Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

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flyingaway
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Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by flyingaway »

We are currently looking for a place for retirement relocation. At this time, we are basically focused on two cities, Las Vegas and Tampa (Florida). I will list some pros and cons that I think I know.

(1) Specific neighborhoods: For Las Vegas, everyone will tell you that the good neighborhoods are: Summerlin and Henderson. They can even give you the zip codes of good neighborhoods. I could not find similar information for Tampa.(???) (not interested in good school neighborhoods or age-restricted retirement community, but safety is important).

(2) Property tax seems to be around 1% in Las Vegas, I don't know exactly how much is for Tampa, as they have many variations, e.g., home stay exemption? (???) Home insurance is also higher in Tampa.

(3) Tampa has good beaches for outdoor activities, although we do not plan to buy a house on a beach, 20 minute driving to beaches does not bother me. Las Vegas has many national parks nearby for outdoor activities and a lot more entertainment opportunities.

(4) Tampa does suffer from annual hurricane scares, Las Vegas does not seem to have similar scares on an annual basis.

(5) House prices seem to be comparable, we plan to downsize to a 3-bedroom house with a price range $300k-$400k.

(6) Both places do not have state income tax.

(7) We have been to both places, but will visit Las Vegas again in May and Tampa in June.

Could someone help me with items (1) and (2)? Any other information about these two cities (like or dislike) will be greatly appreciated.
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David Jay
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by David Jay »

Gulf Coast (with hurricane season) or High Desert.

I find it difficult to believe that one doesn’t have a strong preference for one or the other of these two (very different) climates.
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by sport »

flyingaway wrote: Thu Mar 18, 2021 6:22 pm (7) We have been to both places, but will visit Las Vegas again in May and Tampa in June.
Perhaps you should go in July and August to experience how hot each place can get.
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by jarjarM »

Parents retired to Summerlin and we visits them several times a year. It's a nice manicured neighborhood. The locals get plenty of freebies from the casinos. No state income tax as you know, utilities are quite cheap, frequent police patrols so the area is quite safe. Property tax is ~0.5%. June thru early october can be pretty hot but one gets used to it. The rest of the year is reasonable weather (gets a bit cold during winter for myself though). I don't think you can go wrong with Summerlin
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by Carguy85 »

sport wrote: Thu Mar 18, 2021 6:32 pm
flyingaway wrote: Thu Mar 18, 2021 6:22 pm (7) We have been to both places, but will visit Las Vegas again in May and Tampa in June.
Perhaps you should go in July and August to experience how hot each place can get.
It would also be great to see if you are ok with the humidity and storms in Tampa...August appears to be their rainiest month. Btw Tampa is called the lighting capitol of the US. May in Las Vegas could still be deceptively cool/nice. 2 VERY different climates no doubt
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by Gill »

Do you really mean the City of Tampa or the Tampa area?
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by stocknoob4111 »

I would definitely opt for Las Vegas! I plan to move there shortly myself after moving to TX originally from SoCal. Proximity to beaches (Los Angeles), outdoors (Red Rock Canyon and Lake Mead are local but others are close by as well, Zion, Death Valley, Grand Canyon. Winter sports in Mt. Charleston/Lee Canyon - SLC resorts within driving distance, no summer humidity. McCarren airport is also better connected than Tampa. Restaurants/Nightlife/Entertainment - well, Las Vegas wins no contest.
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by SrGrumpy »

Viva Las Vegas (but watch out for all the Californians).
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by quantAndHold »

Those are the only choices?

Do you like hot and humid, or hot and dry?

Check the price of homeowners insurance both places. Also check the price of electricity, since you’re gonna need a lot of it to run the AC either place.
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by EdNorton »

TB will cost about $5k more in flood insurance. I'm also guessing that $500k will get you into a much better neighborhood in Vegas than Tampa.
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by abuss368 »

Tampa area.

