Cost of Living in Houston

I've lived in Houston all my life, not in the City limits but the county. Crimereports.com will show you the amount of crime in Houston. The inner city is like any other inner city. There are gangs in certain areas like south Houston but they don't run the city. You just don't go to certain parts of the city at night alone.
The cost of a home is not $200-300k unless you live in a gated community and a suburb. Shop around and there are still houses going from $150 in nice places. The ones that weren't flooded are increasing though but that is likely temporary.
The worst part of Houston is the traffic because people from other states are moving here and don't know how to drive. The second worst is the HEAT. There truly is no white Christmases in Houston.
The best schools are Katy ISD and Tomball ISD and Conroe ISD to the north of Harris County.
There are teaching jobs that start at $45k-$50k depending on the school district but that counteracts with ridiculous cost of health insurance. Police start at about $50k. We have a state of the art medical center south of downtown and hospitals that are moving out into the suburbs that offer lots of jobs too.
We are not a biking or walking friendly city, except downtown because Houston is about 80 miles across so everyone needs a car. Public transit is scary and doesn't really work for suburbians unless you are going from your suburb to downtown. Streets are for cars, parks are for walkers and bikers. There are lots of free parks but free means overcrowded.
Inside Houston is liberal, sad to say but most of the suburbs are God fearing hard working families. The saying God & country, that's us.
Entertainment is all over the place. So many concert venues from symphony to Broadway to yes, country music night clubs. We have a museum district near the Houston Zoo near the medical center. Most of the formal concert halls are downtown but all types of night clubs are in the city in the suburbs. There are restaurants galore for every type of cuisine you can imagine: Mexican, Chinese, Italian, Middle Eastern, Greek, vegan, soul food and of course we love our steaks and seafood/crawfish. Prices range based on what you get and where. A family of 5 can eat for about $70. Steaks & seafood are more expensive, about $20 a plate.
We are in the Bible belt so most schools teach abstinence and we don't do the men in women's restrooms/showers things. There are a lot of sex offenders here but no worse than any other city. The further out you live the better it is but more costly. We live to the north of Houston in Montgomery County and there is significantly less crime. We bought a 1995 home last year for $180k,3 bedroom we turned into 5, 2300 sq. feet in well rated Conroe ISD. We are 4 miles from the Woodlands Mall, medical centers, Cynthia Wood Pavilion (outdoor concert venue), and tons of places to eat & play.
If I gave Houston, the city, a grade it would be about a 60.
But the suburbs of Houston and surrounding counties, I would rate a 90.

The people in Houston are very nice. Unfortunately Houston is a huge ghetto with a couple of great neighborhoods in between. Mexican gangs have moved in to the area and have already murdered some high school boys and girls who, due to the Narcos culture, think gangs are cool. Human trafficking is rampant here, Sex for sale everywhere, in every neighborhood- how many cheap hotels and massage parlors does a city need? And everyone looks the other way.

Drivers on the highway are out of control. Road rage and drivers shooting people -as they are driving- is not an unheard situation.

Poverty and all that comes with it -is about 70% of Houston. Before coming watch the local Houston news on your computer.

I used to love it until I came out of my bubble. Now it is disturbing.

I have had great experiences with Mexican people- legal-illegal- who cares. Most family oriented people want to work and provide a better life for their families. I can respect that in all people. It's the filth and illegal activity that gets to me.

So if you can find a bubble for your family- just stay inside - don't look out.

Whats the salary TAX structure there in Houston, Texas? I heard that the tax structure go upto 8 %. And will this include the Federal TAX or FICA ?

Houston is a great city. Job openings are everywhere you go. The only thing I hate about Houston is the traffic and 290. I feel like they have been working on 290 for 20 years. There are so many things you can do in Houston and there are a surplus of bars and nightclubs. Houston is also fairly inexpensive to live in. I would say it is best to be making a minimum of at least $25,000.00 year to live on your own and you can make much less if you have roommates. I am glad I moved here when I was 3. I wouldn't want to move anywhere else.

Hello Houstonians , i'm very impressived by your big & beautiful City ...I'm planing to join the US but i did not know which city i could settle in once i made research i found but Houston is the best for me that is why i have decided to know more and more about Houston that must become my new home place as i'm coming from Cameroon in Central Africa ...

Thank for all your efforts made to keep that city a very welcoming place for the world ...

Thanks

Elong

if you are someone of middle eastern descent or Indian descent, you don't want to move to Houston TX. a bunch of racist pricks down there. do your self a favor and don't move there. they will attack and find ways to find ways to murder you and scream self defense for it. its not worth it. bunch of George bush republican loving state. you are better off going to New York City, London of England, Paris France, Moscow Russia or even Dubai.

you are at a high risk of getting killed in Houston, don't put yourself and your family through that.

