Things to Know Before Moving to Texas
Texas is one of the most populated and fastest growing states. Hundreds of thousands of people are moving to Texas every year as it offers an irresistible combination of great employment opportunities and highly affordable living. What makes moving to Texas so popular? Let’s explore the advantages the Lone Star State offers over others.
This Southern state is not just great in size, but in countless other areas as well: a variety of nature, tons of things to do, plentiful places to explore, and, of course, its rich and unique history. Major industries in Texas include agriculture, petrochemicals, energy, computers, aerospace, and biomedicine. The Lone Star State houses four national research universities along with a variety of professional and college sports teams.
Moving to Texas
Pros and Cons of Living in Texas
Here are a few pros and cons to consider as you make your move to The Lone Star State:
Pros.
- Low cost of living: Grocery shopping, housing, gas – you’ll be pleased by your reduced cost in Texas. Gas prices alone are about a dollar lower than the California average .
- Job growth: Texas is ranked fifth in the nation and gains new companies all the time.
- Excellent schools: Many of Texas’ school systems receive top ratings for their excellent teachers and safety policies.
- Good home for families: Texas is known to be family-friendly with activities and accommodations for kids.
Cons.
- Public transportation: Texas is a little behind on the public transportation game, and options are somewhat limited if you don’t want to drive.
- Property tax rates: You’ll pay higher property taxes than most other states, with the average household paying over $3,000 in property taxes each year.
- The hurricanes: Texas has exposure to hurricanes each hurricane season, so don’t come unprepared.
- Urban sprawl: As cities spread out, the roads into those cities are congested. The closer you get to the city, the more crowded the roads become.
Tax Rates
- Sales Tax: Texas imposes a 6.25% percent state sales and use tax on all retail sales, leases and rentals of most goods, as well as taxable services.
- Property Tax: Texas is among the highest in the country. Effective property tax rates average 1.60%, meaning Texan households pay an average of $3,797 in property taxes each year.
- Income Tax: None
- Gas Tax: 20 cents per gallon of regular gasoline and diesel.
Housing Market
As of March, 2023 the typical home value of homes in Texas start at $290,863, up 9.2% over the past year according to Zillow.
What Should I Know In 2023?
Economy Outlook
As the 9th largest economy among the nations of the world, Texas offers a combination of unique competitive business advantages that no other state can claim: a business-friendly climate—with no corporate or personal income tax—along with a highly skilled and diverse workforce. Also Texas has unemployment rate dropped in December, 2022 to 3.9%.
Top Texas Industries: Information Technology, Oil and Natural Gas, Aerospace, Defense, Biomedical Research, Fuel Processing, Electric Power, Agriculture, and Manufacturing.
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Traffic & Transportation
Texas’ public transit still has a long way to go to come close to what other US big cities have to offer. Because jobs are abundant, and Texas’ population is ample, you might spend a good deal of time in traffic. If you’re commuting to a bigger city to get to work, prepare to lengthen your commute time.
There are two major highways in Texas: the I-10 runs east-west, and I-35 runs north-south. Houston, Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio have major traffic problems, but traffic is still much more reasonable than in big cities like Los Angeles or NYC. If you’re living and working away from major hubs, you likely won’t have to deal with unreasonable traffic.
Cost of living
Texas offers a varied landscape, both in terms of terrain and cost of living. To get a sense of the overall cost of living in The Lone Star State, you need to delve into not only state-wide metrics, but also those of individual municipalities. While Texas has plenty of large cities, there are also places where prices and wages are rather low.
Overall, Texas is a favorable state for renters. More specifically, the median rate for studios, one bedrooms and two bedrooms is $796, $863 and $1,513, respectively, according to Apartment List data from 2021. When compared to the national averages of $827, $947 and $1,175 for the same apartment types, things look pretty good here.
Texas is famous for its cuisine, which ranges from Tex-Mex to barbecue to chili to Texas toast. According to the MIT Living Wage Calculator, a single adult with no children living in Texas should expect to spend $3,278 on food in a year. On the other hand, a family of two working adults with two children will spend $8,822 on food per year.
Moving to Texas
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