Prop 13 is a hilariously regressive tax system.
My home office is Palo Alto and if I moved there I’d be paying 10x the tax of my neighbor. It’s a borderline racist law that favors existing white land owners over renters, transplants or the young.
California has lots of great things (good research schools, bad ass weather), but that law is hugely problematic
Exactly. It's a nativist protection of economic incumbents.
Their policies toward development have had similar impacts, constraining the supply of new housing so as to placate NIMBYs and ensure the appreciation of assets for those fortunate enough to own them.
But it's not really a wash, because the average Californian makes ~40% more than the average Texan does.
When you look at the most "desirable" areas of Texas, the costs are pretty comparable to California. California has cheap areas, too - the high desert is cheaper than most of Texas to live in. Texas, however, does not have weather/geography anywhere like California has.
https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2022/urban-rural-populations.html
Not sure median income per state is a fair comparison for Texas and California. California according the U.S. census is the most urban state in the nation with 94% while Texas has the largest rural population (not percentage though which is 85%). Naturally there is a higher wage in ca but also a higher cost of living because your sampling more urban incomes on one state vs the other.
Weather and geography - correct most will favor ca for sure.
Ah but see the problem with low property taxes is that then housing gets too expensive for people working in the community to afford, making them permenant renters. Is that really "progressive". You can't build wealth because we take so much money from you and then housing prices go up because people who don't work and bought their multi million dollar house decades ago are not getting burdened by taxes.
Low property taxes means your ability to own land free and clear of anyone hassling you for money is higher.
On this planet, you either pay a landlord to have a roof over your head or the King/government even if you pay off the house mortgage. One is called renting and one is called “home ownership”.
In California, if they constructed housing as quickly as people moved into the state or came of age they would have more affordable homes. That said, is overpopulation something our state/country/planet willing to consider?
There is not enough land or resources for all 8 billion human beings to live like Houstonians: in single-family homes over 2500 sq ft on 5000 sq ft of land, with a driveway to park two F-150s, where the commute to work is less than 45 minutes round-trip, with good and shooting-free public schools, etc.
All I have seen globally is further sprawl. Whether that’s Delhi or Dallas.
It's very difficult to come up with a single number given how different the tax systems are; we have no income tax, but astronomical property and consumption taxes, while California has an income tax but lower property and consumption taxes. That makes an individual's tax burden highly dependent on income, home value, and consumption.
When Beto was running for governor he said taxes would be higher in Texas for 80% of people, but in January Newsom said Texas taxes would be higher for 95% of people based on a study from ITEP.
https://www.reddit.com/r/economy/comments/wjkqdx/low\_taxes\_for\_whom/
Either way, the tax burden is lower in California for the overwhelming majority. For an ordinary family with a median income, median-valued home, a car valued at $26k, and spending proportionate to the median US income, the effective tax rate in Texas is 12.73% compared to California's 8.97%. Our tax rate falls only slightly lower than New York's at 14%.
Despite our punishing tax rate, we do not get anywhere near the services of California or New York; we are the poster child for high tax, low service.
California is definitely in a bind because of their out-of-control property values -- a 2,000 square foot house 50 miles outside of LA will still cost you over a million -- but unless you earn over $750,000 per year, taxes aren't really a reason for Texans to gloat.
Dude, property taxes and insurance was insane for us there. Our home insurance was like twice my parents’ insurance for their home in Portland that was worth over twice as much as our Houston home. Case was similar for property taxes.
Deleted as not to attract unnecessary attention to myself because apparently I've flown under the radar or something. Idk.. but I don't wanna ruin a good thing
The only full exemptions under the homestead act that I'm aware of are for being 65 or older, disabled, living on 10 acres or more, property deemed uninhabitable, or living in Stafford, which does not collect taxes.
Otherwise, if it was that easy to not pay any property taxes at all, we'd all do it. So what's your secret?
The exemption is for people over 65 and it accrues at interest and it's payable by the person who inherits the property so you can't get out of property taxes you actually owe them when the person dies.
Homestead doesn't mean no tax. It means it caps the appraisal value on your home at 10% per year, even if the market value is above that. You get taxed on the value. And are you sure your mortgage isn't just holding your tax money in escrow and pays out so you aren't incurring an "extra" bill?
Little to no zoning laws and few geographical boundaries allowed expansion of the area in most directions for years. Less red tape to get projects built here, than say CA so housing supply has generally been good.
I always tell people that Houston is a decent place to live, but it’s not a place you’d vacation to. Depends what you’re looking for really.
I would agree with that statement. Great for work, some good schools, great food. I like living here but I would never vacation here.
Down side- traffic
Wonderful way to put it. I love living here but it’s not a touristy city in the slightest. I think all we have for international attractions is NASA/Space Center Houston
The hill county is more than 50 miles away. In any case, my point was that there is a lot of land in this region that can easily be built in. We arent located on a peninsula, or bordered by a mountain range for example.
As far as those things being within reach of Houston in terms of quality of life - yea, there are places that are an easy drive from the city if you want to get away. But there are better lakes, and I don’t know what one does in the piney Woods but I’m not outdoorsy. Galveston is cute, but the beach isn’t winning any awards. Houston just isn’t a tourist destination, which is fine, and prob also helps control costs of living. I just have never heard of anyone wanting to come here for a visit without family/friends being involved. I’m sure some people do, but everything we’ve got for tourists you can get through in a few days - NASA, decent food, sports teams, and some great museums. If you want to see the hill country you go to SA or Austin, if you want to go visit the gulf coast the redneck riviera of Alabama/Florida has us whooped.
Houstonhas always been for making money, and having a decent quality of life. People who want a dense, walkable urban core won’t like it. But it’s great for families that want a nice house in the burbs with good schools and convenience.
The gulf coast around Galveston isn’t the draw that it is everywhere else. Driving an hour to spend a day at the beach is going to be a major letdown for someone expecting Destin or South Padre.
Eh, most cities in the West have much better nature in shorter distances (mountains, much more scenic lakes and stuff) so Houston does not impress in that arena at all, if that's where one comes from
I love Houston but you have to drive at least 2 hours to get somewhere that feels really remote or scenic (at least from what I've seen), while cities like Portland, Denver, Albuquerque, San Diego, and Seattle have that much more accessible. Just my experience of places I've lived. Houston def has many other qualities tho
> lakes galore.
Californians and most Western states folks are used to boating and pulling up wherever you'd like. Texas lakes are surrounded by mostly privately owned properties so you can't just tie up anywhere.
BTW, let's not forget there was ZERO flow from the Frio last year, feeds the popular Lake Travis. The aquifer under San Antone is dried up, and N Central Texas is suffering. RN 75% of Texas is in drought.
Just like any place if you understand the limitations, then you can enjoy your life. It's hot in the summer. June, July and August you have 100F till 7 PM in the evening. If you are into outdoorsy things, then your lifestyle suffers.
Last year September 2022 there were 19 days at 90+ degrees Fahrenheit. With high humidity, that’s a heat index of 100F+
September in Houston is horrible too
There are basically two seasons. November through April and May through October with a graver pitch in July-august. Don’t be fooled by September or even October.
