I'd bet close to half the people here live on less than that,

by the time we all reach the age when we are trying decide where we want to live we certainly have enough experience in life to know what we can and cannot afford. So I suspect you already know the answer and are looking for support.

I say the answer is absolutely.......your check book and resources will determine what size home and neighborhood. The reall attraction of TV lifestyle is whether one is dependent on SS only or whether one has a 6 figure ++++++ monthly income/revenue.......they are all entitled to the same amenities.

:BigApplause: Tie your way of life to your income.

One of my biggest fear is that the amenities fees will skyrocket in the near future....what do you all think?

There is no guarantee in life, and I think the amenities fees will be a question in the future, but it is all speculation .

According to city-data dot com the estimated median household income in The Villages was $51,139 in 2012.

Just a review, median basically means that half the people make more and half the people make less.

I believe the amenity fees are tied to the CPI, and can only be raise 3% max per year. Not even a dent to your monthly income.

I am sure many people are living here on less than 50K, per year. Nothing to worry about. IMHO

So I was close. Not quite half.

In MY opinion the Info from City-Data.com is highly flawed.!!!!

Has anyone looked at the Data Sets used by City-Data.com
to get median income levels for The Villages ??

They used ZIP Codes 34484 and 34491 and 32162.

34484. covers OUTSIDE of Villages westbound to WEST of Interstate 75

34491. covers SUMMERFIELD Florida

32162 . The ONLY Zip Code they used which is actually IN The Villages.

IF you used ONLY 32162 , containing CDD's actually IN The Villages.
I would tend to believe the AVERAGE
income IN The Villages is Higher than $ 75,000.

The Morse and Company Data Set which has VERIFIBLE income
for those who took out mortgages with Citizens First Bank shows
an AVERAGE income of OVER $ 90,000. per household.

Wonder what the income level might be for the more than
50% of Villagers who do not even need a mortgage.

I believe someone posted a long time ago:

On $50K, you can live like a king. "Here King, here King". :D

$50K should be enough to live on in TV. I know some people who live on less than $50K.

Outgo
 

Financial Planner here. I have looked at a lot of cash flow spreadsheets over the years. Three items that drastically affect how much income you need to live on:
1) Cars. you can save a ton of money by downsizing to one small economical car. You can save a ton more by doing basic repair and maintenance yourself.
2) Eating out. The more you eat out, the more expensive your life is.
3) Technology. You can spend $300 or more a month on cell phone, cable TV and internet or you can spend less than $50 on antenna TV, the least expensive internet and a non-smart phone with a basic minutes plan.
There are, of course, a ton of other things you can do, like setting the thermostat higher in summer and lower in winter and eating low on the food chain, but the 3 above tend to account for a LOT of discretionary spending.

Yes life style is important. But at least you can adjust these if you need to. Individuals estimating their budget should budget the last two items as high as you can. I think these are easy to under budget. Remember your life style is changing.

And that would leave out 32159 which includes the historic district and the Rio Grande area. All of the The Villages does not lie south of 466.

And how many people living here never took out a mortgage. I paid cash for my house as did many of my neighbors.

Most of my neighbors don't even own a car. That's the benefit of having everything you need (grocery, drug store, banks, churches, medical care, recreation, shopping, dining, etc) all an easy golf cart ride away. This saves money on car maintenance and insurance.

And after living in TV many years, some residents find the dining choices so monotonous that they prefer to eat at home.