Regional Cost of Living

[Elbig]

I can say that for me it is considerably cheaper than Massachusetts in almost every respect. Of course, wages are higher in Boston but even taking that into consideration, it is definitely cheaper to live here in Florida than in Massachusetts.

[cfbs2691]

Imo if you're going to move here in a few years, it's premature to look at rental costs.

I say that because in the last 2 years, my rent went up $400.00/month.
This is in South Florida.

[BNBR]

The poster is asking about cost of living but as a police officer. Police here are paid VERY well and all live very comfortably in safe neighborhoods. I have several in my friends and family and they make well above the average wage down here. You could almost argue that police are quite overpaid in South Florida.

It's definitely not a bad profession to get into down here and you won't have to worry at all about cost of living as you will earn more than enough to live comfortably.

[RylieJames]

People probably think that the cost of living in FL is cheap just because it is less expensive than NY/Long Island (which it is). But compared to many other states, it is more expensive. Nonetheless, there are areas in FL that are less expensive than others. Three major pluses for FL: No state income tax, only 6% sales tax (compared to NY's near 9%), and property taxes are much lower (compared to NE states).

I've lived in Miami/Dade, Broward (Coral Springs/Coconut Creek/Margate), and PBC (Boca). Here are my impressions:
Miami/Dade: if you want to live in a safe area, it will be expensive. There are cheap areas, but the crime rate is high and you may very well get robbed at gun point. Not exaggerating. I've had this happen to numerous friends/neighbors. There are really nice areas too. They are more expensive--either nice gated communities or fancy high-rises. But, the good areas are right next to the bad ones and you may find yourself shopping at the same grocery store with the seedy thugs. Even the bad areas can be pricy ($800-1k/month for a 1 bedroom).

Broward: Broward is kinda a mixed bag... There are some really nice areas right on the beach and then there are some really dated areas on the beach--sometimes you feel like you went through a time warp back to decades past. Coral Springs is really nice, as is Parkland. Coconut Creek has its good and bad parts. Same for Margate. It seems to have improved over the years. Deerfield isn't a very good area. The nicer areas are more expensive; the not-so-nice areas are cheaper.

PBC: Boca is really nice but pricy. You can live more west--further from the beach--for less money. For the most part, it is very safe and quite upscale. I lived there for 15 years and never felt unsafe there--I certainly can't say the same for Miami/Broward. You can rent a 3/2 house in west boca for $1600-2k. If you want a nice 1 bedroom apartment you're looking in the 1k-2k/month range depending on amenities and location.

The west coast of FL is less expensive. My cousin lives in Cape Coral and she loves it there. Property costs are about 2/3 of that in the Boca area.

As you head north to central and northern FL, cost of living decreases. But also, that means your income may decrease as well. It also gets more rural and less metropolitan.