Price of Groceries in Florida
 

We do agree! We are from NYS about 75 miles SW of Buffalo. Groceries here are a larger part of our monthly budget. What helps here is the lower gas prices.

gas is even higher! We are currently in Key Largo and it seems the further south the worst it gets. Bread, milk, eggs, meat and even oranges! The only thing cheap is labor..

Of course grocery prices are higher. Florida is a third world country.

Course they are higher in Key Largo. Everything shipped even further and they got you way down.:bigbow: I find Prices higher in the villages compared to where I came from. But, planned for that. Still cheaper to buy Groceries than eat out all the time. :popcorn:

We agree. We just arrived from just outside Washington D.C. and food prices here are a lot more. Wondering what options we have in addition to Public and Winn Dixie.

So is the temperature....I will take that trade off anyday!!

For those that complain that food, gas, etc. is higher than where they came from, then I say go back to where you came from. From where you came there was probably a state income tax; there is none in FL. One can't have everything. Be happy for what you've got - you could be living on the streets and not know where you next meal will come from.

Addis and Walmart are cheaper.

That's supposed to Aldi's.

Nah....things are pretty equal to Maine prices...

If you shop wisely, watch the ads, use coupons, you can buy groceries just as cheap as up north. We buy at Publix for BOGO with coupons, buy much of our fresh stuff roadside or markets and buy meats when on sale. Of course, it takes time to plan and such, but well worth it.

How much a week do you spent on food? This would not include alcohol or paper goods. According to the International Business Times the average American spends $43/week. If I read it correctly.
That's about what I spend but I buy cheaper cuts of meat and hardly any processed food.

Aldi's and Save A Lot
watch the sales at Fresh Market too

We use coupons and don't buy a lot of processed food. We spend about $100 a week on just food. That is for two people, three meals a day, and we rarely eat out when in Virginia. That is close to tomwed's $43 a week per person.

When we are in Florida, we eat breakfast, several times a week a late lunch at a restaurant for our big meal, because it is cheaper to eat out at lunch than dinner, followed by a tiny dinner, usually leftovers from lunch or an apple/nut butter or cheese/cracker combo.

Seems to cost about the same due to the changes in our eating patterns. That includes the restaurant ticket.

Wow kinda rude in my opinion! People have a valid grip about food costs here and have the right to voice a complaint. Doesn't mean they don't still love it here. Yes it's a trade off on a lot of things but Publix especially is very high especially the deli section which is outrageous! When I want high quality meat I go to Fresh Market and watch their sales you'll find they're cheaper than Publix and better quality. When I want really good meat we take a day drive to St. Pete, visit the coast and shop at Mazzuros Italian Market. Best bakery, meats and cheeses and deli anywhere!. Also watch Winn Dixie ads. We have no sales tax on food which means you have to just learn to shop smart :)

Groceries may be more but how does the price of your home compare? Il bet it is a lot less than up north.

:BigApplause: :agree:

More tee times and less traffic.......:coolsmiley::coolsmiley:

walmart

We like to eat early. I can't do a big meal when it gets late. Most of the time we like to get smaller meals.
I like Longhorn. When I do go, I like to order a filet. Flo's filet for lunch, is $17.49. For dinner, is $19.49.

Home prices and taxes are 1/2 here, what there are in the Wash. metro area. You can by a lot of food with the money you saved.

Grocery bills are highly subjective and they depend on how much you eat, and whether planning, cooking, eating and cleaning up after 3 meals are the main priority of the day.

Also, there are other mitigating factors that are more favorable here.

From this Map of State Income Tax, it looks like Minnesota runs neck and neck with Oregon for the No. 2 ranking in the nation, second only to California.

Top State Income Tax Rates in 2014 | Tax Foundation

This map showing The Real Value of $100 for Each State shows MN and FL as having equal buying power:

The Real Value of $100 in Each State | Tax Foundation

On this map of Median Property Taxes Paid by County Nationwide, the northern 2/3 of Florida is lower, and our particular area looks among the lowest.

Median Property Taxes Paid by County, 2005-09 | Tax Foundation

Thank you for the sanity check.

To really be accurate about where is more or less expensive than some where else, you just have to take into account all the expenses of the areas being compared.

When all gets said and done all locations need revenues. They all get it in differing ways. And when all added up, my experience over the years....there just isn't that much difference in the cost of living. Of course there are exceptions!!

Depends on your house. But our house up North does not have a swimming pool. (Have another offer, but not good)

We moved here awhile back from Southern Maryland, 60 miles SE of DC. Food prices here same as at our old residence.

