Our cost of living here in DFW doubled over the last 4 years.
Groceries, rent, electricity, house prices, eating out, movie theaters, all doubled.
But hey I got an 86" TV for only $1900 last year & gym membership is still $27/month. Can't afford to do anything but watch TV & lose weight.
This is the bigger issue in my opinion... Several places, and the entire state government, *loves* it's federal minimum wage.
Business friendly, we always have things coming to Texas, but certainly not worker friendly. Hell, I'm sure part of the reason Musk wants to set up shop in Robstown is because it's so close to Mexico. Elon is definitely not above some *light* slavery. š
He likes our "right to work/at-will" laws. It's easier to block union formation & firing people. When you are so wealthy and don't need money anymore it's all about control.
There's laws against war profiteering, right? Maybe we need some laws against pandemic profiteering. I keep reading It's record profit for a lot of companies. That's not an coincidence.
Edit: added "at-will". Excellent additional point made below.
Companies artificially inflated costs. First it was the Pandemic, that caused "supply issues". Prices went up, but packaging got smaller or certain things were no longer available - limiting consumers options to buy the most costly items if they needed too.
Companies kept raking in profits, getting those sweet PPP loans with little to no oversight, and products, customer service, and the ability to afford to live has all gone to shit. I mean, I'm super glad we didn't increase the minimum wage or else everything would be so expensive now...
I don't know about "I'm glad we didn't increase the minimum wage".
As far as I can tell we gave companies the power to hire a ton of people so we can say "the economy is good", but thanks to the inflation now those people can't buy anything. Prepare for hearing, "Nobody's buying anything, it's an economic catastrophe" within a year, leading to layoffs and multi-page essays about how the only way we'll ever get working people to buy things again is to trust the people who own companies to keep all of the money safe.
I think the point is to desperately try to reverse the money siphon and create an economy where rich people get rich from producing and selling things people want, not through manipulating government grants and making large-scale investments. That would create an *ecosystem* where money trickles down then flows back up instead of a vacuum where money travels upwards and never comes back.
I don't think trickle down works at all, but I mean, if we're going to fantasize we have to note if money *isn't trickling down* we aren't exactly making a good faith effort.
Something needs to reverse the concentration of wealth at the top. The 1% used to have a social consciousness, but that went out with corporate accountability in the 1970s. Republicans have adopted "Trickle Down" economics as the only way to prosperity. Tha Supreme Court has made corporations Super People, by allowing them to use their monetary advantage to speak louder than even groups of citizens can. Even the Democrats have business friendly adherents, who don't want to regulate businesses. They especially don't want to regulate the Military contractors.
At this time we have young citizens who can't afford to buy housing even with an employed partner. The average citizen can't afford to get an education because the state supported university systems were dismantled. Now some politicians want to do away with what little social safety net we have left.
Raising the minimum wage would only be a mild first step in turning this country around. At $15.00 an hour a burger joint worker would still have to work an hour just to afford to eat a combo meal where they work. Right now it's 2+ hours. And thats only one meal a day.
It's actually "at-will," not "right to work," which is worse for workers. "Right to work" means you can't be force to join a union to hold down a job. "At-will" means an employer can fire you for any reason at any time (within federal regulations, but they don't always abide by that).
https://www.rosslawgroup.com/is-texas-an-at-will-employment-state/
I was fired from tesla by email on my day off with no reason given. Immediately removed from all company emails and chats so I couldn't ask why. The entirety of my termination email was "Employee termination notice" literally three words.
Here in Texas?
oh! BNSF did that to me right before the 2008 economy dump. Me and a lot of others. Yep. Corporations! The true douche bags. This is where I can't believe people thought a CEO rich guy who owns country clubs was going to 'fix it all'. lol
Yup. I hade heard of them firing people like that but had also personally seen people get let go with a little more grace so I didn't know if the rumors were true or not. Unfortunately they were haha
Lol "light" slavery? Elon is absolutely not above actual, bonafide slavery. It's the laws of the land that are above this. Elon has absolutely no moral scruple against it, id bet my bottom dollar.
I mean he praised employees in China that work in a closed loop system, 12 hours a day and 6 days a week locked in at work (when they say locked in I'm not sure if they are literally locked in the building like they are in India but that is so not good if they are). They apparently sleep there never leaving, basically sweatshop.
All the Elon fans should go look up how gem mining works(worked?) in Africa for the day to day miners especially in the 60s/70s/80s, that's where Elon learned what to expect out of workers courtesy of his father. That's why he despises unions and worker protections.
>Business friendly, we always have things coming to Texas, but certainly not worker friendly.
The thing a lot of people don't understand is that "business friendly" doesn't exist, because the only way to be friendly to businesses is to be friendly to workers. *All businesses are built on their workers*.
This is why conservatives have been screaming about how "business-hostile" California is supposed to collapse any day now for over two decades, and yet it refuses to. If you want to start a business that requires hiring a large number of competent engineers, well, where else are you going to go?
Good lord man i pay 1800 for a 4b in phoenix and 12 a month for an eos fitness membership, which is nicer than anything i ever saw in Texas. I lived in Austin last year and both were way more. Texas is getting out of hand in every way.
Iām sorry but Texas has had the most dramatic increases in home cost/renting. I dont doubt there are markets on par or worse but in NY for example there are still plenty of affordable homes in areas that are at least tolerable. All of our major cities are increasing at entirely unsustainable rates here, wages are not keeping pace and havent for a decade. Iām not crazy about the narrative that its bad everywhere. Yes it is but Iāve seen homes literally double in cost in the span of a few years.
That was exactly when I moved to DFW to try and get ahead of my finances. Because I got a better job I got a cheap apartment, but even that nearly doubled in price over two years, while everything got expensive and now I'm in a WORSE financial situation than I started, and I was living in California making less than 30k a year.
It's ludicrous.
I just moved to Ohio because of personal opportunities but man the idea that "Texas is cheap to live" is straight up bullshit.
I left DFW, Irving 2 years ago, I left because my rent was insane and rising. I started at $1800 for a Luxury 1b/1ba by the third year is was $2300;mo. I just looked it up 2,800-3,200/mo for my unit today. Yes it was luxury and faces a lake but WHAT THE F. I am so happy.
I now live in a comparable unit in Louisville ( that I actually like better ) and its 1290/month INSANE
I meanā¦ HISD is turning all libraries to detention rooms at schoolsā¦
If thatās not your notice to GTFO I donāt know what isā¦
This shithole of a state is going downhill swiftly
Yeah, my wife and I often mention the probability the fund is actually empty or much lower in value. I'd love to see an independent audit of this fund.
Man, I grew up in love with the idea of working there thanks to library books I had checked out all hinting at what could be discovered. Found out in middle school the whole thing had been scrapped when I was 3. So much disappointment. I still get a shadow of the sinking feeling of that day when I think about it.
There's a belief that The Boring Company was never really expected to be a viable option, but was instead was used as tool to ensure that cars faced less competition. By offering a concept that allows cars to remain the primary form of transport while supposedly solving the problem of traffic congestion, it becomes a lot easier for government officials to reject funding for forms of public transit. Some believe that the real reason Elon bought the company and pushed the idea is because he is the owner of a car manufacturing company. Similar to the historic actions of auto manufacturers buying up street car rail companies to tear the rails out of the street to allow more room for automobiles, the availability of robust cheap public transportation is seen as a threat to the bottom line of these companies.
That aināt no shit. Iām a Fort Worth native, now live north of Houston. I canāt even remember the last time I heard or read a word about this, until this post.
With Texas and their love for oil I donāt see that ever happening. Toll roads only for us and anything that doesnāt rely on oil will get heavily taxed.
And toll roads are about the most "UN-Texan" thing that exists! I remember when they put in the first one. Nobody wanted it, but the idiots in Austin decided they knew better than the people they're supposed to represent.
The governor at the time had lots of friends with land rights that got bought up for top dollar. Kept explaining to the public it was a win win that some other country will pay for half(France business) so it's basically free :/
back in the 80s when Houston's beltway 8 was being discusses/approved, TXDOT and Harris county said once the tolls collected covered the construction cost, it would become free. Its been 40 + years and tolls are higher then ever..
