4 ms·

> Meanwhile, in Houston, an employee only needs to gross about $125,000 to achieve the same purchasing power as someone making $312,000 in New York. A six-figur

by juve1996 3y ago

> Meanwhile, in Houston, an employee only needs to gross about $125,000 to achieve the same purchasing power as someone making $312,000 in New York. A six-figure paycheck is much easier to achieve in Texas, according to SmartAsset’s analysis, since the cost of living in many Lone Star State cities is lower than the national average and residents don’t pay a state income tax. In cities like El Paso, Corpus Christi and Lubbock, salaries can be as low as $122,000 and still feel like a true $100,000. The real reason people have been moving to these places. There's no way to solve the problem. Unless you love living in those places, you can do much better for your future by leaving ,especially in this era of more acceptance of remote work.

JumpCrisscross 3y ago
> real reason people have been moving to these places There are unique factors that can make this person in New York more valuable than in Houston. Chiefly: once their function is in Houston, why not Honduras?
- jmoak3 3y ago
  >once their function is in Houston, why not Honduras? I agree, and it's something that I'd like to get ahead of if it's the world we're approaching. In a world where high-skill-non-managerial jobs can be outsourced easier, wages will become depressed. Would you rather take what you have saved and try to get something in Houston now, or watch from New York as your income stagnates but your expenses grow with inflation? Nobody knows the future, and remote work could very easily be phased out. Or we lean in and US companies draw from a pool of tens of millions of talented international software engineers. It's a hell of a situation. EDIT: lots of tweaks here and there.
  - JumpCrisscross 3y ago
    > Would you rather take what you have saved and try to get something in Houston now, or watch from New York as your income falls but your expenses stay flat? Depends on if you’re learning and growing or coasting. Truth be told, I’m presently the latter, which is partly why I moved to Wyoming. That is not an option if you’re starting out. And it won’t be when I shift back into first gear.
    - jmoak3 3y ago
      I'm a mid-level engineer working from Kentucky - trying to learn and grow remotely because after living in SF and other large west coast cities, I don't see how anyone builds much of a life there before they're 35 anyway. I also fear remote is here to stay, with all of the wage changes that will create for skilled American labor (it'll do lots of good too, don't get me wrong!) EDIT: >I don't see how anyone builds much of a life there before they're 35 anyway. By this I suppose I meant that I don't see how I could build much of a life out there before I'm 35. I know a few people who pulled it off, but I'm under the impression it is an outlier outcome in a city of outliers.
      - JumpCrisscross 3y ago
        > fear remote is here to stay, with all of the wage changes that will create for skilled American labor I do too. And it means a return of apprenticeship. Nothing more, nothing less.
- runako 3y ago
  > once their function is in Houston, why not Honduras? Because Houston is a large, relatively rich city with a well-educated workforce within a short drive of other large, rich cities and a short flight of others, whose citizens understand the unique problems that face American citizens and therefore can serve as excellent early adopters for consumer solutions for the American market?
  - JumpCrisscross 3y ago
    > within a short drive of other large, rich cities and a short flight of others Agreed. But if one's job and life go remote only, this ceases to be a differentiator. My entire argument is geography is far from becoming irrelevant. But if someone in Houston takes no advantage of their proximity to said "rich city with a well-educated workforce," they're competing against anyone with internet.
- blululu 3y ago
  Maybe chose a different example. Houston has a real economy. It is the global hub for petroleum engineering. This is a global industry that is highly competitive and it has been for quite a while. And yet Houston is consistently able to attract top tier talent and thrive. Personally I’m not a fan of Houston but I think it has a much more impressive economy than New York.
  - JumpCrisscross 3y ago
    > Houston has a real economy. It is the global hub for petroleum engineering The example sustains itself. If petroleum engineering could be done remotely, there is no chance it would continue to pay a premium for Houston-based talent. > I’m not a fan of Houston but I think it has a much more impressive economy than New York New York's economy is that of control and administration. Houston is to it as Baton Rouge is to Houston.
kQq9oHeAz6wLLS 3y ago
> The real reason people have been moving to these places Most of the people I know moving to those places are doing it mainly to escape cities run by politicians who care more about what people on Twitter think of them than actually helping their citizens. High crime, apathetic city councils, and poor schools are the cited reasons.
- juve1996 3y ago
  Yes, and certain media narratives reinforce that in people, I'm sure. But the statistics don't always track. Houston has a far worse violent crime rate than these cities (if we say, NY). A city like Tampa, crime wise, is comparable. And fantastic schools are available in every suburb outside all of these major cities - you'll find amazing school districts in the NE, Virginia, etc, so that can't be it. These places are very pricy too. Most people I know who have moved have all said a similar thing: cost of living is a fraction and taxes are lower. It's not just politics - people aren't moving to Louisiana. Texas and Florida offer economic opportunity.
mdanger007 3y ago
Living in Texas to achieve the nerd symbols of success is quite the Hobsin's Choice. Florida too. Feel sorry for those kids wrestling with gender issues
- hnburnsy 3y ago
  What is better for kids, living in a cramped apartment attending NYC public schools or a larger single family home in a good school district in Texas?
  - govolckurself 3y ago
    Having been, myself, relentlessly bullied by closed-minded bigots, I can confidently say that getting away from environments like that is priceless.
    - questime 3y ago
      Looks like there is a price - otherwise people wouldn't be moving here in droves. Also Houston being full of close minded bigots is hilarious to me, it's far more racially integrated than NYC. You seem to be the one that's a bigot
      - govolckurself 3y ago
        I expect better from Hacker News. Oh well.
    - juve1996 3y ago
      Do you think bullying doesn't exist in New York City?
      - govolckurself 3y ago
        [dead]
      - mdanger007 3y ago