Also, Real Estate Taxes less. Why, Every property reassessed every three years, county divided up in three. If higher, assessed values raised by 1/3 of increase every year. Here, the new sales at higher prices pay more always.

Who wants to be in Minnesota?

It's -30 degrees there!

newguyintv: I moved down from Minneapolis area in 2006. I can tell you the Minneapolis area is a wonderful and very clean area and very family oriented . Yes the winters are cold but its a dry cold and the people there celebrate winter. They have Winter Carnival that lasts for 30 days. They have four major sports teams Their skywalk system is a city within itself.

I didn't move here because of the weather I moved because of the tax situation. If taxes were more in line with Florida then my response to your question " Who wants to be in Minnesota" would be me .

Personal Best Regards

I also grew up in Minneapolis and lived not too far from Lake Nokomis. Great place but freakin' cold in the winter. I enjoyed the cold and snow. I then spent about 40 years in the 'burbs of Washington DC. The wet cold was not colder in temperature but felt colder. I like Florida a whole lot more than DC or Minneapolis and would NEVER move back to either place.

Taxes are a heck of a lot cheaper here. Food prices are a little higher but it is sure saved in taxes.

As a permanent resident of The Villages, I find that grocery prices are higher during snowbird/renters season than during the rest of the year. Also, Publix can't seem to keep things in stock during "snowbird" season. I shop many places to get the best prices as was said in many of the previous posts. I cook a lot and don't eat out very much. All that being said, I am also from Minnesota and would NEVER go back to live there and love, love love it here, so I will pay more and I will put up with "snowbird" season's shortages. Love you all Villagers, even the snowbirds and the renters. xoxoxo

Prices in the grocery stores are higher during season. We get fantastic buys and lower prices during the summer months.

I saw that chart that compared PA with FL and it looked pretty much even, however that took the whole state into account. I was from some strange inexpensive pocket of PA that was very cheap to live. I shopped in Amish/Mennonite markets that had fruit and vegetables at insanely low prices and I was very grateful that I could get fresh food at such a low price. I knew food would be more expensive here but I wasn't prepared for exactly how much more it would be and yes, it was a HUGE shock to see how much more I had to pay for it. That doesn't mean that I'd rather go back up north and deal with all that encompasses. I am full time and love it here, however I don't have to love the higher prices and I don't have to have a 'love it or leave it' feeling that is 100% in ever aspect of TV. I can miss the lower prices, especially since my household income is drastically reduced in retirement. I am still grateful for how wonderful life is here in all the sunshine and fun. Doesn't mean I don't find ways to compensate and find less expensive food choices. Doesn't mean I don't miss the 25cent packages of organic spinach I used to buy or the $2.99 lb fresh made cheese I used to find back home.

We almost moved to Minneapolis once, but the job fell through. I have never met anyone from there who didn't love it. I have also found, from living in MI, that the natives are more used to the cold than we transferees.

Back to my original reason to go off topic: It's just not nice to dis anyone else's home, family, or sports teams, not necessarily in that order.

We see virtually NO difference in price shopping for Groceries here vs. Columbus, GA (our previous home). We shopped in Publix there and here. Prices are basically the same here as there. We are very frugal shoppers and typically shop the Buy one Get one FREE deals. So 6 hrs North of here Grocery prices are about The Same.

WELL of course it is ! Do You think they have Coburns, Cashwise Cub foods here?

But never ( I mean NEVER) ask a NY ER WHAT IS A WEGMANS!:bigbow:

That is correct Sir, because we will cut you off at the knees...:bigbow:...LOL...:bigbow:

I agree; very rude. I can't stand it when you complain about something and you are told to go back to where you came or just leave TV.

Soup kitchen has some good deals.

Thanks for the suggestions. As for the rude comment about going back where we came from, not a great example of Florida's friendliest home town.

I love it here. Arrived a week ago and bought a home yesterday and will live here full time. My comment agreeing with OP about the the prices being higher here was an accurate observation and I asked for suggestions and alternatives to Publix and Winn Dixie. And of course some things might cost more in other areas, but that wasn't the observation that the OP was making.

We will try Wal-Mart and Aldi. Another difference is that in the DC Metro area, grocery stores all double a coupons value, which I found is not the case here. So I just need to be creative in figuring out the grocery budget.

Amazing how the original poster made an observation about food prices at food markets where they come from versus TV and it almost erupts into a war. Taxes, home prices, insults etc. They offered an opinion about market food prices, not taxes, not home prices, or any thing else.