I moved to Houston in 2017 one month before hurricane Harvey. What a welcome and right away I learned things about the weather and the people instantly. In 2018 my spouse and I moved to Dallas and lived there for one year and moved back to the Houston area in 2019. We built a home here in Richmond, Texas near the Cinco Ranch area.

If there are so many great things about Houston, but there are some not-so-great things. So why did we move if there are not-so-great things about Houston? To us, Houston just felt like home. So today I am going to go over all of the pros and cons of moving to Houston.

Here’s what I will cover in this article.

1. Cost of Living in Houston
2. Size & Population of Houston
3. People & Diversity in Houston
4. Traffic & Transportation in Houston
5. Weather & Flooding in Houston
6. Things to Do in Houston
7. Food Scene in Houston

The cost of living in Houston is much lower than in other metropolitan cities in the US. Houston’s cost of living is 95.5 and is cheaper than the national average of cost living at 100. Also, Houston’s cost of living is lower than Austin and Dallas. So dollar does stretch a lot farther here in Houston, especially when buying a house. Houston is also 174% cheaper to live in than San Fransico and about 94% cheaper than New York City.

Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of the cost of living in Houston and in Texas.

Pros

• Texas has some of the lowest energy costs in the country.
• Texas has no state income tax so you get to keep more of your income.
• Houston’s daily living and food costs are lower than the national average.
• Houston gas prices are much lower than in most areas due to the gas and oil industry.
• Home prices in Houston are lower than the national average as of 2022.
  • The national median home price was $428,700
  • Houston’s median home price was $330,800

Cons

• Insurance for auto and home are much higher in Houston.
• Taxes such as sales tax and property are much higher here as well. Sales tax is over 8%.

Cost of Living Examples

• A family of four estimated monthly costs are $3,256.94$ without rent.
• A single person estimated monthly costs are $918.73 without rent.
• Houston is 33.27% less expensive than New York (without rent).
• Rent in Houston is, on average, 57.61% lower than in New York.

Houston is currently the fourth largest city in the US based on population size. Texas holds 3 of the top 10 largest cities in the US. Those cities are Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas, Texas. The city of Houston has an estimated population of 2.29 million, and the Houston metropolitan area has an estimated population of 6.6 million.

The great thing about the size of Houston is that it allows us to have some great things to offer like top-notch healthcare. Houston has the largest medical center in the world. Houston also has 2 airports, George Bush Intercontinental Airpor located in North Houston, and William P. Hobby Airport located in South Houston.

With more Fortune 500 companies located in Houston than anywhere else, except New York City, Houston is a wellspring for high-paying, and highly-skilled, jobs. These jobs span high-demand sectors such as healthcare, education, aerospace, and energy.

Also, because of the size of the Houston metropolitan area, there are so many areas and suburbs to move to such as Cypress, Spring, Katy, Richmond, Fulshear, Pearland, Sugar Land, and much more. Houston truly does have an area fit for every type of walk of life and lifestyle.

One thing to keep in mind if you are looking to relocate to Houston is that you can end up in the wrong area for you. So if you are looking to move to Houston, reach out to us and let us help you find the area of Houston that is right for you.

Houston gives you small-town community vibes with a big city feel.

One of the biggest things that made us come back to Houston was the people. When I first moved here in 2017, the following month hurricane Harvey hit Houston hard and it was amazing to see how the people came together. #HoustonStrong was definitely real. Houston has really seen its hardships, but people came together and just helped each other rebuild and it was truly amazing to see.

One of the main reasons that I moved to Houston and why we moved back here after Dallas was the diversity in people. Houston is one of the most diverse places to live in the country, even more, diverse than New York City. Plus the people are so much more friendly here. By having such a diverse city, it will not take anyone long to find their tribe here in Houston.

One other thing to note about Houston’s diversity is that it is equally mixed throughout the city. In other bigger cities, I have always noticed that diversity was separated throughout the city, not in a bad way. For example, on one side you would have Chinatown, then on another side would be like little Havanah, but here in Houston, you can find it equally mixed throughout the entire Houston area.

