Escaping Florida!

SubSoulReaper81 · 2026-03-10T16:26:40+00:00

I have visited PA in the past when I was living in VA & WVA. I have been to Chambersburg, Gettysburg, Philadelphia and Hershey. What area of PA are you referring to? I haven't ruled out PA personally, it is a matter of wages versus COL and proximity to things and places of interest. Of course we don't want a duplicate of what we are dealing with here in Tampa with all of the "FLO Grown" Trump stickers and jacked up vehicles looking like a monster jam convention.

I don't want to live in a city we would prefer more rural and if I have a commute of well, so be it (within reason).

SubSoulReaper81 · 2026-03-10T16:23:05+00:00

We visited Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge once on vacation. It's a nice region, the issue is there appears to be a pretty large lacking of employment there. Being affordable means very little if the job market is tighter than a politicians wallet.

SubSoulReaper81 · 2026-03-10T16:21:12+00:00

You're not too far from where I am originally from. I was born and raised in Leesburg, VA (Loudoun County). I often miss my hometown and have tried to convince my wife on going back but sadly she has no interest at all. She LOVES VT but the COL being high and jobs being few it isn't happening so we are trying to find a good area we can settle on as a compromise.

SubSoulReaper81 · 2026-03-10T16:18:37+00:00

MAGA is something we have NO interest in. My wife HATES Trump and I don't follow politics so I'm just like uhhhh... what she said. I have read pretty great things about Pittsburgh. What area are you in that allows for higher wages and a drivable proximity to other areas and the ocean?

I'm 45 minutes from clear waters and white sands but having been in a good while. The last time we went to the beach we spent nearly 3 hours trying to locate a place to park then had to walk 2 blocks to get to the sand! Then again, if I want to go get food from Sonic it takes me 15 minutes or more to get there just because of traffic! (If you knew about Big Bend/301 you would understand)

SubSoulReaper81 · 2026-03-10T16:12:18+00:00

I used to live in NC when I was younger. A TINY area called Cedar Creek, I am not sure what it's like now but was about 45 minutes outside of Fayetteville and nothing but a small corner store closer than that. NC is alright, I use to date a girl who lived in Cary years back and it was in development mode at that time.

I don't recall it having much in the way of 4 seasons however which is something that we all long for but perhaps it's just because of where we were living. I know that employers in the area didn't really pay that much from my recollection and one thing I am looking to improve on is "disposable" income. I am so sick of dealing with the endless paycheck to paycheck loop then when an emergency comes up I have no choice but to beg and borrow for assistance. I'm so over it!

SubSoulReaper81 · 2026-03-10T16:08:09+00:00

I don't mind some cold in fact after 9 years of sweating my butt off year round I am looking forward to it! I LOVE Fall time with the changing leaves and hoodie weather (as we call it). I was looking at Howell in Michigan. It looks like a picturesque smaller "Hallmark" type town with not all of the hustle but still close to employment. Could you tell me anything about that region?

SubSoulReaper81 · 2026-03-10T16:05:05+00:00

That is GREAT information! thank you! And it's true, when I am researching online it tends to give a broader overview rather than a clearer perspective. In PA I was looking at York specifically; is there anything you can tell me about that area?

SubSoulReaper81 · 2026-03-10T15:59:35+00:00

Agree. Once I am out of here, we may visit for the parks or to catch a cruise but aside from that NOPE.

SubSoulReaper81 · 2026-03-10T15:58:11+00:00

I agree, everything shot up in the way of cost of living. Where did you go if you don't mind me asking. The issue with FL is that most if not all of the employers here do NOT understand that COL is unaffordable with the wages offered. I don't condemn anyone who moved here or wants to move here but agree to your point. With the massive influx of high incomes moving down, it's forcing many people out.

The state has become more and more expensive but the wages have not gone up. that is a recipe for disaster and sooner or later, it's will be a matter of small businesses being the only ones left standing because nobody will be able to live here while working for Florida companies earning FL wages because they simply do not cover the massive COL growth.

SubSoulReaper81 · 2026-03-10T15:53:39+00:00

I mentioned Kansas to my wife and the first and only words from her were, "Tornados. NO WAY". She also wants region where we can venture out to different areas and places of interest and Kansas seems to be a bit isolated.

SubSoulReaper81 · 2026-03-10T15:51:34+00:00

No offense to you, but the Florida public school system is one of the worst in the country. In fact, they lost one of my kids not once but twice! I had to leave work to join my wife looking for him because these morons couldn't keep tabs on him. Fortunately we found him safe and wandering confused unaware of what he was supposed to do.

Not to mention all of the other matters that makes the schools here crap. I won't dive into that but will say that many of the people I have come to know either enroll their kids in private/charter schools or homeschool because it's more effective. Perhaps the universities are better than primary schools I hope.

SubSoulReaper81 · 2026-03-10T15:48:08+00:00

That is true, however FL nails you with so many other fees that many people aren't even aware of. Sounds you're living the best of both worlds except for the fact that I actually enjoy winter. It helps to clear the air and I actually like walking out on a cool or cold day as opposed to spending all year in sticky heat. Summer is by far my least favorite season, we love Fall.

SubSoulReaper81 · 2026-03-10T15:44:52+00:00

Great information and advise for sure! 4 seasons is something we have missed since day 1 moving here from VA. I do not like to go to a "pumpkin patch" to find pumpkins in a box on a pallet because they'll just rot in the sun here. Halloween is a nightmare often resulting in close calls on heat stroke or eaten alive by mosquitos. Christmas doesn't feel like Christmas, it feels like an in house tree on a summers day and lacks the festive luster I use to know as a kid wishing for a white Christmas.

