Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
OK you got me. I'm doing well salary-wise, live on the houston outer ring (Alief) within the city limits. We are very happy here to be honest with you all.
Some schools are good, some are not but trust me all of them are waaay better than all the schools we computer programmers-foreigners had. and another thing I noticed, non-white/non-sophisticated teachers seem more real and dedicated. We took our kid out of snotty Primrose ($1k/mo) and got better service with the ISD/Harris county services. My wife also loves the YMCA fitness programs here. I'm still scratching my head on that one
Dont tell anyone, I dont have security bars on my windows, yet we've never been broken into. I also have 4 cars (3 are desireable) parked outside and no attempts on them yet.
It's been 7+ years now. I think I've already proven to my white-flighter houstonian family that their severe objections of me buying a house in this area is absolute ignorance. They have that follow the money- herd mentality
Houston's peers in size are Chicago, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Dallas, etc. Houston is not any cheaper than any of those places.
The only way to consider Houston cheap is to compare it to the most expensive cities in the country, like Manhattan or San Francisco.
People like to say Houston's cheap because it has cheap suburbs. Well, nearly all of its peers have cheap suburbs as well. People also like to compare Houston to LA, but LA has nearly twice as many people, so they're not as close peers as people like to claim.
Let's face it. Houston has not one but two star industries: oil and medicine. You have to make over $450k/year here to be in the top 1% of income earners. There are over 50,000 millionaires in the city. Such a city is not going to be cheap if you want to live in the established neighborhoods in the city limits.
This could not be further from the truth. As someone who has actually lived in Chicago and NY, they have the THE most expensive burbs in the entire country. Ironically Chicago is actually not that bad in the city due to the sheer overabundance of overbuilt condos and apts. But the suburbs, please do tell me where those cheap suburbs are. It's not Hinsdale, Highland Park. Deerfield, Lyle, Oak Park, Beverly, Evanston, Winnetka, Kennilwoth, Barrington Hills, south Barrington, etc. I could list 50 to 100 of them. And before you accuse me of singling out the nicest ones, I could single out two of the best in the Houston area (Woodlands and Sugarland) and they are half the price of the nice ones in Chicago.
And NY? Dude, don't go there ok. You obviously have never set foot in CT, Long Island or most of Northern NJ or Westchester. And again, before you accuse me of only picking the nice areas, the VERY BEST surburbs in Houston are ALL affordable. Hell, even Philly has expensive surburbs. Ever been to Cherry Hill?
Houston is not only cheap, it's insanely cheap. And throw in the state income taxes and it's beyond ridiculous. Now, are there places in the inner loop in Houston that are getting pricey? Sure. But for the love of God, you are talking about less then 1% of the Houston population lives there. A majority of the residents in Houston have VERY VERY cheap housing. Why on God's green earth does this topic keep coming up here.
For the record, I'm not saying that the cost of living has not gone up on the margin, but rents in NYC have almost doubled since 2009! Ours are up maybe 20%. It's called rate of change. Google it. There is a difference.
Houston is not only cheap, it's insanely cheap. And throw in the state income taxes and it's beyond ridiculous. Now, are there places in the inner loop in Houston that are getting pricey? Sure. But for the love of God, you are talking about less then 1% of the Houston population lives there. A majority of the residents in Houston have VERY VERY cheap housing. Why on God's green earth does this topic keep coming up here.
Because to someone moving up from a typical small/medium/college town, Houston is very urban and expensive.
You guys need some perspective. Houston is cheap for the amenities and opportunities it offers. It cannot be beat. Its peers are not Philly or Phoenix but I would put it as approaching the same vein as LA, Chicago and San Francisco in terms of its industrial opportunities and amenities. The major selling point that attracts ppl from far away is that it offers all that the top cities offer at cheaper prices. I think people are only thinking about living in the nicest places and thinking about only affording the nicest things there for it to count. Even then it's still a bargain, but if you're less flashy Houston is a steal for young professionals building themselves up. Good for young couples with no kids.
What are some of you guys comparing here? I swear some of you need to trudge it out in a top city like NYC LA or San Fran to appreciate what a city in Texas can afford you. And this nonsense that its only oil, energy, or medicine that can get you the nice life in Houston is so ludicrous. I know leasing managers at nice apartment complexes making good money and affording homes in the woodlands. I know store managers at Christian bookstores affording decent homes and living a comfortable life in decent burbs. I know a ton of 50k millionaire types without the debt. Guys working supply chain for Russian shipping making bank.
