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Old 09-08-2016, 07:31 PM
 
1,429 posts, read 1,752,901 times
Reputation: 2733

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Quote:
Originally Posted by mm4 View Post
In D/FW, people outgrow their agnosticism after high school.
Yes, there are parts of town where what church you attend is important socially and most people are religious, but in general I'd say those are easy to avoid if it's not something you want to be a part of there's no need to worry about it.
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Old 09-08-2016, 08:32 PM
 
Location: Fort Worth, TX
2,502 posts, read 2,180,712 times
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My husband is Indian and I'm white. The only push back we've gotten are the few times we've been to the Hindu temple in Irving.
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Old 09-08-2016, 09:20 PM
 
Location: C.R. K-T
6,202 posts, read 11,394,533 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by numbersguy100 View Post
Auto insurance costs are a lot more expensive here than in NYC. You will be driving a lot more than you did in NYC, which means gas, tolls, and maintenance on your vehicle.
Don't forget about visiting the car mechanic more often to change the oil and other fluids, rotate tires, etc.

Quote:
Originally Posted by numbersguy100 View Post
Yes, there are parts of town where what church you attend is important socially and most people are religious, but in general I'd say those are easy to avoid if it's not something you want to be a part of there's no need to worry about it.
Not unless they want to push their beliefs down everyone's throat. We saw that here in Houston with the Prop. 1 that they dubbed the "bathroom bill." A local megachurch in the suburban fringes, barely in city limits, initiated the lawsuit that forced a vote on the issue that the city council already passed. This isn't the coasts where people mind their own business unless someone will get hurt. (Sometimes it's the opposite where people actively hurt the minority view as an exercise of collective power among themselves.)
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Old 09-09-2016, 06:13 AM
 
Location: Chicago
6,160 posts, read 5,653,594 times
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So here's what I've understood from this thread: If you find an apartment in NYC for $1600/mo, the cost of living will be about the same as DFW (maybe even less) because once you factor in driving more, higher electric costs, and higher car insurance, DFW doesn't seem so cheap anymore.

No one has mentioned food. I haven't been to NYC in a long time, but I remember a burger and fries being $10-15 there.
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Old 09-09-2016, 06:33 AM
 
67 posts, read 108,858 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lepoisson View Post
So here's what I've understood from this thread: If you find an apartment in NYC for $1600/mo, the cost of living will be about the same as DFW (maybe even less) because once you factor in driving more, higher electric costs, and higher car insurance, DFW doesn't seem so cheap anymore.

No one has mentioned food. I haven't been to NYC in a long time, but I remember a burger and fries being $10-15 there.
First of all, thanks for posting that breakdown of your monthly expenses. It gives me a good idea of what to expect.

It's interesting to see some of the replies here. But I see no mention that NY has state income tax ~6.5% while TX doesn't.
NYC income tax is around ~3.5%.

What's Dallas' income tax city-wise?

If I didn't take a look at comparison websites before writing in this forum I'd be under the impression that Dallas is as expensive as NY.

Maybe these these city comparison websites don't have accurate data?
Here's a table from one of them (there's no option for Brooklyn or Queens on this one).

Cost of Living Indexes Dallas New York
Overall 106. 168
Food 96.8 120.5
Housing 118.6 274.5
Utilities 105.1 130.6
Transportation 101.6 111.6
Health 106 109.1
Miscellaneous 99.4 120.3


Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not ok


Here's another :

Indices Difference Info
Consumer Prices in Queens, NY are 23.71% higher than in Dallas, TX

Consumer Prices Including Rent in Queens, NY are 28.76% higher than in Dallas, TX

Rent Prices in Queens, NY are 37.75% higher than in Dallas, TX

Restaurant Prices in Queens, NY are 12.08% higher than in Dallas, TX

Groceries Prices in Queens, NY are 35.12% higher than in Dallas, TX

Local Purchasing Power in Queens, NY is 24.84% lower than in Dallas, TX


Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not ok

Last edited by Yac; 09-09-2016 at 07:10 AM..
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Old 09-09-2016, 06:41 AM
mm4
 
5,711 posts, read 3,957,058 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dad2015 View Post
First of all, thanks for posting that breakdown of your monthly expenses. It gives me a good idea of what to expect.

It's interesting to see some of the replies here. Also, NY has state income tax, TX doesn't.
The city income tax is around ~3.5%.

What's Dallas' income tax city-wise?
Dallas doesn't have an income tax. You must be from one of those tax happy places.
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Old 09-09-2016, 07:08 AM
 
13,194 posts, read 28,143,195 times
Reputation: 13125
Quote:
Originally Posted by lepoisson View Post
So here's what I've understood from this thread: If you find an apartment in NYC for $1600/mo, the cost of living will be about the same as DFW (maybe even less) because once you factor in driving more, higher electric costs, and higher car insurance, DFW doesn't seem so cheap anymore.