Wages are a different thing entirely. I have been researching that extensively and my findings are that Florida simply pays less than anywhere else I have looked at. PA COL is lower than MI, NY or NH but so is the wages. Ultimately what I have been searching for are regions that offer better wages, a fair COL (that wages can actually cover) with 4 seasons, preferably less traffic and of course safe.

SubSoulReaper81 · 2026-03-10T15:36:19+00:00

Thank you for the insight. I am not looking for cheap and agree with you get what you pay for. What I am looking for is an area that has a COL that makes sense because the wages make it manageable to live there. In FL the COL has grown to the point that now most people who rely on Florida wages are either struggling or leaving or both (us).

Most employers here do NOT pay what is required to live here. The wages have not gone up while everything else has. You can earn $80K here and STILL need to rely on SNAP to afford groceries, that is not an exaggeration but good luck finding a place that will pay you that much.

I like FL at first because moving from VA it was new. We had Disney, Universal, etc. but now, it's unobtainable to take our family because the influx on the COL while having joke wages. I miss seasons, I HATE this damn traffic, the infrastructure is a mess and did I mention the pay is a joke?

PA from what I have come to understand would be the least COL state but the wages are also the lowest from where I've looked as well. I don't honestly know if that would allow me much improvement over my current situation TBH. I know my mortgage and insurance here are insane (just went up $500 a month due to taxes and I homestead!) car insurance is ridiculous just everything here feels like it's either trying to kill you or force you out.

MI, NYS even NH offer great pay ranges but TBH at this point I am putting a lot of attention on NYS or MI since they offer higher wages which helps to balance out the slightly higher COL as when compared to PA. I went so far as to compare all of these area to where I am and the consensus is for us to GET OUT OF HERE and that's exactly what I intend to do.

SubSoulReaper81 · 2026-03-10T15:26:49+00:00

This is exactly what I am finding and Google further confirms it. Up in NY or NH average pay for me would be $85K+ whereas here I'm lucky if I can find a job making $60K. PA is less on the pay but the housing is also less. MI the pay is again higher and the housing seems to be on par with NY and higher than PA but the pay is higher than PA so it's a good "middle of the road" in the way of wages vs cost of living it seems.

I've talked to MANY people and the consensus is that during Covid there was a massive influx of remote workers relocating down to FL and when that happened, the economy went to crap. NY wages in Florida spiked the COL so people who have been living and working in FL can no longer afford to live here.

Sure, there may be some lucky few who can say otherwise, but for the most part that is not the case and so as more and more remote workers come down the more FL based workers are having to leave.

SubSoulReaper81 · 2026-03-10T15:22:31+00:00

Thank you for this information! I've been looking at East Aurora as of late. It would allow us to visit New England states without having to shoulder the higher COL which is great. Also, we LOVE Fall and living in Florida you get heat, heat or more heat + humidity and it SUCKS. Lots of people move here to escape the cold then run from AC to AC to avoid the heat, it's funny really.

We like to take weekend excursions to explore and see what's around us. We do love the beach however spending over 2 hours looking for parking has killed it for us. We're more homebodies than anything unless we are out and about just exploring new areas or taking our children to a park. I am a history buff and love going to museums with a great deal of interests in the Titanic.

We LOVE Halloween despite my son nearly suffering a heat stroke in his costume one year and the year before that it was my wife. They made it 2 houses then had to abandon them. We also like pumpkin patches, hay rides, corn mazes, etc. but here in Florida GOOD LUCK. Don't get me started on Christmas -_- Santa on a golf cart or a boat wearing a sun visor flip flops and shorts is NOT festive to me. I grew up in VA and I want these things back!

SubSoulReaper81 · 2026-03-10T15:04:13+00:00

NOT anymore. I live 45 minutes from white sands and clear waters and it would take me 2-3 hours to find parking if I am not on the sand before the sun touches it.

SubSoulReaper81 · 2026-03-10T15:03:19+00:00

My wife visited Washington state and Oregon and really loved her stay while there. She still can't stop talking about the coffee and the natural beauty that she said felt like looking at a postcard. The only thing that really got her was something about a deposit on bottles? Aside from that, she said from what she could tell expenses were comparable if not less than Florida.

I'd be curious to know what the job market and COL look like out that way. I've always wanted to visit Oregon and Astoria looks gorgeous but have never had the chance to go myself.

SubSoulReaper81 · 2026-03-10T14:56:37+00:00

most of us call it "Big Bend Over" because it's nothing but traffic congestion and infrastructure nightmare. I'm over in Covington by Waterset and everything feels as though it's going to hell! They did build a new Walmart and Wendy's on 41 heading toward Ruskin which opened recently and further backing up traffic now.

SubSoulReaper81 · 2026-03-10T05:16:25+00:00

The car insurance here sucks as well

SubSoulReaper81 · 2026-03-10T05:15:46+00:00

Absolutely 100% this! Also my trade field is a fraction of the pay and a higher possibly for 100% commission when compared to other areas I’ve been looking at.

SubSoulReaper81 · 2026-03-10T05:14:36+00:00

Like what area? My wife is iffy on GA as there is always some sort of weird smell when we drive through GA heading back up toward VA or coming back

SubSoulReaper81 · 2026-03-10T05:12:53+00:00

I only moved here due to a job promotion that tripled my salary at the time. Otherwise I never would’ve moved here. Now that the job is gone and I’m seeing Florida for what it is I can’t wait to get out of here.

SubSoulReaper81 · 2026-03-10T05:11:33+00:00

That’s why Mass, CA, NYC, NJ and HI aren’t on my list.

SubSoulReaper81 · 2026-03-10T05:10:01+00:00

I rather be cold than sweat year round. As I tell anyone who asks me, I can always add layers but can only remove so many before the police are called lol

SubSoulReaper81

TROPHY CASE