Houston - High Salary Vs Low Cost Of Living (Dublin: how much, townhome)

[Mpls-houston]

Originally Posted by Grunn

The comparisons they have given are largely irrelevant or just plain incorrect.

For that I don't know. I took it the poster has lived in Europe in the past so he/she knows what they are talking about. I leave it to them to correct you on that.

My heating bills were next to nothing living in France and SE England- around $220 US per quarter.

Again, you are comparing apple to orange. Yes, heating bills might be cheaper in Europe than in the US, but that is no fault to Houston.

London would be a better comparison with NYC.

They got ripped off with their car- find me a 99 740i in Houston in this condition for $4500, with no sales tax whatsoever on a used auto to add

This is irrelevant in comparison. BMW are produced in Europe so yes, it is cheaper there than here in the US. The costs of importing those cars into the US were significantly higher, therefore, higher price, even at the depreciation value.

Auto Trader UK - BMW 740i V8

You don't have to drive 20 miles to get to a large food store like HEB or Walmart for example, even with fuel at 4 times the price if you're driving 10 times less distance it's still cheaper.

This is based on your personal preference. Unless you live out on a farm, why would you have to drive 20 miles to go grocery shoped? These days grocery stores are all built either within or around a community for easy access.

I wasn't making living comparisons with a house in buttsville out in the sticks somewhere. I was comparing inner loop mid to top tier property rental prices with what you might find in other places I've lived.


Believe me I have taken everything else into consideration and relatively speaking if you want to live what I consider to be a 'normal' life here in Houston it isn't cheap. In fact it's more expensive than many places I've lived.

Where are the places you have lived before? Please give us some examples, and please don't say they were in Europe b/c that was irrelevant in comparison.

Taking all that into consideration I'd say your 'well done' was a little premature.

The poster in question might well be right regarding nurses pay- it's laughably poor in the UK if not the rest of europe and the NHS working conditions are difficult. Then again it costs a tenth of the price of US health care.

US health care cost is high, and it's the same everywhere you go in this country, not just in Houston!

[Grunn]

It's hard to reply to your posts when they are cut up and in that weird all quoted style, but thanks for trying.

I'll try to answer them

The car they were talking about was produced in europe also- my point is that used cars are more expensive here and in Houston especially seem to have mega mileage and have been neglected/abused.

The driving to the supermarket comments were an example. As I'm sure you're aware it would be nearly impossible to do everything one has to in life without a vehicle. This means you're forced to drive. This negates any saving on fuel because you're doing more miles with no actual benefit (this impacts on quality of life as well but that's another issue).

I've lived in several European countries in different parts of them

ie all over the UK

France- specifically the south and Paris (which WAS more expensive than Houston you will not be surprised to hear and in my opinion offered a worse quality of life than Houston as well)

Spain- Madrid, Barcelona

Portugal-Algarve

Germany-Munich (more expensive than Houston but much better quality of life)

and for short periods places like Copenhagen, Norway (expensive)


In any case my point is this-the comparisons are largely irrelevent as I have already stated, what I'm contending is that people who say the cost of living here is low are talking out of their hats.

You might be correct saying it's cheap if you want to live in the boonies and don't use much a/c or drive anywhere very much, while not getting ill and drinking coors light/eating rice-a-roni.

If you want to live like a 'human being' to paraphrase those pinata adverts then it's going to cost you a small fortune (I estimate my out of pocket total living expenses to be in excess of $90K for this year)

[tstone]

Originally Posted by Grunn

If you want to live like a 'human being' to paraphrase those pinata adverts then it's going to cost you a small fortune (I estimate my out of pocket total living expenses to be in excess of $90K for this year)

Yikes, out-of-pocket of over $90k/yr to "live like a human being?"

