Cost of living in Paris Texas? (Howe: apartments, rent, mortgage)

[Cali-moving]

Hey out there - my family and I are considering buying a house in Paris Texas. Love the area and the folks, but we are wondering if anyone out there could tell us about cost of utilities in the Paris area? Cost for a 2 story, 2200 sq ft house of electric, water and sewer, etc, both winter and summer. House has central gas heat and central a/c. Pretty old house - probably drafty! Any input is really appreciated.

[epperob1984]

I was born and raised in Paris... I was suprised to see your post. I remember seeing on the news (Paris cable receives major network news from the DFW metroplex about 100 miles away) when I was younger that Paris had the second lowest utilities in the state and around the twelfth cheapest utilities in the nation. That was about 10 years ago, so I'm not sure if it's still true.

My sister still lives in Paris and rents a house. I'm not sure about house prices, but rent is cheap. You can easily find a nice two-bedroom apt. for $400-$500 a month. I have never had any friends there who have paid more than that for an apt. It sounds like you already looked in to house prices, though.

I don't know exactly how much utilities are, but I can tell you what I pay at my current residence, which is in the DFW area. Paris's rates will be cheaper, but this gives you an idea compared to what you already pay.

electricity: about $80/month for a 1 bedroom apt. (650 sq. ft.)
I remember when I was little our electricity bills got pretty high. Paris gets very hot and humid during the summer. Electricity bills of $300/month were not uncommon for a 2000 sq. ft. house, but the air was running constantly when all us kids were home during the day.

water, trash, sewer: around $15/month

I don't have gas here.

Utilities in Paris are as cheap as you'll likely find anywhere. You'll be saving money on other things, too. You won't use much gas to get to and from work (shouldn't take more than 10 minutes if you live and work in the city limits). Food is very cheap, but alcohol is expensive. You can get 79 cent burritos at Taco Delite, one of the favorite local joints. You will pay slightly over $1/beer for packaged beer. Recreation, although sparse, is also cheap. Movies are $4 for adults at the eight-screen theater.

Paris is a hick town with agrarian roots, but it is a quiet, quaint little place. There's a lot of history there. Paris will probably continue to grow very slowly as the greater DFW area explodes. Also, if you have kids, send them to Paris High for the best education. People will tell you that North Lamar is better because it is a mostly white school that serves residents in North Paris and North Lamar county (a.k.a. North Lamartians). Paris High, although about 48% African American, is academically superior and has a greater number of successful graduates (a.k.a. Parisites). If you don't have kids, I just typed all that for nothing.

Good luck with the move. I probably know your neighbors.

Paris, TX (Texas) Houses, Apartments, Cars, Mortgage Status, and Residents Info

[GayleTX]

I live very near there.......my 2400 sq ft house is all-electric - bills have run about $275 all this winter (and my 90 yr old mother wants it kepts more just warm!). This is a one-story brick with new insulation so the kind of house you are describing would undoubtedly be much higher. However, the utilities here are less than other places we've lived.

[Cali-moving]

Hi to both of the responders to my question - thanks for the replies! They are very helpful. All is good information. I really appreciate it. Maybe we'll run into each other down the road - who knows?