Easy to see misconception in costs from south to the north
I just got back from a trip to Gadsden,Alabama and it is easy to see why there is such a misconception of the cost of living between places.There is a sales tax on everything down there,but the prices are a fraction of here in Erie County.I looked at basics and the cost difference is nearly half price in Alabama for the same goods here.Meat was slightly higher,but I didn't really go shopping for best prices.Cereal here is $4.00+ a box and $2.50 there.Canned goods are 60 to 90 cents here can be bought for 25 to 50 cents there.Gas prices are 20 cents a gallon cheaper there.My father is building a bigger house in Alabama and his tax cost is going from over $3000+here to about $175 a year in Alabama.He won't need to heat with natural gas as it doesn't get as cold so he will save another $1500-$2000.Just by moving from Erie County to Gadsden,he will probably save himself $8000-10,000 a year.That is quite a difference.If my credit wasn't screwed from my accident,I would be out of here in a second.I am in a hard place because I can't get a loan that would make me able to move.
RE: Easy to see misconception in costs from south to the north
I don't know what your heating bills are up north, but don't forget we have higher air conditioning bills down here in the south. My AC electric bill just North of Dallas, Texas, probably runs $250/month higher from May through September. The outside temperature was in the 80s Saturday, and my house AC was running. Granted, heating costs are probably higher. I think we can have much lower taxes down here, also, because we don't pay for HBO/Cinemax and hot water for our incarcerated prisoners here and we make them work on chain gangs and because we execute the murders. Just joking . . . sort of.
To be serious, some states are known for high costs of living: New York, California, Massachusetts. If you are coming from one of these states and going to Alabama, the costs are going to be less. Of course, it is probably cheaper in South Dakota and Nebraska, I'm just guessing, than New York and California, too.
Check out the link above, its a salary calculator. I compared the cost of living in waukesha, wisconsin (which actually is 4th lowest tax in state - which isn't saying much in wistaxsin) to Huntsville alabama.
RE: Easy to see misconception in costs from south to the north
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As opposed to running illegals or tank tops?
No tank tops, the women up here are too corpulent for that.
Illegals, not to my knowledge in Waukesha, but Milwaukee is LOADED with them as well as Green Bay and a few other cities.
Recently a local doctor, his wife and their son was arrested because it was found out they had an illegal working as a maid in their house. She was immediately deported. This is one reason I like Waukesha, our county exec (finley) and the DA (herr bucher) don't put up with any crap.
RE: Easy to see misconception in costs from south to the north
I think that link is a little old,it may be a much wider span from here to down in Alabama right now.My son's soccer team doesn't even have a place to play because the county park that they played in last year is closed.All of Erie County's county run parks are closed right now.Yet our taxes aren't lowered.
RE: Easy to see misconception in costs from south to the north
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No tank tops, the women up here are too corpulent for that.
Come on, more than good ol' VA?
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Illegals, not to my knowledge in Waukesha, but Milwaukee is LOADED with them as well as Green Bay and a few other cities.
Recently a local doctor, his wife and their son was arrested because it was found out they had an illegal working as a maid in their house. She was immediately deported. This is one reason I like Waukesha, our county exec (finley) and the DA (herr bucher) don't put up with any crap.
Yeah, go ahead and rub it in.
I can't swing a Corona™ around here without hitting one and his family, in-laws, and second cousins....
Easy to see misconception in costs from south to the north