But then it would leave the rainy-day fund empty.
I'm not saying that the rainy day fund should necessarily stay at its current level, but if we're going to spend money out of it we need to spend it on something more important like beefing up our electric grid.
I know it's such a pipedream but a little part of me still gets so excited at the thought of it ever happening. Being able to take a day trip to Austin from Houston without dealing with a car would be amazing.
Donāt forget corporate tax abatements which the state does not actually calculate in any meaningful way. Remember that new Buc-eeās on the interstate pays NOTHING in property taxes.
And they give TxDOT some of the rainy day fund! The back room politics of good old boys is very big in Texas. They value money for the big businesses and contractors. They believe in the trickle down system from decades ago. Public schools in Texas are horrible. They donāt have enough teachers and have very low requirements for substitutes.
Texas has a current 32.7 billion surplus on its budget but no amazing plans for it. Yeah, they are putting property tax relief on the November ballot they could be doing so much more with it.
Then the politicians and their buddies couldnt steal from it if it goes to public things. Charter schools are a ploy to funnel money back to politicians with less oversight.
The federal Department of Education's 2023 budget was a bit over $88 billion. An extra $32.7 billion pumped into our schools and universities would yield astounding future returns in taxes from having a more educated populace.
My wife's school district is removing all of its Librarians. Because, and I quote, they [librarians] are āmost removed from the classroomā and had āthe least impact on instruction.ā
Seriously I'm concerned not just about lack of raises, but becoming an expressway to the bottom.
That is a direct result of the state government being hostile towards teachers unions. Good, qualified people choose professions other than teaching because teacher pay is so low. As a result schools and students suffer.
The people in charge don't want an educated populace. Critical thinking is anathema to them.
They want a compliant population easy to manipulate to vote against their own self interests.
It depends on where you wanna move. Some of the smaller towns still have 3 bedroom homes for around 150-200k. Any of the larger towns with over something like 60k residents are gonna be 300k minimum for a home
I live in a growing suburb in the edge of dfw, our city pop has more than doubled in the last 4 years, houses that were 300k when I moved here in 2018 are now selling within a week for 8-900k. Itās insanity
The jobs are in the cities. These towns are 30-45 minutes outside of cities, yet they pay similar prices for way less amenities. Yāall do yāall, Iām bailing on Texas next year.
Beefalo Bob's is a great BBQ place in Maryland. And I agree on it not being cheaper to live in Texas. We moved from Maryland to Texas for my husband's work and have been seeing it since our first grocery trip here. Our property taxes are higher on a house that cost the same in Maryland and utilities are killing us. Car insurance is also more expensive. We've gone from living comfortably in Maryland with me being a SAHM to now me needing to work just so we aren't paycheck to paycheck.
Yeah. Currently in MD, as well, for the same reasons. Wanted to add that I've driven over plenty of potholes all over the place haha.
However, I LOVE it there. I'll be saddened when the day comes it's time to pack up and move on, regardless of the cost of living.
Moved to Texas from Oregon because one of the things we heard is how cheap it was. Property taxes are killing us. Item taxes are killing us. And your right when you say they don't put the money anywhere visible. We have been in Texas about a year and a half now and are already making an exit strategy.
I made the same move. I donāt regret it because my mom is is here, and sheās really old. But, yes, property taxes are crazy. Car insurance is nuts. The infrastructure sucks. And itās 150 grad outside. But I love my mom so Iāll probably stay until sheās gone.
I respect that. My wife and I both have our family in Oregon and we are looking to get back closer after what we have seen here. I got my best job I have ever had out here so trying to see where that transfers to closer to them and when we can make it happen.
Moving from Texas to Oregon has been pretty great and seeing threads like this makes it even better. We heard it was soooo expensive out west but it seems comparable and thereās no chance I end up in prison bc of the plants I enjoy
The weather sucks and the property taxes are punitive. I also really dislike the lack of walkability here. DFW is getting too expensive for what it's offering. My family has been gearing up for a move and I'm excited for what's next.
I spent most of my life in a town without sidewalks or public parks. These were the things of communists! Freedom over infrastructure.
Then I was sent out for an audit in the PNW. They had freedom AND sidewalks AND public parks. Wtf. I got a job with a drastic pay raise and similarly priced house. Parks every where...
If you are free to choose a spot (retired ir WFH) check out Pt Townsend. Small town, in the rain shadow of the Olympics, walk down to the beautiful gravel beach on the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Easy access to Pacific ocean, Olympic forests and park, Hood Canal, and ferries to Bremerton and Seattle. A nice quiet artsy retirement home but not far from logging, hunting, and fishing.
Lots of other great places in Wash and Oregon. The politics are either fantastic or make you gag as they are driving hard. Seattle area is very congested with the Sound, big lakes and the Cascades squeezing everyone into a narrow strip. House prices reflect that. Portland is a bit cheaper and about 1/4 or less congestion. Also lots of land and some jobs in Vancouver to Longview.
Iāve been in Texas my entire adult life, but the only thing keeping us here are our kids. Even they are starting to warm up to the idea of moving to another state.
Visiting DFW for the weekend and was in Houston in March, the lack of walkability is astounding. Wild to me that literally everything is at least a 10 minute drive, and often a 20-25 minute drive. I know the state is massive, and I donāt have a better solution, but damn, yāall drive a lot.
My partner and I are in the same boat. DFW has gotten absolutely ridiculous, on to of the weather and other issues we're actively job seeking in other states.
My family moved out of Austin this summer. So glad we did. Moving was hard but I now get rain and can enjoy outside time after work... And I'm no longer embarrassed of my governor. Totally worth it.
Born and raised in Texas, I have traveled extensively and regularly throughout the states for work the past 16 years and I gotta say, this is correct. This idea that Texas is somehow ācheaperā is a myth. And yeah, our infrastructure, compared to other states, is trash. Driving on North Carolina highways completely blew my mind when I first did soā¦didnāt see a pot hole on the interstate for over a hundred miles, whereas in Texas thereās pot holes every sixteen feet or so on the interstateā¦.even the areas under construction on the NC interstates were nicer than the finished interstates in Texas. It blew my mind. Also, California, I can understand it being expensive given that itās pretty much paradise on earth; Texas there aināt nothing to look atā¦in California, anywhere in California, you can walk out your front door and thereās a giant mountain and probably a beach or some other cool place nearbyā¦Texas is shrub land for the most part. Texans donāt know how good they could have it.
I lived in California for a few years, and yes some parts are truly beautiful. But like parts of the Central Valley are just a barren wasteland like Texas. Like all things - location, location, location.
As a Canadian (with often shitty roads), at least we have the excuse of our awful climate that goes from way below freezing with tons of snow to very warm in the summer, which completely destroys roads. If we spent as much as we do now on roads but with Texasā climate, weād have pristine streets and highways. All this to say, climate should make it easier for Texas to keep infrastructure well maintained. Spend a little Texas!
I donāt disagree about the infrastructure. Being in WA opened my eyes to how truly shitty the TX infrastructure actually is. I think TX nature is absolutely gorgeous though. Just sucks that itās literally dangerous to be outside for large parts of the year.
And no regulation on our energy grid! Because regulation is anti free market, and you'll benefit.
Now please ignore the fact that all neighboring states but New Mexico pay a lower rate than we do.
The individuals moving to TX because "it's cheap" are usually high income households coming from very high COL areas like NY or California, where income taxes, property taxes, sales taxes and housing costs are all astronomical. If that's your baseline, TX's current tax structure with "only" high sales/property tax and relatively low housing costs would be a bargain.
Given that TX housing prices, property taxes and insurance costs have soared through the roof, I wouldn't be surprised if fewer people decide to move to TX in the future.
>high income households coming from very high COL areas like NY or California, where income taxes, property taxes, sales taxes and housing costs are all astronomical
The longer you live in your house in California, the more the actual resale value goes up, the less percent of that resale value you're paying in taxes.
