Study: $50K In Houston Equals $123K in NYC

Toneh83 · Feb 13, 2009

krnxsnoopy said:

Having lived in both places here's my take.

First: Stereotypes

The "politeness" of Houston always seemed fake to me. While the "indifferent" attitude of New Yorkers is genuine in that: that is how they precisely feel. It is nothing personal, just that they have their own lives and could not be concerned with you for the most part, but this is neither positively or negatively. They just don't care. Yet, lets say if you were to ever approach a New Yorker to ask directions to a subway station, they will be some of the nicest, cordial people you'll ever meet. Of course, if they don't like you they'll let you know exactly how they feel. But for the most part they mind their own business and expect you to do the same. I noticed in general, people in Houston concern themselves more with others and what they do/say. Obviously these are just very broad generalizations but so are the two stereotypes just mentioned so I am just addressing them.

Another factor: Motivation/Drive

It may be that I was hanging out with the wrong crowds, but as a student in Houston it was easy to slack off and settle for decent (but not great) grades. At UofH, an undergraduate spends on average about 5 years in school. This is through personal observation and widely regarded as true by many students. Students seem to be content as long as they graduate, whether it be 4.. 5.. or 6 years..

In NY, nearly all students graduate in 4 years, regardless of major. Not only that, during those 4 years students would partake in internships nearly every summer, and even part-time during the semester. The point is, kids are more focused in their careers - very early on.

NY is definitely more CAREER-ORIENTED.

Many students I saw were content with their life and I saw this attitude even among working adults as well. Their lifestyle.. their job.. the status quo. It seemed as though they were happy as long as they had a steady job and lived comfortably. This isn't a bad thing but it wasn't for me. I would not be surprised if they were doing the same thing 5 years from now. Houston had a very laid back atmosphere and to an extent I saw this attitude in California as well.

I believe it is harder to IMPROVE yourself in Texas than in New York. I think there are less opportunities, and because of the culture/atmosphere of the city there is less motivation to improve/progress.

Lastly: Lifestyle

There are many cities similar to Houston, but not a single one can replace NY. As someone already mentioned, it's all about supply and demand. Prices are driven up not because of the scarcity of land, but because the demand for the land remains high - DESPITE the high living costs. NY can offer things no other city can and it can't be replicated.

For this reason, we can't compare "living costs" of Houston and New York because the "lifestyles" are not equal. We could compare rent and tax rates quantitatively, saying a 1 bedroom apartment goes for $1000 in Houston but $2500 in Manhattan. However, the life and experience that comes with the apartments are not equal. Is the apartment in Manhattan worth 2.5 times the one in Houston? What about the economic utility gained from living in one apartment over the other? The point is, we can't simply compare with numbers and say Houston is better because it is cheaper.

I am giving up more financial "bang for buck" than I did in Houston, and without some of the luxuries I had (ie: MUCH BIGGER apartment). However, I am willing to sacrifice certain conveniences since I believe there is much more to be gained by living in NY than in Houston.
Click to expand...

I agree with alot of this. People I knew and still know, loved to be in your business. 90% of them were and are satisfied with their current life and are not looking for ways to improve their life. Now everytime I think of Houston, Im reminded of Seattle. Dont ask. I dont know, maybe Im just a pretentious a-hole. But I really like my latte's and my banana republic. I love the diversity, liberalism, the oppurtunities in visual arts. I love Texas. I love UT, I love San Antonio, I LOVE how women actually HAVE curves in Houston. But it's just not the place I would like to grow and raise a family. Too much of the things I dont care for. Mostly religion and religious aspects and the lack of anything entertaining to do.

Another thing I happen to like about California. Is when I visited Houston back in December, I couldnt buy alcohol after a certain time of the day. The same with hookah tobacco(Hell I couldnt even find a place that sells it intil I search it on my navi). Where as I could find these items every corner or so on a Californian block, 24/7 no matter the time.

mrpaige · Feb 13, 2009

tinman said:

we should do a poll on who from houston has moved to another city and if they felt their life improved.

I go back to Houston often, but I never feel the need to move back.

