Cost of living in Tampa area

[JakeLewis79]

Might get a chance to transfer south and was curious about the cost of living in the Tampa area. Is it more comparable to Chicago or Des Moines? I don't really want to move if my pay stays the same but it costs twice as much to own a house, eat, live, etc...

I can't wait to get away from Chicago traffic and lake effect snow. They don't mix very well when you're pulling doubles in the winter. Thanks in advance.

[JakeLewis79]

[breuer69]

Having lived in the Tampa area (I still have family and friends there) and in the mid-west I would say that the cost of living in Tampa is probably lower then the Chicago area, and a tad higher then Des Moines.

Also the housing market took a pretty good beating in the Tampa Bay area, so there are some, IMHO, pretty sweet deals on property.

Like all metro areas it has its crime infested areas, and those that are pretty law abiding.

Compared to Nebraska my property taxes were much lower on a more expensive house, however much of that was eaten up by the increased payments to the insurance companies (dang hurricanes). Something else to consider is they don't have a state income tax.

[JakeLewis79]

Thanks for the info. I've been looking at houses there on the internet and have found some pretty good deals. Looking at one now: 4 bed, 2 1/2 bath, 2 car garage, fenced backyard, and inground pool for 110k. Any specific areas/towns to avoid? I wish realtor.com had a "I don't want a house in the ghetto" search criteria.

I think I finally have my wife talked into moving away from IL. Trying to talk them into letting me stay up here until mid November.

[charlesrf600]

Well gibsonton, brandon are really nice. I got a screaming deal on a house in gibsonton. really the best thing here is to come and spend time driving around at houses you like. there are some really nice houses and then you drive .5 miles and you are in the hood. One thing I also learned in my house buying process is man some of those realtor can take some pictures and they are very diffrent in person. If you have an area of intrest let me know and I can check it out when I am out that way.

[JakeLewis79]

Is Port Richey a decent town? Seems like a lot of nice houses going for REAL cheap.

Edit: Also looking at a place in Brandon. By Lumsden Rd and John Moore Rd. Decent neighborhood?

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Last edited by JakeLewis79 : 09-09-2009 at 12:33 AM.

[scagmanf350]

Chicago is a big area with some areas being much more desirable to live in than others which can dramatically change the cost of living. Where you living now in Chicago? That might help your ideas with comparisons of living cost of equal or better living ares in Tampa. Remember location, location, location. Good luck.

[breuer69]

Originally Posted by JakeLewis79

Is Port Richey a decent town? Seems like a lot of nice houses going for REAL cheap.

Edit: Also looking at a place in Brandon. By Lumsden Rd and John Moore Rd. Decent neighborhood?

Port Richey and Brandon are both generally nice places to live, though the commute could be a bi*** from either depending on where you are working. When I lived down there one of the things I did was drive to where I was going to be working at 8am and then to the house I was looking at at 5pm.

If you can, go down and check out both, to make sure the neighbor hoods work well with your lifestyle.

Good Luck!

[JakeLewis79]

I don't live in Chicago, just wanted something for comparison. We have a list of about 10 houses we're interested in. I guess we'll go down there and spend a couple days looking at houses.

[Manatee]

Do it, Jake You will love living on the gulf coast