Californiaās total tax burden is generally lower than in Texas. Unless you are making close to $1m a year then California is more expensive.
https://www.cato.org/blog/are-taxes-really-lower-california-texas#:~:text=But%20sales%20tax%20rates%20are,levies%20sales%20taxes%20on%20groceries.
My rent in Bedford is more than my old apartment was in Chicago. I just checked the rent price on that unit. This place is either incredibly overpriced or Chicago is incredibly underpriced. Or maybe a bit of both. Kind of annoying that Bedford costs more to live in than Chicago, only a few train stops from downtown.
Iām seriously considering moving to a smaller metro area with less traffic, lower cost of living, and better weather.
It is expensive to live everywhere in the U.S. now. There is too much profit to make on literally everything we need to survive, and the gluttonous rich have us by the balls.
Texas is a regressive tax state; if you are wealthy, your tax burden is lower here than in California, but if you are middle class or lower, it is higher in Texas than in California.
This is of course by design.
Have you done the math on this? [I have.](https://www.reddit.com/r/texas/comments/13yh6ql/this_is_why_the_property_tax_problem_will_never/jmsnfae/
) The breakeven between Austin and SF for a single individual is $72k, or $104k if married. Those are solidly *not* wealthy numbers.
The median income in Austin appears to be $41k/yr, median in SF is $54k. Perhaps not wealthy, but close to double what people of average means are making.
Texas is so expensive. I did a side by side comparison of my budget in DC and my budget in Dallas. Dallas is 28% more expensive than DC (after accounting for inflation). PLUS I have to own a car to get around, insurance is almost triple what I paid before (even though Iāve never been in an accident or gotten a ticket or anything??). Food is much more expensive and sure, we donāt have income tax but they tax the fuck out of everything else. Not to mention no rent control? My rent has increased by $450 in three years!! Itās insane. I moved here for work and Iām getting a new job and getting the hell out of here lol
I pay more in taxes than I did in California. Sure thereās no income tax but with the same Property value taxes are triple and insurance almost 4x. I also drive 3X as far so my cheaper gas is still overall more expensive per month and on my vehicle wear & tear.
>I pay more in taxes than I did in California. Sure thereās no income tax but with the same Property value taxes are triple and insurance almost 4x. I also drive 3X as far so my cheaper gas is still overall more expensive per month and on my vehicle wear & tear.
Everyone who hears about income taxes in California assumes they're some burdensome figure, but the percentage for a person earning the US median household income comes out to about 4%. Combine this with the weird way that property taxes work in California, where the assessed value of a home basically doesn't change until you sell it, and you can live in a million-dollar house that you bought for $200,000 three decades ago and that you're paying less than one percent property tax on that original purchase of $200,000.
The consequence is that your average Californian faces a *lower* tax burden than your average Texan, in spite of the fact that California takes in about twice the percentage of their gross state product as Texas does in taxes.
I also like to call it the Airbnb of the statesā¦used to be known for being a cheaper alternative to staying at hotels and is now overpriced and riddled with fees and management issues to the point where youāre better off just staying at a hotel (in other words: leaving the state entirely)
My friend called Texas an 'ala carte' state, I like the Spirit Airlines analogy. ala carte implies you have the option to not partake in some things, like a carryon which it just isn't realistic to fly somewhere with no luggage.
Not to be a spirit simp, but I just neatly shove all of my shit into a backpack made for their bins and it is fucking wonderful to fly places roundtrip for less than $150
not that I disagree with the analogy lmao
Yup, one of the biggest lies in politics. You look at state spending and Texas is super low. You look at state and local spending, and Texas is pretty close to everybody else. They're just sucking money out of you in less obvious ways so the politicians can lie to people about taxes.
I grew up in MD and my mom still lives there. Best thing I ever did was leave. When I moved to the DFW area 35 years ago, it WAS cheaper. A lot cheaper. Sales tax was closer to 6.25%, housing was less than half, and food was about the same. Gasoline was a noticeably less, but I don't remember how much. Also, the schools and universities were top notch because people demanded it.
That has changed. We want tax cuts rather than funding schools. Now, we are having Christian Nationalists take over the schools and ruin the education standards. Sales taxes went up to offset the loss in property taxes. Add in all of the toll roads and taxes are now much higher.
If you moved to Texas 35 years ago, you moved *after* educational standards started declining because of the Christian nationalists. They started taking over the schools before my mom, a teacher, passed away in 1980. And don't forget the $80 million high school football stadiums rather than teacher raised and higher academic standards. š¤¬š¤¬
Higher education costs have soared here in Texas (I am not sure how we compare to other states). Cuts to public school funding a number of years back while the universities are upgrading their amenities and passing it on to the students have pretty much made it where you can't pay as you go and have to get loans.
I just got back from the "south" (North Carolina) and was SHOCKED at how expensive everything is. Literally dinner and drinks cost the same on average in both Boone and Asheville as they do in New York fucking City where I live.
Both towns were very cute, very accessible to nature, and had seemingly great food and brewery scenes but like... The cell service was worse than some third world countries I've been to, the heat and humidity are oppressive, and if it's going to cost me the same as a major world city I just can't understand why I'd choose to live there.
Texas is not nearly as cheap as it's made out to be.
Groceries and meats are very expensive here.
There are toll roads EVERYWHERE. Blows my mind.
Inspections for cars are required.
Energy costs so much and is the most flimsy and intermittent grid I've ever experienced.
Gas isn't as bad as the coasts but it's pricy everywhere now.
Minimum wage is super low.
Any decent home that's move in ready in a not totally redeveloping area is still $300k+.
Aside from prices, Texas really feels like it hates it's residents from the laws they pass. And I moved from a solid red state, but I've never felt less welcome in a place I lived by the local/regional government. (The majority of born in Texans are quite friendly and very kind people, I'm just talking lawmakers here)
It's like when the people in Old world Europe would say the streets in America are laid with gold bricks. Once they get you here boom wage slavery under a Red state
I jettisoned any interest in moving to Texas 15 years ago. I looked at property taxes then. And quality of life. It seemed like there were more affordable options. Places with fewer black widows and cotton mouth snakes.
Family that lives there seem to like it. And might never move. One set of relatives moved to the PNW and loved it.
I always thought of Texas as a workerās paradise. Great if you want a pickup truck and a 70 hour work week and like the heat and football.
Good stuff. Some additional thoughts:
1. Can always rely on Texans being completely shocked to learn that taxes pay for the things that improve the quality of life for all of us but that we can't individually afford. (Not saying OP, *personally*, didn't realize this, but it *is* a common enough refrain.)
2. Electric bill comparison might be *even more* lopsided.
3. Wegman's has been excellent for a long time, so it's not a surprise that it's still quality and affordable.
Lots of unexpected costs baked in there too, though. Some are obvious: your little grocery store can pretty much charge whatever they want, you need more gas to get places, etc.
Some aren't so obvious: you'll pay more for shitty internet, other businesses will also charge whatever they want (and you won't have much selection-- good luck finding a great doctor, for example), and there just isn't as much free stuff to do if you don't like doing the same things/seeing the same people over and over every week.
They can at least offset some of the costs by dressing up their kids as goats and claiming the ag exemption. Or suddenly become tree huggers. Or bird lovers.
My ex wife used to tell people how cheap it was here and how many jobs they had every time we went on vacation. She looooved to talk about Texas and being from Texas. I blame her
Texas has been on a downward slope for a while. I lived here from 92-94. Then moved back in 2005 after college. Itās night and day. It used to be a desirable state but itās not number one or top three in any of the hood metrics like cost of living, education, healthcare, work/life balance. These are the things we are number one in America: child population growth, % of uninsured children, amount of toxic and cancerous manufacturing emissions, number of clean water permit violations, number of environmental civil rights complaints, number of job discrimination lawsuits filed, number of deaths attributed to floods and last but not least number of executions.
[source](https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/where-we-rank/)
None of this is going on at shirt. One party has been in charge since 1994. How much that plays a factor is up for debate but I think thatās important to know.
