Moving Tips?? :) (Tampa, Lutz, Winston: real estate, rental, insurance)

[AlisonBlack89]

Hello! I am currently living in Lutz, and am seriously considering moving to North Carolina. Other than the weather and having state tax, can anybody give me some input on differences regarding real estate, pay, etc.? I am going to be an RN when I graduate from school, and my fiancé is an assistant produce manager at Publix. (They're putting Publix up in NC now! ) Any tips or input would be greatly appreciated!

[stpeteguy]

Wouldn't your question be better suited to the North Carolina forum?

[AlisonBlack89]

I did post to the NC forum... but I thought perhaps some people from FL might have some input on differences. :/

[gulfer]

Sorry you have to get blasted on one of your very 1st posts to City Data. Some people just enjoy making negative comments without providing any decent information.

I have never lived in North Carolina, but have many friends that do. But most of my experience is from extreme Northern North Carolina (the Virginia Border). Most lived there because cost of living, taxes (property, sales, and state) were lower than Virginia and you could get a whole lot more house with some land for the price.

Here is a Cost of Living Calculator that CNN had. If it doesn't show up, just Google the phrase "Cost of Living Calculator" and it will allow you to compare two places. It doesn't catch everything, but it is a good tool

Cost of Living Calculator: Compare the Cost of Living in Two Cities - CNNMoney

[Tim Tim Tim]

My wives cousin lives in charlotte NC and we visit from time to time. Housing is much cheaper there than it is here.. MUCH cheaper. From what I understand ( my industry atleast) pays about the same as here. With that said, salary to cost of living would be better there.

As far as where is better, that's debatable. Its nice to have seasons there but you really dont have beaches like you do here, they have mountains but nothing like out west. Where we go seems pretty racially diverse but (dont mean to sound racist here) most of the black and spanish people we no where near as ghetto as you typically see here (this is just a generalization, sorry if it comes off as racist, just the way I see it).

[Sunscape]

Welcome to this forum Allison.

You are getting some answers from some of the regular posters here.

[Cleverbeetle98]

I work in healthcare and I actually applied for jobs in both FL and NC and did some decent research on COL. For me, the pay rates offered/posted were overall lower than national averages in both places. Funny enough the rate I make now I had to fight for here and NC wouldn't even consider interviewing me based on that rate...so they tend to pay a little less on the average. Pretty sure insurance doesn't cost quite as much in NC as it does here in FL.

As far as renting goes, NC isn't dirt cheap, but with 2 of you NC will mostly likely be cheaper. I just read an article that listed Tampa as one of the top 5 or 10 cities with rising rent costs - and I believe it. An equivalent 1BR in NC would cost me at least $100+ less than in FL (just from looking at rental websites and based on my preferences/tastes). This in addition to shorter/less commute, cheaper insurance, ect and my costs would most likely be lower in NC. Not sure I would be able to make quite as much however.

Have you ever visited NC? You can run the numbers as much as you want, but nothing beats experiencing the new location. Also, as I'm sure you've heard many times, nursing jobs aren't as easy to come by as schools try to let you believe. So before you get your heart too set on a move, make sure you're checking out the job market. (And for your fiance...make sure he can get a transfer!)

[Kaybri73]

I just moved here from NC 2 months ago and I can tell you it all depends where in NC you are looking at. Eastern Coastal NC is so much different than Western NC in the mountains, Charlotte is different from Raleigh ....its like comparing apples and oranges. Do you have an area you are looking at? If so I might be able to give you some better input.

[AlisonBlack89]

Wow, you guys are so kind! Thank you so much for all your information! It makes things a lot easier with my decision making! I definitely plan to visit there myself, to get the feel of everything. I know it sounds silly to discuss NC on a Tampa forum, but I've talked to a LOT of people that live here now that came from NC, and I feel like I get the best info from those kind of people! I've lived in Tampa for almost 20 years now, and in FL my whole life! I feel like moving somewhere, especially up north, would be a huge step for someone who has never experienced real winters before!

As for where I'm looking- Cary, Winston Salem, Charlotte, and Asheville (Leaning mostly towards Asheville!) are where the new Publix stores will be.

[lavender]

We have a home in NC , Cary, as my husband's job is based there. Cary is (or was) voted best small town in USA to live in and its really lovely. I think once you are outside the metro areas like Charlotte/Raleigh its a bit country. Its a beautiful state with interesting geography/topography. YOu can go from mountains in the west to the lovely outer banks.
The RTP (Research Triangle Park) in Raleigh is the largest of its kind in the USA and has many high tech companies. The 3 major unis in Raleigh Durham area have major medical facilities, and therefore they must have ancilliary staffing requirements. However Tampa Bay area has major medical providers too. Even though Publix is not huge in NC, they have great supermarket chains too, Harris Teeter etc and I am sure they will pick up staff with good retail experience.
Wish yougood luck with wherever you land.