[Guzzel]

The wife and I are considering TV for retirement in 2 years; so not looking for an exact figure, but assuming no house payment, was wondering what the average cost of living might be in TV.

Understand everyone's situation and lifestyle is different, but really wanted to get ballpark figures for things like, Utilities; Internet; Insurance; Amenity Fee (still $195/month?); Entertainment; Groceries; Other monthly expenses.

Again, not looking for exact costs, just trying to work up the reasonable monthly costs based on the knowledge base and experience of present "Villagers".

TIA,

G

[ElDiabloJoe]

The best bit of advice I can give is to watch this 3 month old video by Mike and Tiffany where they break it down completely. Then check the comments for people confirming / adjusting / verifying / etc. their experiences in comparison. The comments will go into a thing or two the video may have left out - like pest control.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxgWW2AZQWk

Hope this helps!!

[Guzzel]

Originally Posted by ElDiabloJoe

The best bit of advice I can give is to watch this 3 month old video by Mike and Tiffany where they break it down completely. Then check the comments for people confirming / adjusting / verifying / etc. their experiences in comparison. The comments will go into a thing or two the video may have left out - like pest control.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxgWW2AZQWk

Hope this helps!!

Great!! That's what I was looking to find; thx!

G

[GreggC69]

There are several youtube videos where people have done this - breaking down their monthly expenses in The Villages. The "Villages New Comers" is one I recall. There are more.

[Rainger99]

Originally Posted by Guzzel

The wife and I are considering TV for retirement in 2 years; so not looking for an exact figure, but assuming no house payment, was wondering what the average cost of living might be in TV.

Understand everyone's situation and lifestyle is different, but really wanted to get ballpark figures for things like, Utilities; Internet; Insurance; Amenity Fee (still $195/month?); Entertainment; Groceries; Other monthly expenses.

Again, not looking for exact costs, just trying to work up the reasonable monthly costs based on the knowledge base and experience of present "Villagers".

TIA,

G

Utilities (gas and electric) - less than $200 a month
Internet - Xfinity is $50 a month
YouTube TV - $73 a month
Home Insurance about $1400 a year
Auto Insurance about $1200 a year (one car)
Golf Cart Insurance about $100 a year
CDD (amenity fee, water, sewer, irrigation) about $325 a month
Lawn/insect care - about $75 a month
Taxes on house - about $5000 a year
Bond - about $1500 a year (this will vary)
Groceries - about $75 a week
Dining out - we go out about twice a month so figure $100 total
Entertainment - we usually watch tv or read or play free golf and pickleball
Gas - about $50 a month (one car)
Travel - about $10,000 a year. We try to take two vacations a year.
Extras - we try to save $5,000 a year for a new car or home repairs.
This doesn't include Medicare which depends on your individual income. It ranges from $174 (joint income under $206,000) to $594.00 (joint income of $750,00 or higher).

Depending on your life style, I think most people can live decently on $50,000 to $60,000 a year.

Most of these items you would have to pay for regardless of where you live. If you live in California, Texas, or Wyoming, you will have to pay taxes, insurance, utilities, internet, tv, groceries, entertainment, vacations, etc., etc. The only thing that you may not have is the amenity fee and golf cart insurance.

The real issue is how much or less it costs to live in the Villages compared to where you are living now or other places that you are looking at.

I think that living in the Villages is probably cheaper or about the same as living in the rest of the country. One factor is that there are no state income taxes so be sure to calculate that into your calculations.

These states do not have a state income tax. Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming.

[kansasr]

Originally Posted by Guzzel

The wife and I are considering TV for retirement in 2 years; so not looking for an exact figure, but assuming no house payment, was wondering what the average cost of living might be in TV.

Understand everyone's situation and lifestyle is different, but really wanted to get ballpark figures for things like, Utilities; Internet; Insurance; Amenity Fee (still $195/month?); Entertainment; Groceries; Other monthly expenses.

Again, not looking for exact costs, just trying to work up the reasonable monthly costs based on the knowledge base and experience of present "Villagers".

TIA,

G

The Villages website has a decent affordability tab.....