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flyingaway
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by flyingaway »

Gill wrote: Thu Mar 18, 2021 7:08 pm Do you really mean the City of Tampa or the Tampa area?
Gill
I mean the Tampa area. Thank you!
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by Gill »

EdNorton wrote: Thu Mar 18, 2021 7:54 pm TB will cost about $5k more in flood insurance. I'm also guessing that $500k will get you into a much better neighborhood in Vegas than Tampa.
:sharebeer
Not necessarily. Most homes in the area have no need for flood insurance. Also, it certainly wouldn’t be $5,000. More like $500.
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by mushripu »

sport wrote: Thu Mar 18, 2021 6:32 pm
flyingaway wrote: Thu Mar 18, 2021 6:22 pm (7) We have been to both places, but will visit Las Vegas again in May and Tampa in June.
Perhaps you should go in July and August to experience how hot each place can get.
Strongly suggest to visit tampa in july august for a week or two and see how you like it. It is humid, steamy and rain with lightening almost every day/afternoon. I was fine with it but DW hated the swampy smell everywhere.
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Watty
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by Watty »

I would give them a trial by fire and get a two week to month long rental in Las Vegas sometime around the middle of July through the Middle of August then fly to Tampa for another two week to month long rental sometime starting in August.

Something to also consider is how easy it will be for family and friends to visit you. If one of the cities is a three hour direct flight then people visiting you, or you visiting them, for a long weekend will be a lot more likely than if it would be a long flight with a plane change.
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by Nivek »

I’m a Florida resident so two things: I believe you mean homestead exemption (it means you can deduct up to $50k off your value if your home if it’s your primary residence hence lowering property taxes) and flood insurance MAYBE is $1K a year for that value of a home. At worst. Look at not living in a flood zone, easy to do.

Other than that, those are vastly different areas. Best of luck! Regardless you are finding a nice spot to retire!
SimplicityNow
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by SimplicityNow »

I cannot comment on Las Vegas as I've only been to the airport on a connection.

Tampa Bay area is where we plan to relocate.

We like Palm Harbor, Safety Harbor and Dunedin.

Dunedin has a cute main street with restaurants, bars, breweries, ice cream, more breweries and a park on the waterfront. Very near Clearwater beach with more restaurants. Depending where, you have a very close drive to HoneyMoon Island State Park and Caladesi Island State Park. Swimming, fishing, hiking nature trails. They have many festivals during the year. TD ballpark is in town and is where the Toronto Blue Jays do their spring training.

Safety Harbor is on Tampa Bay. Also has a main strip with restaurants bars and small shops and a waterfront park. Cute small town feel.

Palm Harbor is more spread out and I don't think it has very much of a main street, more a typical suburban area. The northern part has developments on both side of Lake Tarpon. Mall, shopping, more restaurants.

All these neighborhoods have housing in a wide range of prices and are 20-40 minutes (without traffic) to downtown Tampa
and have relatively low crime.
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by mrspock »

SrGrumpy wrote: Thu Mar 18, 2021 7:18 pm Viva Las Vegas (but watch out for all the Californians).
That’s right... why annex the states when we can just move there, buy up the real estate, take over the governments, and corrupt the citizenry through marriage. :D

More on topic.... they are both good choices IMO. Good problem to have. Biggest thing is the ocean, how important is it to have access to those beaches everyday if you want? LA is a lonnnnng drive. Heat in Vegas in the summer is just insane.... unrelenting, so make sure you are ok with that.
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by brennok »

For Tampa it depends on what you are looking for and how close to the beach. Wesley Chapel/New Tampa area is pretty safe, but mostly subdivisions so smaller lots with houses close together and HOAs. Zephyrhills/Lakeland is currently greatly expanding.

For more land look at older areas like Lutz and Temple Terrace though parts of both can be a little rougher.

For property taxes I would say we pay a little over 1% at least for Hillsborough County. Sales tax is 8.5% and both auto and home insurance run higher here.

Reddit.com/r/tampa regularly has posts about moving here with lots of feedback on neighborhoods and housing.
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by Vanguard Fan 1367 »

I love the Tampa area. I know nothing about Vegas.

One of my hobbies is salt water fishing.
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bh3fpinv
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by bh3fpinv »

Where do you live now? Why not retire in place?? DW and I have lived a BUNCH of places all over the country and overseas....I vote for the short term rental in either location to help decide. We semi-retired 6 years ago and moved cross country....all we talk about is where we are moving to next....even though we will probably stay put. Good luck in your decision!!

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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by UsualLine »

bh3fpinv wrote: Thu Mar 18, 2021 10:24 pm Where do you live now? Why not retire in place?? DW and I have lived a BUNCH of places all over the country and overseas....I vote for the short term rental in either location to help decide. We semi-retired 6 years ago and moved cross country....all we talk about is where we are moving to next....even though we will probably stay put. Good luck in your decision!!