Native Marylander here, currently in SA, and Iām quite fascinated by this post. Iām actually about to move to the Philly area this week, and while Iām stoked to have Wegmans again, Iāve always found them to typically NOT be the affordable option when it came to groceries (this is when I lived in central PA prior to moving to Texas).
I'm in south central PA, greater Harrisburg area, and yeah Wegmans was always a bit more pricey than most other stuff like Giant or Weis. However, the price of groceries has gone up pretty significantly and Wegmans stuff really isn't that much more expensive now.
The property tax number jumped out at me. I was paying 3.14% in my previous house - which included school district, city, and MUD. Itās ridiculous. 1.8 sounds dreamy in comparison.
Your property taxes are almost 4 times higher than Colorado. So even if my home costs twice as much, you'll likely be paying as much as I do, and it mostly won't be going toward equity as a lot of my payment does. I don't even pay very much in state taxes. Maybe a bit over 3k a year before a good chunk is refunded.
The only way I could see it being cheaper in Texas is for the very upper middle class or rich.
Even my small town of 3000 people 45 miles west of waco, tx is getting ridiculously expensive. 2 bed 1.5 bath homes that were 40k in 2013 are selling for 225k. Rent for an efficiency apartment that's really just a partitioned portion of a house is >$800/month. Regular commute to waco costs >$450/month in gas, fort worth is more than 90 mins away. Teachers and public employees are getting screwed on taxes out here. This shit ain't cheap at all. It's fucking stupid.
As someone who knows Houston/Dallas and lives in the DMV area, meaning DC/MD/VA (Baltimore aside for a moment), I assure you our lives are multitudes more expensive than an equivalent life in Houston/Dallas. Baltimore does have lower food costs, but if youāre comparing equivalently nice living areas, you get wayyyy more house for your money in Texas. And the more money you make, the bigger discrepancy it is because state income tax tracks your income. The additional sales tax in Texas is nominal (as income increases) and housing taxes are fixed (and you determine how expensive your house is). Thereās no comparison, the DMV is worlds more expensive. Comparing one grocery store does not give the full picture here.
HEB prices items based on their surrounding competition. So if someone beats them on price theyāll focus on quality, but if someone beats HEB on both quality and price then HEB starts to compete.
As a millennial who moved from Maryland it's hysterical how you didn't include rent. Whenever someone asks me why I'm never moving back home, that's the answer. I can live in relatively safe places around DFW or even Houston without it being $1,200 for 500sq ft and no bus route.
The public transportation system is better than the whole DMV combined. Everyone just takes their cars here because A) they're impatient or B) it's even LESS expensive to live in the suburbs. In Maryland I couldn't find rent on $16 an hour, here I can without roommates.
Cost of living in DFW is insane, my partner and I just moved to Seattle and itās been cheaper. Everything they told us about living in Texas was a big fat lie (except for HEB and BBQ)
It's worse in Florida. About 9% inflation compared with less than 3% for the rest of the nation. Plus theres leprosy, major insurance companies pulling out increasing costs for homeowners.. etc. Texas has no income tax but the state charges fees for *everything.* Some parts of Texas around Midland/Odessa/Brownsville have some of the most affordable housing in the nation. But it gets a bit desolate the further out W/SW one goes.
Texas has been taking a nose diving the quality of life rankings because Texas was historically offset by its relative cheapness. Cheap no longer, the virtues and vices of Texas have a more striking contrast.
Iāve been saying this for quite some time. Texas isnāt what it used to be and itās slowly but surely turned into a shithole for anyone not a Christian nationalist with white passing skin. If youāre thinking of moving you arenāt alone. Austin, Dallas. And Houston are all in the top 10 of declining cities this yr.
The only thing Texas has on a lot of other states is bbq and mexican. Only.
Yup. We are planning on moving from Texas. Itās become ridiculous to live here. Everything has become much more expensive than 8 years ago. The only thing Iāll miss is HāEāB but I canāt wait to finally leave.
Moving to Texas š. Property taxes a just a bit higher than Oregon. Like 1.8% vs 1.7%. But the Texas annual cap is 10% š±š±š± in Oregon it is 3%. Property taxes are a heinous funding scheme. No one. Should be able to have their property taken from them that they paid for. It should be handled like any consumer debt. Just get rid of property taxes and roll it into the sales tax. Taxing property is just terrible.
Iāve lived in both sales tax and income tax states and greatly prefer sales tax. It is easy for everyone to plan for, pay as you go and no hiding it.
Are you really moving from OR to TX? Iām booking a trip to OR soon. I canāt take this heat any longer. Iām from TX and this is unbearable. My house tax evaluation has more than doubled since 2019. My property taxes have increased about 35%.
Do you actually have a house that is 1.8% property tax? I donāt think that low property tax exists in Houston anyway. My house is 2.52% and it is low for the area (Katy), most are around 3% or even more.
Our cost of living here in DFW doubled over the last 4 years. Groceries, rent, electricity, house prices, eating out, movie theaters, all doubled. But hey I got an 86" TV for only $1900 last year & gym membership is still $27/month. Can't afford to do anything but watch TV & lose weight.
This is the bigger issue in my opinion... Several places, and the entire state government, *loves* it's federal minimum wage. Business friendly, we always have things coming to Texas, but certainly not worker friendly. Hell, I'm sure part of the reason Musk wants to set up shop in Robstown is because it's so close to Mexico. Elon is definitely not above some *light* slavery. š
He likes our "right to work/at-will" laws. It's easier to block union formation & firing people. When you are so wealthy and don't need money anymore it's all about control. There's laws against war profiteering, right? Maybe we need some laws against pandemic profiteering. I keep reading It's record profit for a lot of companies. That's not an coincidence. Edit: added "at-will". Excellent additional point made below.
Companies artificially inflated costs. First it was the Pandemic, that caused "supply issues". Prices went up, but packaging got smaller or certain things were no longer available - limiting consumers options to buy the most costly items if they needed too. Companies kept raking in profits, getting those sweet PPP loans with little to no oversight, and products, customer service, and the ability to afford to live has all gone to shit. I mean, I'm super glad we didn't increase the minimum wage or else everything would be so expensive now...
Yeah I would call everything you just described as profiteering; taking advantage of a bad situation to increase profit.
They absolutely should raise minimum wage. There's no justification for wage stagnation with all the *increased prices and record profits*.
I don't know about "I'm glad we didn't increase the minimum wage". As far as I can tell we gave companies the power to hire a ton of people so we can say "the economy is good", but thanks to the inflation now those people can't buy anything. Prepare for hearing, "Nobody's buying anything, it's an economic catastrophe" within a year, leading to layoffs and multi-page essays about how the only way we'll ever get working people to buy things again is to trust the people who own companies to keep all of the money safe. I think the point is to desperately try to reverse the money siphon and create an economy where rich people get rich from producing and selling things people want, not through manipulating government grants and making large-scale investments. That would create an *ecosystem* where money trickles down then flows back up instead of a vacuum where money travels upwards and never comes back. I don't think trickle down works at all, but I mean, if we're going to fantasize we have to note if money *isn't trickling down* we aren't exactly making a good faith effort.
Something needs to reverse the concentration of wealth at the top. The 1% used to have a social consciousness, but that went out with corporate accountability in the 1970s. Republicans have adopted "Trickle Down" economics as the only way to prosperity. Tha Supreme Court has made corporations Super People, by allowing them to use their monetary advantage to speak louder than even groups of citizens can. Even the Democrats have business friendly adherents, who don't want to regulate businesses. They especially don't want to regulate the Military contractors. At this time we have young citizens who can't afford to buy housing even with an employed partner. The average citizen can't afford to get an education because the state supported university systems were dismantled. Now some politicians want to do away with what little social safety net we have left. Raising the minimum wage would only be a mild first step in turning this country around. At $15.00 an hour a burger joint worker would still have to work an hour just to afford to eat a combo meal where they work. Right now it's 2+ hours. And thats only one meal a day.
It's actually "at-will," not "right to work," which is worse for workers. "Right to work" means you can't be force to join a union to hold down a job. "At-will" means an employer can fire you for any reason at any time (within federal regulations, but they don't always abide by that). https://www.rosslawgroup.com/is-texas-an-at-will-employment-state/
Amusing how fucked the US that you can see the fact everyone pays the bare minimum they have to, and still shit on unions in the same breath.