Cost of Living in The Villages(R): Affordable 55+ Community

[Guzzel]

Originally Posted by Rainger99

Utilities (gas and electric) - less than $200 a month
Internet - Xfinity is $50 a month
YouTube TV - $73 a month
Home Insurance about $1400 a year
Auto Insurance about $1200 a year (one car)
Golf Cart Insurance about $100 a year
CDD (amenity fee, water, sewer, irrigation) about $325 a month
Lawn/insect care - about $75 a month
Taxes on house - about $5000 a year
Bond - about $1500 a year (this will vary)
Groceries - about $75 a week
Dining out - we go out about twice a month so figure $100 total
Entertainment - we usually watch tv or read or play free golf and pickleball
Gas - about $50 a month (one car)
Travel - about $10,000 a year. We try to take two vacations a year.
Extras - we try to save $5,000 a year for a new car or home repairs.
This doesn't include Medicare which depends on your individual income. It ranges from $174 (joint income under $206,000) to $594.00 (joint income of $750,00 or higher).

Depending on your life style, I think most people can live decently on $50,000 to $60,000 a year.

Most of these items you would have to pay for regardless of where you live. If you live in California, Texas, or Wyoming, you will have to pay taxes, insurance, utilities, internet, tv, groceries, entertainment, vacations, etc., etc. The only thing that you may not have is the amenity fee and golf cart insurance.

The real issue is how much or less it costs to live in the Villages compared to where you are living now or other places that you are looking at.

I think that living in the Villages is probably cheaper or about the same as living in the rest of the country. One factor is that there are no state income taxes so be sure to calculate that into your calculations.

These states do not have a state income tax. Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming.

Great breakdown of monthly expenses; thank you!

G

[Haggar]

Originally Posted by kansasr

The Villages website has a decent affordability tab.....

Cost of Living in The Villages(R): Affordable 55+ Community

Since I track the non-discretionary costs of our village house I can tell you our house costs in a designer home in Fernandina runs us about $17,000. This is just for the house.
Includes all repairs and maintenance but does not includes upgrades and furnishings the wife wants.

Our bond which we are paying off started at $22,000. New house bonds can be up in the forties - will add about a $1,000 a year.

Does not include car expenses, meals and entertainment, travel, clothing, all of the other expenses which are discretionary.

[CarlR33]

Blind-sided by any monthly home costs?

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Electric) - less than $200 a month
Internet - Xfinity is $50 a month
YouTube TV - $87 a month including tax
Home Insurance about $2400 a year
Auto Insurance about $1600 a year (a car, a pickup truck, and 2 golf carts)
CDD (amenity fee, water, sewer) about $250 a month
Pesticide care - $25/month (paid every other month)
Taxes on house - about $2000 a year
Groceries - about $75 a week plus $50/month for cat food and litter (she eats well)
Dining out - around $150/month
Entertainment - hubby plays golf, probably around $30/week
Gas - about $70 a month (a car, a pickup truck, two golf carts)
Travel - about $500 a year. I visit my dad, hubby visits his sister.
This doesn't include Medicare which depends on your individual income.

We have no bond, we have no mortgage. Taxes and insurance are weird because we're in a manufactured home in Lake County. We mow our own lawn and don't really travel anymore because our budget is pretty much fixed and limited. Our luxuries are mostly food related - since I make my own sauce from scratch, I can afford to buy Parmesano Reggiano and Peccorino Romano cheeses instead of the cheaper, lower quality brands. Plus we get home-made mac and meatballs and chicken parm with plenty left over for lunches, after we finish the full tray of lasagna that I make. It's 4 quarts of sauce and I portion control it. Initial cost for everything is around $50 but it's good for at least 2 dinner plates and 2 lunches per week for 6-7 weeks before I have to make another batch.

Because I save us money by making "planned-over" foods, we can afford to enjoy take-out more often.

[Becca9800]

Originally Posted by Guzzel

The wife and I are considering TV for retirement in 2 years; so not looking for an exact figure, but assuming no house payment, was wondering what the average cost of living might be in TV.

Understand everyone's situation and lifestyle is different, but really wanted to get ballpark figures for things like, Utilities; Internet; Insurance; Amenity Fee (still $195/month?); Entertainment; Groceries; Other monthly expenses.

