How many people moved to another state to avoid expensive cost of living, and eventually moved back to Il?

[crbcrbrgv]

We moved to Houston and have not come back. Houston is no Chicago, but obviously an area of 6 to 7 million is going to have a lot to offer.

[Irishtom29]

Originally Posted by crbcrbrgv

Houston is no Chicago, but obviously an area of 6 to 7 million is going to have a lot to offer.

Yes, including being the only major city infested with all four poisonous snake species native to The United States.

[hsw]

Need to know if one can achieve same income in other regions

For most w/high incomes, income tax rates mean far more than silly stuff like property, sales, etc taxes

CT has a 5% inc tx rate; CA is ~10%; NYC is ~13%...IL 3%; TX 0%

But residential land in desirable areas of Chic (Eastern LF/Winnetka)/Dall(HP/PrestonHollow)/Hou (RiverOaks/Memorial)/Detroit (BloomfieldHills) is far more costly than similar land in elite "coastal" places like Greenwich CT or Woodside CA

Lots of "false economies" out there....would choose a place based upon career opportunities and QOL....COL is fairly similar in any elite suburbs of any major city....CA weather/topography/produce can't be easily priced though

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by Irishtom29

Yes, including being the only major city infested with all four poisonous snake species native to The United States.

There are dozens upon dozens of venomous snake species in the USA, and places like Houston are home to several, but pale in comparison to what Phoenix, Vegas, SoCal, etc, have to deal with.

Heck, places in Southern Illinois have 4 venomous species around (cottonmouth, copperhead, Eastern massasauga rattler, timber rattler). There are venomous snakes in Lake County and DuPage as well (Eastern massasauga rattlesnakes). A year or two ago a dog was bitten by one up in Lake County and people were all shocked for some reason. Do a little research and youll find that venomous snakes were very prevalent all over Illinois, but their habitat has sadly been destroyed from over-development.

[rgb123]

Originally Posted by hsw

Need to know if one can achieve same income in other regions

For most w/high incomes, income tax rates mean far more than silly stuff like property, sales, etc taxes

CT has a 5% inc tx rate; CA is ~10%; NYC is ~13%...IL 3%; TX 0%

But residential land in desirable areas of Chic (Eastern LF/Winnetka)/Dall(HP/PrestonHollow)/Hou (RiverOaks/Memorial)/Detroit (BloomfieldHills) is far more costly than similar land in elite "coastal" places like Greenwich CT or Woodside CA

Lots of "false economies" out there....would choose a place based upon career opportunities and QOL....COL is fairly similar in any elite suburbs of any major city....CA weather/topography/produce can't be easily priced though

I coluld make a better salary in CA. Actually, I was offered a position in California and Texas at the same time. When I factored in the 10% income tax in CA vs. the 0% in TX the higher salary in CA was actualy lower. Plus, I work for a great company that stashes 10% of my income into my 401k without me contributing at all. (that is on top of my salary, not out of my salary). So, it was a win for me. Texas salaries are a little lower, I think than Illinois or Cali but not by much from what I can tell.

Real estate, is however much lower. Even with property taxes, doesn't come close to being an issue. I'm still renting right now (rents however, are comparable to up north though you get a little more for what you pay for). I almost bought a condo and I could not have dreamt of getting the same thing in chicago that I was about to buy in San Antonio. However, there are some very expensive places here too that I would not dream of getting...

You can live pretty well here on the same income ....though that is something I could see changing quickly in the next 10 years as everyone moves to Texas.

I like having control over my money though. You can find cheap places to live in CA and Illinois if you rent. But if they are taking 10% of your income right off the top and you never see it...you lose that control of your money right there.

I will say....there are some obvious things lacking in Texas I would attribute to the lack of state income tax.....roads and infrastructure being not the greatest would be one. Also a lack of public space though there are some very nice state parks, they cost $6 to get into.