considering a move to waco (Houston, Dallas: apartments, rent, crime rate)

[islin]

I've been emailing back and forth about a job in Waco and I need some information about the cost of living there. I've been looking at apartments in northern Waco and I've come to the conclusion that I can expect to pay anywhere between $500-$700 a month, not necessarily covering utilities. So I need to know what the cost of utilities might be in a single person household as well as the average gasoline price per gallon. Also, what kind of city is Waco? Does it take very long to drive from one end to the other? Is the traffic heavy? I'm currently living in a smallish city where everything is a 15 minute drive from everything else, so I'm not spending a lot on gas here.

I'm trying to figure out if accepting this job will be worth my while as far as the paycheck goes. If they won't offer me enough to pay bills/student loans and buy groceries, there's really no point in moving. So basically, tack $500 onto whatever the cost of living is and I need to ask for enough to cover that. Does $12-$15 an hour sound reasonable?

[orbius]

You can probably expect to pay about $100+ in the Summer months for a one bedroom if you keep the temperature reasonable. Though I'd try to check with the local utility company to see if they will advise you of historical bills in the apartment you are interested in.

[islin]

So probably less than $200 for utilities? That's not bad at all...

[blkgiraffe]

Originally Posted by islin

So probably less than $200 for utilities? That's not bad at all...

Well Waco isn't exactly a desirable city and the majority of the apartments are horrible. What apartments are you looking at in northern Waco???? I'm assuming places like Westchester Square, Village Green, and etc

It doesn't take too long to drive across the city; at least compared to areas like Houston and Dallas. Traffic isn't bad, but some areas can get a little crazy.

[islin]

I'm not sure I follow.... Waco's not desirable? Why so?

[blkgiraffe]

Originally Posted by islin

I'm not sure I follow.... Waco's not desirable? Why so?

Not much there and it's still a pretty small city. It could be much more than it is. but the citizens of Waco don't like the idea of progressiveness. However, it's changing and a huge advantage for it is that it's centrally located to Austin and Dallas.

[islin]

Oh, I see. I was actually hoping to learn more about the economy and cost of living. I'm not as concerned with the culture.

[WillysB]

Aside from rent and electricity I suspect the cost of living is about the same as anywhere. I think your rent figure is about right but I think the electricity might run more than a hundred bucks a month in the summer time. That would depend on upstairs/downstairs, age of construction, end unit, exposure to the sun. I've had an apartment near to Waco, upstairs, facing north and east. Electricity ran between 150-200 a month in August/September, maybe about a hundred the rest of the year. Also would depend on your use of the AC or heat and fans to keep air moving.

Where are you coming from? Nearby, elsewhere in Texas, up north...?

[bluescreen73]

For its size, Waco is a really rough town. The median household income is 44% less than the state average, almost 30% of the population is living below the poverty line, and the crime rate is over 1.5 times higher than the national average.

Plus Waco's not exactly a career-building hotbed. I worked for a company with a subsidiary in Waco and I had to travel there a half a dozen or so times during the year. It's not a place I'd ever want to live.

[Cowboys fan in Houston]

Waco isnt a bad city. I spent my boyhood summers there growing up because my grandparents live there. People are friendly, once you make friends, you run into them almost everywhere, and its inexpensive.

Waco does have its rough areas. Ive seen prostitutes in broad daylight there, but thats not everywhere. There are some really nice places near/off Lakeshore drive. I would look there. Its very pretty too. There are some hills and nice views of the lake.