BH3
Do you always find furnished places? Wife and I also discuss moving around but furnished places seem kinda rare outside of the short term rental market. I don’t want to pack and ship furniture etc every year or so.
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by birdog »

Florida gets my vote over Nevada.

I second the suggestion of a three week (or so) rental in each possible location to help you decide. That’s what we plan to do. So far, all of the cities on our short list are in FL.
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by BigW »

Nevada is nice to visit but simply does not appeal to us. We've been in FL for a LONG time, and we still think it's the best place to spend the Winter. However the Summers are almost oppressive as far as heat, humidity, and rain are concerned. And of course there is always the possibility, however slight, of hurricanes, but that can be mitigated with a strong home with adequate protection. That leaves the question of where to spend the other half of the year? For us it was a no brainer-we've been going to the same area every Summer for 35+ years and found that we absolutely love the mountains of NC and TN. If you can afford it I heartily recommend the two-home solution for the best of both worlds. In any case, I also recommend trying out whichever area you think you may like for at least a year before making any purchases. We know a number of people who have uprooted their lives to live in a new area, invested in a new home, and shortly became disillusioned and eventually chose to sell at any cost to be able to get back to where they came from! Good luck.
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by Blue456 »

I lived in Cali and NYC and I never understood why so many people on the east coast are so obsessed about Florida. I always liked Nevada more especially Las Vegas suburban area. Weather wise you are going to enjoy lack of tropical storms and lack of humidity. Temperature wise 100F in Florida does not equal 100F in Nevada. The dry air in Nevada makes the actual temperature feel lower than what the thermometer is actually showing. Entertainment wise Vegas has much more to offer than Miami. Culture wise, I found most people in Nevada to be quite different than Florida but then you need to make determination on your own what you like. For example google: Florida man and then google Nevada man and see what comes out. Nature wise around Nevada you are going to find a lot more options within driving distance than Florida. On the other hand a flight to the Caribbean is much shorter from Miami than Vegas. I would advise you visit each major city and travel by car to the surrounding areas (including small towns) and see what you like. Spend some time over there during winter as well. If it was me, Im 100% for Nevada.
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by gips »

we purchased a condo on the beach in fl (st aug) and daily access to the beach is very important to us for walking, reading and fishing. ocean breezes tend to ameliorate the effects of high humidity.

we have friends who bought in vegas and love it, especially for golf.
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by mr_brightside »

you're not going to find a 'nice house' in Tampa for $300 -$400K. In the outerlying areas, maybe. But not in Tampa itself. The nicest area of Tampa is known as South Tampa and nice houses are $700K and up. check zip code 33629 for starters.

anything $500k and under gets an offer on it in 5 minutes. Tampa's nice but the real estate market has gone full mental.

Florida / Tampa seems more 'crowded' but that depends on where you frequent and when. Florida has a lot of toll roads which can be a hassle.

also -- not a political discussion but a point of fact: Florida is currently 'R'. Nevada is currently 'D'. If that matters.

To me it would come down to desert / dry vs. coastal / wet. How much does that matter? Both can be uncomfortably hot at times but dry or wet depending.

A 'great life' can be had in either. Have been to Vegas many times and can appreciate all the 'non-Strip' attributes.

ETA: Tampa area has NHL, NFL, MLB (plus spring training), a nice zoo, Busch Gardens, cruises (pre-COVID), a waterfront / riverwalk. close proximity to actual Gulf beaches and St Pete is nearby. Orlando is 'nearby'.

Vegas has a lot to offer also. The Strip offerings are practically endless. But 30 minutes in any direction pretty much puts you in the middle of the desert. :happy

-------------------------------------------------
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by beyou »

I love baseball so for me Tampa would offer the most fun Feb-Mar. That said, I simply cannot tolerate Florida summers. Would end up indoors May-Sep...almost like an annual pandemic :-)

I will visit Tampa periodically in spring, but unless I can afford two homes, wouldn’t permanently relocate there. The summer there bothers me more than winter in the northeast.
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by ROIGuy »

sport wrote: Thu Mar 18, 2021 6:32 pm
flyingaway wrote: Thu Mar 18, 2021 6:22 pm (7) We have been to both places, but will visit Las Vegas again in May and Tampa in June.
Perhaps you should go in July and August to experience how hot each place can get.
+1
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Wricha
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by Wricha »

