Can we afford to live in FL

[Fancy-Schmancy]

We are in a similar situation and have determined that we can indeed afford to live in Orlando esp. without a mortgage eating up so much of our living expenses.

Disney Annual Passes are not inexpensive...but consider how often you'll use them. The same for any of the other parks. If you are big fans, or have lots of visitors who will want to go, the AP's are a deal. They offer quite a few 'perks' esp. the Premium passes, like free parking.

Disney also offers some Florida Resident discounts as well as Epcot after 4.

Here's a breakdown:

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/fl...older-program/

[merriweather]

Originally Posted by LookingatFL

Hi Everyone,

I have been searching the board but cannot find an answer to this:

My husband and I are ready to retire. We are thinking about moving to Clermont, Altamonte Springs, Lake Mary, Longwood or Deland area. We would purchase a small home with a pool with the proceeds from the sale of our current home. We would not have a mortgage. We would have a budget of approximately $55,000 to live on annually ($4,600 per month). This would have to cover all of our expenses in Florida. We also have two dogs. The dogs are labs. We are pretty much homebodies. We like to go to the movies occasionally, we would get an annual pass to one of the theme parks, we would like to eat in a family-style restaurant once a week. If possible we might take some driving trips, maybe 1 a year.

Would $55,000 be enough for us to have a comfortable modest lifestyle?

Not sure if you are considering a 55+ community ( most have private pool options but these cost more, of course and dog size is limited in a few) or what type of neighborhood? But be sure to investigate HOA fees for your budget. The other expense to be really sure about is healthcare insurance. Is $55k gross or net? The great thing about Central FLA, IMO, is there is so much to do & see that is free. And ya don't need tons of $$$ for that!

[beckycat]

Yes, more than enough

[totsuka]

Yes, that is more than adequate to live on and you should be able to save some money too for a hurricane fund (in case your home is destroyed or damaged by a hurricane).

[JohnMac1981]

Yes, you sure can

[voxelized]

Florida is cheap-ish but odds and ends do add up - tolls, higher home/flood/hurricane insurance, pool maintenance, etc.

The biggest expense regardless will be healthcare. If that's set, Florida is golden.

[mizzoujohn]

Central Florida is cheap- like, midwest cheap. I have a mortgage and live like a king on 45k.
John