pennsylvania native (Pittsburgh, Lebanon, Dormont: apartment, rent, insurance)

[libbym]

i was born in carnegie pa. had a wonderful family and loved living in pa. I graduated from Carnegie High School in 1961. I met a guy who was in the Air Force stationed at a radar site in Oakdale Pa. We got married at my church and when he was finished with his tour of duty we moved to Tucson,Az. He left for the Air Force from Tucson and had been working for Mountain Bell telephone company. his job was secured for him to return to when he finished his tour of duty. we had three daughters-divorced i have never been able to adapt to the extreme heat and dryness here. i am not a desert lover. i have been employed at a ford dealership here for 29 years. i have a brother and his children and grandchildren back in pa. my youngest daughter and grandaughter live with me. she has been to school to be a medical assistant but cant even get a job in that field here. the majority of the medical office jobs here require you to be be BI-LINGUAL to be employed even if your qualifications for what are required for the position or even surpass those of the person who is bi-lingual. my daughter has not been able to find a job here even looking outside her field. my granddaughter is eight years old. my other two daughters dont like it in tucson either. tucson is not a very good place to raise children because of the transient population, bad schools,low family values,etc. i have wanted to move back home for a long time for my sake and my familys well being. now at this point in my life i dont know if i can afford to make such a move,if i can find employment at my age, be able to buy or rent a home,get my daughter and grandaughters lives going. i have 401 savings but dont know exactly how much such a move will cost me. all i know is i dont think i can live in this city for much longer. the politics, the way the city is run, and how legal residents are treated is beating me down.

[Goinback2011]

I moved back to Pittsburgh from Tampa in March and am settling into a townhouse the last few weeks. I grew up in Dormont and Mt. Lebanon and lived in Tampa for 20+ years. Most of those were happy years, but the city and state really went downhill in the last 5 years or so. I found I really wasn't happy with the climate, congestion or corruption.

Moving wasn't cheap but it was possible: I sold a house in Tampa, applied for jobs in Pittsburgh (secured one here), moved in with family for a couple weeks, then rented a furnished apartment while I looked around for a house.

There are the costs of selling and buying a house, plus moving your stuff, etc, but for me it has been worth it. I bought a townhouse because I don't want to deal with yard and snow maintenance. It's nice here.

I still have a couple sisters left in Florida who are now talking about making the move back to Pittsburgh. They're getting their notices of increase in homeowner's insurance, the statewide megascam, and are calling it quits down there. Luckily there are still people from the NE moving to Florida, or they would be stuck.

My best advice is make a plan. Detail how much it will cost to move and figure out how to make that work. Be realistic about costs.

Housing is still dirt cheap in Pittsburgh. If you have some equity in your current house, that should help with the move. As for work, there are loads of medical jobs here, at least for now, but your daughter will be starting at the bottom without any experience. Wages are lower here too. Jobs for those over 65? I don't know how plentiful they are. One thing you'll notice here is the dearth of small retail businesses compared to the sunbelt. Maybe think about starting your own small business.

Good luck and try to stay positive.

I think there's a reason we're all hearing the siren song. It just hasn't been revealed yet.

[Hopes]

As Goingback said, it will be much easier if you have equity in your house. Since housing is more expensive in Tucson, you should have some extra equity to help make the move. Moderator cut: link removed, competitor site
cost of living calculator says that housing is 41% cheaper in Pittsburgh. That means you can buy a house here for 41% less than what you sell your house for there. That 41% savings can be used to pay for the move.

Put it this way. Say you own a house worth 200k in Tucson. 41% of 200k is 82k. 200k - 82k = 118k. If you buy a house for 118k in Pittsburgh, you'll have roughly 82k left over. (Actually less than 82k because of closing costs, etc., but you'll definitely have some money left over if you buy the right property in Pittsburgh.) That extra money can be used to start a new life in Pittsburgh.

Also, I've seen many people sell everything they own instead of paying to move it all across country. They buy new furniture, etc., when they get here.