Cost of Living in Burlington (Warren: real estate, insurance, condo)

[Serenity Seeker]

Hi, I'm new to this forum. I currently live about 20 miles NW of Los Angeles. Life is getting nuts around here (traffic, crime, heat, overpopulation, and I am probing possible places to relocate to. As a child, I lived in Montreal and often visited Burlington with my family. I still have the fondest memories of a quieter lifestyle and surrounding beauty.

Among the many considerations to address, everyday living expenses are a huge part of the formula. Is there anyone who can post a general picture as to property tax percentages, home & auto insurance premiums, cost of regular home utilities (both during summer and winter) water fees, trash fees, cost of food, etc.
I'm not one for thinking grass is greener on the other side. It rarely ever is. Instead, I'm looking for a place where human civility still exists, where I can speak English and be understood, and also a slower pace of living.
Thank you in advance for any responses.

[picante]

"I'm looking for a place where human civility still exists, where I can speak English and be understood, and also a slower pace of living."

I think you'll find all this and more in Burlington. City-Data.com in addition to these forums does post reams of data of the kind you're seeking. Different people say different things about taxes in VT; most say it one of the most highly property-taxed states, a minority say that, its how you look at the numbers and if you consider other states' other tax accounting, and other taxes (sales tax, etc), VT sits somewhere in the middle. I haven't tried to verify either position b/c whatever the taxes, I think living in Burlington is worth what I'm paying for.

[Serenity Seeker]

picante,
Thank you for your response. I seem to continue to be lured to the Green State. So then it must true. Your grass IS greener on that other side. I've considered moves to New Hampshire and Maine. But Vermont keeps whispering to me.
Somehow I'm going to have to get past the winter heating costs and look at the whole deal. But that's also what I'm after on this thread - some type of cost basis for comparing utilities, insurance, basic groceries, etc. If you or anyone can jot down some of their current costs I'd appreciate it.

Here are some of my basic costs (all costs annualized):

Home Insurance = $700 (add earthquake ins. = $540)
Auto Insurance (for 2 cars) = $1,600
Water & Power & Trash & Sewer = $1,800
Gas (hot water, heating) = $720
Telephone with Internet = $720
Satellite TV = $720

Average grocery staples:
Milk Gallon = 3.99
Dozen eggs = 1.79
Loaf of bread = 2.69

Auto Fuel = $4.57/gallon at my corner gas station


Thank you for any feedback.

[68vette]

Originally Posted by Serenity Seeker

picante,
Thank you for your response. I seem to continue to be lured to the Green State. So then it must true. Your grass IS greener on that other side. I've considered moves to New Hampshire and Maine. But Vermont keeps whispering to me.
Somehow I'm going to have to get past the winter heating costs and look at the whole deal. But that's also what I'm after on this thread - some type of cost basis for comparing utilities, insurance, basic groceries, etc. If you or anyone can jot down some of their current costs I'd appreciate it.

Here are some of my basic costs (all costs annualized):

Home Insurance = $700 (add earthquake ins. = $540)
Auto Insurance (for 2 cars) = $1,600
Water & Power & Trash & Sewer = $1,800
Gas (hot water, heating) = $720
Telephone with Internet = $720
Satellite TV = $720

Average grocery staples:
Milk Gallon = 3.99
Dozen eggs = 1.79
Loaf of bread = 2.69

Auto Fuel = $4.57/gallon at my corner gas station


Thank you for any feedback.

