[NJblue]

Not to be negative, but you need a dose of reality. You say you don't have much money saved. You also say you make less than $50K per year. The latter figure is irrelevant since it is what you can make down here that counts. While the job availability is not great down here, the real issue is the pay scale. I'm not sure how it relates to NC, but it seems VERY low down here with what few jobs that I have seen posted, paying at or just a bit more than minimum wage. You are also many years away from Medicare so I'm guessing that you will have to deal with either paying for your own health insurance or finding a job that covers you. In the case of the former, it will put a significant drain on your income. In the case of the latter, I suspect that available jobs that includes health benefits down here are few and far between - especially in this economy.

My advice is to forget the positives of living down here for awhile and look at the realities. Search the local job markets for availability of jobs for which you are qualified. See what they pay and whether they include benefits. If you can convince yourself that you could find a job to cover your expenses, then go the next step.

As far as actual cost of living, I have found some things cheaper down here, but others more expensive than New Jersey. I can get a haircut for a lot less money than NJ. However, a case of beer is more expensive here than NJ. Food appears to be roughly the same. Property taxes are lower (but everyplace is lower than NJ in terms of property taxes.) There is no state income tax but I don't know how that compares with what you are currently paying in NC.