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Thread: id love to live in florida

  1. #11
    Many items are more expensive , bread, milk butter the basics. The cost of electric is so expensive, ie the cost of keeping he pool pump, air con , pool heater in the winter adds up to an electric double my uk bill
    http://www.orlandovillas.com/Villas/625.aspx


  2. #12
    Super Moderator florida4sun's Avatar
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    Petrol is cheaper but you do many more miles a year, plus cars have bigger engines.
    Overall food costs we found about the same as the UK. Eating out is much better value than the UK.
    Colling a house is as costly as heating a house and you don't want to be there without air conditioning.
    Our utility bills were twice what we pay now in the UK and that was 5 years ago.

    <blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by lizziejayne
    i thought food was cheaper and petrol
    when on holiday prices in walmart looked cheaper and surely with good weather you wont need heating on as much
    our utility bills here are very expensive
    [/quote]


  3. #13
    Florida Expert
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    I've lived in the US since the late 80s. And belive me, the cost of living far exceeds the UK. You have free healthcare. You have no idea what a blessing that is until it's gone. You have an infrastructure. It's so easy to jump on a bus in London. Here if you dont have a car you're sunk. Insurance is diabolical! We have huge property insurance rates in Florida. And thats if you can find a company to insure a house here. You in the UK have at least 4 weeks paid vacation each year. Here I get one week. You get months of paid sick leave. Here I get a few weeks. If I get sick I better have savings. The weather? It's the sub tropics! On a good day in July it's 88dgrs with 100% humidity. If your AC goes out all your floor tiles start warping because of all the moisture! And remember you have to run the AC. That means huge electric bills in the summer. Don't get me started on fire ants! Just to watch basic cable and have fast internet in my house costs me over $100 a month. And remember, if you live here you won't be visiting Disney every day. You'll be working. And Americans often have two or three jobs to just hang on to the inflation. Oh, schools! Florida high schools are some of the worse in the country. They are so strapped for cash that PE is now not offered unless you play football, baseball, or are the fastest track runner.
    Sorry to be so negative. But I'm trying to clear your rose tinted glasses. I love it here. But I'm one of the lucky ones. I earn six figures. But I'm currently upside down on my mortgage. (I owe more than my house is worth.)
    Think hard before you leave your home.
    Jeff & Amy Stephens


  4. #14
    Florida Newbie
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    thanks omg is it really that bad? doubt we d ge a visa anyway


  5. #15
    Florida Expert
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    <blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Nina A
    Jayne, all I can say is the grass in the USA may look greener but it sure ain't [msnwink]
    [/quote]Jayne to add to my earlier post, Florida is a fantastic place to visit and you can't beat it as a holiday destination but living there is entirely different [msnwink].


  6. #16
    Gold 5 Star Member
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    FL would not be my first pick to live full time..we got a house there to retire too..and for holidays..trouble with anywhere in the US it is cost..Up North where I live most of the year..my winter gas bill would be around $1200 a month if I used it to keep warm and not just to keep the house above 60 if its below -10 outside..I have to get up and build a log fire and keep it going all day in winter..its a dirty job ...log fires are fine for show..but as a way to keep warm its going back in time..most people here don't use lights just the TV..we burn candles and oil lamps..even then we have bills of around $600 a month in winter for light and cooking.....house INS is the killer mine went from $300 to $2k in one jump..food is the only thing holding steady in my area...along with house prices which are going up..we never had much of a housing bust here..

    Good points are the people..living a different life..good health care if you have the money...schools are not better for education but they are more fun for kids..you can dust yourself off and pick yourself up easier here after a job lose..

    For our area its the great beaches..low crime..free summer camps swimming and sailing for the kids..along with great play areas ...

    If you are for the most part trying to get away from crime bad schools the cost of living or the weather then a lot of the US is not for you...but if you want a different life to try something new an adventure then maybe it is


  7. #17
    <blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by lizziejayne
    i thought food was cheaper and petrol
    when on holiday prices in walmart looked cheaper and surely with good weather you wont need heating on as much
    our utility bills here are very expensive[/quote]You dont need the heating on but you sure need the AC on!!!!
    Roger


  8. #18
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    We have 9.5% unemployment here at the moment. To get labor certification you will have to prove there is no American can do his job, With that kind of unemployment rate you need to be hugely specialised, and find a sponsoring employer who is willing to go all through the expense and hassle.

    You could sell up and buy a business as many do, that may get you an E2 visa, never leads to permanent residence but is renewable every 2 to 5 years. However there are few good businesses around at the moment. Your big problem is your kids. Basically they age out and have to leave unless in education. We bought a kid of just 17 with us six years ago. He is now 23 and has cost around $70,000 to educate because he eventually had to go on an international students visa. He graduates the end of this year, He then has a choice of going home ( except it hasnt been for years and he doesnt know anyone there) and looking for a job, taking his chance on a work based visa ( one in four chance of getting one per year approx even if he can find a sponsor because of the H1B visa capping) or carrying on and doing more expensive education.

    There are two of us and we pay $400 a month to get medical insurance with a $7000 excess. This means we dont go to the doctor because we cant afford to as we have to pay the first $7000 ourselves. The other mans grass is always greener. Whoever thinks this is a cheap place to live has never lived here. Burgers, clothes and petrol are cheap.
    Julie


  9. #19
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    Julie
    Have they changed any of the regs about working once he has graduated? I just wondered because a couple of years ago the UK changed it so that if you had studied here you can then get a Visa to work here for 2 years after graduation. It came just in time for a student from Miami who had lived with my sister here for 3 years, so she did her degree, worked for 2 years, got her Masters and has another year or so left before she returns to the US. I know sometimes these arrangements are reciprocal so wondered if there was any likelihood your son might be able to stay a bit longer?
    Babblin Boo


  10. #20
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    Yep he gets a years OPT ( optional practical training) if he wants it, Steph. It is work experience effectively. However they need to get a job and it has to be in their field of study, ie they cant go work in a shop or something. With 9.5 percent unemployment, there is a problem in getting jobs for new grads here at the moment. One of his best friends is off to teach in Korea having been unable to find a teaching job for a full year now ( she is American and has been unemployed since graduating last summer) Matt needs to find a job in healthcare which may not be terribly easy. I think he is coming back to the UK to do his masters. Much cheaper than doing it as an International Student in the US. A masters in his chosen subject will improve his chances of a job and immigration wise as making him EB2 instead of EB3. But will cost us yet more money.
    Julie


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