Just in time for the holidays: repair costs from Hurricane Wilma, hefty property-tax bills and gasoline prices hovering near $2.50 a gallon.

After ringing in the New Year, expect higher power bills, increases for home insurance and healthcare hikes.

Christiane Gunn, a Pembroke Pines high school teacher, is facing a $117 jump in her mortgage bill because her variable-rate loan has moved up with rising interest rates. She'll also see a $60 hike in homeowners association fees to cover higher utility and insurance costs, and her own electric bill could go up $20 a month following Florida Power & Light's request to recover its storm repair costs.

She boosts her annual base pay to $65,000 by teaching an extra period each day and working Saturdays and summers doing teacher training. Yet, this single mother can't afford insurance for the contents of her Sunrise town house.

``I can't imagine being a brand-new teacher, making $35,000 a year, because you can't afford'' to live here, says Gunn, who initially thought that living in Florida would be cheaper than living in her native New York City.

If it seems that the costs of living in paradise are out of this world, consider this: New data from the government show that consumer prices in South Florida are rising nearly 50 percent more than the national average. The main culprits: higher energy prices and the booming housing market.

CLOUDY OUTLOOK

Economists say that these rapidly rising prices eventually will cause a drag on consumer spending and could slow South Florida's economy.

Rising interest rates could be one of the biggest problems that many South Florida residents will face, especially those who opted for adjustable-rate loans in order to afford homes in recent years.

In the second half of last year, 63 percent of all mortgages written nationwide were adjustable-rate loans, with many being interest-only debt, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. As rates move higher, the monthly payments also move up.

``The people who are in variable-rate mortgages, or those who don't have the skills that are [in demand] in the economy at the time, will suffer'' more with the cost of living, says Tony Villamil, chief executive of the Washington Economics Group and chairman of the Governor's Council of Economic Advisors in Florida.

Villamil sees a slowdown coming in discretionary spending on vacations, restaurants, even car purchases. He wouldn't be surprised to see some residents move to areas of Florida with lower costs of living or leave the state.

PORTENT OF TROUBLE

The telltale signs of trouble have been in the South Florida economy for some time.

Inflation has been rising at a more rapid pace in the Fort Lauderdale-Miami area than nationwide since 2003. Median home prices have more than doubled in the past five years. Medical-care costs have ballooned more than 30 percent in the same period.

Last month, two key components of consumer confidence slipped dramatically - Florida consumers were less certain that it was a good time to buy a major household item, and more had a negative outlook about their personal finances.

``People have to balance discretionary spending against necessities such as gasoline and electricity,'' says Chris McCarty, director of the University of Florida's Survey Research Center, which tracks Florida consumer confidence.

LOW UNEMPLOYMENT

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