When will Austin be expensive to live? (Houston, Dallas: daycare, how much)

[Mike78613]

Notice from lot's of the reading on here, forum members said that Austin living is cheaper then Mid-West, East and West Coasts.

~ Now, anyone know when Austin will be expensive?

[TexasHorseLady]

When everyone from those places moves here because it's cheaper, of course!

[OAC]

That's much too general of a statement. Sure, compared to the major coastal cities it's cheap, but when comparing Austin to its peers, Austin is hardly cheap. It also depends where in Austin you are making comparisons. If you compare the larger suburbs of Lakeway or Westlake or say, Steiner, appreciating property values have increased property taxes to some of the highest in the country. And, as the economy slows and populations increase there will be more demands put on local municipalities and school systems and without an income tax, tax revenues will have to adjust.

[Alatex]

It also depends where in Austin you are making comparisons.

My brother's job is in Hays County, so that's where he bought a house.
I was shocked to see how much more people in parts of Austin proper and its northern and western suburbs are paying, by comparison.

[love roses]

Compared to the other cities in Texas, it already IS expensive. Houston and Dallas are more affordable.

[wehotex]

Originally Posted by Mike78613

Notice from lot's of the reading on here, forum members said that Austin living is cheaper then Mid-West, East and West Coasts.

~ Now, anyone know when Austin will be expensive?

austin is already expensive, what are you smoking, bro? if you look around in central austin, you would find that those homes rival so cal prices. it's only when you look at some of the suburbs that you find cheaper. before the invasion, austin living wasn't nearly as pricey.

[justanothercalifornian]

We were hoping it would not be so expensive, but we moved here five months ago and are still not making it. If you are making good money it's not so bad.

[centralaustinite]

Housing in San Antonio is also generally cheaper than Austin.

But food costs are lower compared to the Mid-West and the coasts, we have low gas taxes so gas is lower in comparison to almost anywhere else. Services like daycare, lawn care, cleaning services, handymen, lawyers, architects, are also generally cheaper here when compared to most other places, particularly the coasts. But this is also true of other places in Texas.

The best way to live in Austin is as an Austin-based employee of a company headquartered in a more expensive place that pays the same salaries regardless of location!

[Exiled Texan]

Parts of the midwest (e.g., Indiana, Nebraska, etc.) are much cheaper than Austin. Austin is arguably the most expensive city in Texas with the crappiest job market (as compared to Dallas, Houston, San Antonio). Parts of Pennsylvania and upstate NY are cheaper too.

[jread]

Austin IS expensive and has been for awhile now. Don't let the home prices fool you... figure in the property taxes, etc. and that 200k home gets to be a helluva lot more expensive than you think.