No one has mentioned food. I haven't been to NYC in a long time, but I remember a burger and fries being $10-15 there.
OP's rent is unusually cheap for NYC, especially for a 2 bedroom! To rent in an area of NYC with a good public elementary school would be 2X++ his current rent. However, his take home pay will rise by approx 10% due to no state or city income taxes in TX. Sales tax is roughly the same, but most household items and food cost less here than in NYC. For many NYC residents, there is no hopping in the car for a Target run. The price of household goods like laundry detergent or trash bags may be the same in TX but you're getting 2x as much for the cost- Ie, I used to buy a small container of detergent at Duane Reade in NYC for $6-8, a similar price as a huge value sized carton at Target here in Dallas. So spending the same every time you buy, but purchasing half as often- still an overall savings.

It's the same thing with Op's housing expense- he may still pay $1600/mo, but he can get a 3/2 house with a real yard zoned to good public schools vs a small 2br apartment likely zoned to poor schools.

Life is just easier here - no carrying your laundry up the street to a laundry mat because few affordable apartments have a laundry room, much less laundry in your own unit. No slugging your groceries home 3 blocks and up 4 flights of stairs in an no-elevator building. No commuting 30 minutes on the subway to go 2 miles. The level of daily stress between NYC and DFW is unparalleled.

Last edited by TurtleCreek80; 09-09-2016 at 07:19 AM..
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Old 09-09-2016, 07:18 AM
 
Location: plano
7,885 posts, read 11,336,512 times
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A few thought for OP. I think DFW is noticeably cheaper than NYC. The income tax alone is hard to overcome with property taxes etc. Since income tax comes out typically before you see your paycheck perhaps they forgot. DFW area is not as inexpensive as it has been so we who live here are seeing increases in taxes, mostly home price increase driven, and other smaller things.

The metro area, often referred to as DFW metropolis is approaching 7 Million population. The area it covers is huge that will be noticeable when you see it and explore it some.

Its highly diverse in my view. I like in one of those suburbs ie Plano. My neighbors here in the suburbs are a Mexico City MD, a mining engineer from Istanbul, a mom from French Morocco, three Asian couples, one Korean and the other two Chinese. A 40 year old professional from deep in the heart of Texas, a black couple from NYC and here and a Mexican couple with kids. These are the immediate neighbors in my area. I didn't leave any one out, expect myself, I am a Scots Irish background from near by OK and my wife is half Irish and half Spanish but grew up where I did.

I lived in Houston suburbs before moving here. It too was very international from the global oil business located in the suburb I lived. The mix of Caucasian races if probably less varied here than in NYC area. I will add in the NE I was asked often, what are you? I had to ask parents to tell me at age 30 since it had never come up before growing up in Oklahoma. I find missing here an Irish area or a dominate Jewish area or Polish etc. We are more mixed together separated more by economic status than heritage.

Welcome to DFW should you move our way for this new job

Last edited by Johnhw2; 09-09-2016 at 07:28 AM..
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Old 09-09-2016, 07:53 AM
 
Location: garland
1,591 posts, read 2,392,584 times
Reputation: 2003
Quote:
Originally Posted by lepoisson View Post
So here's what I've understood from this thread: If you find an apartment in NYC for $1600/mo, the cost of living will be about the same as DFW (maybe even less) because once you factor in driving more, higher electric costs, and higher car insurance, DFW doesn't seem so cheap anymore.

No one has mentioned food. I haven't been to NYC in a long time, but I remember a burger and fries being $10-15 there.

Lol. I certainly can't get out of Smashburger or Shake Shack for <$10-15 here for the same so food isn't much different at all though I'd argue the ingredients seemed better in NY (especially produce).
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Old 09-09-2016, 08:36 AM
 
1,429 posts, read 1,752,901 times
Reputation: 2733
I didn't mean to imply that living in Dallas is more expensive than NYC. It isn't. It simply isn't as cheap on a relative basis as people seem to believe. Creating appropriate expectations avoids disappointment. When I moved here from NYC, everything was CHEAP and it felt that way. To me, it feels like the costs have escalated faster than the relative amenities. If I was single or married without children, I'd move back to NYC in a heartbeat. But as TC80 has pointed out here, life in many ways here is much easier, and with kids, easy is important. I'd also note that the private school scene here is infinitely easier to navigate and afford.

I will say that property taxes here suck, and I don't even get to deduct them from my federal taxes like I did for NY and NYC income taxes, but that's because my tax situation has changed since I lived in NYC. I think I'd probably be screwed if I lived there now too.
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