Cost of Living in Houston

The idea that Houston's economy is among the strongest is overrated. GDP per capita is either stagnant or declining. It's only recently that a few tech companies have expanded operations in Houston, so Houston is behind in that regard. The local economy is still at the mercy of Big Oil, even if there has been some diversification in the last 30 years. And the relatively lower cost of living doesn't necessarily mean better living standards, as Houston's income inequality is on par with New York and the San Francisco Bay Area, two areas that are notoriously expensive. Loads of people still struggle to make ends meet.

I wonder why people think Texas is a safe state, when Houston is pretty dangerous. The Houston murder rate may be lower than Chicago, but it is higher than New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, and Boston, not to mention a myriad of cities in the rest of the developed world. Also, robbery and car theft are rampant; the rate of these crimes are not even low in affluent parts of the city. And the road rage shootings are ridiculous. Does anyone remember when a toddler was in hospital because a motorist shot at a car with fireworks in it, and the little boy was inside the said car? Unfortunately, events like this aren't rare in Houston, and are all but treated as a fact of life.

Liberal and progressive place, are you kidding me? Aside from the lack of protections for the LGBTQ community (which every major city has already without a problem), it's still seemingly acceptable to wave the Confederate flag here in 2021. I think I saw the battle flag a few times this past year (on the road and in the store) when getting groceries. Conservative evangelical beliefs rule the way of life here. You still cannot buy liquor on Sunday. There are no radio stations for classical music or eclectic music, but there are several Christian radio stations all over the dial, both in English and Spanish. KTRH (home of Rush Limbaugh, Michael Berry, and Sean Hannity) is a wildly popular radio station, while the local NPR station (KUHF) is low in the ratings. Joel Osteen is still revered by large swaths of the population. And it's not like the residents of Alief, Sharpstown, Acres Homes, Energy Corridor, and Greenspoint are "liberal", given that they are still conservative when it comes to LGBTQ rights and reproductive rights. In fact, there are lots of Donald Trump supporters in Alief and Sharpstown (yes, it's true, look at a voting precinct map). Oh, and there's no train of any kind to IAH or any of the populous, "fast-growing" suburbs.

Seriously, it's going to take more than Cajun pho to fix all of this.

I am a new comer to Houston from Chino Hills, CA. I must say Houston is a very nice place to live, people are friendly, weather is not as dry as Southern California. There are many interesting and unique restaurants in Houston that I didn't find in CA. The only thing that I wish it can be better is the road condition. Other than that, Houston is just great! People I met from California who have just moved to Houston for the past few years have told me they like the city and glad that they moved here, including receptionist I met at Tesla service center, banker I met at Chase.

The only thing I wish it can be better is the road conditions of some places. Other than that, it just great! People told me gasoline in Houston is cheap, and much cheaper than LA. For me, it doesn't matter much since my car doesn't need it.

In my 58 years of life, I have lived in 6 cities; Houston, Boston, New York City, Portland, San Diego, and abroad in Montreal. The 8 years I lived in Houston from 2011 to 2019 were easily the most miserable of my life. The city is a bit cheaper, yes. But, wages are also lower and this really shows when you see all the homeless people and crime in the city. Houston had the highest crime rate of any city I had lived in. In fact, in my first year in Houston I was the victim of a hit and run and I was jumped by gangsters. Despite taking extra precautions after, I still ended up being the victim of yet another assault and a theft later on.

Horrible crime aside, as previous comments have mentioned Houston has a horrible public transportation system and the city is heavily sprawled out, so you will need a car. Traffic in Houston is the worst I have seen and the drivers are the craziest I have seen. Lots of road rage incidents too and it seems that a lot of people in Houston drive while drunk or high, so be very careful on the road. Racism is definitely more common in Houston than the other cities I have lived in.

For the most part, Houston is a boring city compared to the others I lived in. The parks are fifthly, most parts of the city are ugly, and its unbearably hot most of the year.

0/10 (I definitely do NOT recommend Houston)

There seem to be a lot of hateful comments here towards Houston, and Houstonians in fact, which is unfortunate.