Blue456 wrote: Fri Mar 19, 2021 5:23 am I lived in Cali and NYC and I never understood why so many people on the east coast are so obsessed about Florida. I always liked Nevada more especially Las Vegas suburban area. Weather wise you are going to enjoy lack of tropical storms and lack of humidity. Temperature wise 100F in Florida does not equal 100F in Nevada. The dry air in Nevada makes the actual temperature feel lower than what the thermometer is actually showing. Entertainment wise Vegas has much more to offer than Miami. Culture wise, I found most people in Nevada to be quite different than Florida but then you need to make determination on your own what you like. For example google: Florida man and then google Nevada man and see what comes out. Nature wise around Nevada you are going to find a lot more options within driving distance than Florida. On the other hand a flight to the Caribbean is much shorter from Miami than Vegas. I would advise you visit each major city and travel by car to the surrounding areas (including small towns) and see what you like. Spend some time over there during winter as well. If it was me, Im 100% for Nevada.
This seems like a uninformed/shallow view of Fl and no view of Tampa. Have you spent time in Tampa? Dry air or not 100f is hot and there is no relief by jumping into the swimming pool.
OP, beaches in Tampa look a little further west. I think Vegas and Tampa are very different places and maybe you should rethink what is important to you and narrow your choices from that new perspective.
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by SwampDonkey »

mr_brightside wrote: Fri Mar 19, 2021 6:10 am you're not going to find a 'nice house' in Tampa for $300 -$400K. In the outerlying areas, maybe. But not in Tampa itself. The nicest area of Tampa is known as South Tampa and nice houses are $700K and up. check zip code 33629 for starters.
Disagree. Depending where they are looking, they can find a nice house for sub $400k in Tampa. We're about to list our home in New Tampa in the high $300's and it is a nice home by any standard of measure.

I do agree South Tampa has gone bonkers. A house similar to ours on a similar lot in South Tampa would easily be 2-3x the price we will be asking.
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by abuss368 »

I am going to live on a boat like Crocket did on Miami Vice.

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Last edited by abuss368 on Mon May 30, 2022 9:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by SrGrumpy »

mrspock wrote: Thu Mar 18, 2021 8:54 pm they are both good choices IMO. Good problem to have.
... and both good for disposing of bodies.
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by investingfan »

Google says there are 594 type of insect species in Nevada and 12,500 in Florida. You decide.
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by quantAndHold »

I can’t imagine picking the place I was going to live for the next 20 years by asking strangers on the internet. If this were me, I would visit each place I was interested in. Get a realtor to give me a tour. Make a list of questions about things that were important to me and make sure I got answers to them. Then do short term rentals in each place that’s still in the running.

When we were at a RV rally once, we met a couple who bought a motorhome and were spending a year driving around and checking out potential places to live. If I was going to relocate for retirement, that’s what I would do.

We retired in the place where our friends and family are. Having our loved ones nearby was more important to us than being able to buy a big house in the suburbs or having a fishing boat.

And yeah, I would eliminate Tampa because of the flying cockroaches. Ew.
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by Gill »

Wricha wrote: Fri Mar 19, 2021 6:35 am
Blue456 wrote: Fri Mar 19, 2021 5:23 am I lived in Cali and NYC and I never understood why so many people on the east coast are so obsessed about Florida. I always liked Nevada more especially Las Vegas suburban area. Weather wise you are going to enjoy lack of tropical storms and lack of humidity. Temperature wise 100F in Florida does not equal 100F in Nevada. The dry air in Nevada makes the actual temperature feel lower than what the thermometer is actually showing. Entertainment wise Vegas has much more to offer than Miami. Culture wise, I found most people in Nevada to be quite different than Florida but then you need to make determination on your own what you like. For example google: Florida man and then google Nevada man and see what comes out. Nature wise around Nevada you are going to find a lot more options within driving distance than Florida. On the other hand a flight to the Caribbean is much shorter from Miami than Vegas. I would advise you visit each major city and travel by car to the surrounding areas (including small towns) and see what you like. Spend some time over there during winter as well. If it was me, Im 100% for Nevada.
This seems like a uninformed/shallow view of Fl and no view of Tampa. Have you spent time in Tampa? Dry air or not 100f is hot and there is no relief by jumping into the swimming pool.
OP, beaches in Tampa look a little further west. I think Vegas and Tampa are very different places and maybe you should rethink what is important to you and narrow your choices from that new perspective.
It might surprise you that the all time high temperature for Tampa on any day of the year is 99. It's never reached 100.
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by JS-Elcano »

flyingaway wrote: Thu Mar 18, 2021 6:22 pm We are currently looking for a place for retirement relocation. At this time, we are basically focused on two cities, Las Vegas and Tampa (Florida). I will list some pros and cons that I think I know.

