Property taxes in Ohio are high compared to other states

[wrightflyer]

Originally Posted by warren zee

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We felt WAY more cultural differences in North Eastern PA than we do in NE Ohio - as compared to NY.
Better shopping. Restaurants are plentiful and not only chains. Fairly suburban lifestyle more similar to Nassau County than Suffolk (But there are Suffolk type places in NE Ohio) women who are upper middle class or middle class take care of themselves - hair, nails,fashion. Golf and riding are popular.

Homes look similar. From mid century, to 1920s to newer subdivisions.

PA was different. Odd. And the people were just not friendly.

I've felt the same way when driving around Beachwood and Shaker Heights. Much like certain parts of Nassau County and other inner-ring suburbs of NYC and inner parts of Westchester County. It probably stems from both being developed around the same time period. This applies mostly to the eastern-side of Cleveland more than the western-side, which I've always heard reflects a more Midwestern vibe.

Cleveland is an interesting metro.

[Fae31]

I've lived all over US including NC and currently live in OH. Sorry, OH is wayyy cheaper. I save on average about 2000 a year when all is said and done, even when I owned my own home here in OH and paying property tax. Will never go back to NC or any Southern state. Cost of living in the South is outrageous.

[residinghere2007]

Originally Posted by Fae31

I've lived all over US including NC and currently live in OH. Sorry, OH is wayyy cheaper. I save on average about 2000 a year when all is said and done, even when I owned my own home here in OH and paying property tax. Will never go back to NC or any Southern state. Cost of living in the South is outrageous.

I agree with this. I moved back to Ohio from GA and IMO the south is much more expensive than Ohio.

I actually make over $20k more per year in Ohio than I did in the south primarily due to Ohio's wages in general being higher because we are still a "union" state. We needed 2 incomes to live comfortably in GA. In Ohio we only need one, but still have 2 and so in many ways I actually feel "rich" compared to what I was lol.

Food in Ohio is cheaper IMO. Utilities in Ohio is cheaper IMO (especially water, I lived in Atlanta and our water bills averaged $100 a month, some months they were $200 and once we had a $500 bill for one month of water, I pay maybe $400 a year for water in Ohio). My electric bill here is cheaper, you don't use as much AC and gas in Ohio is cheaper in the winter than electric in the south. In GA there are a lot of "all electric" houses. Our electric bill in winter (from Dec through Feb) was over $400 a month for those 3 months. Though I will state I think that is because we had a poor furnace, which was crazy to me because we moved into our home when it was only 3 years old and still had those high electric bills. The summer average was about $250. My electric averages in Ohio about $60 a month year round. In winter my gas bill for heats is about $125 (we have nearly new gas furnaces) and it is usually only $30-$40 for gas outside of winter.

The property taxes actually were lower though in GA, however. Our property tax bill was about $1200 a year (did not include the $500 a year trash fee though). In Ohio our property tax on the house we live in is $1400 even though our house here is worth half as much as the one there.

[ohio_peasant]

Originally Posted by residinghere2007

I agree with this. I moved back to Ohio from GA and IMO the south is much more expensive than Ohio.

I actually make over $20k more per year in Ohio than I did in the south primarily due to Ohio's wages in general being higher because we are still a "union" state. We needed 2 incomes to live comfortably in GA. In Ohio we only need one, but still have 2 and so in many ways I actually feel "rich" compared to what I was lol.

Food in Ohio is cheaper IMO. Utilities in Ohio is cheaper IMO ...

The property taxes actually were lower though in GA, however... .

It stands to reason that skilled labor garners more remuneration in Ohio than in the South. But costs vary highly between individuals. A frugal retiree living on substantial stock-dividends, could find that state/local income taxes completely dwarf all other variations in expenses from state to state - and for such a person, it is irrelevant that prevailing wages are higher in one region of the country, than in another. A person living in rural circumstances, using a well/septic and depending on propane for heating (as opposed to public utilities), might find that the cost-comparison of utilities to be exactly backwards.

To reiterate, Ohio's costs - be it taxes or utilities or the price of food/gas - are not outlandish, and are markedly cheaper than in the notoriously high-tax/high-cost parts of the country (California, Massachusetts, NYC,...). But they are no bargain either. I'd not want to live in [most of the] South for cultural reasons, but in my personal situation, a comparable lifestyle in the South would be cheaper than in Ohio. Others may well find exactly the reverse.