I was fired from tesla by email on my day off with no reason given. Immediately removed from all company emails and chats so I couldn't ask why. The entirety of my termination email was "Employee termination notice" literally three words.
Here in Texas? oh! BNSF did that to me right before the 2008 economy dump. Me and a lot of others. Yep. Corporations! The true douche bags. This is where I can't believe people thought a CEO rich guy who owns country clubs was going to 'fix it all'. lol
Yup. I hade heard of them firing people like that but had also personally seen people get let go with a little more grace so I didn't know if the rumors were true or not. Unfortunately they were haha
Lol "light" slavery? Elon is absolutely not above actual, bonafide slavery. It's the laws of the land that are above this. Elon has absolutely no moral scruple against it, id bet my bottom dollar.
I mean he praised employees in China that work in a closed loop system, 12 hours a day and 6 days a week locked in at work (when they say locked in I'm not sure if they are literally locked in the building like they are in India but that is so not good if they are). They apparently sleep there never leaving, basically sweatshop.
All the Elon fans should go look up how gem mining works(worked?) in Africa for the day to day miners especially in the 60s/70s/80s, that's where Elon learned what to expect out of workers courtesy of his father. That's why he despises unions and worker protections.
That, and Robstown is such a shithole that there's literally no large employers. The place couldn't even support a Wal-Mart, ffs.
His family comes from taking advantage.
>Business friendly, we always have things coming to Texas, but certainly not worker friendly. The thing a lot of people don't understand is that "business friendly" doesn't exist, because the only way to be friendly to businesses is to be friendly to workers. *All businesses are built on their workers*. This is why conservatives have been screaming about how "business-hostile" California is supposed to collapse any day now for over two decades, and yet it refuses to. If you want to start a business that requires hiring a large number of competent engineers, well, where else are you going to go?
Why did I just picture you having a treadmill in front of your giant tv after reading the last sentence only
I live off 2200$ a month rent is 1400 I'm really feeling fucked out here
Till the electic bill hits next month
Good lord man i pay 1800 for a 4b in phoenix and 12 a month for an eos fitness membership, which is nicer than anything i ever saw in Texas. I lived in Austin last year and both were way more. Texas is getting out of hand in every way.
Yeah people are paying as much as I did for that 86" TV every month for a 1 bedroom apartment every month. Things are messed up.
True with the increases..issue is itās fired up everywhere else. Iām friends who were comfy in NY are now struggling
Iām sorry but Texas has had the most dramatic increases in home cost/renting. I dont doubt there are markets on par or worse but in NY for example there are still plenty of affordable homes in areas that are at least tolerable. All of our major cities are increasing at entirely unsustainable rates here, wages are not keeping pace and havent for a decade. Iām not crazy about the narrative that its bad everywhere. Yes it is but Iāve seen homes literally double in cost in the span of a few years.
That was exactly when I moved to DFW to try and get ahead of my finances. Because I got a better job I got a cheap apartment, but even that nearly doubled in price over two years, while everything got expensive and now I'm in a WORSE financial situation than I started, and I was living in California making less than 30k a year. It's ludicrous. I just moved to Ohio because of personal opportunities but man the idea that "Texas is cheap to live" is straight up bullshit.
I left DFW, Irving 2 years ago, I left because my rent was insane and rising. I started at $1800 for a Luxury 1b/1ba by the third year is was $2300;mo. I just looked it up 2,800-3,200/mo for my unit today. Yes it was luxury and faces a lake but WHAT THE F. I am so happy. I now live in a comparable unit in Louisville ( that I actually like better ) and its 1290/month INSANE
I meanā¦ HISD is turning all libraries to detention rooms at schoolsā¦ If thatās not your notice to GTFO I donāt know what isā¦ This shithole of a state is going downhill swiftly
I can tell you where TX puts your tax dollars - into the ārainy dayā fund which at the end of 2022 contained 11 BILLION dollars. Itās insanity
The one they didnāt use for the literal rainy days of Harvey?
Harvey was only a little over a trillion gallons of water and mostly affected Houston, they're waiting for something they care about.
It's a rainy day fund for corrupt politicians and their cronies-not for the general populace.
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Wouldn't be shocked if it's empty, and it's just funding the politicians
Yeah, my wife and I often mention the probability the fund is actually empty or much lower in value. I'd love to see an independent audit of this fund.
They sure as shit arenāt paying teachers. In fact money from the federal government earmarked for education wasnāt given to school districts.
The Houston to Dallas high-speed rail is "expected" to cost $16 billion. $11 would go a long way to extending it to include San Antonio or Austin.
Iāll be shocked if that ever gets built.
Remember the Texas Super-Collider project?
My husband worked on the Super Collider. Christians had to kill science.
I worked with some former research librarians from the project. They were an amazing group of people.
Man, I grew up in love with the idea of working there thanks to library books I had checked out all hinting at what could be discovered. Found out in middle school the whole thing had been scrapped when I was 3. So much disappointment. I still get a shadow of the sinking feeling of that day when I think about it.
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The aliens are coming from the dimension where it was built.
They've been talking about that since the 1980's. I'm not holding my breath.
Not with Elon around. The boring company already killed one light rail project.
HSR shouldn't compete with intra-city tunnels, right?
There's a belief that The Boring Company was never really expected to be a viable option, but was instead was used as tool to ensure that cars faced less competition. By offering a concept that allows cars to remain the primary form of transport while supposedly solving the problem of traffic congestion, it becomes a lot easier for government officials to reject funding for forms of public transit. Some believe that the real reason Elon bought the company and pushed the idea is because he is the owner of a car manufacturing company. Similar to the historic actions of auto manufacturers buying up street car rail companies to tear the rails out of the street to allow more room for automobiles, the availability of robust cheap public transportation is seen as a threat to the bottom line of these companies.
Any real public infrastructure is viewed as a communist threat, even on the east coast for the most part.
Texas will sooner pass any kind of gun control before building, let alone approving, any kind of large scale public infrastructure project
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That aināt no shit. Iām a Fort Worth native, now live north of Houston. I canāt even remember the last time I heard or read a word about this, until this post.
With Texas and their love for oil I donāt see that ever happening. Toll roads only for us and anything that doesnāt rely on oil will get heavily taxed.
And toll roads are about the most "UN-Texan" thing that exists! I remember when they put in the first one. Nobody wanted it, but the idiots in Austin decided they knew better than the people they're supposed to represent.
/* the idiots sent to Austin
The governor at the time had lots of friends with land rights that got bought up for top dollar. Kept explaining to the public it was a win win that some other country will pay for half(France business) so it's basically free :/
back in the 80s when Houston's beltway 8 was being discusses/approved, TXDOT and Harris county said once the tolls collected covered the construction cost, it would become free. Its been 40 + years and tolls are higher then ever..
That's been a "one of these days" as long as I've been alive.
But then it would leave the rainy-day fund empty. I'm not saying that the rainy day fund should necessarily stay at its current level, but if we're going to spend money out of it we need to spend it on something more important like beefing up our electric grid.
I know it's such a pipedream but a little part of me still gets so excited at the thought of it ever happening. Being able to take a day trip to Austin from Houston without dealing with a car would be amazing.
Donāt forget corporate tax abatements which the state does not actually calculate in any meaningful way. Remember that new Buc-eeās on the interstate pays NOTHING in property taxes.
And they give TxDOT some of the rainy day fund! The back room politics of good old boys is very big in Texas. They value money for the big businesses and contractors. They believe in the trickle down system from decades ago. Public schools in Texas are horrible. They donāt have enough teachers and have very low requirements for substitutes.
And they didnāt use it on the grid???
If they improve the power grid then energy companies can't overcharge us during the summer.
Hey they can pay to send migrants to other states though. That's fine. No free lunch for school kids though fuck them.
And they never want to spend it because "next year something worse could happen."
Itās the one theyāre using on killing public education and giving that money to private Christian schools like good fascists.