(1) Specific neighborhoods: For Las Vegas, everyone will tell you that the good neighborhoods are: Summerlin and Henderson. They can even give you the zip codes of good neighborhoods. I could not find similar information for Tampa.(???) (not interested in good school neighborhoods or age-restricted retirement community, but safety is important).

(2) Property tax seems to be around 1% in Las Vegas, I don't know exactly how much is for Tampa, as they have many variations, e.g., home stay exemption? (???) Home insurance is also higher in Tampa.

(3) Tampa has good beaches for outdoor activities, although we do not plan to buy a house on a beach, 20 minute driving to beaches does not bother me. Las Vegas has many national parks nearby for outdoor activities and a lot more entertainment opportunities.

(4) Tampa does suffer from annual hurricane scares, Las Vegas does not seem to have similar scares on an annual basis.

(5) House prices seem to be comparable, we plan to downsize to a 3-bedroom house with a price range $300k-$400k.

(6) Both places do not have state income tax.

(7) We have been to both places, but will visit Las Vegas again in May and Tampa in June.

Could someone help me with items (1) and (2)? Any other information about these two cities (like or dislike) will be greatly appreciated.
I moved from Cali to Tampa several years ago, and I love it here. No matter where you are in the Tampa area the beaches are close enough and easy to get to for a day on the beach. The water is warm enough for swimming, walking, playing in it most of the year. The evenings stay warm so you can sit outside in restaurants or on your terrace at home all evening/night (as soon as the sun set it got cold in my Cali location and even more so in the desert of Nevada I am sure). It hardly gets over 95F, even over 90 is not very common (though the humidity definitely makes it more unpleasant than the same temp in a dry climate). There are many restaurants, outdoor festivals, markets and breweries, also entertainment from shows, concerts in the park to the Symphony and opera (if you are so inclined). Busch Gardens is in the city, and Orlando is a 50 min drive. Yes, the humidity is somewhat unpleasant in June/July/August/September, but it's not like you can't go outside. I still go to the beach and spend time in my garden. I schedule most of my travel duringt these months so it's a non-issue for me. A bonus of the climate here is that you can garden from September to May and in addition to many veggies you can grow fruit trees. If you like an outdoor life style, Tampa is a great location. There are bike trails and hiking in forests and along rivers, but overall the area is still very car dependent (although there is now a ferry between DT Tampa and DT St. Pete). The only thing I miss are some mountains to hike, but one can't have everything :D It's also a good location for international travel, nonstop flights to Europe (and shorter than from NV), easy access to the Caribbean and the Bahamas (1+ hour nonstop flights).
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Doom&Gloom
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by Doom&Gloom »

quantAndHold wrote: Fri Mar 19, 2021 10:50 am I can’t imagine picking the place I was going to live for the next 20 years by asking strangers on the internet. If this were me, I would visit each place I was interested in. Get a realtor to give me a tour. Make a list of questions about things that were important to me and make sure I got answers to them. Then do short term rentals in each place that’s still in the running.

[snip]
+1

I would pick Tampa, but that's just me. I've always been glad to get to LV, but I've never been sad to leave.

I simply can't imagine living there, but I know people who love living there. That just reinforces quantAndHold's point.
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by quantAndHold »

Doom&Gloom wrote: Fri Mar 19, 2021 11:35 am
quantAndHold wrote: Fri Mar 19, 2021 10:50 am I can’t imagine picking the place I was going to live for the next 20 years by asking strangers on the internet. If this were me, I would visit each place I was interested in. Get a realtor to give me a tour. Make a list of questions about things that were important to me and make sure I got answers to them. Then do short term rentals in each place that’s still in the running.

[snip]
+1

I would pick Tampa, but that's just me. I've always been glad to get to LV, but I've never been sad to leave.

