Cost of Living vs wages where you live

I live in Central Florida on the coast. I have lived here for 30+ years. I grew up here. It has changed A LOT. It use to be this quiet small town but now it's overgrown, full of even more tourists, snow birds and bad drivers. Oh and don't forget the horrible traffic now! Anyway cost of living is out of control and the wages are basically the same as they were 18 years ago!



I pay $625 for a 2 bedroom 1 bath. Average for that locally here is $1500! I could write an entire rant thread on my place and my crappy landlord but I won't. I know my rent is cheap but it doesn't come without compromises. Anyway....I have wanted to move for quite some time. I knew moving here wouldn't be permanent so I was ok with the compromises. Well it's been two years and I want out so bad. I am done compromising. So I have been checking the market for rentals. Well let me say how RIDICULOUS prices are! Do these people think others make that kind of money they are asking for? I mean based on the common requirement of making three time the rent, I would have to make $28/hr to afford most of the places for rent! I make $13. I will never make $28, that's laughable. I don't know anyone who makes that much and yes even my degreed friends don't make that much so don't go on about go get a degree. A degree doesn't guarantee a damn thing nowadays.



I work in insurance and I use to work in banking. Well while in both of those industries I saw people's mortgages. So over the years I started to pay attention to their mortgages and what they charged to rent their properties. Some of our clients have a ton of property. I also get to see who the good landlords are too bad I can't afford their properties. I might actually have a good landlord for once.

Anyway......so to afford a place that is $1500/mth you need to make 3 times that a month which is $4500. So you would need to make $1125 a week or $28/hr. Now it's probably more when you factor in taxes so lets go with $30/hr. I'm sorry but if I made $30/hr I would buy a house and nothing fancy either. The one thing I have seen working in both industries is people's mortgage payments. They are not that much. I have had people tell me that what they charge renters pays their mortgage, taxes and insurance. Some though go way above their means and that to me is many people's problem today but that is another thread in itself.......

I have questioned people over the years who rent out properties. I honestly think most people who are landlords shouldn't be landlords. I have only ever had one decent rental experience, the rest well those landlords shouldn't be landlords!

I have a decent job. I mean I think it is. I don't miss banking at all other than the excellent benefits they have. I have NONE where I am now. Nadda, but I really like my job. It's the first job I have had in years I enjoy. I love going to work, even if my co-workers are a bit of a hot mess with their work I still enjoy what I do. I just wish I made more money! I mean the first job I had working in banking I made $10/hr, that was in 2000! I also had an apartment I paid $395 for and a car payment at $200/month. I was 21. I am almost 40 now and I could never afford what I did then, now. I make more yes but EVERYTHING else is doubled or tripled! Wages didn't get so lucky. The average pay here is still $10/hour.

So I make $13/hr and I pay $625/month. Based on standards here I need to make $1875 a month. I make $2080, so yay I qualify! Well NO OTHER PLACE not even apartments are $625/month for a 2 bedroom 1 bath. I live in a duplex, yes it's a bit crapy and needs work but I still have a yard, porch and washer dryer hookup. It's not bad for the price and like I said the compromises werent too bad for what I wanted and needed. I use to live in a really nice apartment complex but it kept going up and now it's about $1065 for the place I use to live in. I couldn't it afford it at the time I was there, now I could. It would be tight but I could do it and I know it would be taken care of. The maintenance there was EXCELLENT! I miss that.

Most people here don't make $13/hour, it's more like $10. That seems to be the go to pay offer for jobs, the ones I look at anyway. I do get more than that because of experience but even then I am making less than I did in banking. We have rent controlled based on income and I apparently make TOO much for those places that are actually more than what I pay now! I do not understand that! I make too much to pay for the ones that are more than what I pay for now? What the heck?! So since I can't get into those I have to find local places or people who rent on their own like I do now. The problem with that are SLUMLORDS! I can't rent via a rental company because I don't meet their financial requirement even though some of the places I CAN afford yet to them I dont' because I don't make what they require. I live on a strict freaking budget.