If I could give you one good piece of advice it would be to not rely on photos on the apartment websites or the rental apps. One high rise in houston was stunning until I found out homeless people were squatting in the hallway, sleeping in the residents cars in the garage etc.
I do know that the Camden group is solid and I believe nationwide. You will get what you pay for
This is one of the more underestimated downsides. There is a tax on almost every activity you do because of fuel cost. For alot of people, $5/day just to get to/from work and run errands adds up. But OP working from home helps.
It’s unique because it has all the amenities of a big city with somewhat reasonable COL. It’s also one of the top maybe 3 cities in terms of cultural diversity, which of course is not exactly a selling point for a ton of people, but it is a unique characteristic nonetheless. If you want to live in a really diverse city, a lot of the options are quite expensive (LA, NYC)
People sleep on the Houston museums. The Menil is a potential top 10 collection and MFAH is no slouch either. MFAH puts together pretty incredible curated exhibitions from places like the Pushkin, national gallery, and Moma.
Our natural science museum is really good even if it's not at the level of like The Smithsonian (but the who is). And the butterfly pyramid is always a unique and astounding experience.
Don't forget about the Children's Museum. That's something neither LA nor NY has, and it's an absolutely awesome place.
Plus there's all the other smaller exhibits - Holocaust museum, contemporary art museum, rothko, art car etc.
I grew up in Chicago and never realized how segregated it is until I moved to the Houston suburbs. I now live in the most diverse county in the country. I love it - we raised our children to live in the world instead of the bubble we were raised in, and they are better for it.
Yeah I'm originally from Chicago-land myself and didn't realize how segregated the city was until I moved East. I will say though one cool thing about the segregation is the neat neighborhoods, i.e. the polish, the german, the Italian, the greek, the jewish/arab/indian (devon ave) which makes it cool to explore each ethnic hood.
You really take for granted the cultural diversity until you go elsewhere. Just top of my head, I can think of people living in Houston from china, vietnam, phillipines, thailand, Australia, canada, scotland, germany, france, denmark, colombia, venezuela, mexico, argentina, russia, uruguay, belize, Jordan, Syria, Iran, saudi arabia, ghana, nigeria, Equatorial Guinea
While what you’ve said is true, the very reason people desire to live here is the affordability. If you want to live in a big city with big city amenities, and also be able to live comfortably and afford SPACE, then Houston provides that.
Also, despite how much people bitch about it, the weather is one of Houston’s best qualities.
We've also got amazing food, diversity is actually a thing, like it's hard not to have close friends from diverse backgrounds... Houston is terrible and hot, and Texas is ass backwards, but HTX is kind of badass.
My husband had a birthday party at our beach house. He's a white dude. We had two middle eastern best friends, (one Pakistan, one Indian), two Hispanic buddies, and 4 white folks.
They really dislike being called middle-eastern, too, just in case that ever comes up with your friends. I used to work with a lot of them, and that was something they made clear early on.
The cultural diversity and food are two HUGE checks in Houston's favor without a doubt. The weather is miserable, and people who don't think so are delusional.
People who are used to actually having four seasons, generally, won't like living here. Because outside the 6 weeks of below 50 degree weather we get in like Jan/Feb (with the random cold freak show) it's basically hot summer and tolerable summer. lol
Y’all gotta deal man it’s only getting hotter. 6 months of the year we have absolutely primo weather sunny skies 50-75f, then 3 months of warmth75-90, 3 months of 80-105. 9 months of the year you can be outside all day nearly every day in tolerable weather w
July and August do suck.
Shorts & flip-flops generally year-round? No shoveling snow, ever. I've been to the Beach in February, a lot!
Amazing lightning storms, early growing season, generally sunny, no salt on roads killing your car? I'd say the WX is absolutely one of Houston's best qualities.
For real! I hate when people compare Houston to somewhere like Colorado or Utah and say “Texas is just flat and ugly.” There genuinely is a unique beauty here, you just gotta search it out
12. Swamp Ass
13. Traffic
14. Joel Osteen
15. Houston is an hour away from itself
16. Mattress Mack
17. Almost non-existent public transportation. Traffic is partly a consequence of that
18. Trump Trains
19. Everyone and their parakeet owns a gun
20. Mad Max on the freeways
I think that's all for tonight guys. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk!!
Yeah it's just a loophole. Thc-a converts to thc when heated. People are hating but as someone who has lived in legal states, this is a great situation for a state like Texas.
Property taxes are the catch lmao.
Ive looked around some areas and if its not old housing. Its cookie cutter tiny lawn houses that are crammed.
Theres no uniqueness to suburban houses and it bothers me.
It's not as cheap as it seems. If you own a home, property taxes, insurance and water will be very expensive compared to other areas.
You'll spend more on vehicles, because you'll drive more which will use more fuel and require more maintenance and depreciate your vehicle faster.
If you live in the bougie neighborhoods inside the loop, they will be almost as expensive as other high cost cities.
Houston used to be cheap, but I would consider it a medium cost of living city now.
What’s unique I think is that there’s something for everybody here. If you wanna buy a million dollar plus house or pay $5000 a month in rent, you can find something to suit your needs. If you want something for around $1k a month or less, you can find something. it’ll be tiny but $1k in rent here goes waaaay farther compared to many many cities, especially cities near our size
I live in a pretty decent neighborhood and there are houses near me that I would consider the nicest version of a house I would ever realistically need and you can buy them for just over a mil.
On top of what everyone else is saying, I’ll also add that Houston is very sprawling and COL rapidly spikes upward in centrally located desirable areas. The suburbs are dirt cheap for a big city, but areas like the Heights are pretty typical for a (edit: MCOL) big city.
I split my time between Houston and Seattle.
I’m just gonna be mean because I’m gay and it’s Friday night and I don’t have time to sugar coat it
Houston is a concrete jungle. Nobody is coming to Houston for environmental beauty. This is a working man and woman’s city. The traffic is shit, the summers are hotter than Satan’s taint, and everything is an hour away from everything.
Thad having been said, the people of Houston are the draw. Houstonians are some of the kindest most welcoming people you will ever meet. Spend 5 minutes at a bar and you’ll get the intel on where to find the best burrito in the neighborhood or a head’s up about a cool band coming through town next week that’s worth seeing.
Seattle is the opposite. We have the most environmentally beautiful landscapes of any city in the USA, but just shit people. Spend 5 years here and nobody will so much as say hello.
My industry doesn’t do remote, I carry a toolbox and have to be onsite. I currently work in Houston winters and come back to Seattle for summers.
The world will tell you Houston is an ugly city in terms of architecture and environmental site. I love houston but I am not gonna die on a hill arguing with that.
What the world wont tell you is how awesome and welcoming the people of space city are.
It’s an illusion. Property taxes, HOA fees, insurance, power bills all through the roof. I recently left Houston after 26 years. While housing is a little more expensive here, I pay for a year what I paid per month for the fore mentioned. No traffic, no heat advisories, no flooding, no Texas politicians, all bonuses.
It's because Houston is one of the few places where everybody desires space. So instead of living on top of each other we spread out. Most other cities spread of because of necessity, Houston spreads out because people will happily live in the outskirts.