Houston traffic is ranked third worst in the country. Because the majority of residents living in Houston own a car, the city’s roadways, especially during peak travel times, are congested like you wouldn’t believe. It’s estimated that the average commuted spends 49 hours a year sitting in traffic, which is a hell of a lot of time.

For example, when I first moved to Houston, I lived on Westheimer Road, and to go to the store less than a mile away could take me anywhere from 15-20 minutes.

If you come from a city with great public transportation, don’t count on that here in Houston. Houston’s public transportation leaves much to be desired. You will definitely need to own a car or have reliable transportation while living in Texas. Plus things here in Houston are spread far apart.

Don’t be fooled by the map and think that something looks like it is close. Make sure if you are moving to Houston, especially for work, that you reach out to us to help you pick the right side of Houston because it cost hours a day in traffic.

Make sure to account for the cost of gas and vehicle maintenance if you’re moving to Houston from a city with decent public transportation.

The weather in Houston can be both a pro and a con. The pro is that we generally have nice weather and it allows us to be active outside year-round. However, the con is that the summers here are brutal. There is just no other way to put it. With high temperatures and even higher humidity, it just leaves most people miserable. This past summer we had temperatures by July of 104, and that was not the heat index it was the actual temperature.

If you are someone like me from the north and are used to four-season, you are NOT getting that here in Houston. The joke is we have two seasons, hot and even hotter.

On the other hand, Houston does have great falls and winters and you don’t have to deal with much chilling weather. In the winter, you might have one day that is like 30-40 degrees, and then you could have another day in the 60s. Houston does give you a break from the cold winters like you would experience up North.

Life in Houston is a unique blend of Texas traditions with a modern city feel.

What makes Houston an ideal place to live is because of its size there are so many places to go and things to see and do, many of which you won’t find in other cities.

Here are just a few things to do in Houston. 

• Museums
• Aquariums
• Zoos
• Galleria
• Space Center
• The Beach
• Theater District
• Sport Activities
• Houston Rodeo
• Astrodome
• Concerts
• Breweries
• Wineries
• Vibrant Nightlife

Houston weather is beautiful year-round and spending a day outside with a light jacket in the middle of January is not unusual.

Some outdoor activities include

• Dog Parks
• The Discovery Green
• Buffalo Bayou
• Outdoor Restaurants
• Exercise Activities
• Sport Events

Since I love to travel, One of my favorite things about Houston is that Houston is close to so many quick getaways. Houston is great central location for travel.

Quick Getaways (Driving)

• Dallas Fort Worth
• Austin
• San Antonio
• Hill Country
• Corpus Christi
• New Orleans
• Lake Charles
• Baton Rouge
• Border of Mexico

Quick Getaways (Direct Flights)

• Pensacola Beach or Destin
• Ft. Lauderdale or Miami
• Las Vegas
• El Salvador
• Mexico (Cancun, Cabo, Mexico City)
• Puerto Rico
• Dominican Republic
• Chicago

I saved the best for last, and that probably was the main reason that I moved to Houston and was the Houston food scene. I love to eat and cook so I had to pick a city that had a diverse food cuisine and Houston has some of the best cuisines in the country.

You will never get bored of the food here in Houston. Anthony Bourdain called Houston “A wonderland of strange and diverse.” Houston features so many ethnic cuisines and we have many James Beard award-winning chefs.

Another great thing is the food scene is not isolated. You do not have to go to one side for great Mexican food and the other for great Thai food. You can literally find almost any cuisine or food trucks that you want near you.

Some of the famous food in Houston and Texas are:

• Viet-Cajun Crawfish
• Barbecue
• Breakfast Tacos
• Chicken & Waffles
• Tamales
• Pho
• Kolaches
• And so much more.

If you love to cook, Houston has so many international food markets. Markets such as Asian, Indian, African, Hispanic, and so much more. We have so much food imported so you are getting the real deal. So no matter what ingredient you need to find, you can find it here in Houston

Plus, Houston has the best grocery store in the nation, and that is HEB. It was literally rated the #1 grocery store in the country. If you know, you know.