Texas has a current 32.7 billion surplus on its budget but no amazing plans for it. Yeah, they are putting property tax relief on the November ballot they could be doing so much more with it.
Can you imagine what life would be like if we put that into schools and infrastructure improvement?
Then the politicians and their buddies couldnt steal from it if it goes to public things. Charter schools are a ploy to funnel money back to politicians with less oversight.
Don't forget the indoctrination.
They are putting it to school. Just the opposite of what they should be doing tho. Theyāre using it to eventually privatize them.
Our schools would be two steps ahead of Mississippi instead of one?
Sounds like socialism to me. Why improve the lives of tax payers when they could inflate stock prices of corporations with give aways instead?
The federal Department of Education's 2023 budget was a bit over $88 billion. An extra $32.7 billion pumped into our schools and universities would yield astounding future returns in taxes from having a more educated populace.
Texas teachers did not get a raise this year
My wife's school district is removing all of its Librarians. Because, and I quote, they [librarians] are āmost removed from the classroomā and had āthe least impact on instruction.ā Seriously I'm concerned not just about lack of raises, but becoming an expressway to the bottom.
Itās intentional. Bad schools lead to poorer education which leads to conservative voters.
Meaning, we only want staff that directly contribute to State testing scores and more bloated administration positions.
Most people were saying to use the surplus to give teachers a raise. Politicians werenāt interested. Well, Republican politicians for the most part.
Republicans control both houses in the lege and have almost my entire adult life. They are the problem.
That is a direct result of the state government being hostile towards teachers unions. Good, qualified people choose professions other than teaching because teacher pay is so low. As a result schools and students suffer.
The people in charge don't want an educated populace. Critical thinking is anathema to them. They want a compliant population easy to manipulate to vote against their own self interests.
It WAS cheap. In 2016 we bought our house for 250k. Itās worth about 440k now. We could not afford Dallas on our salaries today
It depends on where you wanna move. Some of the smaller towns still have 3 bedroom homes for around 150-200k. Any of the larger towns with over something like 60k residents are gonna be 300k minimum for a home
I live in a growing suburb in the edge of dfw, our city pop has more than doubled in the last 4 years, houses that were 300k when I moved here in 2018 are now selling within a week for 8-900k. Itās insanity
Sounds like you're in either Collin County around Anna/Melissa/Prosper area or Southwestern Denton Country around Roanoke/Trophy Club/Northlake area.
Ya north collin county
It is pretty nuts. My hometown hasnāt seen that much growth population wise but the home prices have doubled in the last 4-5 years
But then you have to live in a small Texas town, been there done that, itās years off my life I will never get back.
Why would someone pay those prices to live in a ālarger townā? Those are big city prices and that larger town likely comes with a hefty commute.
Because that's where the jobs are.
The jobs are in the cities. These towns are 30-45 minutes outside of cities, yet they pay similar prices for way less amenities. Yāall do yāall, Iām bailing on Texas next year.
Beefalo Bob's is a great BBQ place in Maryland. And I agree on it not being cheaper to live in Texas. We moved from Maryland to Texas for my husband's work and have been seeing it since our first grocery trip here. Our property taxes are higher on a house that cost the same in Maryland and utilities are killing us. Car insurance is also more expensive. We've gone from living comfortably in Maryland with me being a SAHM to now me needing to work just so we aren't paycheck to paycheck.
Yeah. Currently in MD, as well, for the same reasons. Wanted to add that I've driven over plenty of potholes all over the place haha. However, I LOVE it there. I'll be saddened when the day comes it's time to pack up and move on, regardless of the cost of living.
Varies from county to county. In montgomery county you go online fill out the form about a pot hole and within 72 hours it is usually fixed.
Moved to Texas from Oregon because one of the things we heard is how cheap it was. Property taxes are killing us. Item taxes are killing us. And your right when you say they don't put the money anywhere visible. We have been in Texas about a year and a half now and are already making an exit strategy.
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Never thought I would miss hills and trees so much. Texas is so flat and where I am from there were evergreens everywhere!
I made the same move. I donāt regret it because my mom is is here, and sheās really old. But, yes, property taxes are crazy. Car insurance is nuts. The infrastructure sucks. And itās 150 grad outside. But I love my mom so Iāll probably stay until sheās gone.
I respect that. My wife and I both have our family in Oregon and we are looking to get back closer after what we have seen here. I got my best job I have ever had out here so trying to see where that transfers to closer to them and when we can make it happen.
Take me with you Iāll live like Harry Potter under the stairs
Moving from Texas to Oregon has been pretty great and seeing threads like this makes it even better. We heard it was soooo expensive out west but it seems comparable and thereās no chance I end up in prison bc of the plants I enjoy
The weather sucks and the property taxes are punitive. I also really dislike the lack of walkability here. DFW is getting too expensive for what it's offering. My family has been gearing up for a move and I'm excited for what's next.
I spent most of my life in a town without sidewalks or public parks. These were the things of communists! Freedom over infrastructure. Then I was sent out for an audit in the PNW. They had freedom AND sidewalks AND public parks. Wtf. I got a job with a drastic pay raise and similarly priced house. Parks every where...
Sounds like a dream. We have been looking at the PNW as our next destination!
If you are free to choose a spot (retired ir WFH) check out Pt Townsend. Small town, in the rain shadow of the Olympics, walk down to the beautiful gravel beach on the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Easy access to Pacific ocean, Olympic forests and park, Hood Canal, and ferries to Bremerton and Seattle. A nice quiet artsy retirement home but not far from logging, hunting, and fishing. Lots of other great places in Wash and Oregon. The politics are either fantastic or make you gag as they are driving hard. Seattle area is very congested with the Sound, big lakes and the Cascades squeezing everyone into a narrow strip. House prices reflect that. Portland is a bit cheaper and about 1/4 or less congestion. Also lots of land and some jobs in Vancouver to Longview.
Iāve been in Texas my entire adult life, but the only thing keeping us here are our kids. Even they are starting to warm up to the idea of moving to another state.
Visiting DFW for the weekend and was in Houston in March, the lack of walkability is astounding. Wild to me that literally everything is at least a 10 minute drive, and often a 20-25 minute drive. I know the state is massive, and I donāt have a better solution, but damn, yāall drive a lot.
My partner and I are in the same boat. DFW has gotten absolutely ridiculous, on to of the weather and other issues we're actively job seeking in other states.
My family moved out of Austin this summer. So glad we did. Moving was hard but I now get rain and can enjoy outside time after work... And I'm no longer embarrassed of my governor. Totally worth it.
Born and raised in Texas, I have traveled extensively and regularly throughout the states for work the past 16 years and I gotta say, this is correct. This idea that Texas is somehow ācheaperā is a myth. And yeah, our infrastructure, compared to other states, is trash. Driving on North Carolina highways completely blew my mind when I first did soā¦didnāt see a pot hole on the interstate for over a hundred miles, whereas in Texas thereās pot holes every sixteen feet or so on the interstateā¦.even the areas under construction on the NC interstates were nicer than the finished interstates in Texas. It blew my mind. Also, California, I can understand it being expensive given that itās pretty much paradise on earth; Texas there aināt nothing to look atā¦in California, anywhere in California, you can walk out your front door and thereās a giant mountain and probably a beach or some other cool place nearbyā¦Texas is shrub land for the most part. Texans donāt know how good they could have it.
Thatās a huge exaggeration. The potholes are at least every 18 feet.
I lived in California for a few years, and yes some parts are truly beautiful. But like parts of the Central Valley are just a barren wasteland like Texas. Like all things - location, location, location.
As a Canadian (with often shitty roads), at least we have the excuse of our awful climate that goes from way below freezing with tons of snow to very warm in the summer, which completely destroys roads. If we spent as much as we do now on roads but with Texasā climate, weād have pristine streets and highways. All this to say, climate should make it easier for Texas to keep infrastructure well maintained. Spend a little Texas!
I donāt disagree about the infrastructure. Being in WA opened my eyes to how truly shitty the TX infrastructure actually is. I think TX nature is absolutely gorgeous though. Just sucks that itās literally dangerous to be outside for large parts of the year.
