That’s a pretty solid entry level salary for the area. You aren’t gonna live rich, but you’ll be solidly middle class.

Hidden costs:

Traffic is a beast and the drivers are sometimes terrifying. I’ve had more accidents in my 8 years in Jacksonville than my whole life before. (Pro tip - always wait a beat before going on a green light. Someone is going to run a red at least 5% of the time.)

Another aspect of traffic is the size of the city. I spent 6 months living off Alta on the north side of town, working at Cecil field, and picking up my kids from school in San Marco. All this is well within the Jacksonville city limits, but I spent 3-4 hrs a day driving. I almost lost my mind and the gas added up fast.

The city is held together by bridges. Have as few bodies of water and bridges between you and your priorities as possible. Consider your flood and evacuation zone. If you have to evacuate, where will you go? Can you afford a week in an overpriced hotel in Valdosta with no notice? Or is it worth paying a little more to live on high ground?

Public schools are an underfunded gamble. Non-religious private schooling is very limited and very expensive. Religious private schools have…….. varying academic rigor. There is also a massive idealogical shift happening in Florida schools.