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4 reasons you DON’T want to live in Key West

Yes, I know most everyone is drawn to the beautiful waters of Key West, Florida. It is fun in the sun and a giant party after the sun goes down. After you have been out on the boat all day you can have a night out on the town. Duval St.is known for a crazy night life that doesn’t end till the wee hours of the morning.  But what most people don’t know ………………..

#1 – Housing is a problem

Once you check out of your amazing hotel with multiple pools and the cabana boy you will have to find a place to live. That isn’t as easy as you would think … paradise has its price. I had 3 apartments over the course of 3 years. The first was a small little studio that my landlord referred to as the “Goat Shed” yes this shed had wood floors and an indoor toilet. On the other hand the shower was outside! This place had a great price at $600 a month with all utilities included. The downfall was the lack of space and location. NOT to mention the fact that the Iguanas ate all of my soap! It only fit a twin bed and was in Newtown behind the Searstown shopping center.

My second apartment was a lot bigger … by Key West standards. But in true Keys fashion….. it hasn’t been renovated since at least 1980. This apartment was $1400 a month and also had its issues. The front door was off of the bedroom and the only other room in the house served as your kitchen, dining room, living room, office and anything else you needed to do room. It did have a bathroom off the bedroom and also a small walk in closet but when that’s almost all of your storage in the house it’s going to get packed really quickly.

My third apartment was in Old Town at the corner of Simonton and Eaton. I was paying $1150 for a Studio. The square footage was bigger than my first apartment but lacked some of the charm when at 2am an ambulance goes wailing by and wakes you up from a dead sleep. That sadly wasn’t even the worst part… my landlord – property manager was like most in Key West. Way to into your business and asking every question in the book. In any normal city someone would tell them “Have a nice day and I don’t want to live near you crazy person.”

#2 – Friends can be hard to find.

Making friends can be extremely difficult when most people don’t last on the island longer than a year. Once again most people come to Key West on vacation and think it’s the greatest place on the planet. Well it sure is one of them, when you have lots of money saved up for your once a year vacation. Most people tend to forget they can’t go out on the water every day and need to find a real job to support themselves and their lifestyle.

#3 – Activities

Going out on the water was one of my favorite activities to do while I lived in Key West. Knowing someone with a boat is key … otherwise you’re paying an arm and a leg to book a charter. I love going out and doing stuff on my days off but those prices can add up really quickly and next thing you know you’re eating ramen noodles for the next week while you wait to get paid.

#4 – Employment

Finding a job is easy … the hard part is to find a job pays more than $10-$12 an hour and where they are not asking you to work 60 hours a week is the challenge. I had a handful of jobs while I lived in Key West and some I loved and others I hated. The ones that I loved were because of what I was doing or who I was working with but at the end of the day if you do the math $12.00 an hour at 40 hours a week isn’t going to pay your Key West bills or let you do anything outside of your house.

I’m not trying to discourage you from visiting Key West . It is a fabulous, extremely beautiful place! If you have a job that you take home $10,000+ a month and can buy a house that isn’t old and disgusting for at least $500,000 by all means buy it. Have a blast and I will be happy to tell you all the great places to eat and drink. If you still want ideas about Key West check out whats on my Key West Bucket List here.