It is so very frustrating. The cost of living is absolutely nuts here. Oh and the "just move" argument is crap when you can't afford to relocate.

Is housing out of control where you live?

originally posted by: mblahnikluver
Is housing out of control where you live?

Let me give you an idea. The town I grew up in, I used to have a 1br/1ba apartment for $375/month, heat included. From what I hear now, it costs more than $1000/month for that same place, heat not included, and, well, NOTHING has been done to it to make it worth that much.

When I lived in FoCo, my apartment was $750/month, no utilities. That same place is now $1400/month, and that was only upwards of 6 years ago that I lived there.

Where I live now, we pay $780/month, no utilities. The landlords are complete bitches. We fought with them for 4 years to get a new A/C unit, because if the temperature ever got over 80degrees outside, it would stop working. The only reason I got a new A/C is because at that time I worked at a bank, and most of my customers lived here. I spoke with one guy who lived there only a few months who got a new A/C. So people who've never been late with rent, never had issues, never had complaints, y'know, the kind of tenants you would actually want didn't get a new A/C, but some joe-schmo who's barely been there gets a new one.

Well, we've looked around constantly, and as much as I hate to say it......this place is "cheap". Other places around here charge more, and have worse places to live. Scumlords are everywhere, they raise their rent to ridiculous amounts, yet don't do anything to fix anything.

So, yeah, things are stupid all over regarding this topic. : Won't change as long as people need a place to live.

a reply to: mblahnikluver
There is a lot you did not take into consideration.

If the landlord still has a mortgage on the home, they still have to pay the mortgage, insurance, and taxes. They are not going to rent at a lost. Even if they break even on the cost of the mortgage, there is still maintenance and repairs to take into consideration.

Cost of living is rising everywhere. I too am watching my small rural town turn into an overgrown city, with no supporting infrastructure at this time and a ridiculous growth in traffic.

originally posted by: NightSkyeB4Dawn
Even if they break even on the cost of the mortgage, there is still maintenance and repairs to take into consideration.

That's also assuming the landlord will ever do such repairs. I can count on both of my hands how many cooperative landlords I've had, as well as other people have had. Most people have landlords that'll make every excuse in the book to not have to do any repairs. Some people have had to actually take them to court.

In the same town I grew up in, there's an apartment complex that actually got shut down last May for being uninhabitable. There's actually a class-action lawsuit being brought up against the landlord and his family by all the tenants that lived there for years and were removed. The rent at those places was above $1000/month before they were shut down, and trust me when I say this, those places were NOT worth that much.

Here up north in England the working week is 18 hour days 6 days a week, on average we earn two and a half buckets of coal and a crown and two shillings.
The motorised carriage has not made it up here yet so we all use pit pony taxis which only cost a Alf cup of sugar, so that is cheap.
Booze is free because we are northern.
I heard that two villages down Terry the local wood teacher has gotten some new things from the USA.
Shoes! Eeeeee by gum the advancements nowadays.

Rentals are in demand .... So rental prices are up . It's a landlords market . ... Do not move to the Florida keys to rent . It is over the top pricey . 2 bedroom 1 bath is around $2,500 .00 , nothing included . Just to rent a room in a shared house is $1,500. .... Ever since Irma housing is sparse and in demand . People work 2 jobs to pay their rent . ... My advice is to move to another small place like palatka , fl .... Or buy your own place. ... Look for short sales , foreclosure, or tax auctions ..... Better yet , buy a duplex and you can rent out the other side for dirt cheap ... Like $400 all included ...and you can be a landlord everyone wants ! 😀

You are in a tourist community so you will definitely get gouged.

I've have several rental properties and I can tell you that renters can be terrible.
I got a call at 11pm one time because her front door squeaked when she got home....
Taxes and insurance are a bitch too.

$13 sounds awful low by the way. Starting bank tellers make that here in northern indiana.
No experience required.

originally posted by: Necrobile

originally posted by: mblahnikluver
Is housing out of control where you live?

