Puzzled by cost of living & housing in Cypress (Katy: cheap apartment, rental homes)

[Volt61]

There is a job in Cypress that I am considering and so I am checking on some facts before I decide to apply,

I have checked with a cost of living site (Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed), which shows that Cypress is 25% cheaper than the city where I am currently living and also, that housing is 59% cheaper.
But upon checking rentals on realtor's sites and on craigslist, I see that rental homes are more expensive and not just by a little bit.

Is the cost of living site not accurate?
I have read that this town is quite affluent.

Also, please can you suggest/recommend either good parts of Cypress and/or areas to avoid if there are any.
I am single with no kids and like as quiet an area as I can get.

I need about 1200-1400 Sq ft 1-2 bed home.
I don't want an apartment, at least not long term.
Prices seem to be quite varied however. Ideally I am looking at $800 or so in rent.

[a_guerrajr]

800$ for rent in a home ? Pffft good luck with that.

I leased out my house in Cypress (77433 area code) for $1250, and I have some people willing to pay $1300. It is a 3 Bed/2 Garage/Living/Dining/Breakfast/Kitchen , 1314 Sq Ft.

You might want to look at some parts of north Katy and see if you can get something around your budget. Anything past FM529/Longenbaugh on the west side of 290 and pass over to the northeast part will not be $800. Cypress is a growing area with a lot of new housing and not cheap houses either. It's a nice calm place to live though.

[lhafer]

Originally Posted by a_guerrajr

800$ for rent in a home ? Pffft good luck with that.

I leased out my house in Cypress (77433 area code) for $1250, and I have some people willing to pay $1300. It is a 3 Bed/2 Garage/Living/Dining/Breakfast/Kitchen , 1314 Sq Ft.

You might want to look at some parts of north Katy and see if you can get something around your budget. Anything past FM529/Longenbaugh on the west side of 290 and pass over to the northeast part will not be $800. Cypress is a growing area with a lot of new housing and not cheap houses either. It's a nice calm place to live though.

To rent a home, this pricing is way more accurate. Expect to spend between $1,000-$1,500 depending on the size of the home. $800 is apartment pricing.

Cost of living here is a lot lower than many parts of the nation. That doesn't mean it's dirt cheap. You have to remember - if you are wanting to rent a home, the rent price has to include the mortgage payment, HOA dues (if applicable), plus a little profit for the homeowner. They usually don't bring in much profit either!

[mtgmike]

You should get a six month lease on a cheap apartment when you first move anyways. Give yourself a chance to check the area out, make a long term decision later.

[a_guerrajr]

Originally Posted by mtgmike

You should get a six month lease on a cheap apartment when you first move anyways. Give yourself a chance to check the area out, make a long term decision later.

I agree, dont jump on something too quick, unless you are 100% sure.

[a_guerrajr]

Originally Posted by lhafer

To rent a home, this pricing is way more accurate. Expect to spend between $1,000-$1,500 depending on the size of the home. $800 is apartment pricing.

Cost of living here is a lot lower than many parts of the nation. That doesn't mean it's dirt cheap. You have to remember - if you are wanting to rent a home, the rent price has to include the mortgage payment, HOA dues (if applicable), plus a little profit for the homeowner. They usually don't bring in much profit either!

Correct, I leased it out to a so so friend of mine. So i'm acutally losing money on it by quite a bit. My mortgage is $1283, and I'm only getting $1250 for it. That includes Alarm Monitoring, AT&T Uverse U100/Basic Internet and access to pool, club house, trails, gym, etc...

So yea, dont expect a home really cheap. if you go closer to I-10, you can probably get something closer to that, but its not Cypress any more.

[Volt61]

So we can't rely on the cost of living site anymore?

They are wildly out.

[a_guerrajr]

That website doesn't even pull up Cypress Texas for me.

[Volt61]

It was pulling up before. Maybe they're fixing the problem?

[diggity101]

yes...I'm sure they have a team of staff investigating the rents in Cypress, TX as we speak