The costs will depend on many factors. It depends on where you will settle in the state as well. Home insurance in the Burlington area costs us about the same(with earthquake ins. included) for a 2100 sq ft home in the Burlington area. Auto insurance depends on many factors. What your driving record is, how many miles you will drive each day, how much coverage, and the type of cars you drive. For two vehicles(FJ Cruiser and a mini van) driving local(less than 24000 miles combined) and clean driving records we pay a little more(full coverage). Water, power and trash will vary as well. In our home we are conserative with our use. We do our own trash and recycling and spend about twenty dollars per month. We have had quotes for curbside pick up and it's about double that. Everything in our home is energy efficient(appliances, lights, ect) and our power bill is on average about 120 per month. Before changing everything over it was double that. Telephone, cable and internet with a combined service run us about 150 per month(don't quote me on this. It may be a little higher or a little lower) Heating is our major cost for the year. It depends on how warm you want to stay, how big your place is and how efficient your home will be(many homes don't have adequate insulation in my opinion). Heating costs are still increasing across the board no matter what you use as your source of heating. There is no way to give an accurate projection of what it will be because the cost has gone up so much in the past few months. We were given a quote from our oil company of 435 per month on a prebuy. Groceries vary as well. Milk is 5.00 per gallon, bread and eggs are about the same. Produce most of the year is more expensive than most parts of the country because everything needs to be shipped in(the cost of shipping is past on to the consumer). Gas varies by where you live as well. As of today, if you are willing to drive and find a good price it's about 4.05 per gallon. If you just go to the corner store it is 4.23.

You also need to find what you will be paid here. The pay in Vermont for most jobs is much lower than in other parts of the country. If you can work from a computer at home it's easy to figure out, but if not you need to find out what type of pay you will be getting. I'm sure you are aware of this , but have a job before moving. There are jobs listed, but the good ones are hard to get(my stepson and a good friend are having a hard time now finding good jobs in their field). We are starting to feel the economic pains the rest of the country is going through.

[tkln]

We own a small one bedroom condo in a resort town...I know our costs aren't really comparable, but I guess every little bit of info helps.

The condo is about 770 square feet...this year for heating (oil), we paid I think about $1500 between November and April (maybe May too, but I can't remember the exact date). I am anticipating it to be around double that this year. (Here in NYC, our pre pay for oil went from $110/month to $232/month year round, for a 1400 square foot house).

Our property taxes are about $2200 a year, but we live in a resort town so that's part of the reason it's so high. Plus we supposedly have a 'view'. If you crane your neck over the trees, why yes, then I think we do have a view.

Can't speak for the rest as I haven't been up since May...

[Serenity Seeker]

68vette & tkln, Thank you both for your input. It appears that our normal course of expenses are similar, save for the heating costs in winter and probably property taxes.
Property taxes here in CA are based on the purchase price of the home at around 1 1/4 % and go up ever so slowly and only because local politicians create needs for additional social programs. I bought my house in 1994 (1500 sq ft, 3bd, 2 b) for $153,000. My property taxes then were $1900 annually. Presently they are just around $2400, up to 1 1/2 % even though my property is worth about $450,000 today. I don't get reassessed unless I build improvements into the house (i.e adding a room or remodeling).
My living expenses here are doable because I have a decent job that covers my costs. The unknown of where I'd work is the big detractor and the economy isn't exactly helpful at the moment. I dream of being able to relocate, but reality says I'll have to wait for retirement when my bones will be brittle and arthritis sets in. At that point, I don't think snowy places will be on my radar. But I can dream, can't I? What would be cool would be to buy a small condo and fly out for months at a time. Well, as long as I'm dreaming, anyway.
Again, thanks for your responses. Best regards. Warren

[MassVt]

...as it can be quite serene, even though it's VT's largest city (tipping the scales at 40,000).

It would be quite a contrast to LA, but I'm sure that you'll find it reasonable when compared to CA real estate prices. It is more expensive than many comparable communities, but it's a very pleasant place to live. The biggest factors would be the change in climate, and securing a good job.

[Serenity Seeker]

40,000 people - sounds like my block. One reason why I'm looking to relocate. There are far too many people out here.
Also, are there flood zones around Burlington due to weather factors and/or Lake Champlain overflow? And can you describe the mud issue I read about in another post?

[vter]

The City of Burlington has around 40K, but when you count the 'burbs, it's more like 150K. Still small beans compared to LA!
Lake Champlain occassionaly floods during the spring. It depends on how much snow we get and how rapidly it melts.
Mud season would not be an issue if you are living in Burlington or in it's suburbs. It's an "issue" in rural Vermont where all the dirt roads are. In the spring when the ground thaws, the ground turns to mud - I actually find it really fun to drive on muddy dirt roads. My car on the other hadn probably doesnt like it too much LOL.

[ColoradoHereWeCome]

Vermont is MUCH better than Maine or New Hampshire. I'm a New Yorker so it's not a biased opinion.