Let me give you an idea. The town I grew up in, I used to have a 1br/1ba apartment for $375/month, heat included. From what I hear now, it costs more than $1000/month for that same place, heat not included, and, well, NOTHING has been done to it to make it worth that much.

That is how it is here!!! It is crazy! Beachside has a ton of rentals for at least $1200 and up. Everyone needs to be redone. I looked at one a couple years ago for $1000. It was a mess! I couldn't believe the guy wanted what he did. Yes my place when I saw it was terrible BUT it was way affordable! So I dealt with the compromises and fixed a few things on my own. The place I rented in 2000 was a 1/1 for $395. It is in a triplex, the middle unit. I believe water was included when I lived there. NOW that same place is $1200! Why? Because it's beachside. Now that place has been upgraded somewhat but the area was basically forced to "beautify" by the city. It does look much nicer but the price is insane to me!

When I lived in FoCo, my apartment was $750/month, no utilities. That same place is now $1400/month, and that was only upwards of 6 years ago that I lived there.

Wow that is crazy.

Where I live now, we pay $780/month, no utilities. The landlords are complete bitches. We fought with them for 4 years to get a new A/C unit, because if the temperature ever got over 80degrees outside, it would stop working. The only reason I got a new A/C is because at that time I worked at a bank, and most of my customers lived here. I spoke with one guy who lived there only a few months who got a new A/C. So people who've never been late with rent, never had issues, never had complaints, y'know, the kind of tenants you would actually want didn't get a new A/C, but some joe-schmo who's barely been there gets a new one.

OH that sucks. I feel you on that! I have window units because the place is from the 50s so no central heat or ac. My living room one freezes over and my landlord just ignores my messages or leaves lame ones saying he had his "guy" look at it. No he didn't! The compressor is going and you can hear it. I will more than likely have it replaced myself because he will just fix it half arse or not at all. You should have seen the place when I moved it. I took pics and video. It looks so different now but i spent 6 weeks cleaning, replacing and painting this place before I could actually move in! When I moved in I REPLACED the kitchen! I had everything ripped out and replaced. The kitchen was disgusting and moldy and just something out of a horror movie! I can't believe they thought that was acceptable, but with there being NO LAWS to protect tenants these idiots get away with these conditions. ALL of my windows are nailed shut because they are old roll out window panels and they are all broken. So what did they do? Nailed them shut! My electrical box is a fire waiting to happen. Last year I offered to help pay 50% to replace ALL the windows here! They said no. NO! I offered to pay half! I figured if I could get a few basic things replaced this place wouldn't be so bad and I could stay here for a while but they just don't care.

My roof is the ORIGINAL flat tar roof from the 50s because it's been in their family forever. Yes it's original and it LEAKS. My place is moldy smelling at times and my walls leak in the hall during a heavy rain. I had no idea it was that bad until it rained hard one night. The compromises are becoming too much and I want a place I feel safe in! I don't here. I worry about fire, the windows being shut and so many things my landlord doesn't care about. My toilet right now won't flush unless you do it 4 times!! It's septic and probably needs a pump. I emailed my landlord and his reply??? He broke his foot and it would be a while. Still wondering how is broken foot has anything to do with a plumber coming to my house. I messaged my friend who helped me with the kitchen. He is a plumber and even put my toilet in, one my landlord did not pay for. I had it put in because the original was broken and cracked with NO lid and the tank lid didn't fit. I did a lot to this place so I get what you are saying about good tenants. I can't stand bad renters who give good ones a bad name. My landlord sent me a pretty rude letter while I was in Europe. I messaged him and basically told him where to stick it and to never speak to me in such a way again. It would take ONE call to the code enforcement here but then I wouldn't have a place to live because they would probably condemn it based on electrical alone. So yea the idiot gets away with no fixing a thing! Oh and he is a high respected city official as well. YEA WELL HE IS A DIRT BAG LANDLORD! I cringed when I saw they named something after him at the library. I just want to tell everyone how terrible he really is. My neighbor lives in one of his properties and her place is just as bad but like me she is a single working parent needed a place of her own and she too has done a lot of work on it. The next house is also owned by my landlord BUT their own daughter lives in it and she TOO has terrible conditions. Everyone on the street knows how our landlord is. It is embarrassing when your yard is overgrown yet you pay for lawn service in your rent or so you were told it's included. I have called so many places and asked them to come by and give me a price. Nobody calls me back. It needs work and I am willing to pay for it. I have raked and done what I can and my mom came and worked on my yard while i was in Holland earlier this year. My step dad mowed it! I was so happy. I am ready to buy my own damn mower honestly.....Bottom line is I pay or was told lawn care was included. I can't even see my backyard it's so overgrown! My landlord is a jerk.

