Cost of living Mass. vs. Texas! (Boston, Franklin: health insurance, house prices, buying)

[amyalta]

Hi again. I would very much appreciate the help of all you knowledgeable people out there - I've learned so much from reading your comments. My question concerns the cost of living in Mass. We are in the throes of trying to decide whether to move to Masschusetts or Texas - very different, I know, but we have family in both - and I keep reading that the cost of living in Mass. is very high, much higher than Texas. I wondered what this reflects, and if it is mainly house prices?

Our situation is that we will be buying our home for cash, so our main costs will be tax and health care. In Houston,Texas, the tax and maintenance total on a likely house for us, is $7450 - in, say, Franklin, Mass., it is $3,908. Then Health insurance - because Texas is one of the states where they can reject you for insurance because of pre-existing conditions, we have been rejected and have to go into the High Risk Pool - the annual cost of this for the 4 of us (with the kids having an ordinary policy) will be $19,800 - and in Mass. we have been quoted $13,200 for a better policy (they cannot reject you in Mass!) So, the annual difference between Texas and Mass., for us, would be that Mass. looks $10,142 cheaper for us. And this is without factoring in the cost of power - my sister and brother in law in Houston pay $12,500 a year in bills (their A/C is run 24/7 from April to November) but my cousins in Milton pay $8,000 despite the need for more heating!

Am I being naive and ignoring some essential points, or would Massachusetts really cost less for us?

[smarty]

It is a difficult comparison... your $400K house is twice the size of a house around here. It may be 30 years older also. Property tax is set by town based on evaluation... if you want the same house... you will have to pay $800K and the tax at that point will be closer to $9K.

MA also has income tax.. 5.25% also investment tax 12%.

There are also lots of fees... toll roads... parking in downtown Boston is $20-25/day; high school sports fee $100-200/sport; bus fee $200/child;

Child care... I think is about $1500/month (no cheap labor here)

Maintenance... say 1000gallon of heating oil... $3000-4000/yr; electric bill $100-150/monthave w/o air conditioning...; add another $100-300 w/air between June-Aug; plowing snow...$300-500/yr; lawn mowing... $40/wk; some towns don't have garbage pickup... hence another $10-14/wk; TV/phone/internet... $100/mo.; water+sewer...

Car insurance... one of the highest in US... $1000-1500/car depend on coverage, driving record, where you live, ...; your car wear and tear faster with salt.... not too many can last more than 10 yrs.

I'm not sure about food... gas...(Its $3.07/gal reg unleaded yesterday)

[amyalta]

'Smarty,' thanks for this very detailed reply. We would be buying a house in Massachusetts at around $450000 - $500,000 and in Texas at around $400,000. We don't mind the fact that the Mass. house would be half the size - our house here in London UK is half the size of a Mass. one (but sold for $1,220,000!)

Things like child care are not relevant as I only work from home & that part time.

I was intruigued by 'Investment tax' at 12% - is this an additional tax on one's savings (that is, additional to what the govt. takes?)

Many thanks for your help!

[smarty]

It is really capital gain tax (tax on profits from selling stocks).

I think interest from regular savings Banks are tax at the 5% rate.

[MovingForward]

There is no choice between Houston and Boston. Houston is a pit (I'm from Texas). You will be miserable there.

[amyalta]

An intriguing response, 'Moving Forward!' Would you mind elaborating? You sound like you have more to tell - all will be most eagerly received!

Thanks again!

[brightdoglover]

Boston and Houston couldn't be more different. Houston is incredibly hot/humid, Boston has the famed four seasons. Boston itself is compact, like a European city, and the surrounding towns and suburbs are relatively compact. Houston is completely sprawling and very car-dependent. The general vibe is very different, basically the intellectual/reserved New England versus expansive sprawling Texas (not city by city, but sort of regionally).
I'd never consider Houston for myself because I cannot stand humidity. I find summers in Boston too humid, for that matter. I also like the intellectual environment here, and not the anti-intellectualism of a George Bush. (whoops, that's politics).
On the other hand, there are certainly a lot of jobs in Houston, and corporate headquarters and all. Certainly bigger houses nearer to the city and cheaper.
Red Sox versus Texas Rangers. Say no more.

[LeavingMA]

Originally Posted by brightdoglover

Boston and Houston couldn't be more different. Houston is incredibly hot/humid, Boston has the famed four seasons. Boston itself is compact, like a European city, and the surrounding towns and suburbs are relatively compact. Houston is completely sprawling and very car-dependent. The general vibe is very different, basically the intellectual/reserved New England versus expansive sprawling Texas (not city by city, but sort of regionally).
I'd never consider Houston for myself because I cannot stand humidity. I find summers in Boston too humid, for that matter. I also like the intellectual environment here, and not the anti-intellectualism of a George Bush. (whoops, that's politics).
On the other hand, there are certainly a lot of jobs in Houston, and corporate headquarters and all. Certainly bigger houses nearer to the city and cheaper.
Red Sox versus Texas Rangers. Say no more.

Just to let you know, but George Bush was born in Connecticut.

[Chianti]

I lived in Boston and currently live in Houston....

Houston blows Boston away.

Standard of living is much higher, people are much nicer, and there's a lot more to do.

Houston is a very international city and you'll meet tons of highly educated, intellectually minded-people here.

I'm much happier here than I was in Boston. Boston is overrated. I can do everything I enjoyed in Boston much cheaper with far less stress. Six months of winter and having to wear a coat in May gets tiring quickly.

[houguy1087]

Originally Posted by amyalta

An intriguing response, 'Moving Forward!' Would you mind elaborating? You sound like you have more to tell - all will be most eagerly received!

Thanks again!

He probably doesn't really have anything of value to say.