I know several people who've lived in houston from grade school-college-work and moved to LA and absolutely love LA.
Click to expand...

You know, I've found that there are essentially two types of people. 1. People who grow up in an area and feel connected to it enough to stay or want to go back if they leave, and 2. people who grow up in a place but either want to leave or leave and don't really have the desire to come back.

As a person who has no desire to move back to where I grew up (I grew up in Amarillo), I'm always amazed at how many people, in this day and age, end up not moving away from the town where they grew up. But, obviously, a lot of them like where they grew up.

And, you know, there are always different reasons as to why someone will fall in love with a particular place. I sure love visiting New York City, but I could never live there. It just isn't conducive to the lifestyle I enjoy. I have a close cousin who moved up there several years ago for work, and he absolutely loves it (though, technically, he does live in New Jersey and works in Manhattan).

Personally, I have this intense desire to move to Los Angeles, but I think it's largely just because I could see myself standing in the parking lot at Fox Plaza and yelling "Yippee-ki-yay, motherfxxker."

nono · Jan 10, 2016

krnxsnoopy said: ↑

Having lived in both places here's my take.

First: Stereotypes

The "politeness" of Houston always seemed fake to me. While the "indifferent" attitude of New Yorkers is genuine in that: that is how they precisely feel. It is nothing personal, just that they have their own lives and could not be concerned with you for the most part, but this is neither positively or negatively. They just don't care. Yet, lets say if you were to ever approach a New Yorker to ask directions to a subway station, they will be some of the nicest, cordial people you'll ever meet. Of course, if they don't like you they'll let you know exactly how they feel. But for the most part they mind their own business and expect you to do the same. I noticed in general, people in Houston concern themselves more with others and what they do/say. Obviously these are just very broad generalizations but so are the two stereotypes just mentioned so I am just addressing them.

Another factor: Motivation/Drive

It may be that I was hanging out with the wrong crowds, but as a student in Houston it was easy to slack off and settle for decent (but not great) grades. At UofH, an undergraduate spends on average about 5 years in school. This is through personal observation and widely regarded as true by many students. Students seem to be content as long as they graduate, whether it be 4.. 5.. or 6 years..

In NY, nearly all students graduate in 4 years, regardless of major. Not only that, during those 4 years students would partake in internships nearly every summer, and even part-time during the semester. The point is, kids are more focused in their careers - very early on.

NY is definitely more CAREER-ORIENTED.

Many students I saw were content with their life and I saw this attitude even among working adults as well. Their lifestyle.. their job.. the status quo. It seemed as though they were happy as long as they had a steady job and lived comfortably. This isn't a bad thing but it wasn't for me. I would not be surprised if they were doing the same thing 5 years from now. Houston had a very laid back atmosphere and to an extent I saw this attitude in California as well.

I believe it is harder to IMPROVE yourself in Texas than in New York. I think there are less opportunities, and because of the culture/atmosphere of the city there is less motivation to improve/progress.

Lastly: Lifestyle

There are many cities similar to Houston, but not a single one can replace NY. As someone already mentioned, it's all about supply and demand. Prices are driven up not because of the scarcity of land, but because the demand for the land remains high - DESPITE the high living costs. NY can offer things no other city can and it can't be replicated.

For this reason, we can't compare "living costs" of Houston and New York because the "lifestyles" are not equal. We could compare rent and tax rates quantitatively, saying a 1 bedroom apartment goes for $1000 in Houston but $2500 in Manhattan. However, the life and experience that comes with the apartments are not equal. Is the apartment in Manhattan worth 2.5 times the one in Houston? What about the economic utility gained from living in one apartment over the other? The point is, we can't simply compare with numbers and say Houston is better because it is cheaper.

I am giving up more financial "bang for buck" than I did in Houston, and without some of the luxuries I had (ie: MUCH BIGGER apartment). However, I am willing to sacrifice certain conveniences since I believe there is much more to be gained by living in NY than in Houston.
Click to expand...