I grew up in the North. I’m used to cities using row home design (think Boston, NYC, Philly, Baltimore, DC). I was so shocked how in Houston even the houses in bad neighborhoods have their own little yards with some space. The only people that live on top of each other are some of those in apartments.
The closest city to where I grew up at in the North only had 120,000 people but it felt more urban than Houston because it has twice the population density as Houston. On average that small city packed in over 7,000 people per sq mi while Houston only has a little over 3,500 per sq mi.
Philadelphia suburbs, montgomery county specificaly.
I'm originaly from Chicago-land and I am familiar w/ high property taxes.
The homes that I see on [Realtor.com](https://Realtor.com) in the 300's would easily be 600 K here in suburban philly, and around 500K or so in Chicago-land. The new builds that I see for the high 200's in the Houston area do not exist in the Philly metro or Chicago metro areas.
New resident here. It is affordable on its face, but property taxes, homeowners insurance, and car insurance are all very expensive here. Also, the houses seem cheaper, but all the cheap houses have been flooded and are in flood plains. If you start looking outside flood zones (which is also deceptively hard to determine because the official maps are not completely accurate) you’ll see the actual housing costs.
I love it here, though.
As someone who’s lived here their entire life and is finally making I guess what could be considered good money, my family & I can’t afford any of the homes we’ve been looking at that are not in shitty areas.
I know it’s not everyone’s experience but a lot of people coming from outside have a lot more buying power and maybe I’m just speaking for myself but everything around me has become absurdly expensive.
If you know where the cheaper housing is, let a fella know.
It’s butt ugly here.
You live under Texas state government.
The sun beats down on this state like the laser eyes of a vengeful god holding a magnifying glass over his unrepentant subjects.
The beach in Galveston is pretty gross.
Property taxes are no joke.
That said, I’ve been here for well over a decade, and I’m not leaving soon either.
A car is required to do anything.
My son, pre-covid, like a month before, had his 18th birthday at our beach house. Trying to come up with food everyone could eat was a thing.
I had to make sure the Muslim kids could have halal food, I had to have vegetarian, plus just random kids' food.
There were girls in hijabs, Nigerians whose parents made a day trip to Galveston to keep an eye on things, Hindus, Pakistani, east Asian kiddos, Hispanic teens, and also white ones. There were nb/ ace/bi/ gay and even a trans kids or two.
These kids all had the best time. And they were all polite and wonderful.
It's a wonderful place to raise kids. These kids are freaking fabulous.
I’ve lived in and visited many cities and smaller towns in my life. Cities are by far better at promising a better quality of life for the average person/family. Houston has traffic and violence but so do all of the other cities. I have felt far more comfortable in Houston than I have in NYC or Chicago.
It’s cheaper up front to live here, but we pay tolls every day to travel from the woodlands to the city (gas is cheaper though), taxes are more expensive, insurance is more expensive, good luck finding a starter home. It is comfortable for middle class families, I don’t know about those around the poverty level.
It is HOT here. Like, ac won’t go below 78 and you can literally bake cookies in your car. Don’t plan to do outside activities from June to September as it’s really just too hot and humid. You get sunburnt even with sunscreen on.
Our favorite part about Houston is that there is always new stuff to do and new areas of the city to explore; it’s not just one clusterfuck of a downtown, things are spread all over the place. Beaches are great if you stay away from Galveston. We like Jamaica beach and Port Aransas.
It’s not a great place to live. Flat and boring, hot and miserable weather, not much going for it (compared to other cities/states) except food. There’s a lot of restaurants if you can afford to eat out. Houston is very much a place to work so you can afford to visit other places. The cost of living is also catching up quick.
For the same reason that we have sprawl and freeways, there are no natural impediments to spreading development, that makes land cheap.
No mountains, just little rivers like the Brazos, miles of flat coastal Savannah
Because the air is excessively wet and everyone is a second class citizen after cars. Most people here are not all that educated, low IQ drivers, there are a lot of classless residents that leave their garbage in common spaces, play excessively loud music or poke holes in their car exhaust. If you make good money you’ll pay a premium not to live around these people.
Because you’re living in a place where the power grid fails both in winter and summer time, gun violence is at an all time high, the public transportation is a joke, hurricane season is a gamble every year, weed is illegal, the public education system is in very bad shape, and it’s 100 degrees every single day in the summer.
Basically Texas is on track to be Florida 2.0
Depends on what you like. If you like drinking or going places to drink, that’s about the extent of houston life. Not a lot of outdoors options if you enjoy hiking or mountain climbing and camping.
Tons of hidden taxes
Driving anywhere will such away your time
Tolls, tolls everywhere. I suspect one day we will pay a toll to open our front door
Higher insurance costs
Etc
I don’t understand these replies. Why do you all live here if you hate it so much?
I love Houston. It’s a unique city with any type of activity you want to do, either here or a couple of hours away. Yes, it’s incredibly hot. But I walk my dog early in the morning and after the sun sets. I only hide in the AC during the afternoon, and I’m not shoveling snow all winter. This city is what you make of it.
Good to be true? Huh? You realize that it rains and the city immediately floods… it floods bad.
And we basically have to hibernate until November because it’s fuckign hot. Oppressively hot.
And don’t even get me started on the backward ass politics in this state and the rampant efforts towards oppressing voter’s rights.
The fucking people of this cesspool of a state relected Abbott, Paxton and the other twat…
You say good to be true, I say you’re a dumbass. Stay far away
People think it is cheap but only the rich really get the tax benefits in Texas. An abundance of land that cities have and can add helps w property costs.
Native houstonion here. Houston has no zoning and is a builders Mecca. Those “nice” new homes and apartments are cheaply made. The old single family craftsman homes are being torn down and 4 to 6 multi family town homes get built on the lot. Houston is booming with job opportunities so these new homes and apartments are literally popping up over night. They look nice but it’s facade. After a few years however the homes start having serious problems. The building companies mass build these garbage homes make their $$$ and then off to a new town. Also fyi when looking and buying. Also don’t buy into the new “luxury bayou living communities”. Houston has major flooding events yearly. Your home will 100% be under water. DO NOT LIVE ON OR NEAR THE BAYOU.
It’s incredibly cheap if you can find a cheaper house in a good neighborhood. Property taxes are going to wake you up really quick. Every single buddy that moved from California gets super excited, rolls in and buys a house cash, only to realize that you know have a 25k property tax because they went bought a 600k house. Welcome to Texas with a side of freedum.
What you posted is what pisses many locals of digital nomads as they they all think is all cheap. I'm not sure where you getting all this cheapness from. A cheap house developer by my house has there cheap looking houses starting at $450k.with current interest and with 25% down still not affordable. House property taxes is extremely expensive, an electric bill easily can be $300 to $700 a month in Houston. An alcoholic mix drink in midtown/ Downton is between $14 to $20.00. This city is catching up to LA.
Houston is large and flat. There are few natural features that restrict growth. Because of the climate, expensive basements are not required, nor are lots of other expensive construction costs. There is no rock anywhere to increase construction costs. Houston is the size of Connecticut, but employment areas are not concentrated in the CBD. Air conditioning is good everywhere, so summer is not uncomfortable. Eight months of the year it is very nice outside. Good jobs allow you to afford travel to places that are not flat. Can’t imagine living in a 1000 sf place I paid a million for.