What's funny is that they all complain about their lives and wanting more, which adds to that ridiculous keeping up with the joneses Houstonians have. LOL. A lot if you have the luxury to play those games with each other because jobs are plentiful, your money goes far, the cheap COL, and the relative easiness to acquire a non industry job. I know tons of people working paralegal, legal assistant, office and admin jobs for oil vendors, medical, real estate, law firms etc etc affording what in Los Angeles I would have to earn twice as much to afford.
I just think a lot of Houstonians need an adjustment check. You guys are in a unique city that is quite different from the rest of the country.
I don't get why people keep saying that Houston housing is so cheap. I tried to find a decent house with a yard within 10 miles of downtown and the prices were really high. I could get a nicer place near a beach in Florida for the same price - or cheaper.
The cheap homes are over 25 miles away from downtown, are mired with traffic, and are in ridiculously sterile developments.
I don't get why people keep saying that Houston housing is so cheap. I tried to find a decent house with a yard within 10 miles of downtown and the prices were really high. I could get a nicer place near a beach in Florida for the same price - or cheaper.
The cheap homes are over 25 miles away from downtown, are mired with traffic, and are in ridiculously sterile developments.
Is this statement a joke or are you being serious? Within 10 miles of downtown? Trying finding a cheap house within 50 miles of Manhattan. Tell me what houses cost within 10 miles of downtown Boston or DC. Heck, you should see what homes cost within 10 miles of downtown St. Louis!
And I would love to hear what salary you could make living on the beach in FL. I'm all ears. LOL.
You guys need some perspective. Houston is cheap for the amenities and opportunities it offers. It cannot be beat. Its peers are not Philly or Phoenix but I would put it as approaching the same vein as LA, Chicago and San Francisco in terms of its industrial opportunities and amenities. The major selling point that attracts ppl from far away is that it offers all that the top cities offer at cheaper prices. I think people are only thinking about living in the nicest places and thinking about only affording the nicest things there for it to count. Even then it's still a bargain, but if you're less flashy Houston is a steal for young professionals building themselves up. Good for young couples with no kids.
What are some of you guys comparing here? I swear some of you need to trudge it out in a top city like NYC LA or San Fran to appreciate what a city in Texas can afford you. And this nonsense that its only oil, energy, or medicine that can get you the nice life in Houston is so ludicrous. I know leasing managers at nice apartment complexes making good money and affording homes in the woodlands. I know store managers at Christian bookstores affording decent homes and living a comfortable life in decent burbs. I know a ton of 50k millionaire types without the debt. Guys working supply chain for Russian shipping making bank.
What's funny is that they all complain about their lives and wanting more, which adds to that ridiculous keeping up with the joneses Houstonians have. LOL. A lot if you have the luxury to play those games with each other because jobs are plentiful, your money goes far, the cheap COL, and the relative easiness to acquire a non industry job. I know tons of people working paralegal, legal assistant, office and admin jobs for oil vendors, medical, real estate, law firms etc etc affording what in Los Angeles I would have to earn twice as much to afford.
I just think a lot of Houstonians need an adjustment check. You guys are in a unique city that is quite different from the rest of the country.
You nailed it. See the problem is, a lot of people in TX, have never lived outside of TX. They have no idea. Oh sure they have taken trips to NY, Chicago or LA. But have they ever lived there? Have they ever tried to land a job there? Have they ever tried to accumulate savings while living there? Of course the answer is no to all these questions and therefore you get these people who see rents go up in the inner loop from 975 to 1025 and think the city is out of control. LOL.
Here's a cool neat fact of the day for these folks. To live in NY and rent an apt, ANYWHERE, you need to come up with first, last and one months rent before you get the keys to the apt. An avg one bedroom will set you back about 2500 a month. That means you need to cough up 7500 in cold hard cash, to even set foot in your apt. Like I said, they have NO idea.
Is this statement a joke or are you being serious? Within 10 miles of downtown? Trying finding a cheap house within 50 miles of Manhattan. Tell me what houses cost within 10 miles of downtown Boston or DC. Heck, you should see what homes cost within 10 miles of downtown St. Louis!
