Sharleene

Hi,

I will be moving to Houston mid August and I have a few questions that I am hoping you will be able to help me with;

1) My office will be in ZIP 77073, I don't want any more than a 30/45 min commute each morning. I am married with no children and would prefer an apartment in a secure complex to a house. Can you please let me know the areas that you would recommend and those that you would definitely advise I stay away from. We are in our 30s so would like some restaurants and shops around us.

2) What % of statutory deductions can I expect from my salary each month? I am trying to work out if my package means I am going to be struggling to live each month.

3) What are the normal monthly living costs (Rent/Car/Fuel/Food) that I need to consider and what is the average cost $ so I can start my budget.

4) Car; Do you rent, hire, buy or lease? I will only be in the US for 2-3 years max. Whats the most cost effective option?

I have searched through the previous threads and can't really see anything that responds to the above so I would really appreciate your help... a little lost

Cheers

Michael

To get an idea of the cost of living, use the following calculator. Use any city as the first entry and Houston as the second entry and you will get a list of the different costs for each of the cities.

http://www.bankrate.com/calculators/...alculator.aspx

Sharleene

Thanks Michael, I will give it a try

Bob

The car one...well there's plenty of recent threads on buy v lease...better option to generally buy second hand if you're more towards the 3 year mark, if closer to the 1-2 year mark a lease might work.

Groceries, depends what you fancy eating, if healthy, decent quality fruit/veg, it tends to be more expensive, but if you don't care and go for the lowest quality walmart bread, you could be spending not very much. Figure in about the same money you'd spend living in London for better quality grub as a rule of thumb.

Utilities, all depends on how the heat/cooling is done, but expect the electric to be pricey in the summer. If you find some places on craigslist, you could call up the utility companies and ask them for the last 12 month low/high and average which should give you some kind of idea for the kind of sized place you're looking for.

Plenty of tax calculator sites out there for you to plug in numbers and get an answer, but some of it might depend on which visa you are on as in some circumstances, you might not need to pay certain taxes depending on the situation.

Bomjeito

There are tons of expats coming and going... so you can pick up a newer used car privately quite easily. There are groups you can join (email lists) to get these adverts, as well as check into Shell Outpost Houston, they have a classified section every few weeks.

Leasing is an option. We are here in Houston only 2-3 years and bought our cars. Just easier all around and we can sell them before we go.

Costs here for us are about the same as Aberdeen (unsure where you are from, but just for comparison's sake.) Houston is more expensive than Dallas, or other parts of Texas. Auto insurance is high here, higher than in Scotland for us.

Some ideas:

Gallon of petrol: $3.50.
Gallon of milk: $3.65
Loaf of bread: $3.
Pint at Yard House: About $6.
Six pack of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale in grocer's: $9
12 oz coffee : $8

Meals out here are cheaper and more bountiful than in UK. Leftovers are acceptable to take home (!) and its a lunch for the next day. Entrees at Yard House, for example, run about $17 per dinner. Yard House you can google for their locations and menu, as a mid-range example. This is located in Town and Country.

Your office is up in the Airport area....not exactly the hippest area, but a lot of offices are up there.... prices for housing should be lower than inside the two loops, so bonus for you on that. But a trip down to Rice Village (check Gingerman Pub, for example) will mean a 45 minute drive!

Second hand cars are cheaper here and easier to come by, and if you go to a place like CarMax (instead of a dealer, which are higher in cost), you'll get a newer model pretty decently priced around the Blue Book value. If you are here three years, I'd go ahead and buy, unless you require a BMW, high end Audi or some higher end vehicle.

http://www.irs.gov/individuals/page/0,,id=14806,00.html this is a link for taxes deduction/withholding calculator. You put in your information and it can help you determine what you'll bring home. It all depends on your specific household case. A husband and wife with one not working would be about 25-30% tax from your gross. It all depends on YOUR situation, of course.

Over at city-data.com and the Houston forum, then can help you with that geographic area, such as where to avoid in that zip code.

Enjoy Houston!

Sharleene

Thanks for all the helpful feedback, I will take a look into all the links provided

Cheers