City-Data's 2008 Cost-of-living index (Dallas area) (Fort Worth, Arlington: house prices, to buy, university)

[Acntx]

City-Data posted a 2008 cost-of-living index score on each city page today. Here are the cost-of-living scores for selected Dallas area cities (the U.S. average is 100.0). The list includes all communities in Dallas County, most of Collin and Rockwall counties, portions of (northern) Ellis and (western) Kaufman counties, as well as eastern Tarrant County cities that receive are frequently mentioned on the Dallas Forum. Major cities (pop. 100,000+) are in bold. Any thoughts or comments?

High cost-of-living
120.8 McLendon-Chisholm (Rockwall Co.)

More than average cost-of-living
119.1 Highland Village
111.8 Trophy Club
111.6 Flower Mound
111.3 Oak Leaf (Ellis Co.)
110.9 University Park
110.0 Corinth
109.5 The Colony
108.8 Hickory Creek
108.5 Murphy
108.1 Coppell
107.2 Heath
106.6 Parker
106.6 Rowlett

Near average cost-of-living
105.0 Allen
103.5 Lucas
103.3 Colleyville
103.1 Dalworthington Gardens
103.0 Keller
102.7 Farmers Branch
102.7 Richardson
102.6 Southlake
102.4 Hebron
102.3 Lowry Crossing
102.2 Carrollton
102.1 Grapevine
101.6 Sachse
101.5 Glenn Heights
101.4 Cedar Hill
101.2 Addison
101.1 Rockwall
101.0 Duncanville
101.0 Plano
100.6 Highland Park
100.5 Fate
100.5 Lewisville
100.3 Frisco
100.2 Wylie
100.0 Euless
100.0 Roanoke
99.8 Bedford
99.5 Fairview
99.3 DeSoto
99.3 Grand Prairie
99.0 Lancaster
98.9 Garland
98.9 Pantego
98.9 Sunnyvale
98.8 Mesquite
98.6 Crandall
98.5 McKinney
98.5 Melissa
98.4 Irving
98.2 Kennedale
98.2 Lake Dallas
98.2 Mansfield
97.7 Balch Springs
97.7 Celina
97.7 Hurst
97.5 Shady Shores
97.3 Palmer
97.2 Waxahachie
97.1 Arlington
97.1 Combine
97.0 Prosper
97.0 Red Oak
96.8 Royse City
96.8 Seagoville
96.6 Forney
96.6 Little Elm
96.1 Aubrey
96.1 Dallas
96.0 Denton
95.9 Fort Worth
95.4 Ovilla

Less than average cost-of-living
95.2 Ennis
95.2 Terrell
94.9 Hutchins
94.7 Anna
94.5 Cockrell Hill
94.4 Midlothian
94.4 Princeton
94.1 Ferris
93.5 Rendon
93.2 Wilmer
93.1 Kaufman
87.7 Lavon

Low cost-of-living
81.4 Westlake

[USA_Mom]

The Colony has a high COL?

[ChristieP]

WESTLAKE is the lowest?! I guess they don't factor in the $1 million homes...?

[lpepping]

How is this calculated?

[Acntx]

Originally Posted by lpepping

How is this calculated?

I want to know that as well.

[aceplace]

The cost of living in a particular municipality? Sorry, but that's balderdash.

If I live in Highland Park but I buy my clothing, groceries, auto, gasoline, electronic toys in low cost areas such as the Harry Hines strip in Dallas, doesn't that invalidate the municipal basis for cost of living? True, my housing costs will be high, but there is no rule that I have to buy everything else in Highland Park.

This analysis is based on a faulty assumption... that people who have a house in, say Coppell, will never leave Coppell to shop or work elsewhere. Thus, they are subject to the various costs of goods and services that are the average in Coppell.

Another false assumption... that the cost of goods and services is the same everywhere in a municipality. In reality, the costs in, say, Fort Worth, vary widely in different parts of the municipality.

[KantLockeMeIn]

A 7% discrepancy between Sachse and Murphy? I just don't see it... I live in Sachse, but my backyard is Murphy... same stores, same general house prices, etc. Almost the same taxes.

[bluescreen73]

Originally Posted by USA_Mom

The Colony has a high COL?

The Colony has the 2nd highest city property tax rate in Denton County. It's almost 25% higher than Little Elm's city tax rate.

[aceplace]

Perhaps the only realistic value for this survey is the cost of housing and taxes? Assuming that the cost of housing in Highland Park is as uniform as the cost of housing in Dallas?

[aceplace]

Originally Posted by bluescreen73

The Colony has the 2nd highest city property tax rate in Denton County. It's almost 25% higher than Little Elm's city tax rate.

Yes, but you have to pay for the privilege of living in those little Fox and Jacobs cookie cutter houses.