Moving to El Paso, Why so cheap? (Dallas, San Antonio: fit in, transplants)

[SusanDL]

Hi!

I am considering moving to El Paso with my family. We currently live in Oregon and the cost of living has just gotten extreme due to legalization of weed.

I have a long work history in health care and my husband in the food industry. My husband is bilingual and my Spanish is very minimal, which in the medical field can be a hindrance, but hasn't been here in Oregon.

We have 2 children, a 13 year old boy and a 8 year old girl. Where we currently live there are ZERO activities for children. We love outdoor activities, swimming, hiking, etc. But, some days a nice indoor activity would be awesome with the kids.

The meth + property crime here is just terrible. I hear El Paso is extremely safe.

From what I read El Paso is really where we'd love to move. The weather seems just right for what we want (I'm vitamin D deficient in Oreogn ) but I have noticed there is just AMAZING homes for under $200,000. These types of homes would be $750,000-$1,000,000 easily here.

The minimum wage is $7.25 compared to $11.25 here, which explains some.

So, is it really THAT difficult to find a job there? Am I just lucking out finding beautiful 3+ bedroom homes with pools for $200k?

[joqua]

Originally Posted by SusanDL

Am I just lucking out finding beautiful 3+ bedroom homes with pools for $200k?

You're not incorrect. There are plenty of newer homes in El Paso under $200k, and some will have swimming pools. In a city where water is rationed, a swimming pool can be a liability and very expensive to maintain.

El Paso, TX Real Estate - El Paso Homes for Sale - realtor.com®


https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-search/El-Paso_TX
View 3428 homes for sale in El Paso, TX at a median listing price of $175900. See pricing and listing details of El Paso real estate for sale.

As for job opportunities, I'm not able to comment, having retired over 20 yrs ago.

[XChucoresident]

As a 4th generation to live and be born in this border, I will add my opinion...It is cheap to live here because there are hardly any jobs here..water and taxes are expensive..and property taxes keep increasing every year..I lived in DFW for many years and recently moved back after retiring from teaching...Why did I leave an affluent place to move bak home? Because I got tired of all the transplants moving to Texas..it was getting crowded, rent kept increasing..traffic was becoming unbearable..and this is where I am from anyway..I am happier now..but when I am here,,,I want to go back to Irving..and when I am in Irving..I want to return to my birthplace

[aab7855]

Originally Posted by XChucoresident

As a 4th generation to live and be born in this border, I will add my opinion...It is cheap to live here because there are hardly any jobs here..water and taxes are expensive..and property taxes keep increasing every year..I lived in DFW for many years and recently moved back after retiring from teaching...Why did I leave an affluent place to move bak home? Because I got tired of all the transplants moving to Texas..it was getting crowded, rent kept increasing..traffic was becoming unbearable..and this is where I am from anyway..I am happier now..but when I am here,,,I want to go back to Irving..and when I am in Irving..I want to return to my birthplace

You may not know if you were renting over in Irving...

But are property taxes higher in EP or DFW? It's fairly obvious where renting and buying is more expensive, but I am not so clear about just how much property taxes are in either.

It also seems like those two metro areas are about as different as you can get while still living in one state. I still need to spend more time in both, but I think I'd prefer dry heat, hiking in the mountains, and skiing in New Mexico to what DFW has to offer.

[XChucoresident]

Originally Posted by aab7855

You may not know if you were renting over in Irving...

But are property taxes higher in EP or DFW? It's fairly obvious where renting and buying is more expensive, but I am not so clear about just how much property taxes are in either.

It also seems like those two metro areas are about as different as you can get while still living in one state. I still need to spend more time in both, but I think I'd prefer dry heat, hiking in the mountains, and skiing in New Mexico to what DFW has to offer.

If u read my post carefully, I have stated that I MOVED back to my hometown of Chuco from Irving about 3 yrs ago...I have always been aware of what was going on here despite being away for so long..since my parents were still alive and I kept returning every few weeks..I live downtown NOW...!! and still like when I was in in high school here ..it is hard to find a job here

[aab7855]

Originally Posted by XChucoresident

If u read my post carefully, I have stated that I MOVED back to my hometown of Chuco from Irving about 3 yrs ago...I have always been aware of what was going on here despite being away for so long..since my parents were still alive and I kept returning every few weeks..I live downtown NOW...!! and still like when I was in in high school here ..it is hard to find a job here

Yeah, I followed everything you said. I asked a simple question but oh well, thanks anyway. Maybe you didn't read my post carefully?

[upswept]

You might want to expand you Spanish speaking ability. It will be very handy in El Paso.

[yukon]

The Oregon cost of living was skyrocketing long before weed was legalized.

You need to visit ELP before making a decision like that. It's a friendly area (or is when I visit anyway) but it's brown. As in, not much greenery compared to where you're at. The first comment out of anyone's mouth when I pick them up at the ELP airport is, "wow, it's really, ah, brown here!". Even from Texans from other parts of the state. The trade off though is reasonable cost of living and great weather. But not everyone can handle brown desert. Personally, I prefer the weather in El Paso/Las Cruces to the weather in Dallas any day. Dallas is hot and humid, ELP is hot and dry. I think ELP/LC is friendlier than Dallas, but that may just be because ELP/LC is smaller and folks are used to random chatting. I'm not saying Dallas isn't friendly, I lived there for 18 years and made lots of friends. You might also look at San Antonio. It's a bit greener, more like what you're used to now, but with less rain. It's larger than ELP, smaller than Dallas, and might have more for your kids to do. SA housing will be a bit higher than ELP but nothing near Dallas home prices. Both ELP and SA are nice cities, IMO. I'm currently debating between the two myself for a move.

Have you looked online to see what remote jobs might be available in your specific area of healthcare? Try Flexjobs.com, you'll need a paid subscription to see who the companies are but I can say from experience that most are Fortune 500 companies or reputable regional companies. There are a lot of work from home opportunities in healthcare. If you can get a remote job, it may give you and your family more flexibility in where you ultimately move.

[signal2814]

Moved to El Paso from east coast decades ago. My take on El Paso is:

1. Racism is almost non-existant. I am white and speak no spanish and fit in very well. I work in the medical field and there is always a spanish speaker to help out if needed. Its a very accepting culture here.

2. Minimal to no gang activity. Drug use activity is minimal compared to the rest of the U.S. cannot remember last time I seen a meth pt in the ER, its that rare.

3. Texas is spending large amounts of money on their school system. There appears to be alot of school options, some of the High Schools look like colleges they are so big.

4. Housing and food is very affordable. There are multiple options of different types of food, surprisingly a very diverse food town. Friends from florida love visiting here due to all the food options.

5. Mountains with camping and trees are a 2 hour drive, but it is a nice area. The lack of forest very near the city is the greatest drawback.

6. Every restaurant visited the last year has a help wanted sign. There is jobs to be had.

7. Neighboring city is Las Cruces, NM. They rely very heavily on Locums positions if you are a RN. Take a 4-6 week assignment. It will give you plenty of time to get a feel for our area.

8. After living here and experiencing the people of El Paso I have no plans on ever moving away. Visiting the Northwest is a favorite vacation for me (family visits), but would definitely not move there. El Paso always draws me back.