FL is now one of the least affordable states in the USA.

[OrlandoDem2]

This shoots a hole in the claim that teacher wages, and those of so many others, can be lower due to the low cost of living. NOT!! If you’re thinking of trying to move here due to low cost, think again.

http://www.fox35orlando.com/news/mobile-app-news-feed/study-florida-is-one-of-the-least-affordable-states-in-the-country

[Funtatlaguy]

1. But there's no state income tax. Heavens to Betsy.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

2. EVERYTHING is taxed when it comes to Sales.

As are other taxes thst hit the poor the hardest.

[Zorro]

3. Property tax rates are higher than California's

[The Genealogist]

4. It was expensive, relative to what I was used to, when I lived there in the 00s

I lived in Florida from 2003-2009, moving there from SW Missouri. I lived in Tallahassee, hardly "vacation Florida." For what I paid for a beautiful two story 1920s duplex in a charming neighborhood in SW Missouri, I got a trashy two bedroom apartment in a terrible area there. Food, utilities, basically everything was markedly more expensive. There were aspects that I liked, like a far more diverse and liberal population, but between the humidity and the cost of living, it was just not worth it to me.

[FBaggins]

5. Many who move there are from more expensive states nt

[CaptainTruth]

6. I guess they're comparing wages to cost of living.

Moving to FL from the SF Bay Area, everything is a lot cheaper in FL.

To buy a house like my FL house, on the water with a boat dock in the back yard, anywhere near San Francisco I would have had to add $2-$3 million to the purchase price. Property taxes & homeowners insurance are much lower. Gas & electric average around $60-$80 a month instead of around $300 for most people. Sales tax is 2.25% lower. And of course instead of paying $4,000+ in state income tax I pay $0.

I guess it's only affordable if you come from one of the most expensive places in the US.