Seattle vs. Austin cost of living comparison (Round Rock, Keller: HOA, insurance)

[cdelena]

Originally Posted by texastrigirl

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I have been here 11 years and will really miss it but hubby is from Cali and says he absolutely cannot take another summer here and is tired of getting precancerous moles removed every year.
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Washington has a relatively high rate of skin cancer considering the latitude and reputation for cloud cover. I guess that a lot of it has to do with the pleasant temperatures that encourage outdoor activities with little regard to how much UV exposure there with light cloud cover.

Sun protection is still very important.

[Jacey]

Originally Posted by tomis

As I wrote on another thread, my husband and I are considering moving to Austin from Seattle in a few years (although we may end up buying a house there sooner than that). Although the presumably lower cost of living in Austin, as compared to Seattle, wasn't one of the reasons for moving, we kinda took that for granted because all the cost of living calculators say that if you make 100K in Seattle, that's like making 87-90K in Austin.

So now that we're crunching the numbers we noticed that:
1 - the property tax is about 3 times higher in Austin that in Seattle
2 - homeowners insurance is 3 to 4 times more expensive in Austin than in Seattle
3 - neither state has a state income tax
4 - sales tax in Austin is 6.25% vs. 8.8% in Seattle
5 - utilities are presumably more expensive in Austin, although I haven't been able to compare the rates

So can anyone who has made the move recently from one place to the other help me with the comparison? I wouldn't mind Austin being as expensive as Seattle, but I'm starting to believe that it's actually *more* expensive. Am I missing something? I do realize that housing is much more expensive in Seattle than in Austin and, as a result, someone who can't afford a house in Seattle may still afford one in Austin. But for someone like us who already owns a house in Seattle, it seems that it would be more expensive to live in Austin. Help! I'm confused...

Right off the top..your tax rate in Austin is 8.25..plus city of Austin just gave @ 800,000 no repay loan to a local restaurant..talk about insider deals..you want to pay into that kinda system?

[GANKS]

Originally Posted by texastrigirl

We are actually pricing a move in the opposite direction and it is freaking me out to think about paying 2.5 times more for a house of the same size 10 miles further from town than I now live so I am glad to hear people think the cost of living is about the same, even though I think of Austin as way less expensive. Maybe it's my $1000 mortgage in a great subdivision in SW Austin with fabulous schools obtained 7 years ago but thinking of paying $2500-$3000 per month in Sammamish or Issaquah for the same size house is frightening. Salary.com says Seattle is approx. 26% more expensive than Austin and the Seattle area recruiters tell us Austin tech workers are overpaid relative to the National Avg (LOL) so we can't expect that kind of increase.

BTW, if you live in Travis County, sales tax is 8.25%. Property tax is expensive but after a big adjustment, mine has leveled out for the past few years and I live in SW Austin which has seen steady appreciation, most of it in the last 18 months. It can only be raised up to 10% of its value each year and that has only happened to me once. And yes, property insurance is also expensive because of previous flooding and mold damage claims in the state. Having excellent credit and no claims helps but we still pay $1000 per year. I only have a 2300 sq ft house and my electric runs $180-$200 in the summer, not to mention $200 water bills to barely keep the lawn alive. That lasts for about 4 months at that rate (Mid-May to Mid-Sept). Friends with large houses of 4000-5000 sq ft have bills that run as high as $800-$900 for electric depending on how well they do at keeping shades closed.

I have been here 11 years and will really miss it but hubby is from Cali and says he absolutely cannot take another summer here and is tired of getting precancerous moles removed every year. So we trade heat for rain. I am looking forward to having Whistler close by. Missing my previous life in Colorado! But I will miss Texas and the people. None better than the friendly folks of this state!!

Be prepared for serious sticker shock, Sammamish and Issaquah are 2 of the most expensive areas on the eastside of Seattle. I currently work in Issaquah and we were looking all over Issaquah last year for a home closer to my work.

The comment about Austin tech workers being overpaid is new. I work for Microsoft and have heard tech workers tend to cost less in TX than WA. My neighbor moved to WA to work for Microsoft from Dell and received a large bump in pay last year so if recruiters are telling you otherwise I would keep looking around.

Be prepared for a very different climate. I've lived in WA since 1979 and last winter was my final one here - get a house with a generator hook up...

[sberdrow]

