California Vs. The Village or Fl in general
 

Hello,
I am in California and just retired. I have found this unique place called "The Villages", so it sounds and looks very interesting, but I need your knowledge!

Is it really cheaper to live in The Villages or Fl in general? From the little I have been able to glean, there seems to be really no great monetary advantage, so why move there?

Thank you so very much for your time/efforts/comments and advice!!!!!

No state income tax seems to tip the scale in Florida favor

I have lived in various places in Northern California and the prices for real estate there were a lot more than here in the Villages.

Real estate is far cheaper here. I just sold two homes in California two years ago for far more than what I paid for my new build here in The Villages.

Florida in general will be cheaper. The Villages comes with higher restaurant prices and a monthly amenities fee but you get a lot in return.

I’m a native Californian who moved here full time in Nov 2022 after my husband retired. We came with Calif equity and bought a spacious home with cash. Our cost of living here is so much less than California. For me the only downsides are humidity and missing our 3 adult kids and 2 y/o grandson. Thankfully they visit us, and we can go out there for visits anytime we want. We would never live there again unless the kids moved us back to put us in a senior home, lol. Hopefully at 71 we have a bit more time ahead of us to enjoy The Villages. Oh, and we would never have moved to FL if The Villages didn’t exist. We moved here for The Villages lifestyle, not the FL lifestyle.

If I was you I would escape while got the chance.:ohdear:

I looked at a lot of retirement places and none of them have half the stuff TV has. Having golf cart access over this entire place is amazing. Having the numbers, and complexity, of the clubs is astounding. The beauty along the corridors you have to see to believe.

Come out and rent a house - that’s what we did, but you can rent through TV for a lifestyle visit and look for self.

The OP did not say where he resides in CA. Housing costs vary widely depending on location, (Holmby Hills vs Palmdale) but taxes and the price of gasoline there are onerous. The Villages is pricier than most of the communities surrounding it but you will not be paying $5 - $7 for a gallon of gasoline here or 14.4% top state income tax bracket- yet.

Of course the nicest parts of South Florida such as Palm Beach are quite pricey.

Is it cheaper to live in the Villages? It depends on where you are living now. If you live in a small town in the south or Midwest, the Villages may be more expensive. If you live in the northeast, the Villages is cheaper.


What are your property taxes?
How much do you pay in state and local income tax?
How much do you pay for energy each month?

The only negative is that summers are hot. California has better weather than Florida.

I suggest coming out for a lifestyle visit so that you can see it for yourself. I wouldn’t move to a new state - a huge decision - based on what people say on TOTV.

In addition, the cost of homes, property taxes, gas, electricity, and just about anything highly regulated, are all significantly cheaper in the Villages. North Central Florida, in general, is much cheaper than either coastline. Insurance is very high, but so is California. The only thing I can think of that would be on Californias plus side would be better availability of quality health care.

CA is the 2nd most expensive state to live. Florida isn’t even in the top 10 most expensive states.

How much is the monthly amenities fee?

Maybe you need to look up the two most expensive states to live in

Cost of living by state
 

According to Forbes

Cost Of Living By State Statistics & Trends In 2023 – Forbes Advisor

Check YouTube for many videos about The Villages. Here are two; one pro and one con.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BX4i8qprP2I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KGEauDN5Jc

No advantage, has become over crowded, best to stay in California.

It's slightly different for everyone depending on how long one's been in the same house, but here is what I found online:
"Our surprisingly affordable monthly amenity fee of just $195.00 includes: Free golf on all of our executive courses* Swimming, tennis, pickleball, bocce and many more facilities are all conveniently located throughout the community. Over 3,000 organized activities every week through our Recreation Department."

No State Income Tax #1, Cost of Living from Forbes --- CA: California $53,171 3rd in nation, Florida $40,512 21rd in the nation.

Restaurant prices in California make ALL restaurant prices here look like Denny's.

Florida in general is much less than other states for retirement. However there are high amenity fees in the villages that do cover a lot of entertainment but going to the squares every night gets old quick. There is the lack of quality medical care to consider. The restaurants here are mediocre at best. Then there is the “bond” you really have to quiz a salesperson about. Good luck with your decision and Florida is beautiful

Location, location, location
 

One of the rarely attributed benefits of the villages is its location in the middle of the Florida peninsula. Seems to be somewhat insulated from the heaviest weather that hits Florida.

