I live on three wooded acres. We built a log home 35 years ago and I have a 30 ft. by 25 ft machine shop. I am 79 years old spend Mondays thru Saturdays in my shop from 12 noon till 6 pm. When not doing a job for a friend I work on my own pass time. We have deer, coyotes which I shoot when I can. My wife and I love our home and the best part is we don't have to put up with crowds or new people you meet that you think will be great new friends only to find out they are far from being good friends. We live under the rule of KISS. Keep It Simple Stupid. Good luck to those of you that have made the moves.

We lived in a gated community in Naples, Fl for 14 years. 2000 sq.ft home and the community had all the regular amenities, pool, clubhouse, tennis courts, etc. Cost on an annual basis was right around $20k. No house payment as we paid cash. $20k included HOA, Property Taxes, Homeowners Insurance, Water, Sewer, Electric, Cable, Internet, minimum monthly food expense at community restaurant, etc. Not exactly cheap but it was beautiful community. Had about 800 homes in it. Just a 5/10-minute drive to the Collier County parking lot at Bonita Beach. If you're going to spend the $$$$ to live in Florida, go as far south as you can. Naples is truly subtropical climate. It gets cold in the Villages!!!!

Helpful. Thank you for the update. I’m glad to hear not all homes are so large. I’m really really tired of cleaning . True story.

I really enjoy the monthly budget videos. Love the transparency.

Thank you so much! This is an amazing thoughtful video. Super helpful.

Very good overview. I've been giving some thought on relocating from Nevada to Florida and The Villages are at the top of my choices. The costs are on the edge for me, but doable. Thanks.

It's all relative. I'm coming from New York where I'm paying over $19,000 a year for property and school tax. Add my $565. A month for gas and electric. The house is double 3,000 vs 2,200 sq. Ft. But I'm already way ahead of the game in the villages. People should consider purchasing a home where the bond is paid off as we did. When comparing costs I wouldn't count cell phones or other costs that you would have any where you live but yes should be considered as what you need a month. Ty for the info. On your video.

This advice is good for those can afford it.

Great video, lots of good current information on actual costs.

Extremely helpful video!!! Thank you!

Who showed up here from Nick Johnson's video about The Villages. Great video on the costs. Thanks.

Good job Gary!

Fabulous! Very helpful! Thanking you from Ireland!

And then there are the extras for those moving into a new home that may need or want to get these things done before or shortly after moving in so reserving $$ for these things should be considered. We just purchased a new Avondale model CV in lower St. Johns and needed to add additional gutter which cost $1,300. Not a necessity, but we wanted to get our garage floor epoxied which the process we went with takes 3 days to cure, so no walking or putting anything on the floor during the curing process. We have a 2 car plus golf cart garage and our cost was $1,800 and we got estimates as high as $3,200. Another not necessarily needed and we have put this off for now is water softening and filtration systems and those run in the ballpark of $2,200. Most upgrade their landscaping at least replacing that messy pine mulch. The cost for this can be all over the place, and if one wants some hard scaping, stones in the beds, and some additional plantings expect to pay between $3-$5k for this. If one wants a new Yahama Quiet Tech gas golf cart a 2 seater will run around $17k and 4 seater closer to $20k. If you want to add an alarm system to your new golf cart which we are having that installed cost $375. Since we gave away most of our garage stuff when we relocated we had to replace some of that stuff like hoses, shovel, ladder, etc. plus new brooms, mops, and cleaning supplies and honestly lost count of our costs for these things. New homes do not include a washer and dryer so purchasing those appliances cost us $2k on sale. Fortunately we brought down some furniture so all we had to get was a bed and sofa. We went with a king size adjustable base with a higher end but not the highest Stearns & Foster mattress which cost us $4,100. Had we opted for a Tempur-Pedic mattress our cost would have been closer to $7k. We wanted a leather sofa and new ones cost minimally $3k, but we found a pre owned one in great condition but it still cost $1k. As one can see those TV needs and wants do add up so plan accordingly.

Thanks for the video! Lots of good information!

Excellent guesstimate. Great 👍🏽 work. Very helpful.

Realistic breakdown thank you. Add in $500 a month for food.(at least considering Publix prices) your over $2k easy.

Useful information! Thank you.

Very helpful! Thank you!

Thank you for your informative video!

Great information, thank you!

Great video, very informative, thank you!

Thanks, very helpful!

This is still much cheaper month to month than retirement in New York. And no ice or snow!

thank you. this was very helpful.

Thank you for the ESTIMATEs....I understand these are NOT exact figures...that said I now realize that on a fixed income FL is very very very expensive.

Income & Poverty of The Villages. Median household income (in 2021 dollars), 2017-2021 $67,239 Per capita income in past 12 months (in 2021 dollars), 2017-2021 $48,988 If your household income is at least the median, you can afford to live there.