I simply can't imagine living there, but I know people who love living there. That just reinforces quantAndHold's point.
Out of those two choices, I would probably pick Denver. Neither of those places appeals to me at all for anything other than a short vacation. Places that make good vacations are not necessarily good places to live permanently.
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by lazydavid »

quantAndHold wrote: Fri Mar 19, 2021 12:08 pm Out of those two choices, I would probably pick Denver. Neither of those places appeals to me at all for anything other than a short vacation. Places that make good vacations are not necessarily good places to live permanently.
I suspect exactly zero people who are seriously looking at NV and FL as potential retirement destinations would consider anyplace that got TWO FEET of snow less than a week before spring began.
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by quantAndHold »

lazydavid wrote: Fri Mar 19, 2021 2:21 pm
quantAndHold wrote: Fri Mar 19, 2021 12:08 pm Out of those two choices, I would probably pick Denver. Neither of those places appeals to me at all for anything other than a short vacation. Places that make good vacations are not necessarily good places to live permanently.
I suspect exactly zero people who are seriously looking at NV and FL as potential retirement destinations would consider anyplace that got TWO FEET of snow less than a week before spring began.
At least the snow will melt fairly quickly. I wouldn’t consider a place that gets 120 degree weather, or is 90 degrees with 90+ percent humidity for long periods of time. That honestly sounds like the seventh level of hell.
lazydavid
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by lazydavid »

quantAndHold wrote: Fri Mar 19, 2021 2:29 pm
lazydavid wrote: Fri Mar 19, 2021 2:21 pm
quantAndHold wrote: Fri Mar 19, 2021 12:08 pm Out of those two choices, I would probably pick Denver. Neither of those places appeals to me at all for anything other than a short vacation. Places that make good vacations are not necessarily good places to live permanently.
I suspect exactly zero people who are seriously looking at NV and FL as potential retirement destinations would consider anyplace that got TWO FEET of snow less than a week before spring began.
At least the snow will melt fairly quickly. I wouldn’t consider a place that gets 120 degree weather, or is 90 degrees with 90+ percent humidity for long periods of time. That honestly sounds like the seventh level of hell.
My point exactly--these places would NEVER be in your consideration set. But you fail to recognize that there are people--like the OP--who may have different priorities/desires than you. And people who would strongly consider retiring to a place like LV or Tampa are likely not terribly interested the weather in a place like Denver.

And lest you think I'm one of those "warm climate bigots", I've lived in Chicago for my entire life. :)
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quantAndHold
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by quantAndHold »

lazydavid wrote: Fri Mar 19, 2021 2:42 pm
quantAndHold wrote: Fri Mar 19, 2021 2:29 pm
lazydavid wrote: Fri Mar 19, 2021 2:21 pm
quantAndHold wrote: Fri Mar 19, 2021 12:08 pm Out of those two choices, I would probably pick Denver. Neither of those places appeals to me at all for anything other than a short vacation. Places that make good vacations are not necessarily good places to live permanently.
I suspect exactly zero people who are seriously looking at NV and FL as potential retirement destinations would consider anyplace that got TWO FEET of snow less than a week before spring began.
At least the snow will melt fairly quickly. I wouldn’t consider a place that gets 120 degree weather, or is 90 degrees with 90+ percent humidity for long periods of time. That honestly sounds like the seventh level of hell.
My point exactly--these places would NEVER be in your consideration set. But you fail to recognize that there are people--like the OP--who may have different priorities/desires than you. And people who would strongly consider retiring to a place like LV or Tampa are likely not terribly interested the weather in a place like Denver.

And lest you think I'm one of those "warm climate bigots", I've lived in Chicago for my entire life. :)
I’m not failing to understand their preference. I’m just stating the fallacy of asking random strangers on the internet where I should live. Because their answers have entirely to do with the person doing the answering, and not with what I’m going to like. I would also never live in a suburb. Just thinking about dealing with that car centric culture all the time makes me break out in hives. But I realize that among Bogleheads, I’m nearly alone in that preference.
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by Finnegan »

Fun meteorology fact: Tampa has never experienced 100 F temperature in recorded history. Sarasota, where I live, has hit 100 exactly twice.

Humidity and intense sun make it feel hot enough, though. In the summer the short afternoon rains drop the temperature to the dew point. Tampa gets more rain and lightning than Sarasota.

