Cost of living in different parts of Texas (Houston, Austin: houses, neighborhoods)

[Jennifervan]

Beaumont/Port Arthur/Orange has very reasonable housing. But it's.....Beaumont/Port Arthur/Orange.

[NewMexicoCowboy]

Originally Posted by supfromthesite

What are some of the highest and lowest cost of living places in Texas?

Obviously for highest you have Austin. People on this site have been talking about Dallas going up too. Does this include the Fort Worth portion of the Metroplex? Houston is lower than Dallas for sure, and then San Antonio is the lowest of the big 4 metros. How does Fredericksburg compare to the big cities? Is it in Houston territory? What are some other small towns that are high now? Marfa? I know the hill country towns tend to be pretty expensive, and towns outside of the big cities.

For cheapest it has to be some places in west or south Texas. Laredo and the RGV have been going up a bit but still might be the cheapest cities in Texas. I know for west Texas Midland is high. How does it compare to the big cities? If somebody is working in Midland and making the same money they were making in Houston will they save more money you think?

During the boom Midland can be as expensive as some big cities in Texas.I think sometimes its the cost of living may be close to Austins cost of living..I heard that oil companies tend to pay their Midland employees more than the Houston ones due to cost of living and it being such a lousy place to live so a Midland oilfield worker may make less than the Houston one if they are paid the same due to cost of living.

[ChristieP]

Originally Posted by LocalPlanner

What about Mesquite and Forney?

The decent areas of Mesquite (Creek Crossing) aren’t getting any cheaper, but the bad parts are still fairly inexpensive due to them not aging well, and having higher crime. MISD schools aren’t as good as they were back in the 1980s when they were among the best in DFW.

Forney has some inexpensive homes, but they are technically out of the city limits (Travis Ranch), or way south of I20 (Heartland). The developments in town, such as Devonshire, are priced a lot higher. Forney ISD currently has the best schools in Kaufman County and they just passed a HUGE bond to keep up with the very high growth.

In between Mesquite and Forney is Sunnyvale, home of the $1M house on 1 acre with exemplary schools.

[LocalPlanner]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

The decent areas of Mesquite (Creek Crossing) aren’t getting any cheaper, but the bad parts are still fairly inexpensive due to them not aging well, and having higher crime. MISD schools aren’t as good as they were back in the 1980s when they were among the best in DFW.

Forney has some inexpensive homes, but they are technically out of the city limits (Travis Ranch), or way south of I20 (Heartland). The developments in town, such as Devonshire, are priced a lot higher. Forney ISD currently has the best schools in Kaufman County and they just passed a HUGE bond to keep up with the very high growth.

In between Mesquite and Forney is Sunnyvale, home of the $1M house on 1 acre with exemplary schools.

Yeah, I knew that Sunnyvale was a little island of affluence and high home values.

[supfromthesite]

I'm messing around with this COL calculator and according to the salary comparison the cost of living in Houston doesn't seem to be all that much higher than San Antonio.

edit: it also says Dallas is more expensive than Austin so maybe not all that reliable...

[done working]

Originally Posted by supfromthesite

What are some of the highest and lowest cost of living places in Texas?

Obviously for highest you have Austin. People on this site have been talking about Dallas going up too. Does this include the Fort Worth portion of the Metroplex? Houston is lower than Dallas for sure, and then San Antonio is the lowest of the big 4 metros. How does Fredericksburg compare to the big cities? Is it in Houston territory? What are some other small towns that are high now? Marfa? I know the hill country towns tend to be pretty expensive, and towns outside of the big cities.

For cheapest it has to be some places in west or south Texas. Laredo and the RGV have been going up a bit but still might be the cheapest cities in Texas. I know for west Texas Midland is high. How does it compare to the big cities? If somebody is working in Midland and making the same money they were making in Houston will they save more money you think?

After 4 years living here in Central Texas from So Calif we can state that we are saving 30% in actual costs living in Texas. That does nit include the saving in buying a home since we owned ours outright in Calif and paid cash when we moved here.

[BobTex]

Originally Posted by Jennifervan

Beaumont/Port Arthur/Orange has very reasonable housing. But it's.....Beaumont/Port Arthur/Orange.

People afraid of crime and have left and gutted all 3 cities. Port Arthur first (80's-90's), then Orange (90's) and now an on-going thing in Beaumont which is becoming a crime cesspool.

When I go to Beaumont I have my head on a swivel and I'm armed well. All the bedroom communities around Beaumont are bursting at the seams with higher housing costs. Even up here where I live 50 miles north land prices have tripled and quadrupled in 25 years and new construction homes are popping up everywhere and I'm pretty far out in the woods.

[BMW R1100]

I have found that home insurance is sky-high due to the whole state being vulnerable to the Gulf and it's problems. I live not far from Ft. Worth and home insurance rates are three times what I paid in CA, which has earthquakes!

[ChristieP]

Originally Posted by BMW R1100

I have found that home insurance is sky-high due to the whole state being vulnerable to the Gulf and it's problems. I live not far from Ft. Worth and home insurance rates are three times what I paid in CA, which has earthquakes!

No, homeowner's insurance rates are not high due to hurricanes since they really do not affect anything except the actual gulf coast areas. It is high due to wind and hail damage. A Texas hailstorm will ruin your roof and total your cars in a matter of minutes, and they usually occur with very little warning.

[Canine*Castle]

Originally Posted by BMW R1100

I have found that home insurance is sky-high due to the whole state being vulnerable to the Gulf and it's problems. I live not far from Ft. Worth and home insurance rates are three times what I paid in CA, which has earthquakes!

It's the tornadoes, high winds, flooding and hail, I believe, that are the culprits. Most of Texas isn't bothered by hurricanes.