i couldn’t help but to notice that when i go out for vegetable lo mein in tampa, it costs about half the price of the pint i get at home in fort lauderdale. so why am i supporting pricey lo mein?
searching other threads titled downsizing, i don’t find one which specifically addresses budget items effected by location. the more i study the particulars, the more i find relocation can make huge differences. the extreme example of course is leaving the country for the developing world. but significant savings abound at home.
i posted on another thread the savings i’d realize just on car insurance in different towns where i think i’d enjoy living: daytona saves me $522/year & gainesville saves $686/year. savings magnify when looking at what portfolio is required to generate budgets over time. by the 25x’s rule, this one item reduces a portfolio required to support early retirement by $13,050 to $17,150.
insurance in florida, of course, is a big budget item. here again, price differences are staggering. to www.shopandcomparerates.com/hocomparerates.htm in florida really brings location to mind on cost of living budgets. for just wind insurance (along the coast we require liability, of course, as well as wind & flood), the chart shows my area priced (for “5-year old, florida concrete block home, with a current replacement value of $150,000, a $500 non-hurricane deductible, a 2% hurricane deductible, no claims, and no wind mitigation discounts”) at between $1,731 & 6,370/year. a move to daytona would reduce that range to $913-$1,904 or a move to gainesville reduces costs to between $556-$1,191. huge savings and i haven’t even left the country yet, never mind the state.
reduction to the required e.r. portfolio for a move from fort lauderdale to daytona? somewhere in the $20,450 – $111,650-range just based on wind insurance alone. of course the stores i use, services, professionals, etc. also pay that and pass on to me those costs in their pricing.
even gas varies. according to gasbuddy.com fort lauderdale currently ranges from $3.63 to $3.85/gal. daytona same. gainesville $3.67 to $3.89. but central tampa $3.55 to $3.79.
i do not know the accuracy of this www.bestplaces.net/col/ calculator, but it likely at least indicates the difference location makes and it amazes me.
based on all the catagories of food, housing, utilities, transportation and other items like entertainment, restaurants, clothing, i found only two florida areas, naples & key west, more expensive than fort lauderdale.
the savings are significant: cape coral (cheaper by) 15.3%; daytona or gainesville 26.6%; jacksonville 25%; lakeland 29%; palatka or pensacola 30.6%; even sarasota 11.3%; tallahassee 25%; tampa 23.4%.
now for a few road trips to find the best lo mein.
(i'm working specific budgets for relocation within florida and also for vagabonding in different countries. very difficult locating cost of living information on specific items of living. would appreciate anyone with such information listing it here. my interests are mostly central & south america & se asia though it would be good to see any & all areas.) (also is it possible to copy/paste spreadsheeted info onto a post?)