Well, we've looked around constantly, and as much as I hate to say it......this place is "cheap". Other places around here charge more, and have worse places to live. Scumlords are everywhere, they raise their rent to ridiculous amounts, yet don't do anything to fix anything.

So, yeah, things are stupid all over regarding this topic. : Won't change as long as people need a place to live.

It amazes me homeowners have rights and are protected but what about tenants? I know in Florida landlords can get away with so much it's unreal. I have dealt with it many times in my rental life. I have only heard a few people with good rental stories, most here are terrible because landlords can get away with so much!

a reply to: mblahnikluver

Try living in Albuquerque. The average pay is 10 dollars an hour. A 2 bedroom goes for no less than 700. We come dead last in everything. Except for drunk driving. We're #1. Murder everyday. There is nothing "mystical" about the natives here. They die unnaturally at an abnonormal rate. Our police are not racist, they kill everybody. I can go on.

Stay out of New Mexico.

originally posted by: NightSkyeB4Dawn
a reply to: mblahnikluver
There is a lot you did not take into consideration.

If the landlord still has a mortgage on the home, they still have to pay the mortgage, insurance, and taxes. They are not going to rent at a lost. Even if they break even on the cost of the mortgage, there is still maintenance and repairs to take into consideration.

Um I know all of this. I worked in banking and now insurance and I am well aware of taxes, mortgages and insurance. I also stated that people go beyond their means and that was another topic. Maybe those people shouldn't own property. If you can't afford it on your own I am sorry but then you are living way beyond your means. It is unfair to have someone living in YOUR property in terrible living conditions because you can't afford to maintain your own darn property. I mean these people won't live like this so why is it ok for others? I meet many people who buy up property and have a ton of rentals but don't do a damn thing to them. Working in the industries I have I see it all. So I am not oblivious to those factors. I have seen very few decent landlords but their places are way out of my price range and as nice as the places are and how good the landlords are if I made enough to rent one of those places I would but I don't have at least $1800 and if I could afford that much in rent I would own my own home.

Cost of living is rising everywhere. I too am watching my small rural town turn into an overgrown city, with no supporting infrastructure at this time and a ridiculous growth in traffic.

Yea it is getting really high and wages are not changing.

Our main street through town is two lanes on either side. They are building a HUGE gas station in the middle of town, one where they had to tear down old oaks, some over 100 years old! The area was always known for it's trees. The street i live on is known as "canopy way" because the street is lined with massive oak trees that form a type of canopy over the street. We have no street lights or side walks, not allowed because of the trees. I love my street and oaks! So now apparently a massive 20 pump gas station is needed. We have 3 gas stations about a 1/4 mile up the road! Locals are not happy as it's going to be a nightmare with traffic and you absolutely can't widen the roads or reroute. It's just ridiculous. They just keep building and we have many empty places that could be used!

I think one reason that apartment have gone up so much over the past 6-10 years is that ppl are not buying homes as much as they were. I see new apartment complexes all the time and a 2-bedroom average around 1,200 to 1,400 around here.

I saw an article last year that millennials are not buying homes but renting. Now by some websites like wiki I am considered a millennial and I have owned a home for 5 years and can see why others would not want to buy but rent. Seems like something is always needing to be fixed.