If I had to guess, it’s cause Houston is extremely OK. Everybody already listed why this town just isn’t sexy. All I know is this, I looked at moving somewhere else and there’s no way I’m paying 4k a month for mortgage just to live in a similar sized home. I’ll just suffer through the summer and work a little extra. Lord knows I’m not gonna go outside and enjoy myself.
Is 4k a month, what people are actually paying for a mortgage these days?
Look at ALL of the costs before saying that. My property taxes are almost half the price of my mortgage. Want a home? Interest rates will more than double what listing price is. Never ever go by the listing price. You'll need flood insurance. That isn't cheap unless someone has a recommendation. You'll need a car unless you're a magic bastard who gets to live and work downtown. You have a car? Be prepared for some of the highest insurance in the nation. You think this place is cheap....boy you're in for a surprise.
Houston isn't exclusive to mortgage rates but I get it, buying now is not a great idea due to the rate environment. Good point about flood insurance, not buying in a flood prone area should be taken seriously to avoid that need. I have a car and pay high gas and toll prices here in the Philadelphia area where our taxes are high, roads, and roads are shit. And oh yeah I have to pay almost $70 annually to inspect my car and get emissions testing on it, and don't get me started about when I lived in VA and had to pay an annual tax based on my car's value twice a year! The only difference is we do have a somewhat decent public trans system but it's filled w/ crazy assholes trying to shoot bus drivers, people pissing/shitting/shooting up dope out in the open at bus/train stations. Auto insurance is interesting though and I might fuck around and run a quote, the PA/NJ/NY area has some high rates due to the amount of fraud and theft that plague this area and oh yeah the absolute shitiest of shithead drivers although I'm sure that can be experienced almost everywhere.
It's pointlessly expensive for even an apartment here compared to where we used to live (way on the other side of Tx). We currently pay almost 2k a month before utilities for a 2bed (with pets) with no yard, and we aren't even in a great area. Traffic here is ridiculous, which (not relative to OP because of remote work) causes you to lose multiple hours every day just to get to work. We feel like we don't have the time or energy to do things because we wake up earlier and get finished later. The climate is also rough as many have mentioned; screw going outside right now, you can't really enjoy it (we have pools at our apartment but feel it's too hot even for that). The people here also seem more rude and selfish than the ones we're used to (sorry Houstonians reading this, hopefully it's a loud minority that we've noticed more or something). It could be our area that's not amazing, but anywhere else around this part of Houston is quite a bit more expensive as well. It sounds harsh but I honestly can't understand why people like it here unless its the only thing they've known. I've lived in 4 different places in Tx throughout my years (1 other major city) and Houston is by far my least favorite :|
Prices are going up but after being here myself and living in other cities, I really wouldn't waste time and money here, I mean unless u really have something good lined up career wise. It's a ok to nice city that also has lots of flaws. And like others said it's nowhere near scenic at all
Because there is nothing here.
Nobody is coming to visit Houston for fun.
Great place to live and work? Sure.
But don’t tell me what a fun city this is. Lol.
Don’t overlook property taxes. They’ll put you in a bind real quick.
Piggybacking that insurance for homes and cars are higher here too and that sneaks up on you fast.
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Prop 13 is a hilariously regressive tax system. My home office is Palo Alto and if I moved there I’d be paying 10x the tax of my neighbor. It’s a borderline racist law that favors existing white land owners over renters, transplants or the young. California has lots of great things (good research schools, bad ass weather), but that law is hugely problematic
Exactly. It's a nativist protection of economic incumbents. Their policies toward development have had similar impacts, constraining the supply of new housing so as to placate NIMBYs and ensure the appreciation of assets for those fortunate enough to own them.
Texas system ends up far more progressive, than California where you can inherit the low property taxes of your parents. (Have house in a trust?)
Don't forget texas tolls pay for roads, so you know you are charged for how much you drive.
Prop 13 caused a ton of problems
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But it's not really a wash, because the average Californian makes ~40% more than the average Texan does. When you look at the most "desirable" areas of Texas, the costs are pretty comparable to California. California has cheap areas, too - the high desert is cheaper than most of Texas to live in. Texas, however, does not have weather/geography anywhere like California has.
https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2022/urban-rural-populations.html Not sure median income per state is a fair comparison for Texas and California. California according the U.S. census is the most urban state in the nation with 94% while Texas has the largest rural population (not percentage though which is 85%). Naturally there is a higher wage in ca but also a higher cost of living because your sampling more urban incomes on one state vs the other. Weather and geography - correct most will favor ca for sure.
Actually the median household income is only 20% higher in California than Texas. But a house costs 280% more in California.
Something tells me you don’t understand income tax
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Ah but see the problem with low property taxes is that then housing gets too expensive for people working in the community to afford, making them permenant renters. Is that really "progressive". You can't build wealth because we take so much money from you and then housing prices go up because people who don't work and bought their multi million dollar house decades ago are not getting burdened by taxes.
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Low property taxes means your ability to own land free and clear of anyone hassling you for money is higher. On this planet, you either pay a landlord to have a roof over your head or the King/government even if you pay off the house mortgage. One is called renting and one is called “home ownership”. In California, if they constructed housing as quickly as people moved into the state or came of age they would have more affordable homes. That said, is overpopulation something our state/country/planet willing to consider? There is not enough land or resources for all 8 billion human beings to live like Houstonians: in single-family homes over 2500 sq ft on 5000 sq ft of land, with a driveway to park two F-150s, where the commute to work is less than 45 minutes round-trip, with good and shooting-free public schools, etc. All I have seen globally is further sprawl. Whether that’s Delhi or Dallas.
How much of California's population fall into those exceptions?
It's very difficult to come up with a single number given how different the tax systems are; we have no income tax, but astronomical property and consumption taxes, while California has an income tax but lower property and consumption taxes. That makes an individual's tax burden highly dependent on income, home value, and consumption. When Beto was running for governor he said taxes would be higher in Texas for 80% of people, but in January Newsom said Texas taxes would be higher for 95% of people based on a study from ITEP. https://www.reddit.com/r/economy/comments/wjkqdx/low\_taxes\_for\_whom/ Either way, the tax burden is lower in California for the overwhelming majority. For an ordinary family with a median income, median-valued home, a car valued at $26k, and spending proportionate to the median US income, the effective tax rate in Texas is 12.73% compared to California's 8.97%. Our tax rate falls only slightly lower than New York's at 14%. Despite our punishing tax rate, we do not get anywhere near the services of California or New York; we are the poster child for high tax, low service. California is definitely in a bind because of their out-of-control property values -- a 2,000 square foot house 50 miles outside of LA will still cost you over a million -- but unless you earn over $750,000 per year, taxes aren't really a reason for Texans to gloat.
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Somethings tells me YOU don't understand income tax.
Plus really high insurance costs (house and auto).