Consider home shopping in the unincorporated county areas rather than a city for lower property taxes and less regulation. Some city areas require building permits for interior painting!
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by JackoC »

sport wrote: Thu Mar 18, 2021 6:32 pm
flyingaway wrote: Thu Mar 18, 2021 6:22 pm (7) We have been to both places, but will visit Las Vegas again in May and Tampa in June.
Perhaps you should go in July and August to experience how hot each place can get.
Yeah that seems obvious, as opposed to asking random people whether hotter but much drier weather in southern NV would bother them more than slightly lower temperatures but what many find an oppressive heat and humidity combination in summer in FL. Some pro-FL people even are like 'it's fiiine, you can just stay inside where it's air conditioned!'. :happy

A decision criterion not mentioned, and maybe not applying to OP, is whether the great distance between those two places is of any significance, as in how far each is from family. That would be a significant drawback of NV for us, since grown kids all live in the NY area or not far from it, as we also do as of now.

But I can just tolerate NY summer heat/humidity. When I lived in LA I found it more often hot/humid in summer than I'd expected and a drawback. In FL you really have to be sure you can tolerate the summers. I personally don't see as big a challenge in hot but consistently dry places, though I'd prefer not very hot at all, so maybe Reno rather than LV if NV. It would also still be milder there in winter than NY.
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by TravelGeek »

JackoC wrote: Fri Mar 19, 2021 3:25 pm Some pro-FL people even are like 'it's fiiine, you can just stay inside where it's air conditioned!'. :happy
That's what my Vegas-area relatives do during the hot months.
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by JackoC »

TravelGeek wrote: Fri Mar 19, 2021 3:31 pm
JackoC wrote: Fri Mar 19, 2021 3:25 pm Some pro-FL people even are like 'it's fiiine, you can just stay inside where it's air conditioned!'. :happy
That's what my Vegas-area relatives do during the hot months.
OK, but some people would have to do it far more often in FL and you probably have to experience it to know if you're one. As for me I would have a problem with anywhere that's less tolerable in the summer than NY, which FL absolutely is, LV perhaps is. I'd look for someplace a least a little milder in both summer and winter, so again I'd look at Reno myself if I was targeting NV.
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by chrisdds98 »

TravelGeek wrote: Fri Mar 19, 2021 3:31 pm
JackoC wrote: Fri Mar 19, 2021 3:25 pm Some pro-FL people even are like 'it's fiiine, you can just stay inside where it's air conditioned!'. :happy
That's what my Vegas-area relatives do during the hot months.
Aren't summer nights in vegas pretty pleasant? lows in the high 60s vs high 70s in tampa
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by rockstar »

Finnegan wrote: Fri Mar 19, 2021 2:59 pm Fun meteorology fact: Tampa has never experienced 100 F temperature in recorded history. Sarasota, where I live, has hit 100 exactly twice.

Humidity and intense sun make it feel hot enough, though. In the summer the short afternoon rains drop the temperature to the dew point. Tampa gets more rain and lightning than Sarasota.

Consider home shopping in the unincorporated county areas rather than a city for lower property taxes and less regulation. Some city areas require building permits for interior painting!
Give climate change a chance. You also get lots of rain.

I prefer the desert and being close to National Parks.
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Re: Las Vegas or Tampa for retirement relocation?

Post by gamboolman »

flyingaway

Recommend yawl go and spend some time out in the desert to be sure you won't be adversely effected by the low humidity.

Just a heads up from ms gamboolgal and I regarding desert environments. We are Texans born in hot & humid East Texas and lived on the Gulf Coast from Texas to Mobile Bay, Alabama and then we spent the last 18 years living in Sub Tropical West Africa working for megaoil corp before I retired on 1-Feb-21. There was 2 X Seasons in West Africa, the Wet and the Dry - but the Dry there was still hot and humid - as it is Sub Tropical.

We love to visit Vegas to play the pokers... But when we go to Vegas and even far West Texas now to visit folks - within a couple weeks we start to Dry Out and get Itching terrible. I went to a Dermatologist and he said that we were so conditioned to the humidity that we just got this condition.

We are back to hot and humid Spring, Texas now - we will stay in this type climate from now on. Hell - we can't stand it when the temperature gets in the 40's.... we became so acclimatized to the Heat and Humidity..... ha....

We too are looking to move from The Woodlands / Spring area and will most likely get a Lake Lot or rural property - but it will be in the hot and humid country !

All the best in your hunt for the retirement home !

gamboolman.....

Lifes A Dance And You Learn As You Go...
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