~Morpheus

Wages have been stagnant. I am fortunate enough to have been above that curve for about 25 or so years now. But I see the problems my oldest son (23 yo) has in making rent and so on. Then again when I was his age I had 2 roommates so I am not sure if it is any better or worse now.

I know that food prices have definitely went up possibly quadrupled. Rent seems to have "only" doubled where I am in the last 25 years.

originally posted by: Necrobile

originally posted by: NightSkyeB4Dawn
Even if they break even on the cost of the mortgage, there is still maintenance and repairs to take into consideration.

That's also assuming the landlord will ever do such repairs. I can count on both of my hands how many cooperative landlords I've had, as well as other people have had. Most people have landlords that'll make every excuse in the book to not have to do any repairs. Some people have had to actually take them to court.

Absolutely! I have documented everything i have done to this place including pics before i moved in. I swear if my landlord even thinks of keep my deposit when I leave I'm going to spend all my money taking him to court. Why? Because he needs to be held accountable. He should just sell the place! I would knock it down and start over, the land is perfect! As for excuses, my landlord has the best ones. My friend door needed a new door knob and lock. It was all stripped at the screws and coming out. So anyone could have broken into my place. I tell my landlord and he DROPS OFF BLUE tape and a note that say to tape the screws! I called and left a very not so pleasant yet firm message on his VM. He eventually replaced it with a new one. It was $20 and he wanted me to tape the damn screws. He is unreal I swear.

In the same town I grew up in, there's an apartment complex that actually got shut down last May for being uninhabitable. There's actually a class-action lawsuit being brought up against the landlord and his family by all the tenants that lived there for years and were removed. The rent at those places was above $1000/month before they were shut down, and trust me when I say this, those places were NOT worth that much.

That is crazy and unfortunately it happens more than it should.

a reply to: mblahnikluver


I watched a five year documentary about a high school science teacher who made a boat load of money producing and selling meth. It seemed doable.

I feel your pain and have been there myself, I've only ever lived in corporate run apartment complex once and the only reason that happened is that I had my bestie and his on paper credentials (job/credit). I had money coming in from my VA disability and my inherited investment account and could afford the place but couldn't get approved without a job so when he ended up buying a house out I went. I really liked that place too it was right down the street from a house I lived in as a kid, nice quiet neighborhood with it's own private beach a 5 minute walk away. You could even have up to 5 small bonfires on the beach as long as you checked in with the front office.

So my next spot was a huge master bedroom in a large home with 3 other housemates previously unknown to me. I really loved my bathroom at that spot it was a HUGE and we all know bathroom counter space is a girls best friend and two large walk in closets weren't bad either. Well I had to leave that place because of lifestyle differences with the housemates long story short if I even smelled like weed when I came in they would lose their s**t in a very polite way. Now I'm quiet and not disruptive but I wasn't giving up my beloved flower so I chose to leave on my own accord before it got any sillier.

My next place is where I call home today and I got lucky and you really have to without all the prerequisites required nowadays. Even a lot of private renters use agencies to screen their potential tenants which can cause problems for the unemployed that are still able to afford the place or a poor credit score and especially a years old arrest. People aren't forgiving or trusting anymore, we are all jaded and cynical of our fellow man thus protect ourselves and our assets vigorously which can make it more difficult for the down trodden. Corporate policies weren't designed to do us any favors thats for sure. Anyway I really like my current spot, it's a studio basement apartment for $875 a month all utilities, cable and internet included so it really helps me to save money and I'm single with no children so it suits my needs. My land lord is chill and doesn't mind my occasional smokiness except for cigarettes those are a big no no lol. Any maintenance issues I've had she has taken care of promptly so yeah I really got lucky finding this place, been here for almost 3 years now. I wish you luck with your situation and don't give up just keep searching until you get lucky and find that spot that's waiting for you.

a reply to: mblahnikluver



I live in the San Fernando Valley in So Cali, in a home where I am from (Rockford Illinois outside of Chicago) would cost $120,000 here its worth just under $700,000. In La they are raising the Minimum wage to $15 an hour in the next year and a half. McDonalds and Target here, start you at $12 per hour.

