Post Overview: Pros & Cons of Living in Orlando, Florida
Thinking about moving to Orlando, Florida?
I have you covered.
Without further ado, lets cover the pros and cons of moving to Orlando, Florida.
Living in Orlando | (Shutterstock/Sean Pavone)
I always suggest it to my own family and friends.
First, the Pros of Moving to Orlando
#1.
The sunshine is great, absolutely, but realistically not every month of the year is enjoyable.
Living in Orlando
With average summer temperatures clocking in the mid 90s, its usually hard to be outside.
The upside are the mild winters, springs and falls, which make 9 months of the year enjoyable.
#2.
Living in Orlando | (Shutterstock/Deborah Ferrin)
Tons of entertainment options
My second favorite thing about living in Orlando is that theres so much to do.
Oh, and the beach is only one hour away, hard not to love that.
#3.
Living in Orlando | (Shutterstock/aphotostory)
The job market
You cant have a robust entertainment scene without offering jobs to fill those roles.
Tourism is the lifeline of Orlando, which allows the economy to prosper.
The biggest boom occurred in the leisure and hospitality industries, but thats barely scratching the surface.
Living in Orlando | (Shutterstock/mariakray)
With anunemployment rate of 2.3%, Orlando fares better than thenational unemployment rate of 3.5%.
And while $68K per year seems lofty, I dont want to fool you.
(Ill cover the true cost of living in Orlando in depth shortly).
Living in Orlando | (Shutterstock/Hussam Al-Mashhadani)
#4.
Great food scene
Orlandos popularity has skyrocketed in the past two years.
The incredible food scene for those living in Orlando.
Living in Orlando | (Shutterstock/Stephaniellen)
Youll find everything from fine dinning and beloved hole-in-the-wall gems while living in Orlando.
#5.
Note, grocery food is exempt from the sales tax.
#6.
Access to theme parks
Theres a plethora of theme parks to choose from while living in Orlando.
The incredible list of amusement parks is nothing to scoff at.
The biggest perk for those living in Orlando with kids is the generous discount for the states residents.
For example,Disney offers Florida residents a 40% discount on 4-day tickets.
Likewise, Universal offers an annual pass for residents,which starts at $320 for the year.
you’re free to look like a real star to out-of-town guests!
Everyone wants to visit this lively city as least once (but its hard to blame them).
#7.
They feel accepted everywhere they go and dont feel unsafe.
In their opinion, as long as youre a decent neighbor most folks accept you as you are.
Plus, theres tons of LGBTQ+ friendly bars and events peppered throughout the city.
Moving to Orlando as a gay couple doesnt seem to be an issue based on what I keep hearing.
If helpful,heres some information about the LGBTQ+ Community for those living in Orlando.
#8.
In terms of my favorites, its a toss up between New Smyrna and Sebastian inlet.
Both are great family-friendly beaches with plenty to do.
Cons of Living in Orlando
#1.
In September 2022, the citys minimum wage rose to $11 per hour.
ThankfullyAmendment 2(passed in 2020) is scheduled to increase the minimum wage to $15 by 2026.
#2.
Being a touristy city has some perks, but it also has some major drawbacks.
Is it any wonder why Orlando residents havesome of the highest car insurance rates in the country?
#3.
Dont get me wrong, people are friendly, but they tend not to follow through on invites.
I think its more common to get cancelled on then to follow through on a meet up.
This makes friendships hard to establish while living in Orlando.
The best luck Ive had is befriending other transplants and signing up for volunteer work.
Maybe (hopefully) youll have better luck than me.
#4.
Living in a touristy city is not all doom and gloom though.
One of the biggest perks of living in Orlando is gettinggreatcustomer service almost everywhere you go.
And we largely have the top-notch theme park customer service training to thank for that.
#5.
The year-round sunshine is glorious indeed, but that doesnt mean the humidity is any less tolerable.
Making matters worse, rain is practically a daily occurrence from August to November.
But there is an advantage to this con of living in Orlando and thats the dreamy mild winters.
No wonder Florida is a snow-bird hotspot.
#6.
Moving to Orlando to buy a home?
Good luck
Once upon a time, many years ago, Florida was an affordable place to live.
For perspective, the median home price in 2015 was $169K.
#7.
Lack of public transportation coupled with abhorrent traffic guarantees that everyday errands will greatly eat into your time.
to avoid the traffic.
Theres no way to avoid driving while living in Orlando.
Id say you need at least a 65K/year salary tolive in Orlandocomfortably.
Not really.Living in Orlandois roughly 5% more expensive than the national average.