Hey guys, could someone please write an honest review, painting the perfect portrait of Houston with his/her words?? I am interested to move here. Is it like the 3rd world countries?! Is it really bad for a fun lifestyle??

probs with numbers here

1) Price/sq ft to "Buy Apartment Outside of Centre" is closer to cost for Townhouse or Cheap Condo, to buy Apartments or Plexes here is definitely under $60/sqft..not $120.
2) Rent 1 bedroom or 3 bedrooms outside of centre (Houston has multiple major CBDs) - the cost shown is more for luxury apartment/condo prices or inner loop prices. away from CBDs, you can rent nice 4 bedroom homes for cheaper than $1600 or get a decent 3bedroom apt for $800-$1300...you can get a 4 bedroom apt in Memorial or Midtown for less than $1500. the stated $1635.11 on here is a joke.
3) Tennis court rental $21/hr? city/county courts are free..max rate is $7 weekend reserved court for Tournaments and leagues. Woodlands resort is only $12/hr for outdoor courts. Most private community and hoa courts are free for residents to reserve. Where is this $21/hr avg?

some of the other categories are off, by not by as much.. there is some serious number flubbing there.

Hi,

I planned to further study at University Houston by end of this year for 1 year program. Can anybody recommend the cost of living will look like. As I need to bring my wife and 2 years old son.

hi, I'm thinking about moving to Houston next year after I graduate college. I will have a bachelors in electrical engineering. How is the job market, what is the cost of living. can I make it with an engineering degree?

The northeast coast is inhabited by more intelligent people, but it's more densely populated. The Midwest is suffering from overcrowding, no jobs, and violent crime. The southeast states belong to Puerto Ricans, Mexican Americans, and retirees. The south central states have a lower cost of living, which attracts lower income families. Katrina drenched Louisiana dispersed her population into her surrounding states, which have yet to recover from the immediate increase in homeless, jobless, uneducated leeches who terrorize not only the major cities but also any modest-sized community which may be able to support their theft and drug habit. If you'd are wanting to improve your level of satisfaction in life in general, don't worry about what you'll spend. Find a community of THINKING individuals and find a way to support yourself there. There are small towns being abandoned for lack of jobs. Become self-sustaning. Harvest rain water. Raise chickens. Garden, sew, cook. Raise cattle. Stay away from big cities, crime, nightlife and stupid people. Your life will be peaceful. That's priceless!

***hey i have been looking in to the woodlands area or a nice suburb area to bring me and my CALIFORNIA raised family to. im moving forward in my nursing career and have always felt texas was my true home i needed to be.
how is the medical field out there? how are the school for elemetary and day cares?
the weather? i know this will be a BIG move coming from CALIFORNIA to TEXAS but i can adjust the traffic to me cant be as bad as take a 2 hour trip to San Fransico. stuck in traffice on a bridge (should only take about 45 mins with no traffic. other than the traffic i would liek to know about the night life the shopping housing prices and child friendly things to do. also how is the work field there not just medical field but other fields as well. any suggestions?

For those of you looking at moving to Houston: What it costs to live inside the city (Loop 610 on a map) vs outside in a suburb (outside of beltway 8/Sam Houston tollway on a map) is Very different in terms of rent and mortgages. Being outside the city and working in it, will give you traffic headaches. If you have children and do not wish to pay for private school, you will probably think about living in a suburb. There are some good public schools in the city but in order to live within the zone for the better ones, you will pay a higher rent/mortgage etc. If you want a big home for less money, you should choose a suburb. If you want some night life, art, culture, sports... you will want to be in the city or make a 40 minute drive each way (when it isn't time for high traffic). If you want more space between you and your neighbor drive just a few minutes more outside any suburb and you will find it. We do have something for everyone...unless you love snow. Unless you visit and drive around a lot, you can't imagine the size of our "city." It is Massive (but spread out) and growing. We have some pretty areas inside the city, then a ring of ugliness and then another ring of pretty spaces further out. So if you stay on freeways to go everywhere, it is not an attractive looking place.

If you live here, you will want (and need) a car. We have public transportation but it's not a preferred method of travel. We are still a big Oil & Gas industry city. As such, tiny cars are not really a cultural focus. It is not uncommon to see very large trucks, vans and SUVs with only 1 person in each stacked up and down the busiest streets during rush hour traffic. I'm a rare sight in my suburb because I do not own a pick up or an SUV. It is far more common to see 2+ of these vehicles parked at almost every home or in almost every parking spot at the grocery store.

People here are like people everywhere: some are nice and some aren't. For the most part, we're a very live and let live group of people. Our suburbs have many churches. (enough that you could visit a different one each Sunday for over a year) We have mosques. We have parts of town where the street signs are written in multiple languages. We are (generally) conservative in our political views on federal spending. Beyond that, gay, black, white, asian, hispanic, whatever---we tend to live well amongst each other. There is crime. Be mindful of your purse's location. Generally, the crime is linked to drug usage.

Come for the jobs, suffer our humidity and stay for the TexMex food. It's the thing my friends miss most when they leave.

I am intending to enroll for a master program in subsea engineering at Huston at 2015. How fast can I get a sustainable job to support my next semester tuition fee and my welfare?

My family and I are thinking of moving to Houston from MS once I finish OT school. We would like to know what would be a good area to rent a home or apartment near a great middle school and community?

Hi! I am moving to the Kirby area soon in Houston. I only earn 50k a year. Considering living with a flat-mate and sharing utilities/rent etc. I'm single and have no dependents. How much do you think I'll be spending considering I'd go out every weekend to try a different eatery, drive around my paid-off car, go to the gym, eat healthy and basically just maintain a basic lifestyle?