
Location: On the banks of the St Johns River
3,863 posts, read 9,461,932 times
Reputation: 3445
Quote:
Originally Posted by 904jax View Post
2) To overcome the sprawl, I purchased a fuel efficient car and started driving fast.

Doesn't driving fast even in a fuel efficient car, negate somewhat the fuel efficiency?

Next month when we move to Avondale I will be leaving my beloved Ford F-350 King Ranch Crew cab 4X4 gas hog on the farm and replacing it with something much smaller and more fuel efficient. something that actually will fit in Avondale/Riversides tight parking spaces and streets. Not sure what yet, but I am kind of partial to the VW Jetta
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-12-2011, 06:11 AM
 
118 posts, read 339,640 times
Reputation: 119
Quote:
Originally Posted by madcapmagishion View Post
Doesn't driving fast even in a fuel efficient car, negate somewhat the fuel efficiency?
In my case, efficiency is reduced from 32 mpg in mixed driving to about 30 mpg. Compared to SUVs, which aren't particularly safe when driven fast, or at any speed for that matter, it is efficient.

Although it sounds like a joke, picking up the pace has helped me deal with the sprawl. JAX was built for cars with wide, flat roads. If saving time and money is a priority, an efficient car that also handles well, such as a VW or Mazda, is a great way to adapt to JAX.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-12-2011, 08:02 AM
 
Location: On the banks of the St Johns River
3,863 posts, read 9,461,932 times
Reputation: 3445
Quote:
Originally Posted by 904jax View Post
In my case, efficiency is reduced from 32 mpg in mixed driving to about 30 mpg. Compared to SUVs, which aren't particularly safe when driven fast, or at any speed for that matter, it is efficient.

Although it sounds like a joke, picking up the pace has helped me deal with the sprawl. JAX was built for cars with wide, flat roads. If saving time and money is a priority, an efficient car that also handles well, such as a VW or Mazda, is a great way to adapt to JAX.
Cool! I guess when we move next mont it's bye bye Gas hog n hello new nimble gas sipper.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-12-2011, 09:05 AM
 
139 posts, read 353,794 times
Reputation: 62
Quote:
Originally Posted by madcapmagishion View Post
Isn't beach living wonderful? And remember living in paradise cost's more overall.

That's my problem - this isn't paradise for me because we have no family or close friends.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-12-2011, 09:12 AM
 
Location: On the banks of the St Johns River
3,863 posts, read 9,461,932 times
Reputation: 3445
Quote:
Originally Posted by islandtimect View Post
That's my problem - this isn't paradise for me because we have no family or close friends.
Maybe not for you but for a vast majority of people living at the beach would be considered paradise. Family you can't do anything about, but no close friends? Why is that? Beach people are probably some of the friendliest in town. Maybe it's a personal failing. It takes a two way effort to make friends.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
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.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Florida > Jacksonville

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top