Nerdwallet's cost of living calculator shows that a $130k salary in Houston in equivalent to $200k in Boston. Obv cheaper to live in HOU and money goes a longer way. But what are other considerations?

like
Posting as :
works at
You are currently posting as works at
Highlighted IconHIGHLIGHTED

Wife and I live in Houston on ~$155k.

We have a 4,000 sq. foot house
Two luxury cars
Eat out daily (we both hate cooking)

And still have quite a bit left over (max 401k and Roth plus monthly liquid saving)

Honestly not many downsides that you haven't already heard of such as heat and humidity, hurricanes and oil & gas client focus. None of which are huge downsides in my opinion

likeuplifting

My house is about 20 miles from downtown. If I lived in town it'd be more expensive, but no. You cannot survive in Houston without a car. Even if you live in town.

In the suburbs we have very good schools and property taxes to match. I pay about 2.9% of my house value in taxes and that's about middle of the road to cheap in my area

like
Recent IconRecent

No income tax in Texas...but do you want to live in Texas?

likeupliftingfunny

Houston is a dump

likefunny

P1- I will fight you. Give me your address

like

Schools, healthcare, and culture (arts, entertainment, food, etc.) are hard to beat in Boston. You will also be spoiled for choice when it comes to places to visit in the near vicinity ( 100’s of seaside towns, Newport, Portsmouth, Portland, NH/VT mountains, etc etc etc) whereas Houston is somewhat isolated. But you pay for the privilege with high cost of living, horrendous traffic, and brutal winters. Worth it in my opinion (moved here from a low COL city in the south)

like

Houston is hot as balls. I think my shoes melted the last time I was there.

likefunny

Apparently they are having a huge mosquito problem right now

likesmart

Damn. That’s nice. Can one get by without a car in Houston? Asking bc city life is awesome. And how good are the schools? Asking bc I justify my painful taxes by the public schools my kids get

like

BA1, the urban sprawl in Houston is ridiculous. Hard to imagine how bad it is until you've spent a good amount of time there. Car is required

likehelpful

That in boston you are on average getting atleast one sports parade every year.

likefunny

Ted Cruz as your senator vs only state then went for Hillary in every district.

like

I actually quite like Houston. Love living in luxury well below my means.

Summer is rough, but vacations, AC, it's fine to deal with for 2-3 months to have 9-10 months of very comfortable weather!

Huge diversity, awesome food of all varieties.

I'm scratching my head trying to figure out why people feel like owning a car is a bad thing... Never been through a major natural disaster I guess. Owning a car to me brings freedom, and an exit strategy.

Not all aeeas/suberbs are equal... Pay attention to flood risks.

like

Why not consider Austin, Dallas, Charlotte? Way less of an urban sprawl.

like

The cheap houses in Houston are super far from anything

like

Boston winters vs. Houston summers

like

Supply and demand, there's a reason it's cheaper to live in Houston, not much going on down there, and the exit options within Houston much narrower. I used to live in Houston, despite the low COL I would never return, but it's great for some Not sure if this is true for other firms, but at BCG, Texas offices also work WAY more than the firm average.

There are middle grounds, e.g. Chicago, Seattle, not that expensive, most if not all of what you'd get in the alpha cities.

like

BCG1- That may have been true 20 or even 10 years ago but just look at the difference in how Houston fared in 2014 vs in the late 80s. Totally night and day signifying our increasing economic diversity.

like

I was around then, the economy held up better than in the 80s to your point, but it was still felt super strongly. Houston is still primarily a one industry town

like

Also things are green and grow easily.

I love my pool and palm trees. Never water my grass or plants.

But the common grass is more like a weed than what I knew as grass growing up.

Ants... OMG be careful. Growing up as a kid we played with ants and ant hills.... Try that here and you will wind up in a hospital... If you live at all!

funny

Related Posts

Guys .. has salary credited for you?

like

Hi fish - looking for career advice
A CBT practitioner/ Psychiatric registered nurse. Now sitting in Compensation and Rewards in financial sector. In what aspect ( within HR ) the best to focus/ more advantage to develop? Thanks!

like

Oracle India (IDC) - 17 fixed + pf(91K)

Optum global solutions - 16 fixed + pf(76k) + varibale 2.4 L + 2L joining bonus.

which is better to go for? Considering growth and future.

like

How is Joining Bonus paid in Capgi ? Is this the full amount or Is tax deducted when it is paid. At what rate it is deducted ? ( Only Joining Bonus) along with Salary ?