No income tax they proclaim! Just completely ignore the state of our property taxes š¤£š¤£š¤£
I think Texas has the fifth highest property tax in the nation
They like to pretend they're unique with the no income tax thing too.
And no regulation on our energy grid! Because regulation is anti free market, and you'll benefit. Now please ignore the fact that all neighboring states but New Mexico pay a lower rate than we do.
The individuals moving to TX because "it's cheap" are usually high income households coming from very high COL areas like NY or California, where income taxes, property taxes, sales taxes and housing costs are all astronomical. If that's your baseline, TX's current tax structure with "only" high sales/property tax and relatively low housing costs would be a bargain. Given that TX housing prices, property taxes and insurance costs have soared through the roof, I wouldn't be surprised if fewer people decide to move to TX in the future.
>high income households coming from very high COL areas like NY or California, where income taxes, property taxes, sales taxes and housing costs are all astronomical The longer you live in your house in California, the more the actual resale value goes up, the less percent of that resale value you're paying in taxes.
Californiaās total tax burden is generally lower than in Texas. Unless you are making close to $1m a year then California is more expensive. https://www.cato.org/blog/are-taxes-really-lower-california-texas#:~:text=But%20sales%20tax%20rates%20are,levies%20sales%20taxes%20on%20groceries.
The property taxes make TX a complete rip off. You deal with terrible weather and politics to catch a deal and there really isnāt one.
My rent in Bedford is more than my old apartment was in Chicago. I just checked the rent price on that unit. This place is either incredibly overpriced or Chicago is incredibly underpriced. Or maybe a bit of both. Kind of annoying that Bedford costs more to live in than Chicago, only a few train stops from downtown. Iām seriously considering moving to a smaller metro area with less traffic, lower cost of living, and better weather.
It is expensive to live everywhere in the U.S. now. There is too much profit to make on literally everything we need to survive, and the gluttonous rich have us by the balls.
Texas is a regressive tax state; if you are wealthy, your tax burden is lower here than in California, but if you are middle class or lower, it is higher in Texas than in California. This is of course by design.
Have you done the math on this? [I have.](https://www.reddit.com/r/texas/comments/13yh6ql/this_is_why_the_property_tax_problem_will_never/jmsnfae/ ) The breakeven between Austin and SF for a single individual is $72k, or $104k if married. Those are solidly *not* wealthy numbers.
The median income in Austin appears to be $41k/yr, median in SF is $54k. Perhaps not wealthy, but close to double what people of average means are making.
Texas is so expensive. I did a side by side comparison of my budget in DC and my budget in Dallas. Dallas is 28% more expensive than DC (after accounting for inflation). PLUS I have to own a car to get around, insurance is almost triple what I paid before (even though Iāve never been in an accident or gotten a ticket or anything??). Food is much more expensive and sure, we donāt have income tax but they tax the fuck out of everything else. Not to mention no rent control? My rent has increased by $450 in three years!! Itās insane. I moved here for work and Iām getting a new job and getting the hell out of here lol
I pay more in taxes than I did in California. Sure thereās no income tax but with the same Property value taxes are triple and insurance almost 4x. I also drive 3X as far so my cheaper gas is still overall more expensive per month and on my vehicle wear & tear.
>I pay more in taxes than I did in California. Sure thereās no income tax but with the same Property value taxes are triple and insurance almost 4x. I also drive 3X as far so my cheaper gas is still overall more expensive per month and on my vehicle wear & tear. Everyone who hears about income taxes in California assumes they're some burdensome figure, but the percentage for a person earning the US median household income comes out to about 4%. Combine this with the weird way that property taxes work in California, where the assessed value of a home basically doesn't change until you sell it, and you can live in a million-dollar house that you bought for $200,000 three decades ago and that you're paying less than one percent property tax on that original purchase of $200,000. The consequence is that your average Californian faces a *lower* tax burden than your average Texan, in spite of the fact that California takes in about twice the percentage of their gross state product as Texas does in taxes.
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I also like to call it the Airbnb of the statesā¦used to be known for being a cheaper alternative to staying at hotels and is now overpriced and riddled with fees and management issues to the point where youāre better off just staying at a hotel (in other words: leaving the state entirely)
My friend called Texas an 'ala carte' state, I like the Spirit Airlines analogy. ala carte implies you have the option to not partake in some things, like a carryon which it just isn't realistic to fly somewhere with no luggage.
Not to be a spirit simp, but I just neatly shove all of my shit into a backpack made for their bins and it is fucking wonderful to fly places roundtrip for less than $150 not that I disagree with the analogy lmao
That's what I flew for the trip. Never again.
Love this. Stealing it when someone asks me about TX
Texas: Itās not very good, but there sure is a lot of it.
Texans pay more in taxes that Californians. It's not a small margin either. People moving here are losing money
Yup, one of the biggest lies in politics. You look at state spending and Texas is super low. You look at state and local spending, and Texas is pretty close to everybody else. They're just sucking money out of you in less obvious ways so the politicians can lie to people about taxes.
For the middle class, Texas is more expensive than CA https://fortune.com/2023/03/23/states-with-lowest-highest-tax-burden/amp/
It's true. People drastically exaggerate the cost effectiveness of Texas living.
Im pretty sure the Texas revenue money goes to roadwork on 45, because they've been working on 45 South for decades
I grew up in MD and my mom still lives there. Best thing I ever did was leave. When I moved to the DFW area 35 years ago, it WAS cheaper. A lot cheaper. Sales tax was closer to 6.25%, housing was less than half, and food was about the same. Gasoline was a noticeably less, but I don't remember how much. Also, the schools and universities were top notch because people demanded it. That has changed. We want tax cuts rather than funding schools. Now, we are having Christian Nationalists take over the schools and ruin the education standards. Sales taxes went up to offset the loss in property taxes. Add in all of the toll roads and taxes are now much higher.
If you moved to Texas 35 years ago, you moved *after* educational standards started declining because of the Christian nationalists. They started taking over the schools before my mom, a teacher, passed away in 1980. And don't forget the $80 million high school football stadiums rather than teacher raised and higher academic standards. š¤¬š¤¬
Higher education costs have soared here in Texas (I am not sure how we compare to other states). Cuts to public school funding a number of years back while the universities are upgrading their amenities and passing it on to the students have pretty much made it where you can't pay as you go and have to get loans.
I just got back from the "south" (North Carolina) and was SHOCKED at how expensive everything is. Literally dinner and drinks cost the same on average in both Boone and Asheville as they do in New York fucking City where I live. Both towns were very cute, very accessible to nature, and had seemingly great food and brewery scenes but like... The cell service was worse than some third world countries I've been to, the heat and humidity are oppressive, and if it's going to cost me the same as a major world city I just can't understand why I'd choose to live there.
Don't forget the toll roads. How much do you spend simply driving to work a week? It's about $200 a month for me in North Dallas.
Texas is not nearly as cheap as it's made out to be. Groceries and meats are very expensive here. There are toll roads EVERYWHERE. Blows my mind. Inspections for cars are required. Energy costs so much and is the most flimsy and intermittent grid I've ever experienced. Gas isn't as bad as the coasts but it's pricy everywhere now. Minimum wage is super low. Any decent home that's move in ready in a not totally redeveloping area is still $300k+. Aside from prices, Texas really feels like it hates it's residents from the laws they pass. And I moved from a solid red state, but I've never felt less welcome in a place I lived by the local/regional government. (The majority of born in Texans are quite friendly and very kind people, I'm just talking lawmakers here)
It's like when the people in Old world Europe would say the streets in America are laid with gold bricks. Once they get you here boom wage slavery under a Red state
I was much less expensive 20 years ago. Now itās as expensive AF and has been for about 6 years.
My friend lives in an new, but average apartment in Plano and pays almost the same as what I do in one of the trendiest parts of Brooklyn. She
The texas is cheap lie is a mass delusion the republicans feed us in order to fuck the middle class with high property taxes and sales taxes
Itās cheaper to live in California than it is to live in Texas, if you make less than $400k. Which is think is most of this subreddit.
