Cost of Living Shakeout (Oklahoma City, Howe: car insurance, how much, house)

[sparkman75229]

It is refreshing to see someone use their head when relocating. You also need to look at the environment. If you're looking at Amarillo, you'd be fine but if you were looking at say...Athens, or Killeen, you would not find the amenities you would get in OKC. To me, OKC seems a lot like Fort Worth, a really nice place to live with a lot to do but not all the headaches of a huge city.

[cobolt]

Originally Posted by sparkman75229

It is refreshing to see someone use their head when relocating. You also need to look at the environment. If you're looking at Amarillo, you'd be fine but if you were looking at say...Athens, or Killeen, you would not find the amenities you would get in OKC. To me, OKC seems a lot like Fort Worth, a really nice place to live with a lot to do but not all the headaches of a huge city.

I tend to research most my big decisions. The last used car I bought, I researched all the reviews, forums etc. That's just who I am. I've made about 4-5 relocation recon trips to different areas I"ve been considering over the past year and half to speak to locals, walk the neighborhoods, shop at the grocery stores to get a feel for the cost of living, speak to the Chamber of Commerce peeps etc. It's been time consuming but I've, through this process, narrowed down my options to a few places. And since we all know that putting all your eggs in one basket isn't the smartest thing, I've developed a list of places from which to choose. That way when I start submitting the job appilcations, which I have started, then I'm not deadset on one place if nothing pans out.

Although I did come to WA before I relocated, there are some things you just cant research or plan for. So I tend to be a bit more on the skiddish side these days, but this move to WA was pretty much a stop-gap move from the beginning, just to boost the career. All the places I'm considering are places I've either lived, been to, have friends, etc. I agree with you about OKC akin to Ft Worth. And that's about the largest size city I'd consider, which is why Dallas, San Antone, Houston, etc is out. I like to be able to get to breathing room rather quickly. Ideally, I'd like to live and work in areas with no more than 200K in population (Amarillo, Lubbock, San Angelo, Abeline) but I realize too, that it will be much easier and quicker for me to find employment in OKC or TUL. I don't want to move too far away from W Tx (therefore my aversion to the DFW area and further south/east). But I'm okay with OK, although it is further east. This has more to do with people than anything else. I don't want somewhere too elite/pretentious and all the socializing problems that come with that. I'm just south of the Seattle area right now and one of the main reasons I"m leaving (aside from cost of living and weather) is the people. People really make a place and I love the people of OK and W Tx. They're still.....earthy. LOL

[sparkman75229]

Earthy...I like that! I understand what you mean completely. Dallas can be stressful like that but I walk to the beat of my own drum...lol. You would be surprised at how many of us there are but we try to stay under the radar. I have a friend who teaches at Tech and he loves it out there...but it is a freakin long drive...lol.

[cobolt]

Originally Posted by sparkman75229

Earthy...I like that! I understand what you mean completely. Dallas can be stressful like that but I walk to the beat of my own drum...lol. You would be surprised at how many of us there are but we try to stay under the radar. I have a friend who teaches at Tech and he loves it out there...but it is a freakin long drive...lol.

I have 2 friends who work at Tech. In fact, I'm working on a few apps for Tech. Great bennies, you know. My company has an opening in LBB. A bit of a pay cut, maybe by about 15%, but when you figure that the houses there cost at least a third what they do here, well then....you know!

I love earthy. I am a real materially simple gal. Intellectually? Not so simple LOL!

Most of you walk to your own drum beats do stay under the radar. That's the whole point. RIght?

Where are you at btw? Denton? Sherman? I have a friend who is moving to Sherman.

[sparkman75229]

I actually live right in the heart of Dallas, it's an area of funky mid-century moderns surrounded by a lot really interesting earthy types. It is kind of an oasis in the city...lol.

I hear a lot of people talk about the art scene in Denton and that it is kind of like a small Austin. North Texas is a top notch arts school. Sadly, while i have driven by Sherman on 75, i have never explored the city.

[cobolt]

Originally Posted by sparkman75229

I actually live right in the heart of Dallas, it's an area of funky mid-century moderns surrounded by a lot really interesting earthy types. It is kind of an oasis in the city...lol.

I hear a lot of people talk about the art scene in Denton and that it is kind of like a small Austin. North Texas is a top notch arts school. Sadly, while i have driven by Sherman on 75, i have never explored the city.