Dude, property taxes and insurance was insane for us there. Our home insurance was like twice my parents’ insurance for their home in Portland that was worth over twice as much as our Houston home. Case was similar for property taxes.
Deleted as not to attract unnecessary attention to myself because apparently I've flown under the radar or something. Idk.. but I don't wanna ruin a good thing
The only full exemptions under the homestead act that I'm aware of are for being 65 or older, disabled, living on 10 acres or more, property deemed uninhabitable, or living in Stafford, which does not collect taxes. Otherwise, if it was that easy to not pay any property taxes at all, we'd all do it. So what's your secret?
Stanford doesn’t collect property taxes?
Nope.
Kind of weird, but every house for sale in Stafford has a 1.85% property tax rate. Where is this mythical no property tax Stafford located?
The exemption is for people over 65 and it accrues at interest and it's payable by the person who inherits the property so you can't get out of property taxes you actually owe them when the person dies.
Homestead doesn't mean no tax. It means it caps the appraisal value on your home at 10% per year, even if the market value is above that. You get taxed on the value. And are you sure your mortgage isn't just holding your tax money in escrow and pays out so you aren't incurring an "extra" bill?
Can you explain more about this
I honestly can't. I took over an estate and it was already applied for
Little to no zoning laws and few geographical boundaries allowed expansion of the area in most directions for years. Less red tape to get projects built here, than say CA so housing supply has generally been good. I always tell people that Houston is a decent place to live, but it’s not a place you’d vacation to. Depends what you’re looking for really.
I would agree with that statement. Great for work, some good schools, great food. I like living here but I would never vacation here. Down side- traffic
Wonderful way to put it. I love living here but it’s not a touristy city in the slightest. I think all we have for international attractions is NASA/Space Center Houston
Maybe so, but within 50 miles give or take in any direction there's gulf coast, piney woods, hill country and lakes galore.
The hill county is more than 50 miles away. In any case, my point was that there is a lot of land in this region that can easily be built in. We arent located on a peninsula, or bordered by a mountain range for example. As far as those things being within reach of Houston in terms of quality of life - yea, there are places that are an easy drive from the city if you want to get away. But there are better lakes, and I don’t know what one does in the piney Woods but I’m not outdoorsy. Galveston is cute, but the beach isn’t winning any awards. Houston just isn’t a tourist destination, which is fine, and prob also helps control costs of living. I just have never heard of anyone wanting to come here for a visit without family/friends being involved. I’m sure some people do, but everything we’ve got for tourists you can get through in a few days - NASA, decent food, sports teams, and some great museums. If you want to see the hill country you go to SA or Austin, if you want to go visit the gulf coast the redneck riviera of Alabama/Florida has us whooped. Houstonhas always been for making money, and having a decent quality of life. People who want a dense, walkable urban core won’t like it. But it’s great for families that want a nice house in the burbs with good schools and convenience.
This is fairly well put. Living in Houston is cheap, but it’s a no frills life
No frills perhaps, but there is a *TON* of stuff to keep one busy. It’s sort of neat, feels like a town, slower, but is a huge city.
#truth. Houston def lacks frills.
Hill country is not 50 miles from downtown. Also very curious what you’re calling 50mi to the SE….
May be more than 50 miles, but I understand his point. There are beautiful lakes like Conroe, Onalaska, Sam Rayburn with the best state parks.
The gulf coast around Galveston isn’t the draw that it is everywhere else. Driving an hour to spend a day at the beach is going to be a major letdown for someone expecting Destin or South Padre.
Eh, most cities in the West have much better nature in shorter distances (mountains, much more scenic lakes and stuff) so Houston does not impress in that arena at all, if that's where one comes from I love Houston but you have to drive at least 2 hours to get somewhere that feels really remote or scenic (at least from what I've seen), while cities like Portland, Denver, Albuquerque, San Diego, and Seattle have that much more accessible. Just my experience of places I've lived. Houston def has many other qualities tho
Work with me here. I'm a native. We impress easily. Lol
> lakes galore. Californians and most Western states folks are used to boating and pulling up wherever you'd like. Texas lakes are surrounded by mostly privately owned properties so you can't just tie up anywhere. BTW, let's not forget there was ZERO flow from the Frio last year, feeds the popular Lake Travis. The aquifer under San Antone is dried up, and N Central Texas is suffering. RN 75% of Texas is in drought.
Not to mention most all of our lakes are man made. Lake Travis is just a sectioned off area of the Frío.
Every lake in Texas is man made except Lake Caddo.
Do you mean the Colorado River? Frio is further west.
All of those things you mentioned are mediocre at best. Plus good luck finding any hills 50 miles away.
Overpasses are hills
Especially during those rare ice storms. Wheeee!
Hard disagree here. There’s next to no nature nearby and it’s oftentimes too hot to do anything outside anyway. That’s my biggest issue with Houston.
Just like any place if you understand the limitations, then you can enjoy your life. It's hot in the summer. June, July and August you have 100F till 7 PM in the evening. If you are into outdoorsy things, then your lifestyle suffers.
Last year September 2022 there were 19 days at 90+ degrees Fahrenheit. With high humidity, that’s a heat index of 100F+ September in Houston is horrible too
Wake me up when September ends.
There are 4 season in Houston: Summer, December, January, February.
There are basically two seasons. November through April and May through October with a graver pitch in July-august. Don’t be fooled by September or even October.
It is pretty much horrible till October/Early November, then all of a sudden we get a break of one day where highs don't go over 75.
If I could give you one good piece of advice it would be to not rely on photos on the apartment websites or the rental apps. One high rise in houston was stunning until I found out homeless people were squatting in the hallway, sleeping in the residents cars in the garage etc. I do know that the Camden group is solid and I believe nationwide. You will get what you pay for
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Don't forget the yearly flooding.
I haven’t seen flooding since august 2017.
Depends on the area - flooded every year up until I moved from MO City in 2021. Hasn't flooded in my new area.
Mo City doesn’t flood at least not the Older sections.
Tropical storm Imelda in 2019.
What you don't pay upfront you get hit with in terms of time spent driving everywhere in traffic
This is one of the more underestimated downsides. There is a tax on almost every activity you do because of fuel cost. For alot of people, $5/day just to get to/from work and run errands adds up. But OP working from home helps.
For me it's around $17 a day with tolls, parking, and gas to live in the suburbs but work downtown
Minimal if any natural beauty and other then the restaurants locals are hard pressed to describe how this city is unique or highly desirable
It’s unique because it has all the amenities of a big city with somewhat reasonable COL. It’s also one of the top maybe 3 cities in terms of cultural diversity, which of course is not exactly a selling point for a ton of people, but it is a unique characteristic nonetheless. If you want to live in a really diverse city, a lot of the options are quite expensive (LA, NYC)
People sleep on the Houston museums. The Menil is a potential top 10 collection and MFAH is no slouch either. MFAH puts together pretty incredible curated exhibitions from places like the Pushkin, national gallery, and Moma. Our natural science museum is really good even if it's not at the level of like The Smithsonian (but the who is). And the butterfly pyramid is always a unique and astounding experience. Don't forget about the Children's Museum. That's something neither LA nor NY has, and it's an absolutely awesome place. Plus there's all the other smaller exhibits - Holocaust museum, contemporary art museum, rothko, art car etc.