The thing of all of that is, I know people who make $18 an hour who have worked at their jobs for years, and now they will be making just over minimum wage.

Here is a shock, well it was for me, being from the Midwest. Our friend lives in a nice mobile home park, he pays $1100 a month for LOT RENT, that doesn't include his MORGAGE on his $150,000 mobile home. That is another $800 per month.

So it costs him almost $2000 per month for a MOBILE HOME, with almost no yard.

originally posted by: mblahnikluver
Maybe those people shouldn't own property. If you can't afford it on your own I am sorry but then you are living way beyond your means. It is unfair to have someone living in YOUR property in terrible living conditions because you can't afford to maintain your own darn property. I mean these people won't live like this so why is it ok for others?

You hit the nail on the head so hard that I think it went through the board and into the floor. lol

You should see the place my mom's living in. The hanging cabinets where all of her dishes are in is pretty much going to fall down. I always tell my mom/brother to have the landlord fix it, then they tell me stories of all the times they've requested things be repaired that he hasn't done jack squat. They've done so far as to get other types of cabinets to house their dishware, which then eats up any space they need to move around in.

What's funny(sad) is that when they moved in, the yard was nothing but dirt, rocks, and trash(previous tenants and neighbors). My family fixed the yard up, did repairs in the back, and even got the ground nice enough up front to put in a garden. He actually got mad that they put in a garden. It's almost as if he would rather they had nothing but dirt and rocks.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus
a reply to: mblahnikluver


I watched a five year documentary about a high school science teacher who made a boat load of money producing and selling meth. It seemed doable.

I had a part in that show.

And here where that show was shot; Unaffordable for the average working man. Move to the valley and grow your own and get a job with the county.

a reply to: mblahnikluver

working as 'online redakteur and writer' - i earn about 2000 euros per month. my apartment in the heart of munich cost me 850 euros (plus power, internet, handy around 950 euros) - munich is expensive but a wonderful place to be. i dont have a car but a bike (and a sister with two pretty oldtimers). i have 28 days for vacation per year - but you can take the money, if you want. we dont have to pay for visiting a doctor, so the rest is for food (expansive) and freetime-activities. i dont have kids yet. its not that much, but its enough for me.

originally posted by: Meldionne1
Rentals are in demand .... So rental prices are up . It's a landlords market . ... Do not move to the Florida keys to rent . It is over the top pricey . 2 bedroom 1 bath is around $2,500 .00 , nothing included . Just to rent a room in a shared house is $1,500. .... Ever since Irma housing is sparse and in demand . People work 2 jobs to pay their rent . ... My advice is to move to another small place like palatka , fl .... Or buy your own place. ... Look for short sales , foreclosure, or tax auctions ..... Better yet , buy a duplex and you can rent out the other side for dirt cheap ... Like $400 all included ...and you can be a landlord everyone wants ! 😀

It is insane here! I grew up here. If I wasn't a single parent my income wouldnt be so bad. If I had another income coming in I could afford something else but on just my salary and no child support, well it's crazy!

Also places like Palatka are in the middle of nowhere. Gas alone would be ridiculous to commute or find decent work.

I have looked at my options to buy and as a single mom first time buyer there are quite a few programs. I am in a relationship with someone who lives in Holland, the plans are my son and I will move there in 2-3 years. If it becomes too difficult he will move here. So many things could happen. Yes the duplex thing would be great but again not sure I want to buy if I might move. Now if my bf move here we would probably go to another state all together.

The cost of homes here isn't all that bad honestly. I find homes I would buy if I were in the market at all the time. It's just insane what they charge for rent. Now if you want a nice 2/2 home forget it. It's about $2000 a month for that. I mean if I could afford that for rent I would own my own.