Moving To Orlando, FL: Things You Need to know Before Making A Decision

If you are thinking about moving to Orlando then this article is just for you, you will find interesting observations of locals about this city, which can help you make a choice.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about Moving to Orlando, FL

A: “Over the past 5 years or so we’ve had really low unemployment and just this morning I went on indeed and looked at how many jobs were actually posted up over the past 2 weeks there’s over 10,000 new job openings.” It’s not all theme parks either – “there are a lot of things like L3 Harris and price Waterhouse Cooper and KPMG everything from the Aerospace industry and tech industry and a lot of medical jobs.”

“The median price across all of these areas is $425,000” and for entry-level, you’re looking at “from $300,000 to $525,000 that is one of the largest buying pools.” For property taxes, “take the purchase price times 13% will give you a very good view of what you’re likely to pay in year one.”

For moving logistics, avoid summer. “From may to September stretch is warm and at that time most likely pretty humid” – one resident called it “unbearable… for the majority of the year.”

“Orlando has predictable afternoon bottlenecks expect 90 minutes to 2 hours of really some tricky time if you have to come home during that time frame” and “98% of our locals own a car and drive daily.” The good news? “The average Orlando resident has about a 28-minute drive to work.”

“Because we’re so far inland the wind has pretty much died down before it hits us” and “the most common strongest storm that we see coming through Florida by the time it makes landfall and comes to Orlando there are no calls for evacuation for our area.”

“Take the purchase price times 13% will give you a very good view of what you’re likely to pay in year one” but “we have what’s called a homestead exemption which saves you $50,000 in the valuation of your home which will lower your out of pocket every year by $600.”

Much better recently. “It is night and day different it is much lower to get a policy it’s much easier to get approved than 2 to 3 years ago” and “on a median priced home across Orlando… you can expect a $17 to $1,800 per policy.”

Absolutely. As one transplant said, “it’s been amazing I have family here before so I’ve always been tipping my toe and thinking about the idea of moving to Orlando… we’re not going back we’re not going back.”

TL;DR – Moving To Orlando Esstentials

Job market is booming: “Over the past 5 years or so we’ve had really low unemployment” with “over 10,000 new job openings” recently posted
You absolutely need a car: “98% of our locals own a car and drive daily”
Housing reality: “Median price across all of these areas is $425,000”
Weather truth: Perfect winters, but summer is “unbearable… for the majority of the year”
Growth explosion: Orlando becomes “the fastest growing large region” with “1,500 new residents each week”
Traffic warning: “Orlando has predictable afternoon bottlenecks expect 90 minutes to 2 hours”
Property taxes: “Take the purchase price times 13% will give you a very good view of what you’re likely to pay in year one”
Insurance improving: “It is night and day different it is much lower to get a policy”
Community feel: “Everyone’s in their own bubble” – many wish for better community connection

Moving To Orlando, FL Tips Before You Make Decision

Where Orlando is Located

Orlando sits in Central Florida’s sweet spot – “50 minutes or so from East Orlando to the coast” on the Atlantic side, and about “2 hours away from us” to reach “clear water in St Pete” on the Gulf. The inland location is actually a huge advantage: “because we are Inland you have access to both but you’re not having to worry as much in regards to hurricanes and other than some of the downtown areas that have some of the older infrastructure we don’t really have issues with flooding.”

Best Things To Do (Besides Theme Parks)

