Are You All-Around Better Off Financially In Tennessee? (Memphis, Knoxville: car insurance, house) - (TN) - City-Data Forum

LauraC · 03-05-2007, 06:20 AM

For people who have moved to Tennessee (identify if you are currently working full time or are retired) are you better off, worse off, about the same, financially, compared to the state you came from? To what degree (a lot or a little)?

Consider everything, income, taxes, expenses like goods, services and insurance, housing, utilities, etc.

Not looking for people to spill anything about their specific finances, just an overall financial well-being (or not) assessment. This is presuming you lived and worked at least a year in your former state and are still working full time in TN or you were retired at least one year in your former state before moving to TN as a retiree.

For the purpose of this thread, don't want to hear about social/mental/intellectual/cultural plus or minuses of the move--- this is strictly an OVERALL financial feelings question.

JMT · 03-05-2007, 07:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LauraC

For people who have moved to Tennessee (identify if you are currently working full time or are retired) are you better off, worse off, about the same, financially, compared to the state you came from? To what degree (a lot or a little)?

Consider everything, income, taxes, expenses like goods, services and insurance, housing, utilities, etc.

Not looking for people to spill anything about their specific finances, just an overall financial well-being (or not) assessment. This is presuming you lived and worked at least a year in your former state and are still working full time in TN or you were retired at least one year in your former state before moving to TN as a retiree.

For the purpose of this thread, don't want to hear about social/mental/intellectual/cultural plus or minuses of the move--- this is strictly an OVERALL financial feelings question.

I am definitely better off financially in Knoxville than I was in Atlanta or Tampa even though my salary is a bit lower. Because my mortgage, property taxes, homeowners and car insurance premiums are so low, and because there's no state income tax, I actually have more disposable income here.

jenicanoelle · 03-05-2007, 10:23 AM

We are definitely better off here as well. Moved to Memphis from VA but origianally from NJ. We would never have been able to afford the house we have anywhere else, it would have been double the price in VA and 3x plus in NJ. The only thing that surprised me was car insurance being equal here in Memphis to NJ and more expensive than VA. Apparently people in Memphis can't drive

amyevansmom · 03-05-2007, 10:29 AM

WAY better off. I come from Michigan and thought we had it pretty good b/c the economy sucks so bad, there. BUT....boy.....we really have it much better here! Taxes are less, cost of living is less, and we have great job!

mbmouse · 03-05-2007, 12:46 PM

Way better off here than FL! I actually have a higher paying job here than there and I too have more disposable income and do not live paycheck to paycheck any more (that also has a lot to do with the fact I don't have the ex spending $ either anymore! LOL!!!)

joee · 03-05-2007, 02:40 PM

Ok now, stop all this good talk since i'm stuck here in expenseville flatland & can't get out yet, not a single hillbilly around, no one with an accent, the only friendly folk would be my dog, have to drive 50 miles to see woods & hills, this state has been in my pockets so much done wore holes in them & all the five dollar bills old abe lincoln has done went bald and his beard has done wore off.

shame shame shame, enough to make a grown man cry

shadowwalker · 03-05-2007, 05:03 PM

No way. I pay alot more than I did in Wyoming. And the permits and taxes are unreal. My wages are below what they were where we used to live. My wifes wages are about the same. So no, we are worse off.

LauraC · 03-06-2007, 04:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shadowwalker

No way. I pay alot more than I did in Wyoming. And the permits and taxes are unreal. My wages are below what they were where we used to live. My wifes wages are about the same. So no, we are worse off.

Actually, I've always thought of Wyoming as a beautiful state (from photos). Why do you think more people don't choose to live there? I could see if there are not a lot of jobs there but what about retirees? Why don't people from California, for example, choose Wyoming in retirement? I was looking at some photos on the state website and the photos are gorgeous.

alexxx · 03-06-2007, 05:37 AM

Wyoming??? To live??? Well first you need your own GPS system in the event
of one of the many blizzards...............and it does thaw around June....but
pretty, yessss.

JMT · 03-06-2007, 08:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alexxx

Wyoming??? To live??? Well first you need your own GPS system in the event
of one of the many blizzards...............and it does thaw around June....but
pretty, yessss.

You got that right! The coldest I have ever been in my life was while driving on I-80 in southern Wyoming in January of 1980-something while taking a college road trip. I had my car's heater on full blast, there were four of us in the car with our warm bodies, but there was still ice formed on the INSIDE of my car's windows.

And southern Wyoming is not beautiful. I think you go something like 100 miles without seeing a single tree.

With the barren wasteland and bitter cold, I can see why more people don't retire to Wyoming, at least the southern part.