Very helpful, thanks so much.

Very good analysis! I am sure folks wanting to move there will appreciate these numbers. I am surprised how low your electric and trash are, just compared to a small home in Virginia. The bond payment seems like the surprise elephant in the room, but really, if you're moving south, you save that in heating bills anyway. All in all, it seems pretty cheap from this video, like I said, just compared to a small starter home in the Mid Atlantic. But not working at all, you can't afford to be wrong, so I would want the opposite of sticker shock, ha ha.

florida taxes have gone up so much. I am in upstate NY and I pay about 5k for taxes each year for a small ranch home small lot etc. I remember when florida had taxes in the hundreds a year and I was like omg I cant wait to move to Florida. Now I am seeing taxes right up there, not sure its worth the move for me although I am tired of the cold LOL

Excellent. Very helpful.

This is interesting we just put in our mortgage application today

My 1700 Sq ft home in southern ca, built in 2007, with a pool is paid for. The basic cost per month is about $550 for property tax, water, sewer, power, gas, garbage pick up and home insurance, so the villages is way to expensive for me. I do my own pool maintenance and landscaping. Pest control is about $50 every other month. The duplex across the street is two 1500 sq ft units. No garages and they rent for $2,300 a month.

We are a married couple living in the Villages 1400 square foot house. No bond. $18k in cash is a minimum. We figure $24k cash if including going out to eat and take-out plus a week local vacation.

My current Duke electric bill is $109.56 which is down from $124.79.

Nice Tks for your information.

The bond is not figured on the value of your home. The bond is based on how much the building of the infrastructure (utilities, streets, and street lights, drainage, etc) cost to install in your village or development area divided by the number of homes.

Excellent video----Thank you!

Hate to say this but I live in California. I have a house in California. I made great long terms planning in California. THE RESULT... I PAY LESS than what this gentlemen does per month. A LOT LESS. And I live in one of the best places as far was year around weather in the US. MORAL OF THE STORY. IF YOU DO NOT MAKE ANY LONG TERM FINANCIAL GOALS... WAGIE CAGIE wage slave when you get old.

No thanks! I'll stay in my California home. One without rules and regulations and nosey Karens telling me what to do.

My bond was paid when I bought. I couldn't get insurance unless the roof was replaced.

WAIT! Property insurance should not be based on potential maintenance issues. This type of insurance should be based on acts of nature and replacement value when these acts occur. Also, some basic liability if someone gets hurt on your property. Something is horribly wrong with property insurance AND property taxes in Florida. Taxes should be based on the value of the property not on the most recent sale of said property. OK. Rant over.

Summer season electricity for my 1800sq Fort Lauderdale is $350 a month, no gas hoockup.

Thank you. Would you please do another update on costs to live in TV? I live in Duluth Minnesota and my expenses, comparatively speaking, are far more than TV. I don’t have a bond nor amenity fee nor a DDA. If I paid cash for my home and didn’t over extend, I could afford it. I just don’t want to be house poor. I’d be a permanent resident.

Been here a couple of years now, not by choice. I was more or less railroaded down here and had to walk away from a career that I mostly loved, friends family and many things dear to me. I love my home in the villages but as far as living here full-time and still having to work full-time it is not for me. I’m not really sure how we afford it. But my wife and I both still have to work. Coming here to visit friends on vacation it was always a blast. But living here and working under contract for the Villages has changed my whole perception. It’s just not for me. Hope I can get back home someday.

Please do a video on TV governance. What say do residents have? Input to amenities offered. Are TV corporate responsive? As an example, I hear there are many who are upset about the number of rentals. Any chance of them prevaling? I’ve not heard of anyone doing a video on this subject.

I appreciated your summary of your living expenses. I have seen summaries for designer homes, but not for a cottage/Ranch size home which is very sufficient for me. Did you purchase in one of the new Villages south of 44?

Hi Gary. Where can I find the rules and regs of TV on the Community Development Districts website? I don’t see it.

That’s not bad.

$1500 a month? That's all? Holy smokes....what a deal!

Nope, I can't afford it.

THANK YOU GARY!! So, what would u say a person or a couple have to make yearly living confortly??

I can see how that lifstyle would be appealing to some but that is way to structured for me. It's like the truman show or groundhog day. Nothing new and no challenges. It would be interesting to see the single women there.

Home insurance is apparently absurd in Florida!

Taxes, with Homestead, $3,338.01

Property Tax, Bond and Home Insurance is often consolidated in with the Mortgage if you have one.

After Ronnie gets done with you prices are going thru the ceiling!

Turn your A/C on and watch that Duke Electric bill jump!

The money you save on snow removal and winter heating charges, you can afford this.

