I was renting in Texas. Left in 2002 when was a 2 BR for $475 a month.houndawg wrote: ↑Sun Mar 17, 2024 3:47 amBeen telling you for years.BDKJMU wrote: ↑Sat Mar 16, 2024 2:00 pm
Your 4 different people doesn’t mean squat without knowing where. YUGE difference between say the nice parts of the DFW, Houston & Austin, and just about any small/medium sized city, rural area or near the border. I actually lived in Texas 2000-2002 near the border and it was FAR cheaper than the Harrsionburg area or the Philly are (NJ and PA side) where I’ve lived since.
Cost of living:
-Texas 17th cheapest/34 highest 2024
-Highest 14 states: 11 blue, 2 purple (ME & NH), 1 red (AK)
-Bottom 20: 18 red, 1 blue (IL), 1 purple (MI). Granted I was surprised to see IL as that 1 blue state.
-Bottom 10 all red.
https://worldpopulationreview.com/state ... to-live-in
Clearly anyone with half a brain (not sure if you qualify) can see that, with a couple exceptions, the blue states skew high, and the red states skew low.
So, what were your real estate taxes on your home in Texas? I pay $2100 on the house, barn, pool, and 25 acres here. Good roads, good schools...
The people I've spoken with are 3 DFWs and one Houston.
You happen to live then you happen to live in I assume the least expensive region of the least expensive blue state (still rated higher cost of living than 10 red) and your retirement income isn’t taxed. IL ISN’t one of 9 states with no income tax, but it is 1 of 13 states that doesn’t tax retirement income. I know you’re somewhere in southern IL. What are you 100? miles from the nearest major metro (St Louis is 23rd largest) and 300 something from Chicago? For a fair comparison to another state you’d have to compare your house/land and cost of living to that in a similar geographic area in another state.
Those people in the DFW and Houston are in ginormous metros. Largest population metro areas (per wiki):
1. NYC (includes Newark & Jersey City)
2. LA
3. Chicago
4. DFW
5. Houston
6. ATL
7. DC (includes N VA & surburban MD)
8. Philadelphia (includes Camden NJ & Wilmington, DE)
You’d to compare what the cost of living would be for equivalent size house/yard/neighborhood/distance from center city. All local & state taxes (sales, income, property, etc), home and auto insurance, groceries, gas, etc, etc, etc.
These people in the DFW and Houston might think its expensive (and because of their growth they have gotten a lot more expensive than they were), but if they put themselves in the exact same situation in NYC, LA, Chicago, or DC Metros they’d be singing a different tune.