Has anyone paid back their sign on bonus when quitting? Did they allow you to pay it back in a repayment plan?

like

Federal Consultant who transferred from PDM to PPD this past PY. Got a 3. S&O General Management. Any guess on what my raise and bonus would be? They said that they'd adjust my salary for the PDM to PPD transfer. Currently at $71,800 with a strategic masters and 8 years of non-consulting experience. I feel like I am at the low end of the band and would like to feel like my salary will go up a reasonable amount, but am tired of the disappointment.

like

Can anyone suggest companies which providing permanent wfh policy and good salary, I am on notice period and looking for product based in pune or wfh.
YOE - 4.1
Skillset - Java 8,microservice, AWS SAA certified,Angular(1 year)
Any lead or help will be appreciated

like

According to HR , accepting offer letter and not joining is not acceptable and it considered as unprofessional.

But.

According to HR: not giving hike/Variable pay/ bonus Even after completing yearly cycle for Variable pay / bonus / hike while serving notice period is acceptable and it is according to company standards.

*Rule States that in to eligible for it employees has to be on company pay role.

Question is If one resign then on who's pay role that employee is serving notice per?

likehelpfulsmart

Hi guys,
I am about to join
Oracle financial services
What is the usual salary for a 2 yoe candidate with experience in full stack java development

How is the work culture and learning curve available there

like

What roles have you seen ex-MBB Managers take when exiting to PE? Anything other than Ops roles? What is the typical compensation range?

like

Hi Guys!

I am an automation specialist currently interviewing with one of the reputed MNCs for VP #digitalmarketing at Singapore and have about 10 YOE in the same domain.

What is the avg cost of living. And what is avg salary for this profile?

INSEAD Deloitte Accenture PwC Gartner

How much would you renegotiate your current salary to if you picked up a new HR Cert? (PHR, SPHR, SHRM, IHRM, etc)

Any SAP Reporting & Analytics lead or manager here? What is the going base salary and annual bonus rate?

like

Any idea the salary range for consultant at Deloitte in human capital in New York?

How to save tax on joining bonus of 2 lakhs?

My current salary is 4.5 lpa, i am joining another company with 14 ctc plus 2 lakh bonus

What all things i can do to save tax?
And how much will I be getting monthly 13.5 is fix 95 pf + gratuity.
Please help!

Post Photo
like

What is your current salary and net worth? Interested to see if theres a significant relationship.

like

I have an issue: just been informed by compliance I have a violation. Using a brokerage restricted and at this point I am at a loss. I sold off all my stock just to comply. Then put the only stock I kept with the broker, the other one is my wife’s employer 401k savings broker. The instructions say they will reach me within 90 days for next steps. It also says there may be financial penalties.

What should I do? I replied the email immediately asking for help. I am a new to Deloitte and the US

Hey fishes,

My current salary is 13lpa in SQL, Plsql domain. I just interviewed with mindtree and they are offering 16lpa in big data . Should I switch or negotiate for more. Yoe-4 and new to big data.

Thanks

like

Can anyone shed some insights on Amazon L6 Senior Program Manager salary in Toronto?
7.5 YoE

Amazon

like

Hi Fishes,
Could you please tel me the salary range for senior associate with 6+ yoe ? Currently received offer for 17.25 fixed + 25 joining bonus.

like

More Posts

like
like

I am so ready to return to the time when the biggest scandal was wearing a tan suit. Looks like the media is already starting again with Harris' pantsuit in Vogue.

like

Anyone know of a good resource to learn how to analyze CIM’s?

like

Welcome everyone! Where is everyone from and what field are you in? Feel free to share hobbies as well.

like

Hi guys
Got an offer breakup from HSBC
They are asking an acceptance and date of joining .
How many days they will take with the formal appointment letter to come.. basis that will give date of joining..

like

Hi, Looking for referrals... around 8 years of work ex. Want to work as backend lead. Nodejs. Anyone?

like

Besides Lady Gaga, was there anything notable this year at Sapphire?