Local Neighborhood Life “There’s roughly a dozen different little downtown areas from Mount Dora to Winter Park Winter Garden” and each has its own personality. Winter Park residents love that it’s “walkable downtown” with “famed Park Avenue and Winter Park Village.”
Year-Round Outdoor Activities “You could go to the springs over in W Kiva Springs or the Rock Springs and take out a kayak or maybe check out the manatees there” or “if you want to do boating you’ve got multiple different chains of lakes you’ve got the butler chain the harrish chain.”
Authentic Food Scene “We’re actually named one of the best foodie cities in the country with places like Mills 50 and ottobon park” and the diversity is real – “fantastic arapas around here… Fantastic Indian and Chinese food throughout the Orlando area.”
Professional Sports Scene Orlando has “the Orlando Magic, the Orlando City Soccer Club, the Orlando Pride, the Solar Bears, and maybe we’re going to get a baseball team.”
Arts and Culture Growth “We have a lot of that and it really is becoming a part of who we are as a community… you’ve got creative city project with immerse which is a multi-day event with hundreds of different artists that come in from around the world.”
Beach Access Lifestyle Having both coasts within reach changes everything. “No matter where you live if you’re going from Orlando to the east coast you’re going to find a 45 to an hour and 15minute drive almost anywhere in town.”
Canal Street The historic heart of the mainland. “Canal Street has an unbelievable amount of stuff it’s got tons of restaurants it’s got stores” and “they do car shows every other Saturday on Canal where they shut the street down.”
Theme Parks – Read Our Orlando Attractions Guide

Housing and Real Estate

The housing market here is wild, and locals will tell you straight up that it’s expensive. Here’s the breakdown:

Housing Market Deep Dive

Entry-Level Reality ($300-525k) “First County will mention that actually doesn’t have a supply of houses in this price range is simol County” but “Oola County nearly 30% number one spot of all of this price point is found here this is largely St Cloud and CMI.”
Mid-Range Market ($525k-1.1M) “Orange County this is the county seat for the city of Orlando this also includes hyper interesting locations for people in this price category from areas like Lake Nona on the East and living south of UCF and Avalon Park.”
Luxury Options ($1.5M+) “Winter Park has the absolute highest average price in the entire area it is very desirable from the aspect of having top rated schools beautiful lakefront properties walkable downtown.”
New vs. Resale Decision “With new homes you’re going to have a potential of a more chance to customize the home you’re going to have a modern layout newer building codes with resales you’re going to have a home with history.”
HOA Reality “Nearly 10,000 homes for sale 3900 homes of all the homes any age any price are not in an HOA that’s 60% of the homes that are available are actually in an HOA.”
Timing Considerations “With new homes you’ll wait to get one across Orlando you’ll be waiting anywhere from 6 months to close to 2 years” while “on a resale you won’t have to wait for construction delays and you’re going to expect to close on that home in 35 days.”

Short-term Rental Market

Where It’s Allowed “Ready to go ready to lease Airbnb and optimal areas represents about 6% of the total housing market” mainly in “oila County actually Rivals simal County in its total move up category price range and a huge slice of that category in OA county is short-term rental market.”
Restrictions to Know Some areas are strict: “Celebration and Horizon West strictly prohibit short-term rentals” and “if you try to do that, they will find you on a nightly basis.”
Investment Reality “Buying the right place that matches your interest and your goals and your objectives is Paramount and everybody’s situation is subjective.”

Pros of Living in Orlando

Booming Job Market “Over the past 5 years or so we’ve had really low unemployment” and “if you are a trade and you are in the midwest or New York or New Jersey you’re great at tile Electrical Plumbing any of those kind of things Central Florida is still really deficient in terms of trade.”

Perfect Winter Weather “From October all the way to may we really have great weather most of the time” with “230 days of sun here in Central Florida.”

No State Income Tax “Florida is great because we have no state income tax” which makes your paycheck go further.

Incredible Diversity The international population creates “fantastic arapas around here… Fantastic Indian and Chinese food throughout the Orlando area” and “Orlando’s a Melting Pot of people from all over the world which is what makes it so unique.”
Entertainment Options Beyond the obvious theme parks, “there’s something always going on here in Greater Orlando” from “roughly a dozen different little downtown areas” to professional sports and cultural events.
Growing Infrastructure Major investments happening including healthcare expansions and transportation improvements that should help with the traffic issues.