Again, not looking for exact costs, just trying to work up the reasonable monthly costs based on the knowledge base and experience of present "Villagers".

TIA,

G

We own a 2/2 Courtyard Villa 1132 sq ft. and we're snowbirds.
The non-negotiables are:
Property tax - depends on the county's assessment of your property. Our taxes are 2850/yr.
Homeowner Insurance - $1274/yr, W new company as of 9/28/24, original roof, no inspection required, full coverage.
CDD payment - ~$250/month includes water, sewer, and trash pickup 2x/week.
Electric - (no gas in my neck of the woods) $75/mo
And bc we're snowbirds gotta have internet to monitor our thermostat, cameras etc $56/mo.
Wish I wanted to live here full-time w how inexpensive it can be.

[rsmurano]

Listing all your expenses is a waste of time, everything will be different based on where you live.
For example, if you move in the newer section, you will have over a $50,000 bond, where if you buy a used home up north it might be $10k or paid off. 1 more thing about bonds, you will never pay off the full amount. My bond is $34,000, and if I pay it off, I would still have to pay $600 each year until I die or sell the house.
Car insurance, home insurance will vary greatly depending if you drive a $20,000 Toyota or a $200,000 Porsche. Same goes for house, you buy a premier home, it will be substantially more than a villa. This same goes for property taxes.
As for gas in your cars, does your car get 15 mpg or 30? Do you drive 3000 miles a year or 20,000? Are You going to have 2 cars and 1 golf cart?
TV streaming, internet, entertainment costs, food, most things, will be similar to what you pay now. If you go on 2 cruises a year, costs won’t change except you can drive now to the port. You can live anywhere in the country and still pay the same price for YouTube tv.
The big difference here is you don’t pay income tax, but not knowing your current situation, that might not matter and you might live in a state that you don’t pay income tax now.
There are many cost of living calculators online that will compare your cost of living in your current city/state to the villages. This will give you what you want without all the details

[scubawva]

You can find every cost online, which is what I did before moving here.

Grocery stores, utilities, bond, insurance, costs of gas, restaurants, personal services, is all online. You can look up everything in an hour or 2. I did, made a spreadsheet and had a good idea of all costs.

Compared to where I lived TV is just about the same - some things higher (insurance, home upkeep services) some lower (taxes, auto gas, utilities).

The videos showing COL weren’t MY costs. Will you hire lawn care or DIY? How much do you dine out v eat in? Buying new or resale home? Small 2/2 or larger 4/3? Golf cart? Party animal going to shows/events often or stay-at-home? Golfer or not?

To many variables. Look up costs for your situation.

It’s worth every penny! Fantastic community.

[drdoug59]

[QUOTE=Guzzel;2378924]The wife and I are considering TV for retirement in 2 years; so not looking for an exact figure, but assuming no house payment, was wondering what the average cost of living might be in TV.

Understand everyone's situation and lifestyle is different, but really wanted to get ballpark figures for things like, Utilities; Internet; Insurance; Amenity Fee (still $195/month?); Entertainment; Groceries; Other monthly expenses.

Again, not looking for exact costs, just trying to work up the reasonable monthly costs based on the knowledge base and experience of present "Villagers".


It will change as you go thru retirement, usually 3 stages, the go go years, the slow go years and the no go years
As you age, you will probably travel less, and spend more time at home
In my opinion you will find a lack of fine dining here in TV, as compared to Sarasota, so if you dine out regularly, you will save money here
Don’t forget to add in the cost of a golf cart, but owning one is not a necessity,
You can live frugally here, your in north central florida, your not in a coastal community like fort lauderdale where everything is much more expensive

[Villagesgal]

Everyone is different. We keep tabs on our expenses every month and we live fairly well. Day in and day out for our no mtg Designer home on a golf course runs about $25,000 per year including everything, food, gas, utilities, lawn service, car and house insurance, taxes, etc. We take 2 overseas trips a year and at least 2 domestic trips a year which adds another $30,000.
So, with travel it's around $55,000 a year, without travel it's around $25,000 a year. We think that's amazingly inexpensive for a wonderful quality of life. We've been here 22 years and still love it, so glad we came early in our late 40s. Would do it again in a heartbeat. You'll love it here too.