If Texas is soo great, why is it so cheap? (Houston: income tax, living in)

[Two4damoney]

Texas isnt "cheap" so much as California is overpriced.

[josh u]

Originally Posted by Caleb0

Texas isn't great. It's good.

Most parts of Texas have alot going for them. The part I live in, has virtually no crime which effects other people, relatively cheap, usually mild winters, great shopping and restaraunts, good schools, good taxes, ect.

But Texas has other issues. The two main ones are: a lack of grand/interesting scenery in most of the states (there are exceptions like Big Bend or Palo Duro Canyon) and horrible long summers. Most people who leave Texas leave for those two reasons. Some also leave because they believe the state to be too socially conservative. Add in the fact that there are occasionally frigid winter days as well (this year we had 6+ days of 10 degrees or so) and it isn't so 'great'. It's better than average though.

I know three households that moved from CA to TX then back to CA because they couldn't handle the climate among other things. I think climate is the main thing TX has going against it. The lack of natural scenary can be solved easily: with the money you save by living in TX, you can take frequent vacations to places with natural scenary and still come out ahead.

[sywi]

Well, I'm amazed at the quality of housing you can get in DFW for what seems to me very little money. (True, I currently live in New York, where housing is just ridiculously expensive -- I mean laugh-out-loud ridiculous -- but I still think of what real estate should cost in suburban Chicago terms, as I grew up there. Have also lived in Boston -- pricey -- and seen what my mom and her friends pay to live in W LA -- yikes!) Even urban Texas is a deal by any of those standards. My future one-bedroom apt. w/ what appear to be fairly standard DFW apartment-complex amenities -- pool, gated community, parking, fitness center, patios, managers on site during working hours, landscaping, community barbecue pit, playground (well, a dog run in this case; I gather most residents are single) -- at $630/mo. costs less than half as much as a lower-end studio in Manhattan with none of those amenities (aside from, perhaps, a security guard/doorman to take the place of the "gated"). It costs somewhat more than a parking space in Manhattan, but not much. In LA it might get you a share with a roommate. Have not kept up with Boston prices, but they're higher than Chicago if lower than NYC. (Everything is besides SF.)
Anyway, I told a Manhattan friend that looking through the Apartment Finder booklet supplied by my Ft. Worth friends was like looking at 'apartment porn.' Similar feelings, I imagine: lust and wonder and more lust.

[Cupcake77]

Because it's too hot and humid, no scenery and backward. Why do you think it's more expensive to live in nicer states or even local areas where you live? It costs more to live by a beach, why? Because people like the scenery and the area vs a place where it's flat, sandy and hot.

It is cheap to live there, I moved there for awhile and lived in 2 houses, the 2nd one being just at 4000 sq feet. Not worth it. Nothing to do except shop and eat. It's just tooo hot to do anything and there's not even much to do in the Dallas area. Their idea of entertainment is resturants and shopping. You get a random who likes art, as if there is none of that elsewhere in the country. Texas lacks so much and simply can't offer what other states can. So you can have a cheap big house.

I came back home as soon as I could, got a house not much smaller and and cost a little more but no insane state taxes so it evened out. I have a view of the mountains, foothills and no neighbours close by. Great weather and tons to do, as a matter of fact my house is right off Arrowhead golf course and we are next to the roxborough state park. We can hike all year around, snow sled right in our back yard. Wild animals walk right in front of our house.

So why is it so cheap? The quality of life there is horrible.

[sywi]

My idea of entertainment is books, followed by hanging out with friends, followed by my newly discovered hobby, target shooting. (The last I expect will keep me entertained for a long while, and Texas has Manhattan, Boston, and LA beat all to heck when it comes to ready availability of venues and lack of prim disapproval; my friends here tend to look like I just told them I'll be practicing on local senior citizens, not paper bullseyes, and am motivated by bloodlust. Actually I completely accidentally discovered that I am apparently just weirdly talented at it, esp. for a total novice; that's a neat feeling, as I am an utterly mediocre-at-best athlete at -- I thought -- all sports and didn't expect 4 different people -- a former Army Special Forces friend, a former ranger, a shooting instructor for 40 years, and his wife the Lt. Col. in the Army -- to agree that if I had started young and trained hard enough, I could have been an Olympic contender. Who knew?? From klutz to possible Bronze medalist -- good for the ego; takes my mind off my bad hair on those days. It's always innately enjoyable using one's talents, esp. if they are as out-of-left-field as that one.)
Books I know they have in Texas near where I'll be living, because I've already found a used bookstore .08 miles away, a Barnes & Noble .4 miles away, and the local library a mile away. Ditto with movie theaters and Netflix delivery. I'm not much of a beach bunny at all, my interest in museums runs to science and representational art, I deeply disappointed my culture-vulture mom by being too ADD to sit through more than 10 minutes of an orchestral concert, and I've seen more theater in New York than most people ever do in a lifetime; so I think I'll enjoy my new salt-water pool w/ fountain, neighbors, 24/7 gym, and some culture fresh to me -- rodeos sound like fun, as does learning to two-step. And I like desert scenery. And astronomy. "Cosmopolitan" and "visible sweep of night sky" go together terribly, but I bet there are places in Texas not far out of DFW where one can see the stars; which I've really missed, actually. Gazing up into sodium glare just isn't the same. Doesn't have that grandeur.
Also, I can't afford entertainment in New York because my rent is half my take-home income. Food, clothes, and other fairly fixed expenses take up most of the rest. So it's like being thirsty in a small boat lost at sea. Plenty of water; parched with thirst.
And I think this is just one of those "individual preferences/situations" things, fundamentally.

[sunnyandcloudydays]

Originally Posted by Roma

Hi,

Texas is a less desirable place to live (location). Which keeps the housing prices down.

Look at Hawaii. It is so expensive to own a home there (I have family living there). There is no real job market yet homes are highly priced. That is because Hawaii is a desirable place to live.

People prefer to live on the coasts, the east coast and the west coast. It seems all the states in the middle of the country are cheap compared to coastal states. The closer you get to the water the more you pay.

oh that explains the op question!

[rlr4818]

This is truly one of the ugliest, if not THE ugliest city in the U.S. Intense heat, unbearable humidity, constant swarms of an infinate varieties of bugs, flat as a pancake, no natural beauty, pathetic sports teams, insane traffic, no viable public transportation, and a mix of bohemians and rednecks. How the hell did I wind up here? Oh yea, it's because you can make a living here. Thank God for beer.

[JayBrown80]

Originally Posted by rlr4818

This is truly one of the ugliest, if not THE ugliest city in the U.S. Intense heat, unbearable humidity, constant swarms of an infinate varieties of bugs, flat as a pancake, no natural beauty, pathetic sports teams, insane traffic, no viable public transportation, and a mix of bohemians and rednecks. How the hell did I wind up here? Oh yea, it's because you can make a living here. Thank God for beer.

In your rant you forgot to mention which city you are talking about.

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by JayBrown80

In your rant you forgot to mention which city you are talking about.

Thank Good for Beer! Yup!

[PanTerra]

Originally Posted by CptnRn

Thank Good for Beer! Yup!

What?! No Shiner?