And I would love to hear what salary you could make living on the beach in FL. I'm all ears. LOL.
You seem rather defensive about this. I looked into pricing because of a job opportunity and was thrown off a bit. What about 20 miles? It's still not good.
BTW, in St. Louis you can get a 3 bedroom single family home in a decent neighborhood that is within 10 miles of downtown and not too far from the university - for under $300k. Can you say that about Houston?
Here's a nice 5 bedroom home with a basement that is 21 miles from downtown St. Louis for $292k. 2002 Schoettler Valley Drive, Chesterfield MO - Trulia
As a comparison, to be 21 miles in Houston you basically have to be well within HWY 6. Housing around the inner loop is expensive IMO but I guess not if you compare everything to NYC. Hell, you can find an affordable home 30 miles from NYC as well.
You seem rather defensive about this. I looked into pricing because of a job opportunity and was thrown off a bit. What about 20 miles? It's still not good.
BTW, in St. Louis you can get a 3 bedroom single family home in a decent neighborhood that is within 10 miles of downtown and not too far from the university - for under $300k. Can you say that about Houston?
Here's a nice 5 bedroom home with a basement that is 21 miles from downtown St. Louis for $292k. 2002 Schoettler Valley Drive, Chesterfield MO - Trulia
As a comparison, to be 21 miles in Houston you basically have to be well within HWY 6. Housing around the inner loop is expensive IMO but I guess not if you compare everything to NYC. Hell, you can find an affordable home 30 miles from NYC as well.
A 300k home is very expensive for St. Louis. And expensive compared to the local salaries there. And yes, you can find 100k homes within 10 to 20 miles of downtown Houston at twice the salary of St. Louis. Why don't you tell us what you are looking for and I'm sure you will get 100 posts telling you where you can find a great deal.
I have a good buddy that bought a really nice condo in Eado, maybe blocks away from downtown for under 200k. It has the light rail at his doorstep and the soccer stadium across the street. He could almost walk to work if he worked downtown. The condo is brand new, 4 floors and a rooftop view. Like I said, insanely cheap by most anyone's standards.
Now you are not going to tell me you want a 5k sq foot home, 3 years old, with swimming pool and a guest house for 250k within 3 miles of the city are you? LOL. I'm not joking, there are people here that expect that or they will call out Houston for "not being all that cheap".
Location: Central Bay Area, CA as of Jan 2010...but still a proud Texan from Houston!
7,484 posts, read 10,444,054 times
Reputation: 8955
Quote:
Originally Posted by radiolibre99
You guys need some perspective. Houston is cheap for the amenities and opportunities it offers. It cannot be beat. Its peers are not Philly or Phoenix but I would put it as approaching the same vein as LA, Chicago and San Francisco in terms of its industrial opportunities and amenities. The major selling point that attracts ppl from far away is that it offers all that the top cities offer at cheaper prices. I think people are only thinking about living in the nicest places and thinking about only affording the nicest things there for it to count. Even then it's still a bargain, but if you're less flashy Houston is a steal for young professionals building themselves up. Good for young couples with no kids.
What are some of you guys comparing here? I swear some of you need to trudge it out in a top city like NYC LA or San Fran to appreciate what a city in Texas can afford you. And this nonsense that its only oil, energy, or medicine that can get you the nice life in Houston is so ludicrous. I know leasing managers at nice apartment complexes making good money and affording homes in the woodlands. I know store managers at Christian bookstores affording decent homes and living a comfortable life in decent burbs. I know a ton of 50k millionaire types without the debt. Guys working supply chain for Russian shipping making bank.
What's funny is that they all complain about their lives and wanting more, which adds to that ridiculous keeping up with the joneses Houstonians have. LOL. A lot if you have the luxury to play those games with each other because jobs are plentiful, your money goes far, the cheap COL, and the relative easiness to acquire a non industry job. I know tons of people working paralegal, legal assistant, office and admin jobs for oil vendors, medical, real estate, law firms etc etc affording what in Los Angeles I would have to earn twice as much to afford.
I just think a lot of Houstonians need an adjustment check. You guys are in a unique city that is quite different from the rest of the country.
You are absolutely correct! Houston offers better amenities than what SF has to offer. How do I know? I lived in Houston for 44 years and in the Bay Area for almost 4 years. I would live in DT Houston with no hesitation. You could not pay me enough to live in SF!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