I have lived in different times of life in Santa Ana CA, Seattle, Chicago, Manila, central and eastern Philippines, Bogotá, Medellín Colombia and Baja California. I have visited many countries in both hemispheres over decades including extensive travel in Asia, Europe and former Soviet regions.

I have never been assaulted during the 35 years spent living in Houston. With that being said I know there are sketchy areas to avoid and plan accordingly. Maybe there is a bit of local wisdom that is in play. You will find trouble here if you are looking for it.

You will need a vehicle to get around if you’re visiting. Ride sharing services have helped ease the bad public transit but I wouldn’t consider it a long term solution. You will need a car to get around here. People are coming here in droves from NY, California, Chicago, New Orleans and from cities all over the globe. A few coworkers have come from LA, SFO and NYC and are happy to be buying their first homes. I work everyday with people like this. Some of them are thankful to be here, but I would say that most want to change it into their personal version of utopia. I have been around the world enough to know that I respect a place for what it is and if I don’t like it there are countless other options where I can live. Your life is what you make it to be.

Houston is a working city. It’s not a tourist destination. This is big oil’s backyard, literally. That probably explains why everyone drives here and why there is weak public transit programs. While there’s a lot more here to do now than there was 30 years ago, it’s not on par with other large metropolitan cities with outdoor entertainment options. It is indeed unbearably hot here about half of the year! So you’d better go for that run early in the morning or get yourself a gym membership.

Rent has historically been cheaper here, however within the last 10 years it has shot up at least 50% in some inner city areas like Montrose and Houston Heights.

Racism is everywhere and in every society I have visited and lived in. I have visited a first world Asian country that is openly racist. Regarding racism, It is also present here and it comes from all races. I think you’re more likely to encounter racism in the far suburbs of Houston, and ethnically homogenous community clusters. Houston is a huge melting pot and if someone is racist then my opinion is that they brought those beliefs with them from wherever they originated, which, honestly, could have been Houston 60 years ago. Times are different now.

Texas is a conservative state and Houston is a blue city. You may have seen Al Green, Sheila Jackson Lee and Lizzie Fletcher in the news. They are prominent democrats who represent Houston in the House.

- Craig, proud Houstonian. God bless you all and happy travels!

I moved to after Hurricane Ike in 2008. The cost of living had increased since Hurricane Harvey, however your pay rate may not increase. This is Very diverse City. Yes they have racist here along with crime but what city doesn't? There are some pricey areas to live in. Houston has a lot of beautiful and photogenic areas. They have alot of free family fun. Houston has alot of parks that safe and animal friendly. Human trafficking has gotten really bad or more awareness was brought to it in the last couple of years. It has not always been like that. The traffic is definitely bad but that Washington DC or Virginia I thought that for sure. We do have alot of immigrants but is nice to know other cultures. They various festivals and culture events to promote the diversity of the city. It is definitely not any real ghettos or projects in Houston. Also guns are everywhere not just in Houston. Yes Texas is a very conservative State. There are good and bad people everywhere you go in this city. Gangs just don't fun wild or have gang wars everyday like Chi-Raq. The school system is not so good unless your kids go to a private school or outside of HISD. Far as public transportation goes we have the literail or the metro bus. All and all I believe Houston is a nice place to live with alot of diversity in food and cultures.

I was born in Virginia Beach, and over the course of my 44 years of life I have also lived and worked in Houston, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle, Philadelphia, Denver, and abroad in Amsterdam, Tokyo, and London.

Houston has been my only bad experience so far. The heat was unbearable, the crime was the worst, the traffic was the worst, and it was the least beautiful and least aesthetically appealing city of them all. Although I never experienced that much racism (I am White), I frequently overheard other White people in Houston saying very racist things in their conversations.

As some others have mentioned, Houston is not really that cheap. Although prices in Houston are slightly lower than most other American cities, wages are also lower and many people have trouble making ends meet because of it. I remember seeing a lot of poverty in Houston and it is probably why the city has so many homeless people walking around and gangs causing trouble.

The 3 years I lived in Houston were unpleasant and I do not want to relive that experience again. Stay away from Houston.