There was a time when I thought about getting my graduate degree at UNT. It was highly regarded by many of my instructors.

Hey, by earthy I don't mean the nutcrunchers and leaf-licking liberal pacholli types. I mean, just salt-of-the-earth types. Not Austin earthy!

[sparkman75229]

Funny...yeah, same here...I do not mean the Boulder Colorado types. I use that term to mean genuine people, not pretentious or judgmental...the live and let live kind.

[karibear]

There is maybe another option. If the company you work for has openings in both OKC and Amarillo, would it be possible to take the one in OKC for a year or so to see how well you like it, then transfer again to Amarillo if you think you'd feel more comfortable there? It would mean renting for a longer period, unless you decided to plant your roots, but it really depends mostly on your age and how much time you are willing to spend looking for just the 'right' place to end up.

Not all of the older houses in OK are run down or in marginal neighborhoods, by a long shot. Mine was built in the '50s and has some issues, but those are due to recent remodeling, not the age of the house. I looked at some beautifully finished places with smaller yards that were well within my price range, but it's been so long since I've actually lived in a completely finished house they made me nervous, just walking in to look at! I sort of felt like an intruder on someone else's life. But I wanted the land and the neighborhood primarily, and I'm happier with a list of projects, so what I have suits me fine. Another thing to consider about real estate in OK is that the housing market seems to be fairly stable compared to the rest of the country, so if you buy a place, you most likely wouldn't have any serious problems selling it again - very different from some of the things I've read on some other sites having to do with people wanting to retire to some place where they can afford to live, but can't sell what they have so they are stuck.

[cobolt]

Thanks Karibear. That's an option. I"m trying to make this move a permanent one, which is why I'm putting so much thought into it, and of course the openings in W Tx will be smaller in number and farther between than OKC. So if things don't work in OKC, I could be there for quite a while. But I also know there is no magic and no crystal ball, so at some point I have to make a leap of faith. Yes, I know this too.

Thanks

[okcpulse]

Originally Posted by sparkman75229

Hey there, I find these topics so interesting. I did a little googleing, i know...I don't have enough to do this morning.

Here are sites for taxes in general and the Oklahoma County Property Tax, Oklahoma state taxes Oklahoma County Assessor Facts and Questions

It's pretty interesting. I don't know if you are familiar with Dallas, but let's say you were looking at a small house in the Midway and NW Highway area, take the average price of $250,000 for a 2 bedroom 1 bath 1940's cottage and your property tax with the homestead exemption would be about $5,200 or so. Now in OKC that same house would probably not be that expensive, but if it were, according to the calculations i saw on the county site, your property tax would be around $2,600 or so.

Now state income tax really comes into play. It is graduated, but for the sake of this let's use the 5.65 rate. If your income is 75,000 then your tax would be approximately $4,200 and in Texas is would be 0.

So it all depends, if you have a job in a field that has stable income and you don't expect it to increase greatly over time and it is what would be considered average, then Oklahoma would be far less expensive but if you have a high income and don't really care to live in a McMansion, Texas is going to be far less expensive.

In my case, my home is a larger home built in the 50's. My property taxes are pretty high but based on my income I pay a lot less in taxes in Texas.

There of course are lot of other things to consider. Texas and Oklahoma are both great places to live and the job market is doing as well as can be expected in both. You sound like you have a good head on your shoulders, so I am sure whatever you choose to do will be the right this for you. Good luck.

You guys are forgetting, whatever you pay in Oklahoma income taxes you can write off the following year in federal taxes. Plus, vehicle taxes at sale in Texas are 6.25%, in Oklahoma they are 3.25%.

Texas puts a sales tax on labor and services, Oklahoma does not. And the food items exemption in Texas is an illusive issue. They will tax you on non-staple foods. Basically, if you buy lunchables from Wal-Mart, you'll be paying sales tax. Ice cream, frozen vegetables and pre-packaged salads are all taxed. Factor in the higher cost of food in Texas... no sales tax on 'food items' mean crap.

My wife and I did an experiment... we bought 20 grocery items in Houston, then bought the same 20 grocery items in Oklahoma, both at SuperTarget, and paid $17 more in Texas than in Oklahoma. You do the math. Oh, and, fuel taxes are higher in Texas.