Cheapest state

[thurps]

Anyone know the cheapest state to live in with all taxes, real estate costs, food, utilities, etc. considered. If California raises it's fees (taxes) and taxes (taxes) as much as is proposed, I'm going to bail. I'm a 4th generation native, love where I live but, I'm not going to sit here until the state takes everything I've worked my life for. Hope this doesn't fall under the "P" word.

 

[JRJ]

Re: Cheapest state

This may be interesting. Isn't Oregon "cheap"?

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: Cheapest state

Tread lightly with this one folks.

 

[Windykid]

Re: Cheapest state

Texas is reasonable.

 

[Bigprairie1]

Re: Cheapest state

Well being a Canadian, I'm not up on California's cost of living vs. other states. However I've travelled a reasonable amount in the U.S and see there seems to be some states that obviously have a lower cost of living.
That said a lower cost of living is often associated with a lower standard of living and less opportunity. So depending on your choice you might find you have a lot less tax to pay and cheap accomodation coupled with next to no opportunity in a possibly depressed area.
What defines an overall good 'combo' I guess would be having some common denominator to base things on. Taxes, cost of housing, opportunity, safe communities, etc. Plus there are a lot of subjective factors such as weather. I'm not sure if the average california would take to a northern michigan or Maine/Vermont winter. On the other hand someone from northern michigan/etc might not take to the cost of living in california.
Tough call...requires an awful lot of homework. I would never move anywhere where I didn't spend at least a month or two trying the 'day to day' living to see how much I like it. Otherwise you get into the ol' grass is greener approach which rarely holds for long.
Good luck tho'.

 

[DJ]

Re: Cheapest state

I've lived in five different states. Michigan, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Minnesota and Arizona.

By far, Arizona is the least expensive, tax wise and other things considered. Yes, there is water here. Plenty of it to boat on.

 

[tommays]

Re: Cheapest state

It is really hard to say haveing lived in Deleware ,Texas,South Carolina,Tenn and New York the longest



My parents moved back to rehoboth beach delaware when they retired and the next thing you know the area was required to put in sewers and that really low tax rate whent UP many thousands of dollars


Long Island is a really high cost place to live BUT i love all the different water on the north and south shores as well as the east end bays and that would be really hard to leave


Tommays

 

[Barnacle_Bill]

Re: Cheapest state

It sure ain't Virginia.

 

[mudmagnet63]

Re: Cheapest state

Oklahoma is very reasonable we recently purchased a 2300 sq ft home for under 60K on 1/2 acre $350 month pymt.. Also depending on what type business you're in, The Oil and gas industry are hiring anyone that want's to work. Avrage starting wage @ $ 20 per hr. With Oil @ $ 100 bbl and no relief in sight we will be very busy for the next 10 years at least. SE Okla is very nice lot's of water, trees, small mountains. Texas is also good no state income tax.

 

[oops!]

Re: Cheapest state

yeah bigparirie...
you got that right...so tough to tell.....lots to weigh....

in my books if you can get in to an area that is about to boom....and you buy land...it can appreciate faster than your annual mortgage prices..you allmost get paid to live there by the increase in real estate value. so thats cheap.

if the land is worth nothing...the jobs are prob scarce...so who cares if you bought 500 acres for 100,000. if your mortgage is 700 a month and you make a thousand......thats expencive!

mud mag looks good with lower real estate and an oil patch boom. just build a wind farm!!!!!!

best of luck to ya eh?

oops

 

[JB]

Re: Cheapest state

Living in a very low cost of living locale with low employment opportunities doesn't attract me much, but still more than a very high cost of living area with very high income opportunities. Here is why: Taxes.

Back in 1994 The parent company of the school I was teaching in offered to triple (That is times three) my salary to move to SoCal and occupy an executive office. I agreed to try it for 4 months.

Four months later I came home and returned to my Hideout, broomcloset and classroom.

Why?? I loved the job and the SoCal weather. The psychological environment spooked me, and the beancounter who estimated my taxes as a "high income" resident had me sit down before he told me what it would cost me to keep the state and the feds paid off. Furthermore, I couldn't find a home I could enjoy for less than a million bux.

Bottom line? I lived better for less as an average income Texan than a big bux big shot in SoCal. Still do, but now I am a low income retiree.

Someone figured out that Austin, Texas has the lowest cost high standard of living of any city in the U.S.. I think rural Texas is even better for less.

Afterthought: oops! is correct about buying land. There is an oil and gas boom here, too. The Hideout (120 acres) is now worth about 900% of what we paid for it in 1990.

 

[Hoss the Hermit]

Re: Cheapest state

It sure ain't Maine

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Cheapest state

Florida has no income tax. far cheaper than CA.

 

[MikDee]

Re: Cheapest state

Maybe Pa. It seems to be cheap living here, taxes, & electric, aren't bad, or Tenn. I heard there's no state taxes there. Would you move that far Thurps?

 

[oops!]

Re: Cheapest state

hang in there jb....

my b.i.l turned down a house with a pool and 5 acres in the city (kelowna)

turns out our friends bought it (1995) for 150,000

its now worth 1.5 mill....but it backs on to a golf course and a creek. (city maintained greenway with walking trails)

its in what we call the a l r...agricultrual land reserve. taxes are really low.

he figgures that they are gonna take it outta the alr soon so the gc can build condos...if the do his land is valued at over 10 mill. overnight from when they take it out....

so jb if you hang in there with the hide away youll be driving by thoes high income people in so cal laughin...(if you arent allready)

cheers
oops

 

[thefairlaneman]

Re: Cheapest state

Its for sure not the Charlotte nc area. I think it would be west virginia as long as you dont need to find work there, Houses in certain areas are very cheap.

 

[vandy21]

Re: Cheapest state

This may be interesting. Isn't Oregon "cheap"?

I think Oregon is pretty expensive. I've never lived there, but I stayed there for a few weeks, and there is no sales tax on anything, and I heard they make up for it was heavy property taxes.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Cheapest state

Tread lightly with this one folks.

Shouldn't that be "Don't Tread on Me"

Seriously, if you are in a fixed income just about anyplace is going to be costly if you do not like it. Detroit has the hishest rate of forclosures in the country and I image there are some bargains there to be had but..... why would you want to move there?

VT is taxed to death but if you are willing...... you could cut your own wood for heat and save on fuel..... never really get hot summers......and the cost of living is high.

Compare a kid working at a McD's in NY City to one up here in VT and the NY one makes a ton of money but it is all relevant to the area where you live.

I have lived in NY, VA, MO, VT and I think MO was the least costly of the group.

 

[treedancer]

Re: Cheapest state

Fishing the Missouri Trout Parks

Shh don’t tell anybody about Missouri, keep it a secret.


New home prices.

MO Springfield $168,872.00
MO Kansas City $191,943.00
MO St Louis $254,700.00

http://money.cnn.com/pf/features/lists/hpci_data/index.html



http://www.missouritrout.com/


Like to hike?

http://www.mohiking.com/

I know you like to boat, how about float? Some of the best floating streams around, very family friendly too. Need larger water? Penty of lakes within a few hours drive from anywhere in the state, Need even larger water? Seeing your used to large water being from Ca. and all, a five hour drive up interstate 55 will put you in Chicago they have pretty good size lake there.


http://www.currentriverretreat.com/area_attractions.html

 

[rocky100]

Re: Cheapest state

I agree with windy kid-----texas is reasonable--(although houston is not)