Cons of Living in Orlando

Brutal Summer Reality “From may to September stretch is warm and at that time most likely pretty humid” and one lifelong resident called it “unbearable… for the majority of the year.” Be prepared for “it rains for like an hour every single day” during summer.
Traffic is a Real Problem “Orlando has predictable afternoon bottlenecks expect 90 minutes to 2 hours of really some tricky time” and even locals admit “Orlando traffic is pretty ridiculous I’m just being honest and it’s going to get worse.”
Housing Costs Rising Fast While the “median price across all of these areas is $425,000,” that’s up significantly. “Orlando is not as cheap as many people would think and would hope.”
Car Dependency “Orlando is really car dependent” and “98% of our locals own a car and drive daily.” Public transit just doesn’t work well outside downtown areas.
Insurance and Hidden Costs Watch out for “CDD fee… commonly amount between $1,200 and $2,400 a year that kind of rolls on top of your taxes” in newer developments.

Real Comments from Locals and Tourists

From Recent Transplants: “It’s been amazing I have family here before so I’ve always been tipping my toe and thinking about the idea of moving to Orlando… we’re not going back we’re not going back.”

“We moved here when there was nothing here and now it’s like every day something new pops up.”

From Lifelong Locals: “My whole life… it’s really rare” – finding someone actually from Orlando originally.

“There’s a lot of people that live here where theme parks are not their thing at all and yet they love living in Orlando.”
On Community Feel: “Everyone’s in their own bubble… if you’re in Lake Mary you’re Lake Mary I wish there was a congregate area or something bring the people together.”
“It doesn’t feel the community… I don’t know if it’s just the energy of so many people moving here and you know it’s very like transi like a lot of people coming and going.”
Weather Reality: “Unbearable” for “the majority of the year.”
“Humid and humid horrible humid three times.”
On Traffic: “I four around the 535 Corridor is always a nightmare.”
“Orlando has predictable afternoon bottlenecks expect 90 minutes to 2 hours.”
Working Professionals: “You within a 10-minute Drive of anything and everything you could possibly want” but “how many people are here” is becoming an issue.
Quality of Life: “It’s a family oriented… I love the weather it’s beautiful” during the good months.
“There’s no place in the world I’d rather call home than great Orlando” despite the challenges.
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Summary

Moving to Orlando means joining “1,500 new residents each week” in one of the fastest-growing regions in the country. The job market is legit – “over 10,000 new job openings” posted recently and “over the past 5 years or so we’ve had really low unemployment.” It’s not all theme park work either.

But let’s be real about what you’re signing up for. “Orlando traffic is pretty ridiculous I’m just being honest” and it’s going to get worse before it gets better. “98% of our locals own a car and drive daily” because you really don’t have much choice. Budget for that car, insurance, and gas.

Housing costs are climbing fast. “The median price across all of these areas is $425,000” and that’s for entry-level stuff. Factor in “take the purchase price times 13% will give you a very good view of what you’re likely to pay in year one” for property taxes, plus potential HOA fees and CDD charges in newer areas.

The weather reality is split personality. “From October all the way to may we really have great weather most of the time” – those months are genuinely perfect. But summer? “Unbearable… for the majority of the year” according to locals. “It rains for like an hour every single day” and the humidity is gross.

Here’s what might surprise you: Orlando has real culture beyond the tourist stuff. “We’re actually named one of the best foodie cities in the country” and “there’s roughly a dozen different little downtown areas from Mount Dora to Winter Park Winter Garden.” The international community creates incredible diversity you won’t find in typical suburban areas.

The community feel thing is interesting. Many residents say “everyone’s in their own bubble” and “it doesn’t feel the community” because so many people are transplants. But that also means it’s welcoming to newcomers – “we’re not going back we’re not going back” is how one recent transplant put it.

Orlando works if you understand what you’re getting into. Great job market, no state income tax, perfect winter weather, amazing food diversity, and access to beaches on both coasts. Just know you’ll be dealing with traffic, high summer humidity, rising housing costs, and a constantly growing population. For many people, especially those coming from expensive northern cities, it’s still a pretty good trade-off. Thanks for reading!

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