Houston vs NYC (Manhattan) (Paris, River Oaks: condo, house, neighborhoods)

[tabloodsaw]

Well I am still in NY and agree with most of the complaints about NY being overcrowded, overpriced and overrated. I am a 39 native so I have seen the best and worst times here. I am dying to leave because of the transformations. I had it with the fast paced and am ready to trade it all in for a much more modest pace. The good thing I find about Houston is that I still have some of that but with the comforts that I am looking for.

Yeah if you can afford the rents, the utilities, food, etc. in Manhattan then go for it. But if you your combined incomes does not reach at least $200,000 then I say look into the outer boroughs.

[EasilyAmused]

Originally Posted by tabloodsaw

Yeah if you can afford the rents, the utilities, food, etc. in Manhattan then go for it. But if you your combined incomes does not reach at least $200,000 then I say look into the outer boroughs.

Uh, well you could say that about the better areas in Houston as well. Not as extreme as NYC, but it doesn't live up the the "cheap urban legend" for single family homes either.
Houston isn't "cheap," it's burbs are.

[theSUBlime]

Originally Posted by EasilyAmused

Uh, well you could say that about the better areas in Houston as well. Not as extreme as NYC, but it doesn't live up the the "cheap urban legend" for single family homes either.
Houston isn't "cheap," it's burbs are.

Yeah, I was just about to say modify that.

In Houston it's really apartment vs. house.
Some families on here could afford really nice apartments inside the loop, but most people don't move to Houston for the inner city urban living style. They tend to want a lot of space and 3 or 4 extra rooms, so they opt for burbs.

In Manhattan you don't have a choice.
But for the rent you would be paying in Manhattan you could hire someone to wipe your a** daily in River Oaks.

[sbhubbell]

Originally Posted by theSUBlime

Yeah, I was just about to say modify that.

In Houston it's really apartment vs. house.
Some families on here could afford really nice apartments inside the loop, but most people don't move to Houston for the inner city urban living style. They tend to want a lot of space and 3 or 4 extra rooms, so they opt for burbs.

In Manhattan you don't have a choice.
But for the rent you would be paying in Manhattan you could hire someone to wipe your a** daily in River Oaks.

And the other thing people are forgetting is it's not all about the real estate. I'm sorry but groceries, gas, services, restaurants are all "cheap" even in the Inner Loop of Houston by my book, compared to the northeast where I'm from. And Manhattan is all that to the extreme.

[Wysiwyg]

umm there are people who resist buying cheaper stuff in Houston (like Walmart haters). Manhattan just dont have that 'luxury'. Come to think of it paying more is a lifestyle option even Houstonians want to have, not only on food but entertainment, parking, road tolls, apartment costs, dining... the desired effect is the same tho, rich people in, poor people out. Houston's just not there/"extreme" yet and people still have an option to shop at Walmart. Poor (j/k)

[zdg]

Originally Posted by theSUBlime

But for the rent you would be paying in Manhattan you could hire someone to wipe your a** daily in River Oaks.

SUBlime, I'm not picking on you; you happened to say something that I keep hearing, but I want to know where this idea comes from.

I don't even live in River Oaks. We lived 2 years in West U and currently live in Braes Heights. We spent $3600/mo to live in a house in West U nowhere near the Village and currently spend about $4100/mo to live in a (by Houston standards) VERY small house in Braes Heights. If we lived in River Oaks, (and I know this because we looked and did the calculations), we'd be spending a minimum of $6,000/mo on housing.

I say this because we're looking in Manhattan and, SURE, you COULD spend $20,000/mo if you wanted to, but for the most part $6,000/mo gets you a pretty nice condo anywhere in Manhattan. So, I just wonder what I'm missing; why do people think Manhattan housing is so much more than River Oaks/West U/Close-in Memorial.

To take it a step further, if you live in River Oaks/West U and shop at Central Market or Whole Foods, other than the obvious addition of the insane city/state income taxes in NYC, I'm just not seeing where Manhattan is that much more expensive than living in the upper class neighborhoods in Houston.

[tabloodsaw]

It's not just housing that's tres expensive in Manhattan it's everything else that goes along with it. For instance, the taxi fares went up last year and now the subway/buses are going up this coming year. So not only are you paying more to rent but what one considered the cheap (although inconvenient) alternative is also increasing exponentially. And I am a self employed professional making way into six figures but what I have to pay just to do my day to day eats way into my profits. Don't get me wrong all of my new friends migrated from different parts of the country and they love NY but none of them live in the city. They live in BK which is actually on its way to being comparably priced to Manhattan. I do understand what they see but again after being here all of my life my perspective has changed.

[nyc2va76]

At least in NY Driving you don't have to drive. We have an extensive subway system that runs 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Also there is more to do and you will be within a train ride to the beaches. Not a 45-50 mile drive to Galveston.

[zdg]

Originally Posted by tabloodsaw

It's not just housing that's tres expensive in Manhattan it's everything else that goes along with it. For instance, the taxi fares went up last year and now the subway/buses are going up this coming year. So not only are you paying more to rent but what one considered the cheap (although inconvenient) alternative is also increasing exponentially. And I am a self employed professional making way into six figures but what I have to pay just to do my day to day eats way into my profits. Don't get me wrong all of my new friends migrated from different parts of the country and they love NY but none of them live in the city. They live in BK which is actually on its way to being comparably priced to Manhattan. I do understand what they see but again after being here all of my life my perspective has changed.

This is a real question (although it may come off as rhetorical). We're spending about $2300/mo right now for automobiles here in Texas. That's 4 car payments with insurance and gas. Does it actually cost $2300/mo for cabs and Metro cards for a family of two adults and one 6 yr old?

Here's where I keep getting hung up. I'm not saying Manhattan ISN'T expensive, I know it is. I'm just wondering how much more it could possibly be than a West U type existence here in Houston.

[EasilyAmused]

Not much more,you just get a lot different. Your car payment rolls onto your rent and help pay "city necessities." What you then get is a nice two bedroom with a kitchen that's tiny in a good, but not delux part of the city. Not to mention that you're going to want to put your child in private school.If you have to have a car, you pay for your parking space. You will eat out more but your tiny kitchen sucks and the 15x20 living room/family room/dining room gets cramped after a while. Oh, and NYC hasn't evented closets yet, unless you are paying over 6k a month.