Aside from Houston, I have lived in Chicago, Boston, Seattle, and Austin. All of those cities are far better than Houston in every way. Houston has horrible public transportation, the worst traffic with many irate drivers and common road rage shootings, and heavy crime. At least in Chicago you can just avoid the southside and be safe, nowhere is safe in Houston unless you live in a rich gated neighborhood with private security. The 4 years I lived in Houston were the worst in my life.

Yeah, it's hot and floods sometimes, but you can't beat Houston's diversity and opportunity. No city comes close. For large cities, Houston typically has lower crime rates. Also these racist claims seem to be coming from people who have never been to Houston.

H O U S T O N = L O V E

Also, I will never see this site again. Toodles.

I see multiple people here comment about how white people are racist. True, the whites in Houston/Texas are racist as hell, but they also harbor hatred against whites from California, New York, Illinois, Boston, or hell, Virginia. They're all xenophobic zombies that hate "Yankees." Just want to speak it out.

Also, how come nobody here is speaking about the pervasive obesity problem? I swear most of the locals here are morbidly obese from all the Whataburger, Jack in the Box, and Taco Cabana they've been eating. Problem is almost as bad as San Antonio, another cesspool that Texans love to call a tourist destination to paradise.

Living here in Houston made me realize that white Americans are the most evil people in the world. All of them always talk down on blacks, Mexicans, Chinese, Indians, and Middle Easterners, especially behind closed doors. They always have angry rants against foreigners. Always. No respect for anyone but themselves.

Worse of all, these people have guns, so they have no problem killing anyone they don’t like. Motorists even open fire on the road also.

America, especially Houston, hates outsiders. And they love to bomb other countries and launch strikes against them. But that’s expected for a country that once prided itself in slavery and killing native people. Never let a dirty fat white American here deny the pervasive antagonism against people of colour.

I have to agree with the previous posters that said that white people here are very racist. Because it's true! It's also a mecca for alt-right Trump supporters from other states.

I've lived in Houston since 2002 and have been coming to Houston before that, since the 70's. Some of the comments in this thread are really interesting and opinionated. If someone is looking for a place to live, I'm not sure that you will beat Houston for its cost of living, ethnic diversity, nice city life and friendly people. I run a web development company here and we get a lot of foreign visitors from Europe (also stay in Zurich half the time), and they all say that they can't believe how nice of a city Houston is. It's very modern, fairly large, at about 6.5 million for the metro population.

I do think that there are some racial sentiments that run deep in the families of the south. My family is from Louisiana and I hear my father going on racial tirades. I also don't think that the majority of these 'racial' people would ever say anything derogatory to someone of a different ethnic background. I'm from a 'racial' family and I've dated black and hispanic women, and have had friends and roommates of different ethnicities. In other words, whites aren't attacking blacks in angst out here. If someone black, white or hispanic is causing issues, then yes, you might see someone try to put that person in his place. If you're that kind of person, please don't move to Houston. We don't need you here. But if you respect humanity, you're going to get respect. That goes for anywhere you live.

There is tremendous job opportunity out here, with an economy as diverse as the city's people. So if an industry is in the tanks, there are plenty of others to weather the storm. I've lived in San Diego, Beaumont/Port Arthur (Texas), Austin and I currently stay in Zurich, Switzerland half the time. I spend a lot of time in cities all over the world and I can tell you that Houston has the best food out of every city I've ever been in. There are so many restaurants here, and they are ran by people that are directly from the country of the food's origin in most cases. The restaurants will not survive if they aren't excellent at what they do, because there are simply too many to choose from, which also keeps prices low.

Flooding is a bit of an issue here, so if you're buying a home, check the geographical maps for elevation. We are 18' above see level, and our house was $138k when we bought it. It's now about $190k, but that's still a great price. If you have kids, and you live in the suburbs of Houston, you may not find a more economical and friendly place to live in the US. Your children will have plenty of good friends and you'll make them too. Houston isn't San Diego. It's not pretty like that. But we don't have a state tax, huge costs of living and up tight people. Houston is fairly mellow because the cost of living is low, so people don't really have to get too stressed. The highways can get pretty congested, but try living in Austin if you want to experience terrible traffic.

you guys do realize you can change the station on your radio. If all you're listening to is country music, uhhhh that's kinda your fault...

