Readers have probably heard that the cost of living across the country can vary greatly. It seems as though individuals who live in the middle, less populated regions of the nation enjoy more reasonable prices on everything from homes to bread to gasoline; people who live on the coasts and in the metropolitan cities that stand out on the national map pay more for the privilege of experiencing the benefits of bigger populations.
The cost of living differs even throughout the state of Florida. Families that choose to live in affluent communities may pay more for the amenities that they enjoy than those who elect to live in smaller, less sought out parts of the state. It is for this reason that courts put an emphasis on cost of living when they make decisions about how much child support a parent should have to pay.
Consider two children who live in very different communities. Both are well cared for and have everything that they need, but one child lives in a relatively small town where home prices are low and the cost of goods is reasonable. The other child lives in a big city where the price of a gallon of milk is significantly more than in the town where the first child lives and rent for the child’s family is more than what the first child’s parent pays for their mortgage.
It may not be fair for both of these kids to receive the same amount of money in child support since it costs more for the second child to be provided with the same basic necessities as the first child. Cost of living is only one of the factors that courts can use to decide how much support a child is entitled to receive, and readers are asked to discuss their child support questions with their family law attorneys so that they receive the best information for their legal needs.
