Is Cost of Living Expensive In Houston (San Antonio, Sugar Land: sales, apartment complexes)

[NomadicRaider]

With Houston being the fourth largest city is its taxes very high and what it about the process of getting new apartment what is good credit in Houston.Are teh apartment complexes equiped with pools and exercise rooms.

What are the cost of lifes basic bills such as
*Electric*
*Phone*(House Phone and Cell Phone)
*Internet*
*Water*
*Car Insurance*

I would like to know which companys in Houston that provides both local and National deals.

[edunivan]

Houston CoL- way lower than your E and W coast but a bit higher than the midwest

[Character]

We moved from Chicago, so we were pleasantly surprised to see how much house we could get for the same amount of money. The neighborhood you can get for your money is oh, so much better as well - less crime, more beautiful, excellent schools, etc.
However, be prepared for some expenses that will be higher if you move from up north as we did. For example, we run our air conditioner at least 11 months out of the year, sometimes more. Because of the heat, lawns and flower beds fry quickly, so you need to run you sprinklers much more often. The weather is awesome three seasons out of the year and because of it you spend more time outside which causes people to put a lot of money into their yards, decks, etc.
Our company assured us the lower salary they offered would be comparable due to a lower cost of living. But beware because you will pay more for things you did not anticipate.

[Newk]

I was shocked that my car insurance went wayyy up in San Antonio, coming from just outside of D.C. Apparently the reasons it goes up is because it is a boarder state, there are more people driving without insurance, and there are more accidents per capita. But I thought it couldn't get any worse than D.C. area.

[Zhang Fei]

Originally Posted by Character

For example, we run our air conditioner at least 11 months out of the year, sometimes more.

Are your power bills in Houston higher than your heating (assuming you had gas or oil heating) and power bills in Chicago added together?

[Zhang Fei]

Originally Posted by Newk

I was shocked that my car insurance went wayyy up in San Antonio, coming from just outside of D.C. Apparently the reasons it goes up is because it is a boarder state, there are more people driving without insurance, and there are more accidents per capita. But I thought it couldn't get any worse than D.C. area.

If you have comprehensive, there's also the difference in car theft rates. Texas is simply more convenient for car thieves looking to export to Mexico.

[sbhubbell]

Originally Posted by Zhang Fei

If you have comprehensive, there's also the difference in car theft rates. Texas is simply more convenient for car thieves looking to export to Mexico.

Funny, our car insurance went down on both vehicles when we moved from Philly to Houston. Same coverage. Homeowners insurance did go up.

[crbcrbrgv]

Originally Posted by sbhubbell

Funny, our car insurance went down on both vehicles when we moved from Philly to Houston. Same coverage. Homeowners insurance did go up.

Car insurance is based on zip codes. We live in the nice part of a crappy zip code and our car insurance is pretty high. Our insurance agent told us that if we lived across the street, we'd save about 30 to 40 dollars a month. Electric costs more IF you don't shop around. I'm stuck in a contract with Reliant. It is too expensive. I am changing when the contract is up. Cable/internet is about the same as anywhere else in the country. Homeowners will cost you a little more also. Now, here is the good.

1. Regardless of the higher taxes, dollar per dollar houses here are cheaper than any major metropolitan area in the country. Even San Antonio, as a rule.
2. Grocery shopping is much cheaper, even with the ridiculous sales tax (unless, of course you swear by Whole Foods). My wife and I are pretty thick skinned and urban, so we shop at the Food Town on Kirkwood and Bissonnet. There are also Food Towns in quieter neighborhoods. Even Sugar Land has one.
3. Gas is always cheaper than most metropolitan areas. My friends always tell me Chicago is about 40 cents more expensive than Houston. It adds up.
4. There is no state income tax.

Some more advice: Don't let the companies tell you "We pay a lower salary because the cost of living here is lower." Houston's economy is booming. Most companies can afford to pay you. If a company tells you this, say "Sorry, but I don't look at it like that. I look at it as your lower salary offer means I'm worth less in Texas than where I was before." You'll get the salary you deserve.

[Zhang Fei]

Originally Posted by sbhubbell

Funny, our car insurance went down on both vehicles when we moved from Philly to Houston. Same coverage. Homeowners insurance did go up.

That's interesting. Car theft rates are higher in Houston. By roughly 20% per 100,000. Was the liability coverage for the same amount as in Philly? What about exclusions and deductibles?

[sbhubbell]

Yep, same liability, same deductibles, everything the same. We've been with State Farm forever and after looking around a bit we chose to stick with them.