Houston - High Salary Vs Low Cost Of Living (Howe: condo, mortgage)

[Texas User]

Do you think people in Houston overall are high earners compare to the low cost of living it offers?

What city do you think has the highest salary vs low cost of living?

[LAM1010]

I see you have a lot of questions. Sorry, can't help you on this one.

[chris_ut]

According to government data, the average salary for jobs in Houston, Texas is $31,312, and the median income of households in Houston was $36,894.

Median cost of a home $112,800
Median mortgage payment $825

Household Income
Less than $10,000 10%
$10,000 to $14,999 9%
$15,000 to $24,999 15%
$25,000 to $34,999 13%
$35,000 to $49,999 16%
$50,000 to $74,999 16%
$75,000 to $99,999 8%
$100,000 to $149,999 7%
$150,000 to $199,999 3%
$200,000 or more 3%

[Texas User]

Originally Posted by chris_ut

According to government data, the average salary for jobs in Houston, Texas is $31,312, and the median income of households in Houston was $36,894.

Median cost of a home $112,800
Median mortgage payment $825

Household Income
Less than $10,000 10%
$10,000 to $14,999 9%
$15,000 to $24,999 15%
$25,000 to $34,999 13%
$35,000 to $49,999 16%
$50,000 to $74,999 16%
$75,000 to $99,999 8%
$100,000 to $149,999 7%
$150,000 to $199,999 3%
$200,000 or more 3%

Lets say there is 2 people in the household so each is making less then $19K in Houston?

[Texas User]

Originally Posted by chris_ut

According to government data, the average salary for jobs in Houston, Texas is $31,312, and the median income of households in Houston was $36,894.

Median cost of a home $112,800
Median mortgage payment $825

Household Income
Less than $10,000 10%
$10,000 to $14,999 9%
$15,000 to $24,999 15%
$25,000 to $34,999 13%
$35,000 to $49,999 16%
$50,000 to $74,999 16%
$75,000 to $99,999 8%
$100,000 to $149,999 7%
$150,000 to $199,999 3%
$200,000 or more 3%

Source?

Thats like 20% in poverty level.

[predatorprey]

Originally Posted by Texas User

Source?

Thats like 20% in poverty level.

How many of them are illegals.

[Texas User]

Originally Posted by predatorprey

How many of them are illegals.

How are they counted unless they are paying taxes?

[chris_ut]

My number appears to be out of date above.

From wikipedia:

In 2007, the median annual household income for the United States was $50,233.00
2007 median house value for the United States: $229,100

From City-Data:

Estimated median household income in 2007 for Houston, TX: $40,856
Estimated median house or condo value in 2007: $124,100

So income is about 5% lower than US average but houses are about 40% cheaper.

[Jamesww]

If you spend the time to mine the numbers further or you pay a company that does a in depth analysis and you will find that skilled labor gets paid just as well as the rest of the country. However, unskilled labor in Texas recieves the lowest pay of any state except Mississippi. So, the low cost of living only benefits skilled labor.

[xavier1774]

I think you hit the nail on the dot. An Engineer in the petrochemical industry make about thee same or more in Texas than in most other places. I think IT jobs may pay more in California, NY, and Massachusetts...But I think the cost of living offsets that increase.

at the end of the day I just can't believe how low the median salaries are...there must be a lot of unskilled labor around.

Originally Posted by Jamesww

If you spend the time to mine the numbers further or you pay a company that does a in depth analysis and you will find that skilled labor gets paid just as well as the rest of the country. However, unskilled labor in Texas recieves the lowest pay of any state except Mississippi. So, the low cost of living only benefits skilled labor.