[residinghere2007]

Originally Posted by ohio_peasant

It stands to reason that skilled labor garners more remuneration in Ohio than in the South. But costs vary highly between individuals. A frugal retiree living on substantial stock-dividends, could find that state/local income taxes completely dwarf all other variations in expenses from state to state - and for such a person, it is irrelevant that prevailing wages are higher in one region of the country, than in another. A person living in rural circumstances, using a well/septic and depending on propane for heating (as opposed to public utilities), might find that the cost-comparison of utilities to be exactly backwards.

To reiterate, Ohio's costs - be it taxes or utilities or the price of food/gas - are not outlandish, and are markedly cheaper than in the notoriously high-tax/high-cost parts of the country (California, Massachusetts, NYC,...). But they are no bargain either. I'd not want to live in [most of the] South for cultural reasons, but in my personal situation, a comparable lifestyle in the South would be cheaper than in Ohio. Others may well find exactly the reverse.

I honestly thought it would be cheaper in the south, which is one of the reasons I stayed as long as I did. I found out it wasn't and I'm still happy when I get low utility bills here in Ohio lol. My son thinks I'm a nut because I get happy that the electric bill was $29 and some change last month.

And even though I'm not retired, I actually am overly frugal (basically I'm very cheap). I never live in the most expensive home I could afford, for instance. I don't buy name brand stuff and I'm not materialistic nor do I like to go out and spend money on entertainment/socializing like a lot of people.

I lived in the cheapest neighborhood you could buy in while I was in the south. I had a way better quality of life than a lot of people in a similar situation and income-wise due to me being extremely cheap and not "into" keeping up with the Joneses. I am similar since I've moved back to Ohio. I don't have a mortgage here because houses were so cheap, I bought one for cash and put $5k into it to put in a new HVAC system and re-wire some rooms. I never have a car note/loan because I don't believe in buying cars on credit (I didn't have a car note/loan in the south either). I have very low living expenses compared to most people, which only include gas, utilities, and food primarily, also sport/activity fees for my kids. Sports/activities are also cheaper in Ohio than what I paid in the south for my kids.

[chip2u2]

Interesting comparisons but largely anecdotal. One thing that stands out to me is the price of admission for wherever you live. I'm talking about if you buy, where do you get the biggest bang for your buck, or better still, spend the least to live in the style you have become accustomed to?

In my long research, I believe nowhere in the south (not even Texas) will you get as much house for the money. A house in Cleveland (where I hope to be in a couple months) will be twice as large and cost half as much for a similar house in a city in the south with similar neighborhoods. The comparisons are easy enough to do on CD to come up with a meaningful comparison.

So, if you live in the south and you want the same sized house with the same quality of workmanship or finishing touches in a comparable neighborhood of houses, you will pay half as much and or better for that house in the south. In other words the cost per square foot is half or better for a comparable home in the north. Wow!! What this doesn't factor in is the size of the yard and if the house has a basement. The basement is a biggie for me, the size of the yard unimportant. If you finance the home and assume you put the same amount down, your principal and interest payment per month could be double in the south. It is true property taxes are half what they are in most big cities in the north but if you consider what you get for your tax dollars, I think many northern cities, Cleveland to name one, you are way ahead in terms of quality of life. In other words, you can see that your tax dollars are working for you.

There are other important factors (weather, politics, health care, public transportation and/or ease of commute) that could be discussed but from the standpoint of finances, in my experience and extensive study of real estate markets, everyone will be financially further ahead living in the north plus enjoy a better and higher quality of living.

If I was an employer or prospective employee, I would stake my future on rejuvenated rust belt cities, notably Cleveland and Pittsburgh - but there are many others. Anyone who has worked or lived in both the north and south, will tell you that the work ethic is better, many cases much better, in the north.

For the record, I have enjoyed living and working roughly half my long life in the north and the other half in the south. Good things can be said about both. When I originally moved to the south (Florida) it was much more affordable but as more companies moved their operations to southern cities, and the big box stores expanded everywhere, and more and more baby-boomers retired, real estate prices have skyrocketed - in all price ranges. Taxes have gone up along with higher home valuations and millage increases. Utilities have jumped which is common in areas that are growing and have expensive initial infrastructure needs. Growing areas have growing pains - the biggest are rapidly rising taxes or fees. Northern cities have maintenance costs to cover but road repair is cheaper than laying new roads and expanding highways to handle more and more people.

Sorry for the long post - just my anecdotal thoughts.