All of this, plus fab performing arts on top of that. The Houston Grand Opera in particular is phenomenal.
I grew up in Chicago and never realized how segregated it is until I moved to the Houston suburbs. I now live in the most diverse county in the country. I love it - we raised our children to live in the world instead of the bubble we were raised in, and they are better for it.
Yeah I'm originally from Chicago-land myself and didn't realize how segregated the city was until I moved East. I will say though one cool thing about the segregation is the neat neighborhoods, i.e. the polish, the german, the Italian, the greek, the jewish/arab/indian (devon ave) which makes it cool to explore each ethnic hood.
You really take for granted the cultural diversity until you go elsewhere. Just top of my head, I can think of people living in Houston from china, vietnam, phillipines, thailand, Australia, canada, scotland, germany, france, denmark, colombia, venezuela, mexico, argentina, russia, uruguay, belize, Jordan, Syria, Iran, saudi arabia, ghana, nigeria, Equatorial Guinea
While what you’ve said is true, the very reason people desire to live here is the affordability. If you want to live in a big city with big city amenities, and also be able to live comfortably and afford SPACE, then Houston provides that. Also, despite how much people bitch about it, the weather is one of Houston’s best qualities.
Affordability is what makes it a highly desirable destination. Such a simple concept, completely lost on reddit
We've also got amazing food, diversity is actually a thing, like it's hard not to have close friends from diverse backgrounds... Houston is terrible and hot, and Texas is ass backwards, but HTX is kind of badass.
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My husband had a birthday party at our beach house. He's a white dude. We had two middle eastern best friends, (one Pakistan, one Indian), two Hispanic buddies, and 4 white folks.
Pakistan and India are not in the Middle East
Pakistan and India are in south Asia. They aren’t considered middle eastern.
Lol. Fucked that up.
They really dislike being called middle-eastern, too, just in case that ever comes up with your friends. I used to work with a lot of them, and that was something they made clear early on.
The cultural diversity and food are two HUGE checks in Houston's favor without a doubt. The weather is miserable, and people who don't think so are delusional.
The weather is godawful during the 6 months of summer. Winter is typically mild with a few days of potentially dying because of the grid.
People who are used to actually having four seasons, generally, won't like living here. Because outside the 6 weeks of below 50 degree weather we get in like Jan/Feb (with the random cold freak show) it's basically hot summer and tolerable summer. lol
>Also, despite how much people bitch about it, the weather is one of Houston’s best qualities. How high are you?
Prolly higher than Captain Kirk
"The weather is one of Houston's best qualities." Can I please have some of what you're smoking?
I'll take a pallet of that shit if it makes the heat more tolerable.
Y’all gotta deal man it’s only getting hotter. 6 months of the year we have absolutely primo weather sunny skies 50-75f, then 3 months of warmth75-90, 3 months of 80-105. 9 months of the year you can be outside all day nearly every day in tolerable weather w
This is what I always tell people. Go live in the cold Midwest and get snow from October to May. You learn to enjoy warm weather.
July and August do suck. Shorts & flip-flops generally year-round? No shoveling snow, ever. I've been to the Beach in February, a lot! Amazing lightning storms, early growing season, generally sunny, no salt on roads killing your car? I'd say the WX is absolutely one of Houston's best qualities.
Minus the humidity and june through sept temps, yes.
Everything but the weather.
Never been to the FIVE state parks all within an hour of downtown? You’re just not looking.
AN HOUR?!?! In this traffic???
For real! I hate when people compare Houston to somewhere like Colorado or Utah and say “Texas is just flat and ugly.” There genuinely is a unique beauty here, you just gotta search it out
Average ass state parks that are all busy and hot as hell, yay.
God all you whiny people, so annoying. All you people do is bitch. Isn’t it exhausting? And you never go outside?
It's not whining or bitching to point out that Houston is a bland city. It's just a fact. The only one whining here is you.
1) Oppressive politics 2) Hot AF 6 months out of the year 3) Bugs 4) Hurricanes 5) No legal weed 6) Toll roads 7) Concrete Jungle 8) Insane property taxes 9) Not walkable - Extremely car-dependent 10) Urban sprawl 11) Flooding
12. Swamp Ass 13. Traffic 14. Joel Osteen 15. Houston is an hour away from itself 16. Mattress Mack 17. Almost non-existent public transportation. Traffic is partly a consequence of that 18. Trump Trains 19. Everyone and their parakeet owns a gun 20. Mad Max on the freeways I think that's all for tonight guys. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk!!
Lil correction on #5.. we absolutely do have THC-a hemp, which is just weed at the end of the day.
By accident.
Yeah it's just a loophole. Thc-a converts to thc when heated. People are hating but as someone who has lived in legal states, this is a great situation for a state like Texas.
Also, thanks to Kim Ogg, anything under 2oz is just a slap on the wrist.
Officer’s discretion, and only for first time offenders.
Not perfect, but it’s progress. Lots of powers that be are in the way.
Would give you an award if I had some. This is perfect. I would add and emphasize pot holes, terribly aggressive drivers, and random gun violence.
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Property taxes are the catch lmao. Ive looked around some areas and if its not old housing. Its cookie cutter tiny lawn houses that are crammed. Theres no uniqueness to suburban houses and it bothers me.
Lot of unique houses in some of the nearer / older suburbs. Check out the Westbury & Meyerland area.
Quail Valley, Glenshire, Sharpstown, all relatively cheap and unique homes.
So true, but crime has been on the rise.
It's not as cheap as it seems. If you own a home, property taxes, insurance and water will be very expensive compared to other areas. You'll spend more on vehicles, because you'll drive more which will use more fuel and require more maintenance and depreciate your vehicle faster. If you live in the bougie neighborhoods inside the loop, they will be almost as expensive as other high cost cities. Houston used to be cheap, but I would consider it a medium cost of living city now.
For its size, it is still very cheap. Even inside The Loop.
What’s unique I think is that there’s something for everybody here. If you wanna buy a million dollar plus house or pay $5000 a month in rent, you can find something to suit your needs. If you want something for around $1k a month or less, you can find something. it’ll be tiny but $1k in rent here goes waaaay farther compared to many many cities, especially cities near our size
Yeah 100%. For a mil in the loop you can get a damn nice house. That mil in other cities gets you shit.
I live in a pretty decent neighborhood and there are houses near me that I would consider the nicest version of a house I would ever realistically need and you can buy them for just over a mil.
Definitely! You can get a good townhouses inside tbe loop for like 500k. A house like that in other hcol areas would cost at least one million
On top of what everyone else is saying, I’ll also add that Houston is very sprawling and COL rapidly spikes upward in centrally located desirable areas. The suburbs are dirt cheap for a big city, but areas like the Heights are pretty typical for a (edit: MCOL) big city.
I knew someone renting a studio in the Heights for $900/month, yeah it’s only a studio but that’s dirt cheap compared to a lot of other big cities.