[chris_ut]

Originally Posted by Grunn

If you want to live like a 'human being' to paraphrase those pinata adverts then it's going to cost you a small fortune (I estimate my out of pocket total living expenses to be in excess of $90K for this year)

Apparently only 20% of Americans make enough money to even qualify as human beings. Of course those are household incomes, if your talking 90k per person than less than 10% of people in the US and maybe 3% of people in the entire world make enough money to support your minimum lifestyle requirements. Pardon me if I disregard your future comments.

[Mpls-houston]

Whatever. You sounded like you are a high maintenance, life-style, type of a person, so all of your complaints may be relevant to you. What kind of a person or family would spend on living expense in excess of $90k a year. Rediculous! If you make average income, but decide to live in a mansion, and spend a life style of NY or Hollywood, then don't complain about Houston does not save you money in the end.

BTW, the cities that you've lived before are all from a different continent, therefore, your point of comparison is irrelevant, again!

[Grunn]

The point of my comments was that I could live like a 'human being' on approx 1/3 less in other places I've lived.

It costs a fortune to live in a nice neighbourhood that isn't miles from the centre, have reasonable medical/dental coverage, have multiple cars and insure them so you won't be destitute in case of an accident etc etc etc.

If you're prepared to forgoe those things then I guess Houston could be a cheap place to live.

Feel free to disregard what you like, it's a free country (which incidentally is another good thing about living in the US)

MLPS you don't seem to 'get it'- disregard any comparisons, what I'm saying is that it IS NOT CHEAP to live in Houston, depite what people claim. Also comments like 'whatever' make you sound like a vacuous valley girl with a deficit of grey matter, you can do better.

[EM1956]

Originally Posted by Grunn

The point of my comments was that I could live like a 'human being' on approx 1/3 less in other places I've lived.

You have to be kidding. There is no way you can even live like a dirt poor student in London on 30,000 USD.

[EM1956]

Or Dublin.

[Mpls-houston]

Originally Posted by Grunn

The point of my comments was that I could live like a 'human being' on approx 1/3 less in other places I've lived.

It costs a fortune to live in a nice neighbourhood that isn't miles from the centre, have reasonable medical/dental coverage, have multiple cars and insure them so you won't be destitute in case of an accident etc etc etc.

If you're prepared to forgoe those things then I guess Houston could be a cheap place to live.

Feel free to disregard what you like, it's a free country (which incidentally is another good thing about living in the US)

MLPS you don't seem to 'get it'- disregard any comparisons, what I'm saying is that it IS NOT CHEAP to live in Houston, depite what people claim. Also comments like 'whatever' make you sound like a vacuous valley girl with a deficit of grey matter, you can do better.

You are the one the don't seem to ''get it". You kept complaining that it "IS NOT CHEAP to live in Houston", in compare to which city in the US? Then you would compare Houston to cities in Europe, give me a break. If you want to make a point, go and live enough time in other major cities in the US, then come back to Houston and make a comment. The comparisons you've made "make you sound like a vacuous valley girl with a deficit of grey matter."

[Grunn]

You're comparing Houston with capital cities, as I've already said NYC would be a fairer comparison.

You also seem to have misunderstood the meaning of 'one third less'- this may be because I use a dialect of the language you aren't familiar with, to wit, actual English.

One third less would be $60K.

Believe me I'm not making this up, the last place I lived was a large city in the Netherlands which I forgot to add to my list and to give you an example I had a 2 bed townhome in the best area in town and it cost me $1050 per month. My other costs such as vehicle, insurance car and health etc were all proportionally lower and I used to cycle to work ($100 per year for bike tyres!).

This is now in danger of looking like I am complaining about these extra costs, I am not. I am merely pointing out that Houston is not the cheap place to live in that some people make it out to be. At least not if you want to live a lifestyle that I would consider acceptable.

I have no idea how people earning the sums mentioned manage to survive but I do have the deepest respect for them, it must be near impossible. I wonder if this is why I hear of people with no medical coverage afraid to go to the doctor for fear of what it might cost them, or people literally starving to death in the richest society on earth.