Houston makes list of America's most expensive cities (Sugar Land, The Woodlands: rental, car insurance)

[meet4]

Originally Posted by cjester

Having lived in Milan for a few years, (since my sister is married to a Milanese). It was obvious to me that their standard of living compared to someone in Houston was absolutely low. The majority of young people can not afford a mortgage. One finds many of them end up living with their parents up until their fifties, and eventually they just inherit the house. As far as condos, they are very are expensive and yet very tiny, the number of electrical outlets are limited, the hot water is never constant. Taking a shower in the winter can be very risky. People don’t know what a drier is for. Everyone seems to have a washer but they dry their clothes on lines and racks. Gasoline is more than double of what it costs here. Fruits and vegetables are sky high. One average looking apple will cost you a Euro or more. Variety in fruits is limited. Trying to find parking near downtown is impossible. People there seem to be very creative in parking their little machines in unimaginable small places. Dining at night can be very expensive, but their lunches are not too bad. Don’t get me wrong, I love Italy, but mainly to visit.

and your point?

[dv1033]

Originally Posted by Grunn

lol@metro for commuting. It doesn't even cover the city with realistic timing or routes.

If you work in Uptown, Greenway, TMC, or Downtown its got you covered if you live in the areas that pay for the service. But hey, don't want to commute using METRO or carpool then you're going to add more to your expenses.

[amirelez]

Originally Posted by Grunn

Yes it's 'so stupid' however moving beyond the limiting concepts you're talking about then extra-dennys life isn't cheap in Houston despite what you and others contend.

Well sir it's not about how much you make but how much you spend.

Houston being everything it is to a big executive of some oil company or power company and it's still last on the list that should tell you everything and being it's coming at an executives angle not exactly the majority of the population in Houston. These guys or gals have the money to throw around so there is always a market for them or always a "rich" side of town.

If you want to go around spending money like an executive sure it will cost you and there are people that will be glad to take your money but for the rest of us it is cheaper.

BTW I prefer Waffle House over Denny's

[theSUBlime]

People keep bringing up the shelter issue: buying a house vs. renting an apartment. Yes, buying here is expensive, but renting (like many people in a lot of US cities do) is cheaper than other places. I think another idea is key too, at least here in Boston, people tend to go for the older buildings which have renovated interiors and upkept exteriors, as opposed to new luxury apartments, so those are the places that are more expensive. I think it's a huge selling point. In newer cities, like Houston, I feel people tend to follow the "new trend" and opt for a new luxury place.

[Black Jack22]

Grunn is correct, especially if you add up the fuel costs for the commutes, Houston is VERY spread out. Just looking inside the loop, hell yeah to live a good life is very expensive here in Houston more than people think.

Many of us have or do live in the suburbs so we have gotten used to Houston and find it hard to believe what the article is saying.

[cjester]

Originally Posted by meet4

and your point?

My point is that the cost of living in Europe is very high compared to Houston. Wages there are not sufficient to affront the cost of living. Don’t forget the phenomenal high taxes either. I know for a fact it’s a lot easier to make a living here in Houston by a long ways than in Europe. Let me say it again, I love Europe specially Italy, and I will never stop going there.

[Grunn]

Originally Posted by cjester

My point is that the cost of living in Europe is very high compared to Houston. Wages there are not sufficient to affront the cost of living. Don’t forget the phenomenal high taxes either. I know for a fact it’s a lot easier to make a living here in Houston by a long ways than in Europe. Let me say it again, I love Europe specially Italy, and I will never stop going there.

I've lived in both places (lots of countries in Europe) and as far as I'm concerned as I was able to save a lot more money while I was living there than here.

If you're not having to pay for healthcare, dental care, ultra expensive insurances, running 2 cars, high property taxes, paying through the nose to buy fresh food rather than plastic, processed garbage, burglar alarm installation/maintenance/monitoring due to the high crime etc etc etc then the 'high' taxes aren't an issue.

I'd agree though that there are more top end jobs in Houston than in many places, particularly in the energy sector. Of course that fact doesn't mitigate the fact that IT IS EXPENSIVE to live in Houston.

[rb4browns]

Originally Posted by Grunn

I've lived in both places (lots of countries in Europe) and as far as I'm concerned as I was able to save a lot more money while I was living there than here.

If you're not having to pay for healthcare, dental care, ultra expensive insurances, running 2 cars, high property taxes, paying through the nose to buy fresh food rather than plastic, processed garbage, burglar alarm installation/maintenance/monitoring due to the high crime etc etc etc then the 'high' taxes aren't an issue.

I'd agree though that there are more top end jobs in Houston than in many places, particularly in the energy sector. Of course that fact doesn't mitigate the fact that IT IS EXPENSIVE to live in Houston.

Saying "it is expensive" is not a fact. Expensive is an entirely relative term, which makes me wonder why your knickers are in such a twist over this.

[randian]

Originally Posted by theSUBlime

Most people drive cars in Houston and that is an expense that often outweighs the cost of public transportation cost in many cities.

In making this part of their rating, Forbes is displaying the usual economic illiteracy of public transit advocates. The cost of providing a passenger-mile of service (disregarding timeliness, speed, quality, and comfort, which makes public transit an even worse deal) by public transit is much higher than owning an inexpensive car. It is only by stealing from their neighbors do public transit riders get "inexpensive" transportation.

[randian]

Originally Posted by amirelez

Don't believe everything you see on the internet. Where is San Jose? Forbes is either lying or they need to fire the journalist.

As a former Silicon Valley resident, I wholeheartedly agree. San Jose by itself is insane, without factoring in Mountain View, Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Los Altos, Atherton, and Los Gatos.