I found that it does not pay to buy a house in Austin...yes it might be really cheap, but as far as an investment....the 5 or 6000 dollars your going to pay every year on your 250,000 dollar house in Austin, wipes out your advantage over Seattle. Once you pay this house off, you still owe the property tax, which if God for bid, your house goes up in value, so does that tax. You can never be truely free of the huge tax. Remember we are talking wa vs tx here. Wa has no income tax either, so that argument which usually is brought up when discussing california vs texas, does not hold up in this case. The logic is that Texas has no income tax, so you when you pay more in prop tax it evens out, and sometime you end up a head, if you make enough money. But Wa has no income tax either, and much lower prop tax. So you really are better off renting in Texas the way I see it. If your thinking that the 5-7 percent rise in equity per year in texas, well, take that same money and invest it in a good mutual fund and you will usually beat that average. your going to pay 2000 dollars in prop tax in wa on the same house your going to pay 6000 in texas. Figure buy living in an apartment your 4000 dallars a head to start. Take that money, but it in an IRA and get a tax break from it too. Besides, I think all you Pacific North Westerners better rent for 6 months anyway if you are going to Austin. Make sure you come here in june, and not March like I did. I got here, and there was no humidity, it was 74-78 ever day, the sun was shinning. When June hit, it was like Satan brought his sauna to my house. All these bugs flew in from somewhre. I had to buy special tires to handle water in those flash floods I was told not to worrie about. Being from the seattle area, worry about rain, was one of my least evens I thought to occure. When it rains here.....IT RAINS BIG DROPS. Another Expense is my Airconditioner, which in Seattle would be on at 78 degrees. Its was on all day and night. Gas cost less, but Im not sure its really making that much of a difference. My electric bill has been as high as 250 dollars. My highest in Seattle and Portalnd was 125 durring the winter. MY expence of staying hydrated from the heat runs about 30-40 a week in pop (soda) and water. I do save more on my addictive non fat carmel fraps from Star Bucks, as Austin is a few short as far as Im concerned. Hope that helps. Austin, I think you will hate seattle, Seattle, I know you will hate Austin. Every body I know who moved to Austin, is returning. Every Austinite Ive talked to who tried Seattle hated it too and said houses were too expensive. Seems like Austinites should be looking at Phoenix, and Seatte deserters should maybe looking at Portland or Northern Cali. That was alot of blabber, sorry...I just kept thinking of more.

[love roses]

Not June. July and August. They are hotter than June. If it's cool enough at night, leave your windows open. Don't run your air conditioner, until around noonish. Don't drink so much soda. Water from your fridge doesn't cost as much as bottled water. Noone in their right mind drinks coffee in the heat. (although I know you said fraps). Who said it didn't rain or flood here? They must have been suffering from heat stroke Just responding to some of your points about Austin. Don't know anything about living in Seattle.

[sberdrow]

Originally Posted by love roses

Not June. July and August. They are hotter than June. If it's cool enough at night, leave your windows open. Don't run your air conditioner, until around noonish. Don't drink so much soda. Water from your fridge doesn't cost as much as bottled water. Noone in their right mind drinks coffee in the heat. (although I know you said fraps). Who said it didn't rain or flood here? They must have been suffering from heat stroke Just responding to some of your points about Austin. Don't know anything about living in Seattle.

Good points....but you must understand. We think its hot at 85 in Seattle, and thats with out the humidity. I understand why there is less Starbucks. In Seattle, there is alot less BBQ. Ill take BBQ over Coffee, but it was just a habit I got into in Portland and Seattel on the way to work. Nearly everywhere I turned, hot or cold stimulated drinks were available. Austin does have quite a few starbucks compared to the rest of texas (score Austin). Tell you a funny story. I was applying for a job, I dropped my resume on the street, picked it up, and the paper was warped from the steam in the air (humidity). It had those wet rinkles. Now thats humid

[TERRIE]

I keep hearing about the heat in the summer...does the weather the rest of the year round make it worth it? I can handle three ugly mos. as long as the rest of the year is pretty decent....

[sberdrow]

Originally Posted by TERRIE

I keep hearing about the heat in the summer...does the weather the rest of the year round make it worth it? I can handle three ugly mos. as long as the rest of the year is pretty decent....

well from what I understand its starts in may and ends in October. Maybe July and August are the Extreme months, but if you ask me, or most folks from up Pacific North West, 90 degree in may in the humidity is a %$#%$ and then it gets worst. I lived in Hemet california and have endured 115-121 degree heat. 90 in Texas, feels worse to me. When its cold in Seattle, put a log on the fire, and zip up your jacket. When its hot in Texas, find a water park I guess, cause you can only take so much stuff off. Of course there are Nude beaches at Lake Travis..

[texastrigirl]

I moved here in July 1996 from Denver. It was 103 degrees and we were in the middle of a terrible drought. I loved it still. Great city! Of course I grew up in Iowa and I know what heat and humidity feel like...Texas feels a bit better as it is hotter but with less humidity than the Midwest or East Coast on average. That being said...the word sauna applies. Even at 10pm at night, it can still be 93 degrees and pavement is still hot. For two - three months straight, it NEVER cools off. You get used to it and many even start to like it. However, 11 years later, I can still tolerate it but I find myself cursing a bit more when mowing the lawn or when my kids want to play outside anywhere other than the pool. I guess I'm getting old. I am a runner and triathlete and I pretty much don't work out outside for about 3 months straight unless I carry tons of water with me and go really early. That being said, I have many friends who train for the Chicago Marathon all through the Texas summer. It wears on you just like the rain probably does. But it's typically pretty darn nice the other 8 months out of the year. So, I think it's a good trade. I personally will miss it. My husband is from N. Cali and Colorado so he would tell you NO...which is why we are moving to Seattle!! Personally I think there are a few nice cities worth a try - Seattle, Austin, Portland, Denver. You can always move back if you don't like it! At least that's what I keep telling myself. I think a bigger question to ask yourself is how you will fare without the ocean and mountains. More than the heat, that is what is driving my husband to Seattle. We love the outdoors and can only sail on Lake Travis or hike Barton Creek so many times. No matter how nice it is for Texas, it's still not West Coast beauty.

[texastrigirl]

cdelena - I wondered out loud to my husband tonight about the skin cancer factor in Seattle. I guessed that it's still bad because people are lax about sunscreen. For those of you moving to Austin, add some $ to your budget for sunscreen. For a family of four, we buy at least one tube weekly because we are always at the pool.