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You haven't been reading this forum much, have you? Don't you know that according to 99% of the posters here, all of Florida has the same climate? It doesn't matter if you are in Key West, Miami, Orlando, Sarasota, Gainesville, Jacksonville, or Pensacola, Florida is Florida. All you have to say is Florida is too hot and humid and that pertains to all 65,000 square miles of the state!
Don't be lying to these people! Florida is hot and humid, much worse than anywhere else in the south or on the east coast! It doesn't matter where in Florida you are. Florida is Florida!!
It's not going to work. They still will come. Nice try though.
SC can be very hot in summer even hotter than the Florida coast. I have spent time around Clemson area in summer and it was worse than I have ever experienced in Miami Beach
Amen to that! We lived for four years just across the border from Charlotte. One Fourth of July got invited to a picnic at Kings Mountain Park. It was 100+ degrees and humid. During the 35 years we later lived in Florida, whenever we would have a very hot day we would look at each other and say "At least it isn't as hot as it was at Kings Mountain that day"!! Central Florida summers were no picnic, but July and August in South Carolina were scorchers when we were there.
Amen to that! We lived for four years just across the border from Charlotte. One Fourth of July got invited to a picnic at Kings Mountain Park. It was 100+ degrees and humid. During the 35 years we later lived in Florida, whenever we would have a very hot day we would look at each other and say "At least it isn't as hot as it was at Kings Mountain that day"!! Central Florida summers were no picnic, but July and August in South Carolina were scorchers when we were there.
Yes, inland can be scorching hot. I live on the coast. It's hot and humid but the ocean breezes do help. I lived in FL for years as well. Similar summer weather.
Just like not all of FL is the same, neither is SC.
You did as well!!! I don't believe you're a native either!!!
I'm not, but our grandkids live here. FL was never on my radar until they came along. It's not always about beaches, warm winters and palm trees, although they help.
I think the reason the subject of heat and humidity comes up so frequently in connection with Florida is that Florida is a frequently mentioned retirement destination. There are other places where the heat and humidity are at least just as bad, but it's relatively rare to hear people asking about them as retirement locations. I am thinking about the entire Gulf Coast from east Texas all the way to Florida up to hundreds of miles inland and then on up the Atlantic coast to include portions of North and South Carolina and other places as well. For example, another poster wrote (not sure if in this thread or some other one) that southern Louisiana is as bad, maybe worse, as many or most areas of Florida. I agree, but southern Louisiana is not a retirement mecca, and understandably so.
I have posted several times over the years that the summer heat and humidity would make most of the country east of the Rocky Mountains off-limits for permanent residence for me personally. All of us as individuals have certain things that we will absolutely not put up with, period. A number of posters have written that they will simply no longer shovel snow and they show evidence of great passion about it! Well, I will not live in extreme heat and humidity, such as prevails in most of Florida, but which is certainly not limited to Florida, not by a long shot!
Do people really decide where they are going to spend their lives based on where they can save a few pennies?
Among other factors, yes.
I stuck with a career that I hated, for it's pension. But the pension is not enough to support my family in my home town. Or even in my home state. Either I had to start a second career, or else seek somewhere cheaper to live.
Hi Jay, I am the OP. Believe me we are not going to decide on where to retire based on saving a few pennies. We are doing our homework so we make the right decision the first time. We like a lot of things about Florida, and we like a lot of things about South Carolina. Just making a list of pros and cons in both states
That is good to hear. I think if you were considering a state with higher taxes verses one of these, it would make a difference. But both of these are kind of known for a lower cost of living and are very different in character so I would think people would choose the one they liked better. Good luck, Jay
I'm also looking at NC for retirement, and I haven't seen anything in the income taxes about an $8k write off on NC income taxes for seniors.
NC has a 5.499% flat income tax, and local, county and state sales taxes can add up to 7% in some areas of the state. Groceries (all basics like milk, fruit, veg, and bread) are taxed at 2%.
NC reinstated the medical expenses deduction in 2015, after eliminating it in 2014.
And in 2013, seniors lost a $2,000 deduction for retirement income.
Car taxes can be significant in NC. For example, for an older 9 year old Honda sedan, the annual property tax is around $100 if the value (determined by the DMV) is $7,000. Edmunds says it's worth $4-5,000.
But if you drive a newer car valued at $25,000, the annual property tax would be $300. It varies based on what part of the state you live in, and these numbers are for Asheville in Buncombe County.
An initial 3% Use Tax (up to $250) is levied on cars to all new residents of NC, based on the NC DMV value, not Edmunds, for cars owned more than 90 days outside the state.
I calculated my total expenses for bringing in a 9 year old Honda sedan to NC to be over $500 (including Use Tax, property tax, title, registration, plates, various misc fees and driver's license).
I'm glad to hear your expenses have gone down in the move from FL to NC, but it may be different for other retirees depending on what part of the state (FL) one comes from and where one lives in the new state (NC), and whether you own or rent a home.
I definitely agree that the more moderate climate is a plus in NC, and it's a beautiful state. I haven't made a decision yet about NC, but if you read some of the threads on the NC forum, some retirees have found NC to be more expensive than where they lived previously (AZ, for example). Everyone's situation will be different.
This is very informative. I did not realize that NC had a tax on cars. I have seen a lot of people posting on the Connecticut forum about how much cheaper it is there but no one ever mentioned paying taxes on their cars. What I don't get is the tax on groceries. In Connecticut we do not pay taxes on them because they are a necessity. You need groceries to live they should not be taxed IMHO. Thanks, Jay
Hi Jay, I am the OP. Believe me we are not going to decide on where to retire based on saving a few pennies. We are doing our homework so we make the right decision the first time. We like a lot of things about Florida, and we like a lot of things about South Carolina. Just making a list of pros and cons in both states
And put every little item on your list. Something could be important in one state and not the other or one community and not the other. Their are many difference to consider including the esthetics of the road to your home.
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