Also want to mention that same-sex sexual activity only was decriminalized in 2003, but through the Supreme Court, and Texas residents voted 75% in favor of Proposition 2, which banned BOTH same-sex marriage and same-sex civil unions. Harris County voted 72.5% in favor of the amendment, and Houston 10 years later voted, by a landslide, against protections for LGBT people.

Churches here really are powerful in politics, as many people adhere to the teachings of greedy pastors like Joel Osteen and Ed Young. Also shock jock personalities like Michael Berry and Walton & Johnson are admired among the populace, perhaps because many residents share the same racist, neo-Confederate views as they do. Yes, racism can be found everywhere, but most people here seem to be fine with it. People here like Melissa and Michael McClure only prove my point, and they sure as hell aren't the only ones. And did I mention that the powers of Texas continue to keep non-whites from voting? That voter ID law is ONLY the tip of the iceberg.

Sure, there are ethnic enclaves, but many whites are not very tolerant or welcoming towards minorities. I mean, look at places filled with "good people" like Spring, Conroe, League City, Friendswood, Tomball, Deer Park, and Magnolia. Speak out against racial injustice (especially police brutality) in these places and be prepared for a beating. Too many pro-Confederate weirdos and pot-bellied rednecks in these places. It's already embarrassing for the USA, let alone a MAJOR metropolitan area in the USA. You'd think this crap would happen mainly in rural Mississippi or even rural Pennsylvania.

Right-wing social views aside, the people here are very oblivious to global warming. Subdivisions being built in flood-prone areas due to the no zoning laws. As if the rail/bus situation isn't bad enough, many residents drive in giant SUVs and big trucks, and boy, do they drive like maniacs; that situation is worse when angry white males can shoot at your car if you happen to piss them off. Anything generally promoting environmental friendliness is laughed at by the locals, and they admire Big Oil like West Virginians admire coal.

I've lived in Denver, London, Cardiff, Oslo, Dallas, Houston, Sugar Land, Austin, and Orlando and not only have I found Houston to be the most inexpensive place to live, but also a very friendly place. The heat can be overwhelming, but there's nothing you can do about the weather so I guess it doesn't matter. Jobs are available and usually pay well, the entertainment is good (although the music scene is lackluster), you're only an hour away from the beach, the people are very diverse (I've read that Houston is the most ethnically diverse city in the world) and friendly, and the food is great. The food is probably the best part.

The worst part is definitely the drivers on the highway. 59, 45, I-10, 290, and 99 are probably the worst highways to drive on in the city. Driving is bad wherever you go but it seems to be particularly bad here.

It's a safe place. Other than a few rough spots (Telephone Road, parts of East Downtown near Navigation, certain areas of Baytown, and Sharpstown), there's not much that goes on. Obviously there's crime. Crime exists everywhere. However, compared to equivalent major cities Houston is extremely safe. Even the bad parts: Telephone Road, Third Ward, and Sharpstown (where I used to live) aren't really that bad unless you're acting like a fucking idiot. Just behave yourself and you'll be alright.

The public school system is about as bad as the rest of the country. Nothing new there.

There are a wealth of professional sports teams.

Obviously, there are a few bad apples in the bunch. Such is the nature of human beings. No place will be perfect. No place will have people who aren't abhorrent and have terrible ideals. These people exist everywhere. However, the vast majority of people in Houston are fine, normal people. 80% of people you meet here will be fine, normal people who will never bother you. 10% of people you meet here will be wonderful, friendly kind people. 10% will be terrible. It happens everywhere. Just need to move on and deal with the things you can control.

It was a mistake to move to Houston. We were lured by a great job offer, but we didn't know that we traded it in for a pathetic quality of life.

Frequent floods, stifling humidity and heat, dearth of natural beauty, traffic becoming less predictable, high crime, angry racist Bible-thumping locals, ignorance of anything outside a 2-hour radius of Houston. Frankly, I am just sick of it.

#Andrew is a fucking Moron, soy boy, basement Dwelling, mentally sick individual who hasn't had a woman, since a woman had him. Move to Venezuela, Frace,Germany, hell even Sweden and get a true taste of open boarders, gang rapes, the killing of gays and soy boys like yourself

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.