advice re other costs beyond rent : Ie utilities... (Palm Beach: sales, renter)

[nycamberlady]

Hi
My sister and I are betwixt and between as we consider our relocation to possible Del Ray beach area. Family on west coast of florida is pressuring us to rent in SouthEast Florida before making purchase decision.. and it is beginning to make sense as I have never lived anywhere but New York blah blah blah. I'm speaking to some agents, but can someone savy give it to me straight??
When I look at a three bedroom condo for $ 1500 what other expenses will I have.. can anyone give me ball park? I have never enjoyed central air before.. but what will it cost me there for utilities each month.
say 1500 s quare feet. and then, I assume I will have renter insurance for possessions: what else, can ayone help me out ?
I have owned for thiry years, renting goes against my grain as does moving once more ! UGG but
my income is dropping significantly and I need to get a realistic figure.

(Here, when we r ent an apt, we only pay for gas/elect.
But if we rent a house, we have to pay for heat too usually.
But insurance for the house itself, structure is the landlord's responsibility )

thank you

[Swimmom32]

Originally Posted by nycamberlady

Hi
My sister and I are betwixt and between as we consider our relocation to possible Del Ray beach area. Family on west coast of florida is pressuring us to rent in SouthEast Florida before making purchase decision.. and it is beginning to make sense as I have never lived anywhere but New York blah blah blah. I'm speaking to some agents, but can someone savy give it to me straight??
When I look at a three bedroom condo for $ 1500 what other expenses will I have.. can anyone give me ball park? I have never enjoyed central air before.. but what will it cost me there for utilities each month.
say 1500 s quare feet. and then, I assume I will have renter insurance for possessions: what else, can ayone help me out ?
I have owned for thiry years, renting goes against my grain as does moving once more ! UGG but
my income is dropping significantly and I need to get a realistic figure.

(Here, when we r ent an apt, we only pay for gas/elect.
But if we rent a house, we have to pay for heat too usually.
But insurance for the house itself, structure is the landlord's responsibility )

thank you

S. Florida is quite expensive...electricity can run 125.00 a month we rented a 3 level townhome, there is no gas so everything runs on electric...cable, phone, internet without movie channels 178.00 with taxes, water that will depend, renters insurance, car insurance wow that was a sticker shock for us coming from NJ lol higher in S. FLORIDA.....cell phone bill...

all utilities will be your responsibility....

[071402]

My two cents -

Try to rent a place that has GAS. We have and it's not only great for cooking, but so CHEAP.

Our cable bill in Pbg - Comcast almost free due to the fact it is included in the community (hoa).

Our electric bill (2 story rental) is about $90 a month when A/C is run. Sometimes less. Feel free to dm me anytime , GL

[City Guy997S]

Originally Posted by 071402

My two cents -

Try to rent a place that has GAS. We have and it's not only great for cooking, but so CHEAP.

Our cable bill in Pbg - Comcast almost free due to the fact it is included in the community (hoa).

Our electric bill (2 story rental) is about $90 a month when A/C is run. Sometimes less. Feel free to dm me anytime , GL

The natural gas thing is rare in south county (Delray is where OP is asking about). Also note your "almost free cable" is basic cable and probably doesn't include internet. The OP may have a separate water bill ($20-30 a month).

A lot of people feel food is more expensive here due to the Publix monopoly but I don't have a reference point on that.

[Swimmom32]

Originally Posted by City Guy997S

The natural gas thing is rare in south county (Delray is where OP is asking about). Also note your "almost free cable" is basic cable and probably doesn't include internet. The OP may have a separate water bill ($20-30 a month).

A lot of people feel food is more expensive here due to the Publix monopoly but I don't have a reference point on that.

Yes that is what I forgot lol

Publix and food shopping Holy Crap I thought charlotte was expensive, moved to S Florida and I couldnt believe how much food was...we knew things were expensive wasnt a big deal for us, but that for 1 was something I wasnt prepared for...

I have saved about 150.00 so far in Jersey compared to S Florida

[tjarado]

I would budget around $100 for cable with HD boxes (2), high speed internet, buy your own modem, and forget phone - get a Magic Jack instead.
Budget $60+ for water/sewer/garbage pickup.
Depending on your need for A/C budget $50-$100 or more for electricity. Install LED lights whenever possible.
Renters insurance should be nowhere near full homeowners, which can be pretty expensive at ~$2400/year for a 2/2 villa.
I came from LI so the food is about the same but my auto insurance went down by a third. Go figure.

So ~$300/month is a good ballpark figure, IMHO.

[071402]

I thought PUBLIX was really HIGH too when I first shopped in it. Then, when I started being more careful, watching their sales, getting the two for ones, using the on line sales paper, I found really great prices there. AND LOVE their quality. LOVE. You just have to watch a bit. Whole foods is too pricey in Palm Beach, imho. Need a T Joes nearby and ANOTHER BOYS in north palm beach area.