So every month you have to cut out 10 to 12 chks? Does it get deducted automatically from your bank account? Are there businesses that help you pay all this without forgetting or if you are away?

Sounds like too much complexity for me. My paid-for townhouse has an HOA for $220 a month. That gets me all landscaping, a country club pool with swimteam, tennis courts, it replaces the roof once a decade, all siding repairs, painting of all exteriors once every five years. Some community events. The villages is not worth it all of those bills. IMO And I live in a capital city. North Carolina.

My Aunt lives there on the golf coarse. I can't afford the gas to put in a fancy car to live there.

Gary…I haven’t been able to figure out how to request a copy of your budget (expense/income) calculator. How may I request a copy?

Fees, fees and more fees...

I think you're better off to rent in Florida, especially if your a snowbird. The cost of homeowner insurance is becoming astronomical.

Bond was already paid on ours

Welcome to the sunshine State

I have heard a number of people do this very thing and you are tens of thousands less than everyone else. You better be carrying down about 3/4th. of a million for a few years. They get you on everything.

Do you get a break on taxes at all? Where I live we get a homeowners exemption and an exemption because we are over 65.

It sounds like to me you need a monthly income at lease 5k monthly n that depends on how much your mortgage is.

Throw mortgage payment on top of that. No probably can't.

Thanks, I'm sure it's fine, but I'm not into generic suburban lifestyles. Enjoy if you like it, but it ain't my cup of tea. xo

Most of the people that move to the Villages pay Cash for the house. That should tell you plenty about them

I know this is aimed at the very affluent, BUT it's still not factoring in the MANDATORY flood insurance I've seen in other 'full disclosure' videos. And it's now MANDATORY, (there's that M word again) no matter where in the swamp (oops, I mean State) that you live! IF you choose to live in hurricane alley on the seashore, then by all means, try and kid yourself that you don't or won't need hurricane insurance! Now try and find an insurer! Since Hurricane Ian, no less than 15 insurers have either gone tits up or have simply pulled their horns in and vanished! What do you suppose that means you'll be paying in premiums to the remaining insurer(s)?! So all in all, I surmise that unless you're a politician or other class of mobster with residual income still coming in after retirement, then like everything else in Florida, it's waaaaay too expensive for the average Joe Blow from Komokeo. Just sayin'.

what is "fulltime" vs "part time"? Im assuming that you are only there 6 months per year? So, why would you double that if you live there all year? Im not understanding. And was that a typo? $666 for MONTHLY taxes? Can you tell us a ballpark on what the worth of your home is or how much you paid for your home, to give it perspective?

$38 for electricity in Florida? Do you have solar panels? I live in Florida and mine, on average, are $250

Why do you buy a bond? As a Florida resident, I am surprise how easy transplants pay for things that is not normal. You electrical is low, I would expect about 140.00 avg per month over a year. Everyone listen to what is needed and your expenses will not be the change.

Are you allowed to have a garden in your yard?

The price seems very high. I did not hear a number for an HOA, is there one.

How much would your house cost today

i wished I could afford to live that lifestyle...thats sounds like a cool lifestyle..but its way out of my range

An environmental wasteland way too much lawn stuff.hugh amounts of water and chemicals and fertilizer few if any trees shading houses. Do any of the residents give a damn.???

How much do the homes cost to purchase or rent?

What village, where? Does he ever mention? Did I miss?

Your fees and costs seem reasonable for any single dwelling standard home. All those fees are things everyone pays no matter where they are if they are in a single family dwelling home. Are you implying (with your video) that it is extra expensive to live in The Villages? If so then I'd be interested in how much more reasonable it is to maintain a household outside The Villages.

Is there a place in the Villages where I could buy a large lot and not have to live in a cookie cutter shack?

25% of the people in the Villages are on Military Pension.

There is no ways electricity is $60 for 1500sf

What is the Amenity fee for? you never say what it's about.

$38 average electric bill???

Wow, your electric is cheap. Mine for a smaller place in California is $170/month.

When I turn 70 I plan to begin collecting Federal welfare. My check will be $4,300 per month. Federal welfare checks help make the Villages affordable.

what is villages

What’s with all the posting on the Villages. Everyone living there is posting all the same information.

There are a few really nice retirement communities near by ,that are just as, nice without all the extra fees . Also the homes are much to close in The Villages. I have been there for winters and it is very crowded . Also lost it charm due to all the expansive development. I personally wouldn't want to retire there. Just sayin. Not my cuppa tea.

Lawn care sounds way too low as does electric.

I just moved my mother to the Villages in 2019. She doesn't like the radicalization and Trump supporters. I laughed because she is surrounded by old people. How radical can it be? So I know have to go get her and move her back!

not sure why you would want to

Dammmmn. No thank you!!!😮

Too many trumpers there,so no way 🤨