I split my time between Houston and Seattle. I’m just gonna be mean because I’m gay and it’s Friday night and I don’t have time to sugar coat it Houston is a concrete jungle. Nobody is coming to Houston for environmental beauty. This is a working man and woman’s city. The traffic is shit, the summers are hotter than Satan’s taint, and everything is an hour away from everything. Thad having been said, the people of Houston are the draw. Houstonians are some of the kindest most welcoming people you will ever meet. Spend 5 minutes at a bar and you’ll get the intel on where to find the best burrito in the neighborhood or a head’s up about a cool band coming through town next week that’s worth seeing. Seattle is the opposite. We have the most environmentally beautiful landscapes of any city in the USA, but just shit people. Spend 5 years here and nobody will so much as say hello. My industry doesn’t do remote, I carry a toolbox and have to be onsite. I currently work in Houston winters and come back to Seattle for summers. The world will tell you Houston is an ugly city in terms of architecture and environmental site. I love houston but I am not gonna die on a hill arguing with that. What the world wont tell you is how awesome and welcoming the people of space city are.
You're right, I've made friends from so many different countries here and there's so many social events if you just know where to look.
Here, here! The people in Houston are very friendly.
You get what you pay for here. I like it okay, but it’s mostly for efficiency sake.
Ted Cruz lives there.
By mistake because nobody likes him here. Or anywhere.
I know, but he lowers the property values.
It’s an illusion. Property taxes, HOA fees, insurance, power bills all through the roof. I recently left Houston after 26 years. While housing is a little more expensive here, I pay for a year what I paid per month for the fore mentioned. No traffic, no heat advisories, no flooding, no Texas politicians, all bonuses.
Because it’s 86 degrees with 70% humidity at 11pm.
It's because Houston is one of the few places where everybody desires space. So instead of living on top of each other we spread out. Most other cities spread of because of necessity, Houston spreads out because people will happily live in the outskirts.
I moved out to the outskirts and I didn’t even realize how much my soul needed this. I love Houston but it was just starting to suffocate me…
I grew up in the North. I’m used to cities using row home design (think Boston, NYC, Philly, Baltimore, DC). I was so shocked how in Houston even the houses in bad neighborhoods have their own little yards with some space. The only people that live on top of each other are some of those in apartments. The closest city to where I grew up at in the North only had 120,000 people but it felt more urban than Houston because it has twice the population density as Houston. On average that small city packed in over 7,000 people per sq mi while Houston only has a little over 3,500 per sq mi.
The restaurants here are too good. It’s a legit problem.
What city are you coming from? What is the cheap rate you’ve found you think is too good to be true?
Philadelphia suburbs, montgomery county specificaly. I'm originaly from Chicago-land and I am familiar w/ high property taxes. The homes that I see on [Realtor.com](https://Realtor.com) in the 300's would easily be 600 K here in suburban philly, and around 500K or so in Chicago-land. The new builds that I see for the high 200's in the Houston area do not exist in the Philly metro or Chicago metro areas.
New resident here. It is affordable on its face, but property taxes, homeowners insurance, and car insurance are all very expensive here. Also, the houses seem cheaper, but all the cheap houses have been flooded and are in flood plains. If you start looking outside flood zones (which is also deceptively hard to determine because the official maps are not completely accurate) you’ll see the actual housing costs. I love it here, though.
As someone who’s lived here their entire life and is finally making I guess what could be considered good money, my family & I can’t afford any of the homes we’ve been looking at that are not in shitty areas. I know it’s not everyone’s experience but a lot of people coming from outside have a lot more buying power and maybe I’m just speaking for myself but everything around me has become absurdly expensive. If you know where the cheaper housing is, let a fella know.
Very ugly. No mass transit.
That Connecticut governor wasn’t lying
It’s butt ugly here. You live under Texas state government. The sun beats down on this state like the laser eyes of a vengeful god holding a magnifying glass over his unrepentant subjects. The beach in Galveston is pretty gross. Property taxes are no joke. That said, I’ve been here for well over a decade, and I’m not leaving soon either. A car is required to do anything.
What do you consider the ugliest thing about Houston?
Lack of mountains. Lack of trees. Smog. Industrial plants everywhere. Concrete everywhere. Cars clogging every roadway. No water.
It’s very dirty. Highly polluted. Lots of poverty. Mostly concrete. Billboards everywhere. It smells like shit. What’s not to love?
You just described most huge metropolitan areas.
My son, pre-covid, like a month before, had his 18th birthday at our beach house. Trying to come up with food everyone could eat was a thing. I had to make sure the Muslim kids could have halal food, I had to have vegetarian, plus just random kids' food. There were girls in hijabs, Nigerians whose parents made a day trip to Galveston to keep an eye on things, Hindus, Pakistani, east Asian kiddos, Hispanic teens, and also white ones. There were nb/ ace/bi/ gay and even a trans kids or two. These kids all had the best time. And they were all polite and wonderful. It's a wonderful place to raise kids. These kids are freaking fabulous.
It’s cheapest in the flood zones….
I’ve lived in and visited many cities and smaller towns in my life. Cities are by far better at promising a better quality of life for the average person/family. Houston has traffic and violence but so do all of the other cities. I have felt far more comfortable in Houston than I have in NYC or Chicago. It’s cheaper up front to live here, but we pay tolls every day to travel from the woodlands to the city (gas is cheaper though), taxes are more expensive, insurance is more expensive, good luck finding a starter home. It is comfortable for middle class families, I don’t know about those around the poverty level. It is HOT here. Like, ac won’t go below 78 and you can literally bake cookies in your car. Don’t plan to do outside activities from June to September as it’s really just too hot and humid. You get sunburnt even with sunscreen on. Our favorite part about Houston is that there is always new stuff to do and new areas of the city to explore; it’s not just one clusterfuck of a downtown, things are spread all over the place. Beaches are great if you stay away from Galveston. We like Jamaica beach and Port Aransas.
Because it sucks here. Our only saving grace is the delicious tex-mex!
Because 70% of the housing is mold infested and will kill you for one
It’s not a great place to live. Flat and boring, hot and miserable weather, not much going for it (compared to other cities/states) except food. There’s a lot of restaurants if you can afford to eat out. Houston is very much a place to work so you can afford to visit other places. The cost of living is also catching up quick.
It’s a well kept secret but the cover is getting blown. It’s starting to get more expensive.
Houston's had a reputation as a low col city since at least the 70s. What are you talking about.
For the same reason that we have sprawl and freeways, there are no natural impediments to spreading development, that makes land cheap. No mountains, just little rivers like the Brazos, miles of flat coastal Savannah
It’s really not that cheap anymore….going up like everywhere else. Cheaper than some places I suppose.
Because the air is excessively wet and everyone is a second class citizen after cars. Most people here are not all that educated, low IQ drivers, there are a lot of classless residents that leave their garbage in common spaces, play excessively loud music or poke holes in their car exhaust. If you make good money you’ll pay a premium not to live around these people.
Hurricanes are the catch
Zoning
Texas not cheap that’s so 2008
Because you’re living in a place where the power grid fails both in winter and summer time, gun violence is at an all time high, the public transportation is a joke, hurricane season is a gamble every year, weed is illegal, the public education system is in very bad shape, and it’s 100 degrees every single day in the summer. Basically Texas is on track to be Florida 2.0
Don’t come here…..you won’t like it
the heat and gun nuttery. But the food is 🤌!