I agree with a lot on this. Anyways, you don't even have to necessarily compare $1000 in Houston to Manhattan. You can easily get a 11br in nice places in Brooklyn for $1500 or so. In NYC you don't have to have a car so are saving like $300 a month for insurance and the lease. Plus salaries seem to be significantly higher in NYC.

CCorn · Jan 10, 2016

Damn necromancers

Sajan · Jan 10, 2016

dafuq just happened?

BamBam · Jan 10, 2016

nono said: ↑

.
Click to expand...

^^^^^

.......
.......
.......

rage · Jan 10, 2016

krnxsnoopy said: ↑

Having lived in both places here's my take.

First: Stereotypes

The "politeness" of Houston always seemed fake to me. While the "indifferent" attitude of New Yorkers is genuine in that: that is how they precisely feel. It is nothing personal, just that they have their own lives and could not be concerned with you for the most part, but this is neither positively or negatively. They just don't care. Yet, lets say if you were to ever approach a New Yorker to ask directions to a subway station, they will be some of the nicest, cordial people you'll ever meet. Of course, if they don't like you they'll let you know exactly how they feel. But for the most part they mind their own business and expect you to do the same. I noticed in general, people in Houston concern themselves more with others and what they do/say. Obviously these are just very broad generalizations but so are the two stereotypes just mentioned so I am just addressing them.

Another factor: Motivation/Drive

It may be that I was hanging out with the wrong crowds, but as a student in Houston it was easy to slack off and settle for decent (but not great) grades. At UofH, an undergraduate spends on average about 5 years in school. This is through personal observation and widely regarded as true by many students. Students seem to be content as long as they graduate, whether it be 4.. 5.. or 6 years..

In NY, nearly all students graduate in 4 years, regardless of major. Not only that, during those 4 years students would partake in internships nearly every summer, and even part-time during the semester. The point is, kids are more focused in their careers - very early on.

NY is definitely more CAREER-ORIENTED.

Many students I saw were content with their life and I saw this attitude even among working adults as well. Their lifestyle.. their job.. the status quo. It seemed as though they were happy as long as they had a steady job and lived comfortably. This isn't a bad thing but it wasn't for me. I would not be surprised if they were doing the same thing 5 years from now. Houston had a very laid back atmosphere and to an extent I saw this attitude in California as well.

I believe it is harder to IMPROVE yourself in Texas than in New York. I think there are less opportunities, and because of the culture/atmosphere of the city there is less motivation to improve/progress.

Lastly: Lifestyle

There are many cities similar to Houston, but not a single one can replace NY. As someone already mentioned, it's all about supply and demand. Prices are driven up not because of the scarcity of land, but because the demand for the land remains high - DESPITE the high living costs. NY can offer things no other city can and it can't be replicated.

For this reason, we can't compare "living costs" of Houston and New York because the "lifestyles" are not equal. We could compare rent and tax rates quantitatively, saying a 1 bedroom apartment goes for $1000 in Houston but $2500 in Manhattan. However, the life and experience that comes with the apartments are not equal. Is the apartment in Manhattan worth 2.5 times the one in Houston? What about the economic utility gained from living in one apartment over the other? The point is, we can't simply compare with numbers and say Houston is better because it is cheaper.

I am giving up more financial "bang for buck" than I did in Houston, and without some of the luxuries I had (ie: MUCH BIGGER apartment). However, I am willing to sacrifice certain conveniences since I believe there is much more to be gained by living in NY than in Houston.
Click to expand...

Everything you said is a matter of preferences.
As for the life style or experiences NY can offer, you can only have them if you can afford them.

I can live in Houston, save my money and go visit NY and experience a few things when I want or I can live in a slump in NY and never get to go out and enjoy.

peleincubus · Jan 10, 2016

in most aspects for me NYC >>>>> Houston

the shark · Jan 11, 2016

Lived in Manhattan for four years in the early 90's, and it was expensive as hell back then.

Forums

Study: $50K In Houston Equals $123K in NYC

Toneh83 Member

mrpaige Contributing Member

nono Member

CCorn Member

Sajan Member

BamBam Contributing Member

rage Member

peleincubus Member

the shark Member

Share This Page

About ClutchFans

Rockets Content

Support ClutchFans!