Cost of a few thing in Texas (Houston, San Antonio: sales, apartment)

[vickyrola]

1. As fas as car insurance goes, what company is the cheapest or what are the ranges of premiums in TX?

2. I heard they take out less taxes from your payck in Texas, compared to here in NJ. Is that true and how does that work?

3. How much does gas and electricity usually go for down there in an apartment?

4. What are the gas prices like down there now?

Sorry, but I'm trying to put together a realistic budget, thanks!

[irwin]

Originally Posted by vickyrola

1. As fas as car insurance goes, what company is the cheapest or what are the ranges of premiums in TX?

2. I heard they take out less taxes from your payck in Texas, compared to here in NJ. Is that true and how does that work?

3. How much does gas and electricity usually go for down there in an apartment?

4. What are the gas prices like down there now?

Sorry, but I'm trying to put together a realistic budget, thanks!

1.) Texas has the same cheap companies as they have back east. The premium is a little higher than the national average and probably higher than NJ, but definitely cheaper than one of the big cities.

2.) Texas doesn’t have a state income tax, so that a big difference. But, Texas has a high sales tax and property tax, so they hit you there. Also, Texas has sales tax on everything unlike some places in the NE who don’t tax food, etc.

3.) It’s cheaper per KW in Texas, but you will probably use a lot more electricity, so it all evens out. This is especially true in the summer. So, it all depends.

4.) Gas in Texas is about the same as NJ. Generally, it’s cheaper than the national average.

[Spookmeister]

1. I'm not sure I'm reading this right, please correct me if I'm wrong. Are you stating that Insurance is higher in TX than in NJ except for the large cities in NJ? I'd find that hard to believe. I would think that comparing city to city rates based on the same set of circumstances for a driver would make rates cheaper in TX than NJ.

2. Processed/packaged food is taxed, NOT all food.

3. Cheaper is cheaper no matter how you look at it. More use in TX in the summer, more use in NJ in the winter, would even out the usage some but the TOTAL cost would be less in TX.


4. True.

[irwin]

Spook-

1.) When I lived up there in Northern VA, I remember people who grew up in Jersey telling me their insurance was about the same. The rates in Northern VA were about 20% lower than San Antonio and Austin.

Generally, the rates were much lower outside the direct cities. For example, one of my friends lived in downtown Philly, but registered his car in Jersey at his parent’s house because it was so much cheaper.

2.) Didn’t know unprocessed food was not taxed in Texas? Hmm…I guess I ate so bad when I used to live there, I never noticed! Some places in the North East don't tax clothes either (not sure about Jersey).

3.) Depends on usage. I like it cold so I crank up the AC during the summer but almost never used the heater during the winter. I lived on an upper floor in my building so the heat dissipated up toward me. During the fall and spring, a lot of people don’t use anything, where in Texas you still have to have the AC cranking.

4.) I know Jersey gas is cheap (cheapest in the North East). If I drove to NYC, I would always get gas there.

[Spookmeister]

1.) But that is NOT a fair comparison of the rates based on the same set of circumstances for like drivers. For the same car, driving habits and records, and the other critieria used, I wouldn't expect someone in Edna, TX to pay the same as someone in Austin either, so it's not even close to compare say Passaic or Trenton to SA! I do know that the rates in those two particular cities are higher for me than they are in Austin. SA is over a million people, find a place with a similar size population and compare, or compare the city in NOVA to a similar place in TX.

2.) Healthier and cheaper living isn't a myth. I try and stay away from most of the pre-packaged/processed items as much as possible.


3.) True, but the comparison has to be average usage of both. I'm pretty sure no one would believe that our annual heating(gas) bill averages $35/month...While our cooling (electric) is $150/month. We are not accounting for the gas used for cooking or the other million and one appliances and gadgets that are using electricity. School is out in the summer, kids in the house tend to do dumb things like leave the door open while chatting and playing with their friends. How about the fridge(s)?. I thnk there are other factors in place that are not accounted for. I'm inclined to think we use more electricity to run all the other stuff combined, than we do the AC, but that's just us.

[210]

SA right now, the average gas price is between 2.80 and 2.85.

[Trainwreck20]

Utility bills are very house dependent. A new, modern house that meets code will have a much lower electricity bill than a 20 year old or 40 year old house. Some improvements can be made, but insulation has come a long way. Also, but much easier to fix, is the old AC units themselves. If you live outside the city, there are some electric cooperatives that can cost a pretty penny, too. SA in general has a very well managed (IMHO) city electric company (CPS Energy) that has a balanced environmental/value approach to providing energy.

By the way, 210, my gas was $3.00/gallon this morning...drat BP!

[Sampaguita]

I just spoke to my Dad (ins broker in NY & NJ) and brother about the car insurance (parents are still visiting in Houston).

My brother just moved from NY to Houston. His yearly premium dropped by $600. According to my Dad, NJ's premiums are higher than in NY (property tax is also much higher in NJ than NY).

Staten Island, NY just recently adopted "no sales tax on clothing & shoes" because the businesses were losing a lot of revenue to NJ malls. Everyone shopped in Jersey because there's no tax on those items.

High electricity bills for a/c in TX would probably be equivalent to a winter's heating bill in NJ.

My parents usually buy gas in NJ (they are 15 minutes over the bridge to NJ) and said the gas prices in both Houston & SA are comparable to NJ. Of course, that was before the oil pipeline shutdown in Alaska. I don't even know how much the gas is in SD right now. I'm dreading my next fillup.

[nenushka]

hi there i hopefully will be moving soon to SA area can someone give me a site where i can find inexpensive rent ?? as i only would need to rent for a few months til i buy a home

[firstclassflyer]

Originally Posted by nenushka

hi there i hopefully will be moving soon to SA area can someone give me a site where i can find inexpensive rent ?? as i only would need to rent for a few months til i buy a home

Here you go..good luck.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/san-a...index-san.html