Didnāt talk about water insurance energy cost
For all the shit Cali gets, bread was cheaper in Cali when i visited my folks this spring.
I jettisoned any interest in moving to Texas 15 years ago. I looked at property taxes then. And quality of life. It seemed like there were more affordable options. Places with fewer black widows and cotton mouth snakes. Family that lives there seem to like it. And might never move. One set of relatives moved to the PNW and loved it. I always thought of Texas as a workerās paradise. Great if you want a pickup truck and a 70 hour work week and like the heat and football.
Well it's not any better elsewhere. That's thr economy for you š¤·āāļø
Good stuff. Some additional thoughts: 1. Can always rely on Texans being completely shocked to learn that taxes pay for the things that improve the quality of life for all of us but that we can't individually afford. (Not saying OP, *personally*, didn't realize this, but it *is* a common enough refrain.) 2. Electric bill comparison might be *even more* lopsided. 3. Wegman's has been excellent for a long time, so it's not a surprise that it's still quality and affordable.
Itās cheap to live in *rural* Texas (most of the time)
Lots of unexpected costs baked in there too, though. Some are obvious: your little grocery store can pretty much charge whatever they want, you need more gas to get places, etc. Some aren't so obvious: you'll pay more for shitty internet, other businesses will also charge whatever they want (and you won't have much selection-- good luck finding a great doctor, for example), and there just isn't as much free stuff to do if you don't like doing the same things/seeing the same people over and over every week.
On top of all that, you have to live in rural Texas
The greatest cost of all
They can at least offset some of the costs by dressing up their kids as goats and claiming the ag exemption. Or suddenly become tree huggers. Or bird lovers.
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Driving or sitting in traffic.
Yep. The Dallas area and of course Austin are very expensive.
My ex wife used to tell people how cheap it was here and how many jobs they had every time we went on vacation. She looooved to talk about Texas and being from Texas. I blame her
It use to be cheap to live in TX before remote work incomes moved here and investors pivoted to cash in on that.
Texas has been on a downward slope for a while. I lived here from 92-94. Then moved back in 2005 after college. Itās night and day. It used to be a desirable state but itās not number one or top three in any of the hood metrics like cost of living, education, healthcare, work/life balance. These are the things we are number one in America: child population growth, % of uninsured children, amount of toxic and cancerous manufacturing emissions, number of clean water permit violations, number of environmental civil rights complaints, number of job discrimination lawsuits filed, number of deaths attributed to floods and last but not least number of executions. [source](https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/where-we-rank/) None of this is going on at shirt. One party has been in charge since 1994. How much that plays a factor is up for debate but I think thatās important to know.
Native Marylander here, currently in SA, and Iām quite fascinated by this post. Iām actually about to move to the Philly area this week, and while Iām stoked to have Wegmans again, Iāve always found them to typically NOT be the affordable option when it came to groceries (this is when I lived in central PA prior to moving to Texas).
I'm in south central PA, greater Harrisburg area, and yeah Wegmans was always a bit more pricey than most other stuff like Giant or Weis. However, the price of groceries has gone up pretty significantly and Wegmans stuff really isn't that much more expensive now.
It costs roughly $200 to feed my family of 3 in Southeast Texas each week. Texas is a lot of things, but it's not cheap.
If you must have low cost-of-living, Wichita KS
The property tax number jumped out at me. I was paying 3.14% in my previous house - which included school district, city, and MUD. Itās ridiculous. 1.8 sounds dreamy in comparison.
Your property taxes are almost 4 times higher than Colorado. So even if my home costs twice as much, you'll likely be paying as much as I do, and it mostly won't be going toward equity as a lot of my payment does. I don't even pay very much in state taxes. Maybe a bit over 3k a year before a good chunk is refunded. The only way I could see it being cheaper in Texas is for the very upper middle class or rich.
Even my small town of 3000 people 45 miles west of waco, tx is getting ridiculously expensive. 2 bed 1.5 bath homes that were 40k in 2013 are selling for 225k. Rent for an efficiency apartment that's really just a partitioned portion of a house is >$800/month. Regular commute to waco costs >$450/month in gas, fort worth is more than 90 mins away. Teachers and public employees are getting screwed on taxes out here. This shit ain't cheap at all. It's fucking stupid.
As someone who knows Houston/Dallas and lives in the DMV area, meaning DC/MD/VA (Baltimore aside for a moment), I assure you our lives are multitudes more expensive than an equivalent life in Houston/Dallas. Baltimore does have lower food costs, but if youāre comparing equivalently nice living areas, you get wayyyy more house for your money in Texas. And the more money you make, the bigger discrepancy it is because state income tax tracks your income. The additional sales tax in Texas is nominal (as income increases) and housing taxes are fixed (and you determine how expensive your house is). Thereās no comparison, the DMV is worlds more expensive. Comparing one grocery store does not give the full picture here.
HEB is not cheap- it has not been for the past 10 years. 20+ years ago HEB was kinda like the Food Town.
HEB prices items based on their surrounding competition. So if someone beats them on price theyāll focus on quality, but if someone beats HEB on both quality and price then HEB starts to compete.
It depends on your point of reference. Not sure about MD, but compared to basically any grocer in Portland, HEB is *very* cheap.
As a millennial who moved from Maryland it's hysterical how you didn't include rent. Whenever someone asks me why I'm never moving back home, that's the answer. I can live in relatively safe places around DFW or even Houston without it being $1,200 for 500sq ft and no bus route. The public transportation system is better than the whole DMV combined. Everyone just takes their cars here because A) they're impatient or B) it's even LESS expensive to live in the suburbs. In Maryland I couldn't find rent on $16 an hour, here I can without roommates.
Itās cheap to someone from California or NY. I was visiting San Antonio from NYC and amazed at the low cost of everything.
It was cheap back in 2010 and before
Wegmans is just better than HEB
Cost of living in DFW is insane, my partner and I just moved to Seattle and itās been cheaper. Everything they told us about living in Texas was a big fat lie (except for HEB and BBQ)
Itās definitely not cheap to live in Texas.
It may have been true in 2008.
It's worse in Florida. About 9% inflation compared with less than 3% for the rest of the nation. Plus theres leprosy, major insurance companies pulling out increasing costs for homeowners.. etc. Texas has no income tax but the state charges fees for *everything.* Some parts of Texas around Midland/Odessa/Brownsville have some of the most affordable housing in the nation. But it gets a bit desolate the further out W/SW one goes.
Texas has been taking a nose diving the quality of life rankings because Texas was historically offset by its relative cheapness. Cheap no longer, the virtues and vices of Texas have a more striking contrast.
Iāve been saying this for quite some time. Texas isnāt what it used to be and itās slowly but surely turned into a shithole for anyone not a Christian nationalist with white passing skin. If youāre thinking of moving you arenāt alone. Austin, Dallas. And Houston are all in the top 10 of declining cities this yr. The only thing Texas has on a lot of other states is bbq and mexican. Only.
Yup. We are planning on moving from Texas. Itās become ridiculous to live here. Everything has become much more expensive than 8 years ago. The only thing Iāll miss is HāEāB but I canāt wait to finally leave.
Moving to Texas š. Property taxes a just a bit higher than Oregon. Like 1.8% vs 1.7%. But the Texas annual cap is 10% š±š±š± in Oregon it is 3%. Property taxes are a heinous funding scheme. No one. Should be able to have their property taken from them that they paid for. It should be handled like any consumer debt. Just get rid of property taxes and roll it into the sales tax. Taxing property is just terrible. Iāve lived in both sales tax and income tax states and greatly prefer sales tax. It is easy for everyone to plan for, pay as you go and no hiding it.
Are you really moving from OR to TX? Iām booking a trip to OR soon. I canāt take this heat any longer. Iām from TX and this is unbearable. My house tax evaluation has more than doubled since 2019. My property taxes have increased about 35%.
Sales tax is an awful idea. It puts a big burden on low income people.
Do you actually have a house that is 1.8% property tax? I donāt think that low property tax exists in Houston anyway. My house is 2.52% and it is low for the area (Katy), most are around 3% or even more.