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Cape Coral's median rent in under $1000? How old is this article? Lee County, Florida has had the largest rent increases in the entire nation. My mother owns her home there but she still struggles on the measly $1200 a month she gets from Social Security. If you own a home you're going to have expenses: lawn care, pool care (if you have one), taxes, insurance, maintenance, etc.
Cape Coral is definitely not a "cheap" place to live, especially if someone is depending on their SS.
Take Boise for instance. Just because you get "discounted" tuition for college classes and museum entry doesn't make a city economical for retirement.
Cape Coral, Colorado Springs and Richmond? Inexpensive? You gotta be kidding me.
Grand Rapids and Rochester? You'd freeze to death because you couldn't afford the heating bill. Ditto San Antonio for the air conditioning cost.....can you say "hot and humid"?
Dayton and Pittsburg? Who the heck wants to retire to Dayton or Pittsburg?
I have lived in San Antonio for 27 years and can tell you that A/C cost is not that bad at all nor is the cost of living. I only need AC from May until September with August being my highest bill at right under $200 (2100 sq ft home). Winters are so mild, we MAY use the heating 3-4 days. Our property taxes are high but no state income tax helps to balance that out. Day to day living is pretty cheap as is the real estate compared to many, many other parts of the country.
I have lived in San Antonio for 27 years and can tell you that A/C cost is not that bad at all nor is the cost of living. I only need AC from May until September with August being my highest bill at right under $200 (2100 sq ft home). Winters are so mild, we MAY use the heating 3-4 days. Our property taxes are high but no state income tax helps to balance that out. Day to day living is pretty cheap as is the real estate compared to many, many other parts of the country.
Respectfully, I have to disagree with your disparaging Pittsburgh comment.
I don't live there but having visited multiple times I should be happy to do so. Topographically, it is beautiful, with many cultural and major sports activities, fine dining and top notch medical care.
If you haven't been there recently you might be surprised
I have lived in San Antonio for 27 years and can tell you that A/C cost is not that bad at all nor is the cost of living. I only need AC from May until September with August being my highest bill at right under $200 (2100 sq ft home). Winters are so mild, we MAY use the heating 3-4 days. Our property taxes are high but no state income tax helps to balance that out. Day to day living is pretty cheap as is the real estate compared to many, many other parts of the country.
It also depends on how you like your AC.
I live just south of the city and our AC is still running. Not as much but with days still in the high 80s, it can be warm. Yes August is also our highest month.
Strangely, my other half likes the nice cold AC but hates the actual cold, so the heat is on all the time during the winter - lol. Mostly January and February.
Respectfully, I have to disagree with your disparaging Pittsburgh comment.
I don't live there but having visited multiple times I should be happy to do so. Topographically, it is beautiful, with many cultural and major sports activities, fine dining and top notch medical care.
If you haven't been there recently you might be surprised
She wasn't the one that made the disparaging Pittsburgh comment -
A lot of negative comments from people that don't live there. None of the places listed are supposed to be the CHEAPEST place to live! I thought that was obvious. They are just 10 "desirable" places for people that want the location/weather/amenities but may not think they would be affordable, but can be, mainly because the metropolitan AREA is significantly less expensive than the city proper. There are crazy expensive places to live in all the places listed, but relatively easy to live close to very nice places and still be reasonable. I live in Richmond, and have been to Pittsburgh and Colorado Springs plenty of times. Bottom line is there is a lot to do, great amenities, housing around the main city is reasonable while still close to mass transit, and taxes reasonable. In Richmond, one can EASILY buy a condo for under $100k, and a 3 brm/1bth house for under $150 and not be out in the boonies, and still be in nice,
safe neighborhoods with yards etc. My stepson lives in a such a house, in a neighborhood of similar houses and is surrounded by retirees, and he makes a whopping $23k/yr, pays income taxes, so is far less than the average dual (couples) SS income, and has a $620/mo mortgage. Without a roommate to supplement he COULD still get by without much trouble, but wouldn't be able to save much (as wouldn't a retiree). With a paid off house/condo, it is VERY easy to live in decent parts of the Richmond metro area on $1350/mo INCOME TAX FREE in retirement. But like any place, tou have to have a stake to start and get established. If you are penniless, in debt, and JUST have SS income, it is pretty impossible to relocate anywhere! Your income is already spent before you get it. Poor and want to Expat? How do you get there? Plenty of stories of expats stuck in their foreign country because they can't afford to leave it and it wasn't as cheap or nice as they thought it would be.
Respectfully, I have to disagree with your disparaging Pittsburgh comment.
I don't live there but having visited multiple times I should be happy to do so. Topographically, it is beautiful, with many cultural and major sports activities, fine dining and top notch medical care.
If you haven't been there recently you might be surprised
I think you responded to the wrong post. I said nothing about PA. 😀
I live just south of the city and our AC is still running. Not as much but with days still in the high 80s, it can be warm. Yes August is also our highest month.
Strangely, my other half likes the nice cold AC but hates the actual cold, so the heat is on all the time during the winter - lol. Mostly January and February.
Point taken. I think it also depends upon how your home was built. Ours is very high quality and energy efficient.
cost of heating vs cost of AC...............When I retired and moved to the Ozarks of north Arkansas, my Minnesota friends told me I am only replacing a sky high Minnesota fuel bill in winter with a sky high electric AC bill in summer.
Not so !
My heating bills in Minnesota hit $500 a month frequently.
My first summer here was a hot one..........112,107,103,100 and every day in high 90's.
My AC was set at 75 because my wife was in wheelchair with ALS and I wanted her comfortable.
My electric bill for the hottest month was $126.
The old saying that ......"everything balances out regardless where you live"....is not true !
I would encourage you to check out overseas, SG. We retired to So. America a couple months ago on that bare minimum SS check ($1,350) for that very reason, and to get the ocean and mild climate we wanted but never thought we could afford. 2013-built condo for $90,000 on the sand (property tax $40)....something to think about.
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