Houston or London (middle-class, apartment, to rent)

[pretzel09]

I have a simple question that begs for a deep, well thought-out answer.

Consider if you're in the O&G field and were offered to work in Houston or London, would you go for lively London with friendly commute or Houston with lower taxes?

In terms of security, I can't really point to which city is better. I am a petite Asian girl and my skills with automobile is more than disparaging. On the fact that I would need to rent an auto car to navigate in Houston would mean additional cost? In the work front, I suppose both London and Houston are equally challenging and demand me to keep up to speed. Do you think surviving in Houston would ink a better watermark on my resume for my future ventures?

[haudi]

Life in Houston is going to be difficult without easy access to a vehicle. Yes there is uber, busses, and whatever, but that will add up fairly quickly with as spread out as the city is. On the flip side, do you have any idea how expensive it is to live in/near London compared to Houston? Unless the pay is significantly better, there is no way that works out in your favor unless you just absolutely want to live in London and experience the life there.

[Johnhw2]

Where to live and the tradeoffs you must make in either place is something others can answer.

My focus is on career experiences. I think Houston wins this hands down. Houston has soul to nuts oil and gas activities from small mom and pop production facility manufacturing in NW Houston to global HQ for all types of oil and gas around the world in the case of ExxonMobil with its 10 business Presidents located in Houston.

If your more a professional in the support side rather than the operating and engineering sides of oil and gas, Houston has much more of this than London. The reason Houston has the gritty manufacturing of oil and gas production facilities, operating of manufacturing or refining and chemicals as well as the support functions is because its cost structure supports these less valuable activities. London matches Houston in global HQ and trading operations but falls well short in the areas I mentioned.

So look at your interests, all oil and gas interests are active in Houston only a few are active in London.

[SugLandDAd]

I have worked both in Oil and Gas business both in the UK, and in Houston. As Johnhw2 says, if you are in the oil and gas field, Houston is the far better place to be for your career. Getting your "Houston" ticket punched will give you credibility anywhere in the world....Houston has a large Asian community, so you would find some kindred souls here.

London is a fantastic city with far greater cultural opportunities, and being in Europe, it will allow you to experience the continent, and all that each country has to offer, which will make for a more fulfilled life.

If you are not comfortable driving, then Houston is not for you. Public transport in Houston is minimal. This will seriously impact on your life here.

At different times in our lives we concentrate on different things. It really comes down to which is more important for you now, and in the next few years.

[pretzel09]

Have you ever travel on the public trams/buses in Houston? Are they safe? Is it safe to walk around in the city after dark? And, are there any residential area near the city center?

[gwarnecke]

If you want to live simply (ie don't mind a modest apartment, prefer not to own a car, enjoy being within easy walking/transit distance of bars/restaurants), London is definitely more conducive to that lifestyle. It's possible to get portions of that experience in Houston (for example, if you work downtown and live/play in midtown), but you'll probably end up wanting a car if you want to explore beyond the live/work "bubble".

On the other hand - you would have be a multi-millionaire to replicate a middle-class Houston lifestyle (detached home with yard, 2-3 vehicles) anywhere near central London. That lifestyle isn't for everyone, but if you find it appealing, Houston probably encourages it more so than any similarly-sized city anywhere in the world.

I have trouble imagining that London would be cheaper than Houston, even assuming that you bought a car in Houston (motoring costs are extremely low in the US compared with UK and Europe).

Contrary to popular opinion, Houston does have an extensive public transportation network (bus and light rail). Portions of it offer reasonably frequent and reliable service (especially the park and rides to downtown, and the bus routes along major corridors inside the loop). My wife and I have never had any safety issues using it. The main problem with Houston's public transportation is that, outside of the well-served core and park-and-ride routes, bus service is infrequent (maybe 1-2x an hour) and doesn't really run on anything closely resembling a schedule. A trip that might take 30 minutes by car could take 2+ hours by bus if one or more transfers are involved.

Then again - the London tube is hardly a model of reliability either.

[lhafer]

Originally Posted by pretzel09

Have you ever travel on the public trams/buses in Houston? Are they safe? Is it safe to walk around in the city after dark? And, are there any residential area near the city center?

Most US cities don't have a "city center" like European cities. There's a downtown, where 95% of the businesses are located, and where people travel to work. Some downtown cities are more lively than others to live and play afterwork - NYC and Chicago being among the most lively. Houston's downtown does have some [expensive] housing, but not much after-work life. There are some other places nearer downtown that offer better evening and nighttime entertainment.

[HTownNearNative]

Houston is not a city for petite women to simply walk around at night. Other than Park and Ride riders going to downtown Mon-Friday work hours, you see questionable characters on public transport at other times, especially at night. You need a car in Houston. London on a modest lifestyle (if that is your situation), is a better fit for you.

[SuperPollito]

London >>>> Houston. /EndThread.

[Cowboys fan in Houston]

Your career says Houston but what you want in lifestyle screams London.

There are still lots of O&G jobs in London whereas living in Houston with no car is very hard. I'm doing it now and it's terrible. I find myself making my plans around the wife because she has a car.

Unless money is tight, I'd do London.