I have lived in 2 states that didn’t like Californians moving there, Oregon, and Washington, this was 50 years ago and now those states are terrible (Portland anyone). We had license plates that said “have a safe trip back to California“. Now, We want to keep this state unlike California/NY/etc for the reasons some others stated above: high gas cost, high taxes, high cost of living, dictating what you can buy or not buy: gas cars, gas stoves, etc.. There are numerous reasons why people in California, NY, NJ, and from other states want to move here and we don’t want people coming in and changing it.

We came herein 2005 because there was so much to do & a very safe place to live. Unfortunately I lost my husband 3 years ago & have my singles friends now, they are great. Left NC & love life here, best of luck to you, Mary Neal 👍

The facilities are peerless. For all villagers the entertainment options are endless

Easy Living
 

Yes, it's less expensive and many things to do I moved from California 3 years ago and as far as I am concerned this is the best place to live you have real professional doctors here not armatures.

The Villages is way too crowded. It has so many alligators, no-see-ums and mosquitos that bite, The heat is unbearable! Stay in California!

Move here for the humidity. Also, no income tax, a sales tax that, at 7 or 7.5% is not unserious. The Villages tends to be well engineered, with reliable power and storm water management. Not much of an un housed population around here because rents are cheap, and those who prefer to live alfresco have the huge Ocala National Forest in which to roam.

it is bad stay away

I moved from Norco (Riverside County)and worked at LAX. For me no more 2-3 hour commutes. The Villages is a breath of fresh air. No trash or weeds lying around. People my own age. Zero crime as compared to LA/Riverside county. One downside is no variety of grocery stores compared to the many different chains in Ca. Come for a lifestyle visit (no pressure to buy from salesman) and decide.

CA vs FL
 

Whereabouts are you on CA? We live half time here, half time San Diego...hard to make the big commitment to FL, and life is pretty sweet as it is. Message me and we can hash it over!

I don't know anyone living in The Villages that moved here solely based on the cost of living. Folks come here for the lifestyle. If it happens to cost less to live here versus wherever you came from, that's a nice bonus. I was born and raised in SoCal, and it was a great place to grow up. But, the best move I ever made was back in 1977 when I put Kalifornia in my rearview mirror for good. You will find the vast majority of people in The Villages to be friendly and very open. But, one thing that is disliked HERE is when folks move away from THERE (pick any place) to come HERE, and then proceed to try and make HERE like it was THERE.

Cheaper Outside
 

Generally speaking, it is cheaper to live outside The Villages than inside. There are many decent retirement developments in Florida, however, most do not include the number of amenities that The Villages has. If you choose to live in a regular town or city as compared to a retirement development, it will depend on the community you choose. The better municipalities will be more expensive than The Villages. Bottom line: you get what you pay for.

why
 

For the activities, golf, pickleball .... and house cheaper than CA

I’m a native California Gal myself. San Francisco to be exact. Moved east to Georgia in 2002. Then down to Florida in 2015. We moved to The Villages two years ago. Best thing we ever did. The pace of life is much less stressful here. No more rolling blackouts, no more horrendous traffic, lower taxes, and you can get a much nicer home without selling your first born. And yes, no income tax is nice.
The heat and humidity do take getting used to. I personally like the heat. You do have to be careful in the summer not to get overheated. Many people go north to the mountains of North Carolina, North Georgia or Tennessee. Or you just stay inside during the heat of the day and hug the shade.

I suggest you come for a long visit if you can and explore. Good luck in your search and don’t let the naysayers yuck your yum. Take care.

Monetary reasons should not be the main factor in moving anywhere. Take into consideration the weather, access to things, lifestyle of the areas, ages of neighbors, safety of the neighborhoods etc. You can always find a cheaper state to live in but does it have the thing you are Interested in?

If your only concern is money, you should stay put. You’ll be happier there.

There is far more than just that. You need to consider, lower taxes (RE), no state taxes, easier on your SS checks, lower cost of living (our minimum wage isn't ridiculous), we don't have a crazy idiot for a governor, housing prices across the state are far less than CA, the atmosphere is far different. We are far different from CA, we had looked years ago at a relo to SoCal, I am so happy I turned it down. I would be totally miserable now.

Keep in mind all the advantages don't have to be just monetary.

Monetary advantage?
 

Having come from California, I believe you are too late for any monetary benefit here in Florida. Having no State Tax does not seem to line my pocketbook. Of course, this also depends on where in Cali you are coming from and what you are retiring from.

The Villages lifestyle is amazing. The homes are much more reasonable than most of Califirnia. We have no income tax, you are within an hours drive of the beach, over 3,000 clubs to join, tons of free golf, free swimming pools, tons of friends, cheap gas, cheaper food, and just a great place to live. Moved here from Florida would never go back. Come and rent a home here for a month in the summer and a month in the winter and then decide for yourself.