Is the instructional designer post still open at accenture, delhi?

like

Does anyone have any experience working with Jzanus consulting?

like

Please let me know if you want a job in big4 both India and offshore practice

KPMG KGS EY EY GDS DELOITTE DELOITTE USI PWC PWC SDC

like

I’ve got a pretty sizable scratch on the face of my bulova - is this something that is fixable / replaceable for an affordable price?

Would you all say you’re invested in good projects if the market cap remains the same recently, but your portfolio keeps going up and up? Or is that dumb logic.

Is there an agency softball league in Chicago that my company can get in?

like

Get upto 100% of your TDS as Refund in your desired bank account .
Due date for filing (ITR returns) for the AY 2021-2022 which reflects your transactions during April 2020 -March 2021, is on 31/12/2021.
File now to get rid of penalty for delay returns
Here we will e-file your IT returns
▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️
Are you new to ITR filing???.... no Worries join and get our help to clear your queries

📲 8985907244

like

Are there any agencies looking for a creative team?

like
like

How far out do you pitch morning shows in NYC?

Educators of Color, where y'all at!?!? 😂

like

Additional Posts in Compensation

Same background/experience/qualifications. One get hired as an SM the other as a specialist Leader, same base?

like

do u negotiate after verbal or after written offer? and any tips?

like

155k with 7 YOE as a valuation manager in a HCOL, 30 years old, how am I doing so far?

like

Anyone know how much product managers at Spotify make (NY)? Various websites give differing answers, can't identify a consensus.

like

What are the type of companies (or specific companies) with amazing RSU comp? Also is it common only for Director level and above?

like

Does HireRight verify the information uploaded to your potential employer’s portal? If not, what is used to verify

like

Anyone know the standard post-MBA comp for Accenture Strategy in the UK?

like

It may not be relevant question for this bowl, but looking for help. Planning to buy Audi Q7 and my dealer says there are no rebates now and offering the car at MSRP. I know sale price should be much lesser. Any tips on how to negotiate?

like

What’s the starting pay for a GPS analyst in consulting?

like

Deloitte SO folks. What is the ballpark of base from M and SM there?

like

What is the salary range for AP at ZS? How long does it take to become a partner?

like

Does EY-Parthenon give signing bonuses at the Director level?

like

Any insights into salary range for an Amazon Data Scientist II in the DC area?

like

Recruiter reached out about Hatch Advisory Energy and Infrastructure practice. Anyone have an idea regarding compensation and bonus for Hatch Engagement Manager?

like

Hey guys, does anyone know how much compensation progress is like in Australia for any of the top firms? Specifically interested in MBB as I am intending to join one

like
like

What’s the pwc SM comp range for SAP? 200k base doable?

like

What’s the general range for Sr. Manager in Accenture Digital? Considering a position there and I already have been given an acceptable base salary range. Need to gauge the over/under.

like

Has anyone gotten any kind of comp package involving crypto? I know some companies now do some forms of that or allow employees to take certain amounts in it.

likefunny

Germany, 25yo, 4YOE as Sales engineer and projectmanager in a tiny company. (< 2 Million€ revenue)

Transitioning to a series E unicorn (SaaS). took the whole Interview process within a Week while having covid. knocked every interviestep out of the Park, only great Feedback, i am a referral from their best salesengineer, they really want me in.
initial Joboffer: 70k Base 100k OTE + stockoptions.

How much in stockoptions ist good/should i ask for?
How to Go higher in pay? W/o obv. Marketresearch

like

New to Fishbowl?

Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
That was just a preview…
Sign Up to see all discussions
  • Discover what it’s like to work at companies from real professionals
  • Get candid advice from people in your field in a safe space
  • Chat and network with other professionals in your field
Sign up in seconds to unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.

Already a user?
Login here

Share

Embed this post

Copy and paste embed code on your site

Preview

Download the
Fishbowl app

See what’s happening in your industry
from the palm of your hand.

A phone with Fishbowl app

Send download link to your phone

OR

Scan your QR code to download
Fishbowl app on your mobile

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Messaging rates may apply

Download app

Sign up for free to view this conversation on Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Already have an account? Log in

Sign up for free to continue using Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use(New) and Privacy Policy(New)
Messaging rates may apply

Already have an account? Log in

For account settings, visit Fishbowl on Desktop Browser or

General

Legal