Scarlett Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 I'm off to Google this, but curious what the Hive's knowledge is of this topic. My brother is having a case of itchy feet and is dreaming of moving but lives on a very fixed income (he is disabled) so needs low COL. His wife just got a job at the post office (part time) so if she could work in a postal job that would be a plus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeindeed Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 I'm located in south Alabama. The COL is relatively low here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnaM Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 I live east of Dallas. Texas in general is a low COL state. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnaM Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 Here is some that might help http://www.missourieconomy.org/indicators/cost_of_living/index.stm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TGHEALTHYMOM Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 Who knows how high things will be soon? My county is low cost compared to some highly populated ones. We live in the country though, so heating, sewer, garbage are going to vary from town to town. Do they have a State or certain area they want to live? Climate, food, and cost of living, as well as p.o. job availability all seem to be the priority. Maybe job availability? And go from there? Best of luck!:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted November 8, 2012 Author Share Posted November 8, 2012 I ran across a list of 10 lowest COL cities and most of them are in TX! So much for his desire to be where there is snow and mountains. :) Two of the cities are in AR and within 2 hours of my brother. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeindeed Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 I ran across a list of 10 lowest COL cities and most of them are in TX! So much for his desire to be where there is snow and mountains. :) Two of the cities are in AR and within 2 hours of my brother. :glare: If he wants snow and mountains, maybe north Alabama or Tennessee? Or Kentucky? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 How big a city does he need? Southern Ky is cheap, Kansas is really cheap in the se areas I researched. Southern IL and IN have lower col than many areas, but farm land is still expensive because big business buys it all up. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnaM Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 I ran across a list of 10 lowest COL cities and most of them are in TX! So much for his desire to be where there is snow and mountains. :) Two of the cities are in AR and within 2 hours of my brother. :glare: If you live towards the panhandle there is a bit of that, though, I think those are generally the more expensive areas. To give you a bit of an idea of what it is like here we just moved out of a 3300sq ft house that we paid $194,000 to 5 acres that we paid a total of $20k for (including years of back taxes and some back utilities as it had a trailer on it) and are building a smaller 1700 sq ft house for just over $100K. The house will include a lot of custom upgrades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JessReplanted Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 Western PA, where we just moved from - COL is very low, but so is the general income. And, from what I've heard, postal jobs are very hard to find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth in MN Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 Rural areas tend to be low COL, and houses tend to be pretty inexpensive. HOWEVER Lots of rural areas are having their post offices closed. Here in Cottonwood County Minnesota, there are just a few post offices. Word on the street is that all but the one in the county seat will be closed. Everyone would be switched to PO boxes, again except for the county seat. In the county seat all mail would be delivered to one set of boxes on each street corner, no more house delivery. I believe I have heard that all rural routes would be discontinued in favor of PO boxes. So it's a Catch 22 situation for your brother and his wife - they could have a new place to live but it'd be very hard for your SIL to transfer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southcarolinamom Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 We live in SC, the state with the cheapest gas prices in the US. :D The cost of living is fairly low as well. We live in the Upstate of SC, within 1 hour of Asheville (snow and mountains), and within 3 hours of Charleston and the beach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted November 8, 2012 Author Share Posted November 8, 2012 Rural areas tend to be low COL, and houses tend to be pretty inexpensive. HOWEVER Lots of rural areas are having their post offices closed. Here in Cottonwood County Minnesota, there are just a few post offices. Word on the street is that all but the one in the county seat will be closed. Everyone would be switched to PO boxes, again except for the county seat. In the county seat all mail would be delivered to one set of boxes on each street corner, no more house delivery. I believe I have heard that all rural routes would be discontinued in favor of PO boxes. So it's a Catch 22 situation for your brother and his wife - they could have a new place to live but it'd be very hard for your SIL to transfer. Yep. I can't see how they could benefit themselves in any way by moving UNLESS this is about escaping bad associates (which I half expect may be his true motivation). They currently live in one of the most beautiful cities in AR---in the mountains, small town, our hometown so lots of support there AND she works part time for a post office that will never close because it is an isolated area. People from all over the country retire there....and he wants to move. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennyradmer Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 Try Tennessee. Cost of living is low, and eastern TN has mountains and snow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 North Carolina has some great places up in the mountains. Tenn or Kentucky would fit the bill too. I love mountains. I would take it over the beach......as long as there is a large lake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 Google, and check for states that don't tax SS, etc. For retirees, e.g. rural eastern WA is cheaper than Kansas. I was amazed. Also, keep in mind lifestyle. Need major medical center without a 100 mile commute? Low income (taxable) but lives on gifts ... try a no sales tax state like Oregon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PollyOR Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 Sounds like he needs to take a vacation. Maybe that would be enough to satisfy his wanderlust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghee Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 Try Tennessee. Cost of living is low, and eastern TN has mountains and snow. This is true for Tennessee. However, as Elizabeth said, upthread, it is a Catch 22. Low COL but also lower paying jobs (and fewer jobs, at least in our area), and nothing to do. Where we are in TN, we can either drive 2 hours to Memphis for a few things, or 3 hours to Nashville for a few things, but neither really has the spread of stuff I'm looking for. I love being in a "city" like St Louis, Chicago, or Cincinnati. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 Things here in the more rural parts of MN aren't bad. Food is moderate, but rent/house prices are fairly low, especially over the last few years. Pay is decent, and at the moment there are quite a few manufacturing jobs available. MN also provides a lot of assistance for people with low incomes, especially with health care. Up until this year I had free state insurance that paid 100% of everything, and my dd still has that. Dh doesn't qualify, but his job with a manufacturing company has full benefits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 SW Virginia is very low COL and has four seasons. We were in Wise county and were surprised how cheap it was. Only real drawback is that it isn't diverse AT ALL. The KH was wonderful (friends were great), but they were awfully white! I've never lived somewhere like that! It was a bit of a shock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 I live east of Dallas. Texas in general is a low COL state. Of course, no one knows how that might change once you all are no longer part of the United States. :leaving: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted November 28, 2012 Author Share Posted November 28, 2012 Of course, no one knows how that might change once you all are no longer part of the United States. :leaving: LOL Hilarous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted November 28, 2012 Author Share Posted November 28, 2012 SW Virginia is very low COL and has four seasons. We were in Wise county and were surprised how cheap it was. Only real drawback is that it isn't diverse AT ALL. The KH was wonderful (friends were great), but they were awfully white! I've never lived somewhere like that! It was a bit of a shock. :) His current town is not diverse either. I think there are one or two black families in the entire county now---there were none at all when I was growing up. One family had a half-black foster kid and that was it. But his oldest dd is dating a black man. :) Our family is about to become diverse! Whoo Hoo! Btw, he hasn't mentioned moving at all since that one weird day when he was texting mom and me and getting irritated at us when we didn't praise his brilliant idea of moving. :glare: I think whoever said he needs a vacation is right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpidarkomama Posted November 28, 2012 Share Posted November 28, 2012 We live in SC, the state with the cheapest gas prices in the US. :D The cost of living is fairly low as well. We live in the Upstate of SC, within 1 hour of Asheville (snow and mountains), and within 3 hours of Charleston and the beach. Ahhh, we just spent a week on the NC/SC border and really enjoyed those gas prices. And food prices! Groceries were startlingly lower than in coastal GA! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpidarkomama Posted November 28, 2012 Share Posted November 28, 2012 Oregon more than makes up for its no-sales-tax with PLENTY in property and income taxes. Glad to now be in sales-tax-Georgia, where our income tax is 2/3rds what it was and property tax is 1/2 what they were. Google, and check for states that don't tax SS, etc. For retirees, e.g. rural eastern WA is cheaper than Kansas. I was amazed. Also, keep in mind lifestyle. Need major medical center without a 100 mile commute? Low income (taxable) but lives on gifts ... try a no sales tax state like Oregon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalicoKat Posted November 28, 2012 Share Posted November 28, 2012 Recently learned that one state doesn't do a state tax. Was it Montana? Lots of older, but not really old, folks here in SW Wi on fixed incomes seem to be moving there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
somo_chickenlady Posted November 28, 2012 Share Posted November 28, 2012 We live close to Branson, and it is very low COL here. We are in the foothills of the Ozark mountains, and there are tons of rock outcroppings and such, so it looks like the mountains. It is very pretty here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
********* Posted November 28, 2012 Share Posted November 28, 2012 COL is very low here in Michigan. But crime and unemployment are HIGH, so... yeah. I dunno. LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted November 28, 2012 Share Posted November 28, 2012 SE Kansas is very low-cost. Largest city would be Independence. Many small towns in and around there are pleasant, quiet and very inexpensive. If it is a consideration for your brother, most of the small towns either have local medical clinics/hospitals or close access to one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted November 29, 2012 Author Share Posted November 29, 2012 We live close to Branson, and it is very low COL here. We are in the foothills of the Ozark mountains, and there are tons of rock outcroppings and such, so it looks like the mountains. It is very pretty here! I am very familiar with that area and agree it is pretty. Where he lives in AR s very similar....which brings back to WHY move? Oh well he hasn't mentioned it in a while...maybe he is over it now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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