We left Houston which has a similar climate to Florida, about 20 years ago, so no doubt my numbers are out of date, but in the summer, which lasts a longtime, our airco/elec bill was around $600 a month, and our property taxes $800 a month. Dont kid yourself with what you get for your money, house wise. OK, you are getting more space, but because of the low quality house construction, the upkeep is far higher than say in the UK, where you have real bricks and mortar.

I think your budget is somewhat realistic if you were renting but not if you were owning. Property taxes vary state to state but for example here in TX we pay over $1k a month on our $500k home. I noticed you hadn’t calculated any home maintenance expenses. My husband is extremely handy and has learnt how to do lots of things himself thanks to YouTube, but we still just paid $1400 to have a pool part replaced and it’s $300 for even the smallest plumbing or electrical job. Then there’s pool maintenance (even if you do it yourself the chemicals add up), pest control, lawn maintenance, security alarm fees...this all adds up. You also didn’t budget for clothing, toiletries, haircuts, kids activities, school supplies, medical and dental expenses...
My husband has top of the line employer provided medical and dental insurance and we pay about $600 a month for it pretax. A policy that isn’t subsidized by an employer that is just $900 a month has probably very high deductibles .
I also think $700 a month for groceries is a bit ambitious. I cook a lot at home and if I do a $150 grocery shop that’s not going to include quality meats and certainly not nappies or wine!
In regards to your wife getting a degree that’s a fantastic idea- but getting one in education or special needs won’t get her a visa and most likely not even employment because it won’t be transferable. I would focus on you making yourself valuable enough to get a transfer with your current job and make sure your wife will be able to work too. If she can work she could possibly set up her own in home daycare center and make a nice income that way.
I recommend you take a look on Zillow at neighborhoods you are interested in and this will give you a good idea of property taxes, property prices and school ratings.

That’s a great explanation of property taxes Moses! When we lived in NJ we paid $1k a month property taxes plus state income taxes 😬 I actually feel like I do get something back for my property taxes. Both of my kids are special needs and if we didn’t have such good schools in our district they would have to go to private schools which would cost us a lot more than $12k a year. My youngest will be going to preschool at no cost to me due to his disability and the same program is close to $20k at a private school.
TexanScot- same thing with the dental insurance.

When I read these numbers I am glad to be in Tennessee. I have two year old house with detached garage, much of which I built with super insulation and very efficient heat pump. All electric house with water heater, electric fireplace and electric clothes dryer which my wife uses at least twice a day. Our electric bill averages $80 per month on a yearly basis. We take our own garbage for free to recycling center and our water bill is about $35/month. We are in a beautiful subdivision on a 11,000 acre lake. I am not waterfront but have a minimal lake view. My property tax is $289 per YEAR. Tennessee has no state income tax. It is no surprise that a lot of people are moving and retiring in Tennessee.