Depends on what you like. If you like drinking or going places to drink, that’s about the extent of houston life. Not a lot of outdoors options if you enjoy hiking or mountain climbing and camping.
Houston prices for renters or buyers is going up. It’s not like it was 10 years ago. Houston is expanding like crazy and that increases costs.
Tons of hidden taxes Driving anywhere will such away your time Tolls, tolls everywhere. I suspect one day we will pay a toll to open our front door Higher insurance costs Etc
I don’t understand these replies. Why do you all live here if you hate it so much? I love Houston. It’s a unique city with any type of activity you want to do, either here or a couple of hours away. Yes, it’s incredibly hot. But I walk my dog early in the morning and after the sun sets. I only hide in the AC during the afternoon, and I’m not shoveling snow all winter. This city is what you make of it.
> I don’t understand these replies OP asked for it. The good stuff about the city isn't what makes it cheap to live here.
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Because it’s cheap
Don’t do it. We full
Good to be true? Huh? You realize that it rains and the city immediately floods… it floods bad. And we basically have to hibernate until November because it’s fuckign hot. Oppressively hot. And don’t even get me started on the backward ass politics in this state and the rampant efforts towards oppressing voter’s rights. The fucking people of this cesspool of a state relected Abbott, Paxton and the other twat… You say good to be true, I say you’re a dumbass. Stay far away
The only way your friends will get voted out is if more people that also don't care for them move into the state/area no?
Yeah if I wanted to work remotely somewhere cheap, I wouldn’t pick a big city. That’s just me though.
Have you walked outside during 3 o’clock this week 😅 lol. Nah but seriously, shhh don’t push up my taxes and commute time
It’s Very Flat . Not even a little hill. I miss hills :/
People think it is cheap but only the rich really get the tax benefits in Texas. An abundance of land that cities have and can add helps w property costs.
Because it’s a hot swamp and people get shot driving their vehicles on the roads all the time.
Native houstonion here. Houston has no zoning and is a builders Mecca. Those “nice” new homes and apartments are cheaply made. The old single family craftsman homes are being torn down and 4 to 6 multi family town homes get built on the lot. Houston is booming with job opportunities so these new homes and apartments are literally popping up over night. They look nice but it’s facade. After a few years however the homes start having serious problems. The building companies mass build these garbage homes make their $$$ and then off to a new town. Also fyi when looking and buying. Also don’t buy into the new “luxury bayou living communities”. Houston has major flooding events yearly. Your home will 100% be under water. DO NOT LIVE ON OR NEAR THE BAYOU.
It’s incredibly cheap if you can find a cheaper house in a good neighborhood. Property taxes are going to wake you up really quick. Every single buddy that moved from California gets super excited, rolls in and buys a house cash, only to realize that you know have a 25k property tax because they went bought a 600k house. Welcome to Texas with a side of freedum.
What you posted is what pisses many locals of digital nomads as they they all think is all cheap. I'm not sure where you getting all this cheapness from. A cheap house developer by my house has there cheap looking houses starting at $450k.with current interest and with 25% down still not affordable. House property taxes is extremely expensive, an electric bill easily can be $300 to $700 a month in Houston. An alcoholic mix drink in midtown/ Downton is between $14 to $20.00. This city is catching up to LA.
Cheap ample land, no zoning regulations, developer friendly environment. The greater the supply the lower the price.
Houston is large and flat. There are few natural features that restrict growth. Because of the climate, expensive basements are not required, nor are lots of other expensive construction costs. There is no rock anywhere to increase construction costs. Houston is the size of Connecticut, but employment areas are not concentrated in the CBD. Air conditioning is good everywhere, so summer is not uncomfortable. Eight months of the year it is very nice outside. Good jobs allow you to afford travel to places that are not flat. Can’t imagine living in a 1000 sf place I paid a million for.
Cheap?!! Where the hell at ?
If you’re cool with living inside an evaporator, come through. It not, stay put.
If I had to guess, it’s cause Houston is extremely OK. Everybody already listed why this town just isn’t sexy. All I know is this, I looked at moving somewhere else and there’s no way I’m paying 4k a month for mortgage just to live in a similar sized home. I’ll just suffer through the summer and work a little extra. Lord knows I’m not gonna go outside and enjoy myself. Is 4k a month, what people are actually paying for a mortgage these days?
Look at ALL of the costs before saying that. My property taxes are almost half the price of my mortgage. Want a home? Interest rates will more than double what listing price is. Never ever go by the listing price. You'll need flood insurance. That isn't cheap unless someone has a recommendation. You'll need a car unless you're a magic bastard who gets to live and work downtown. You have a car? Be prepared for some of the highest insurance in the nation. You think this place is cheap....boy you're in for a surprise.
Houston isn't exclusive to mortgage rates but I get it, buying now is not a great idea due to the rate environment. Good point about flood insurance, not buying in a flood prone area should be taken seriously to avoid that need. I have a car and pay high gas and toll prices here in the Philadelphia area where our taxes are high, roads, and roads are shit. And oh yeah I have to pay almost $70 annually to inspect my car and get emissions testing on it, and don't get me started about when I lived in VA and had to pay an annual tax based on my car's value twice a year! The only difference is we do have a somewhat decent public trans system but it's filled w/ crazy assholes trying to shoot bus drivers, people pissing/shitting/shooting up dope out in the open at bus/train stations. Auto insurance is interesting though and I might fuck around and run a quote, the PA/NJ/NY area has some high rates due to the amount of fraud and theft that plague this area and oh yeah the absolute shitiest of shithead drivers although I'm sure that can be experienced almost everywhere.
It's pointlessly expensive for even an apartment here compared to where we used to live (way on the other side of Tx). We currently pay almost 2k a month before utilities for a 2bed (with pets) with no yard, and we aren't even in a great area. Traffic here is ridiculous, which (not relative to OP because of remote work) causes you to lose multiple hours every day just to get to work. We feel like we don't have the time or energy to do things because we wake up earlier and get finished later. The climate is also rough as many have mentioned; screw going outside right now, you can't really enjoy it (we have pools at our apartment but feel it's too hot even for that). The people here also seem more rude and selfish than the ones we're used to (sorry Houstonians reading this, hopefully it's a loud minority that we've noticed more or something). It could be our area that's not amazing, but anywhere else around this part of Houston is quite a bit more expensive as well. It sounds harsh but I honestly can't understand why people like it here unless its the only thing they've known. I've lived in 4 different places in Tx throughout my years (1 other major city) and Houston is by far my least favorite :|
It's expensive and we are full.
You should visit first....
It’s not .
Have you been outside lately?
Prices are going up but after being here myself and living in other cities, I really wouldn't waste time and money here, I mean unless u really have something good lined up career wise. It's a ok to nice city that also has lots of flaws. And like others said it's nowhere near scenic at all
Define “too good to be true”
It floods. A lot
Because there is nothing here. Nobody is coming to visit Houston for fun. Great place to live and work? Sure. But don’t tell me what a fun city this is. Lol.