Is food really cheaper in Houston? (Fort Worth, Sugar Land: mortgage, how much, house prices)

[FDO]

Yes, I know that the property taxes are high in Houston and houses are cheap. But is food really cheap around here? I am not talking about eating out but more like going to supermarkets and buy food. Most people say in general, the cost of living in Houston is cheaper but i am not sure if this is true?

[MasonParkMom]

Utilities are much cheaper (I used to live in California)..and I noticed the groceries are cheaper..but overall it is in my opinion, cheaper living..except for..as you guessed..taxes. I just posted up on this forum about finding out our mortgage is much higher because of taxes..the katy isd school taxes are ridiculous.

[va_residents]

Water here is a lot more expensive than DC. I was shocked to see my water bill. The food price is about the same as other places. Costco is the same price.
Cost of living is lower in Houston means the house price is lower. It is about the half price of DC.

[Shipresa]

It is cheaper here than New England. And cheaper than in Las Vegas. Food and gas prices are higher.

New York school and property taxes are higher, however in upstate NY, home prices are lower. Vegas house prices are about the same as here, but property taxes are very very small, not re-assessed since the early 80s when the state passed higher corporate gaming taxes to pay for our roads and schools.

For this, Californians found Las Vegas a bargain indeed.

I find Fort Worth and other parts of Texas cheaper than Houston, mostly in entertainment, restaurants and clothing/shoes, but Houston has way too many options to spend that money!

Salaries are higher here than in Las Vegas, I've noticed.

[crbcrbrgv]

In Houston, you have the option of shopping in not as nice neighborhoods for cheaper groceries. For example, when I lived in Sugar Land, I would shop at the FoodTown on Kirkwood and Bissonnet. This would save me a lot. When I lived in Chicago, there was no difference between shopping in a rougher neighborhood as opposed to a nice one.

[chris_ut]

Originally Posted by va_residents

Water here is a lot more expensive than DC. I was shocked to see my water bill. The food price is about the same as other places. Costco is the same price.
Cost of living is lower in Houston means the house price is lower. It is about the half price of DC.

I'm curious how cheap your water was in DC or how much your paying here? My water bill ran $35 last month in MUD and $65 in City of Houston.

[cheryjohns]

I don't know why our food would be much higher or lower.

Here, it does depend on where you shop and your priorities. Like crbcrbrgv said, you can do all your shopping at Food Town and save a lot of money. I do a hybrid, low-prority items at the 99 Cent Only Store, while shopping the higher end grocery stores for higher-priority items - with Costco for other items. From what others have said, it sounds like those options are in a lot of other parts of the country.

[va_residents]

Water bill is around 120 per quarter in northern VA. Since the water price is so low, Fairfax Water bills people every quarter.

Here in Houston monthly water bill is about 120. So it is three times more expensive. I am comparing the same size of lot.

Originally Posted by chris_ut

I'm curious how cheap your water was in DC or how much your paying here? My water bill ran $35 last month in MUD and $65 in City of Houston.

[Malvie]

Originally Posted by va_residents

Water bill is around 120 per quarter in northern VA. Since the water price is so low, Fairfax Water bills people every quarter.

Here in Houston monthly water bill is about 120. So it is three times more expensive. I am comparing the same size of lot.

What on earth are you doing to have a $120 a month water bill?

My water bill here is far less than half what my water bill was in Arkansas. My last bill here was $17. My last water bill in Arkansas (4 years ago) was $58 (in the summer, it was over $100).

[elnina]

Looks like a leak or extensive lawn watering to me...