Houston - High Salary Vs Low Cost Of Living (Dallas: college, pharmacists)

[Texas User]

Originally Posted by tech2enable

I think the above poster is not telling the truth about texas's cost of living.

The average Texan pays $.13 per kilowatt hour due to deregulation not $.07 because of it,

I don't think the above poster really pays that low unless he/she is in a regulated utility area, or maybe utilities got lower due to the run up in prices.

Auto insurance is debatable and depends on history, car, deductibles, etc. Lack of state income tax doesn't mean anything, they get you in other ways.

Texas homeowner insurance and property taxes are among the nation's highest - even higher than California, although California is hard to measure due to prop 13 and new v. older homes, its much higher than the national average.


What about transportation costs, the author is simply pointing out what it costs to live a more professional style, close to the city center, with amenities, since tax dollars subsidize this in other countries , he is right on with the claim.

7.5 kwh plus the Centerpoint charges.

[FlyDrive100b]

Originally Posted by Texas User

7.5 kwh plus the Centerpoint charges.

The average texan pays .13 cents per kwh due to deregulation according the energy commission, except if the user lives in cooperative or city owned electrical area, where do you live? Even if you didn't live in either its still doubtful , deregulation made utility bills go up, highest in the country

Now, recently electrical prices have fallen due to the run up that occurred from last summer, even if the above person paid 7.5kwh , most texans pay more around 10-13kwh, the 10-11 figure may come due to drop of electrical prices based on falling demand and the run-up from last summer with high oil prices.

As for the total bill, it depends on square footage and insulation but texans pay the highest utility bills in the united states

[Texas User]

Originally Posted by tech2enable

The average texan pays .13 cents per kwh due to deregulation according the energy commission, except if the user lives in cooperative or city owned electrical area, where do you live? Even if you didn't live in either its still doubtful , deregulation made utility bills go up, highest in the country

Now, recently electrical prices have fallen due to the run up that occurred from last summer, even if the above person paid 7.5kwh , most texans pay more around 10-13kwh, the 10-11 figure may come due to drop of electrical prices based on falling demand and the run-up from last summer with high oil prices.

As for the total bill, it depends on square footage and insulation but texans pay the highest utility bills in the united states

77070 but soon will be 77449. I will get 7.5. Paying 8.0 now. This depends on the company you go with.

[justjoe628]

Although the result is ultimately the same....salary % is less than house price %.....the numbers are diffent. The difference between income is actually 19% and the difference between house cost is 46%. Maybe its a UT issue.

[phaze]

Wow I am paying 10.5 cents per kWh (dynowatt) and I thought I was getting a great deal after dropping the variable rate from Gexa...

[Grunn]

Originally Posted by studiobtm

Grunn:

Your post tells me you have never stepped foot in Europe - well maybe eastern Europe and even that doesn't hold true much anymore. I completely agree with EM1965.

I'm a programmer and my wages here are just as good as anywhere else in the country. Cost of living is WAY lower than than most large US cities. The weather, access to work, and the low expense is why I live here.

Been away for a while- in the UK as it happens.

Your assertion I haven't 'set foot in Europe' is pathetic, I was born in England you muppet. I'm not even going to bother talking to you anymore, if there's an ignore list on here you're on it 'pal'.

Moving onto the other points I've read all I can do is reiterate what I've said before.

To live a lifestyle I regard as comparable to that I had in Europe costs a lot more here.

Perhaps where I'm going wrong is not living in the boonies, driving a pick up truck and drinking bud light?

Tech2enable is bang on the money when they say 'What about transportation costs, the author is simply pointing out what it costs to live a more professional style, close to the city center, with amenities, since tax dollars subsidize this in other countries , he is right on with the claim

BTW 11 cent per kwh was the cheapest rate available when I signed up here and is about the same as I last paid in Europe, only difference being I have to use airconditioning 24/7 here for 6 months of the year leading to.......you guessed it.......a higher cost of living.

[XodoX]

7.5 cents? That's not gonna happen. And ithe total price is important...not what centerpoint or the electricity provide gets... I gotta pay them both.

[jfre81]

Originally Posted by Big Dirty

To compare Houston to Charlotte, NC:
Apt in a nice area-Hou$1,500/Cha $1,200
Auto Ins-Hou$225/Cha $160
Electricity-Hou$350/Cha $75
Cheap Meal-Hou$5/Cha $8

Factor in that NC state income tax too.

[XodoX]

Originally Posted by EM1956

But you must also take into account your take home or net pay. I am a registered nurse with many, many years of experience and there is no way that my take home pay in southeast of England and ensuing quality of life can compare to those two things in Houston.

Dublin would be the same story.

And I don't think that it applies only to nurses, which are notoriously undervalued and unappreciated in most of the EU.

I know many Europeans who don't live the kind of life you are portraying. Almost everyone we knew/know lived paycheck-to-paycheck and struggled to pay for necessities like food, clothing, shelter.

I can honestly say that I cannot think of a single thing less expensive in southeast England than here in Houston. (well, maybe a pint )

That is completely false. I have lived in several european countries. Yes, most parts of Europe are more expensive, but people also earn more.

Just because a nurse does not earn 300k it does not mean they are "undervalued".
That's part of the problem why people can't afford health insurance here..imo.

[EM1956]

Originally Posted by XodoX

That is completely false. I have lived in several european countries. Yes, most parts of Europe are more expensive, but people also earn more.

Just because a nurse does not earn 300k it does not mean they are "undervalued".
That's part of the problem why people can't afford health insurance here..imo.

To insuate that nurses pay is the cause, or even one of the causes of the health care issue in this country is absurb and insulting. I do not know any nurses who make 300K! And nurses are undervalued in Europe. If you are not a nurse or have not worked in the health care system there then you have no basis for your assumption.

And you show me a professional, with 25 years of progressive experience that make less than a nurse with the same level of experience on the average.

I have lived and worked in Europe-- I can only attest to my friends/family salaries. My husband's IT salary nor his colleagues matched the US salaries.

As I said, it wasn't even close in nursing.

I also managed a team of young, college-educated, multi-lingual people in London, and I can tell you , we didn't pay them a ton, either.