Somewhere to live, that's affordable? (Orlando, Springfield: low income, sale, apartment)

[abfchgirlx]

Hi everyone. We're thinking about accepting a job in Orlando where our net pay would be about 2200 a month (this is one income). We currently survive on a income less then 2200 a month in Springfield Missouri.

I'm thinking that Florida is going to be very pricey, and I want to know what Orlando has to offer in regards to cost of living.

Where can we find a decent family-oriented apartment or homes to rent? We would also want to buy a house, but we don't know the areas and we certainly don't want to live in the dumps.

And groceries, do people shop at Walmart down there? We get all our items from a super walmart up here in Springfield. Our walmarts are extremely nice and well priced. They're better then Dillons, Hyvee, or Pricecutter. We average around 400-350 a month in groceries.

We're looking for a 3 bedroom/2 bath. And we don't want to commute for an hour.

Thanks for your help!

[annerk]

Orlando is pretty spread out, so it's hard to narrow down a housing location without more specifics as to where the job is.

I don't shop at Wal-Mart, many do though.

[Amaro]

Lenders are extremely strict nowadays and if your plan is to try to qualify for a loan with a net income of $2200, you might find that the loan amount you get approved for will only get you in the "dump" areas. I would say a nice house in a decent area might run you about $150k here, you could probably grab something near $120k.

How much are you looking to spend on rent right in Orlando? $800?

[beckycat]

Where is the job in Orlando? Orlando is pretty big. It would be best to live near your work. How much are you looking to spend on an apartment?

I shop at Super Walmart, Save-A-lot, Family Dollar, and Dollar Tree. There's also Aldi. I get all meats when they are on sale at Albertsons. I stock up when things are on sale. IMHO, Walmart is too expensive for meats but Great Value brands are fine.

We live on a low income as well. I have a tight budget and I am frugal. It doesn't mean we can't have fun though. There are plenty free events here.

[kyle19125]

I did a cost of living comparison for you and at a salary of around 30K per year in Springfield you would need 11% more in Orlando to maintain your current standard of living. Worth noting is rent is nearly $200 more on average, $619 in Springfield vs. $803 here based on a 1 bedroom apartment. The cost of energy is higher here also at nearly $200 a month ($191) versus $122 in Springfield. In terms of groceries most people shop at the traditonal grocery chains. Publix is the primary grocery chain, but of course as pointed out all the discount offerings exist here as well such as WalMart, Save-A-Lot, BigLots and Aldi. One can look into the warehouse clubs as well, I recommend BJ's.

Cost of Living comparison calculator