Let's cut the crap already, publications. Houston is NOT cheap!

[westhou]

Originally Posted by statisticsnerd

No kidding. If you're comparing it to New York, San Francisco, or LA, then yes Houston is cheap. But there are lots of places in the South that are much cheaper than the Houston area.

Where can you rent a one bedroom apartment in the Houston area (including suburbs) for $500? You can't, not even in the ghetto. Anything under $800/month and the complexes get kind of sketchy.

Yet, $500 will get you a nice one bedroom in Macon, Georgia for example River Park Apartment Homes Apartments - Macon, GA 31211 | Apartments for Rent

Do we really want to compare Houston to Macon, Georgia?

Can we at least compare Houston to major Southern cities like Miami, Atlanta, New Orleans, Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas.

Let's see where Houston ranks in the top 10 cities for COL. That would be a better comparison. Heck even use the top 20. But please don't compare it to Macon or any other small city or town. That's just embarrassing if that's the best we can do.

[dalparadise]

The Columbuses and Macons of the world are not Houston, either.

For instance, as an urban environment, I'd choose Houston over San Jose or The Peninsula in the Bay Area. But Houston still clocks in at less than (much less than, in many instances) half of those places. It's even less than places like Sacramento, though not by as much.

Houston is cheap.

[boredboredteacher]

Originally Posted by westhou

I can get a 700 square foot apartment in Uptown Chicago for $1500/month?

I'm shocked

But I'll take your word for it since you've probably lived there, know someone who lives there, or have researched what apartments are going for in Uptown Chicago.

You can't compare Uptown Chicago to Uptown Houston. If you want to do a fair comparison, I would say Oak Park would be it as it is about equidistant. And I do believe you could get 700 square feet a month for 1500 bucks, not to mention I would guess the average American would find Oak Park to be more desirable as it has public transportation to the city center, beautiful architecture and all the amenities Uptown, Houston has to offer. Also, it is zoned to much better schools.

[stoneclaw]

Since Houston is obviously getting more expensive, I keep thinking when that point will come when people will think that Houston has a nerve to try to get expensive, not even offering as good as scenery as alot of cheaper places. lol

[boredboredteacher]

Originally Posted by stoneclaw

Since Houston is obviously getting more expensive, I keep thinking when that point will come when people will think that Houston has a nerve to try to get expensive, not even offering as good as scenery as alot of cheaper places. lol

That's another issue. Houston and Chicago are getting pretty comparable, and Chicago just blows Houston away when it comes to overall beauty. They can't even mow the ****ing boulevards here in Houston.

[westhou]

Originally Posted by boredboredteacher

You can't compare Uptown Chicago to Uptown Houston. If you want to do a fair comparison, I would say Oak Park would be it as it is about equidistant. And I do believe you could get 700 square feet a month for 1500 bucks, not to mention I would guess the average American would find Oak Park to be more desirable as it has public transportation to the city center, beautiful architecture and all the amenities Uptown, Houston has to offer. Also, it is zoned to much better schools.

The distance may be the same but Oak Park seems to be an entirely different kind of district than Uptown in Houston. I wouldn't exactly compare the two.

Is there a district in Chicago like Uptown Houston? An upscale shopping and business district with highrise and midrise living? If so that's the kind of district Uptown Houston should be compared to. Not Oak Park. From what I just read Oak Park is nothing like Uptown Houston.

[Spade]

Is there something like an Uptown Houston inside the city of Chicago? I would say no. There isn't. I wouldn't compare Uptown Houston with Oak Park either. Uptown is more like Oak Brook Terrace or maybe The area around woodfield mall in Schaumburg. Metro Chicago including the city is far closer to Houston in col then it is to say DC.

[Oildog]

My apologies for letting this ignorant bashing thread continue. Closed.