One of Ideal Living magazine’s adages is “Where you live affects how you live,” and that has never been truer than it is right now. Perhaps it is a good time for each of us to sit back and assess where we are, where we are headed and where we want to be.

There’s no single lifestyle that will appeal to all of us. All we can do is look individually at what we want and determine if there is a way for us to obtain it.

Even though there is no magic bullet, there are a number of constants that will affect the choices we make. For example, a family living in Long Island, NY, would probably reduce their cost of living dramatically by moving to Orlando, FL. By leaving behind the higher real estate prices, taxes, and cost of daily commodities, a move from Long Island would be a beginning. This would probably hold true for people living in communities almost anywhere in the northeastern U.S. who moved to a location in the South.

Let’s look at some direct comparisons between two cities of nearly the same size, one in the northeast and the other in Florida. For more city comparisons, you can download a copy of Ideal Living’s Choose the Right Place book at www.choosetherightplace.com.

When you examine your present cost of living, you will most probably find that housing is where much of the money goes. Taxes, insurance, utilities, mortgages, and repairs can add up to a major drain on your monthly costs. State and local tax statistics for 2007 show that these taxes amount to roughly 20% of household incomes. These percentages will rise significantly in the near future to meet unfunded government obligations. Further, the typical drop in income accompanying retirement will make matters even worse for those who remain. For years, retirees have been moving south in part for economic reasons. Now the economic reasons may become the driving force, the urgency to move is apparent. If living within your new retirement income is a major goal, then moving to a less expensive location is an option well worth considering.

In today’s housing market, condominiums and homes throughout the South are as reasonable as they will probably ever be. Maybe this is the time to make that move to Florida or the southeast coastline. With today’s economic troubles, the adage “Where you live affects how you live,” becomes more important than ever before.

N. Hampstead, NY
Home Value: $660,200 median value
Property Tax: $22.40 (per $1000 valuation)
Sales Tax: 8.75%
Income Tax: 7.13%
Cost of Living: 164% vs. 100% as national average

Orlando, FL
Home Value: $272,500 median value
Property Tax: $13.69 (per $1000 valuation)
Sales Tax: 6.50%
Income Tax: 0.00%
Cost of Living: 94% vs. 100% national average