JumpCrisscross 3y ago

> real reason people have been moving to these places There are unique factors that can make this person in New York more valuable than in Houston. Chiefly: once their function is in Houston, why not Honduras?

jmoak3 3y ago
>once their function is in Houston, why not Honduras? I agree, and it's something that I'd like to get ahead of if it's the world we're approaching. In a world where high-skill-non-managerial jobs can be outsourced easier, wages will become depressed. Would you rather take what you have saved and try to get something in Houston now, or watch from New York as your income stagnates but your expenses grow with inflation? Nobody knows the future, and remote work could very easily be phased out. Or we lean in and US companies draw from a pool of tens of millions of talented international software engineers. It's a hell of a situation. EDIT: lots of tweaks here and there.
- JumpCrisscross 3y ago
  > Would you rather take what you have saved and try to get something in Houston now, or watch from New York as your income falls but your expenses stay flat? Depends on if you’re learning and growing or coasting. Truth be told, I’m presently the latter, which is partly why I moved to Wyoming. That is not an option if you’re starting out. And it won’t be when I shift back into first gear.
  - jmoak3 3y ago
    I'm a mid-level engineer working from Kentucky - trying to learn and grow remotely because after living in SF and other large west coast cities, I don't see how anyone builds much of a life there before they're 35 anyway. I also fear remote is here to stay, with all of the wage changes that will create for skilled American labor (it'll do lots of good too, don't get me wrong!) EDIT: >I don't see how anyone builds much of a life there before they're 35 anyway. By this I suppose I meant that I don't see how I could build much of a life out there before I'm 35. I know a few people who pulled it off, but I'm under the impression it is an outlier outcome in a city of outliers.
    - JumpCrisscross 3y ago
      > fear remote is here to stay, with all of the wage changes that will create for skilled American labor I do too. And it means a return of apprenticeship. Nothing more, nothing less.
runako 3y ago
> once their function is in Houston, why not Honduras? Because Houston is a large, relatively rich city with a well-educated workforce within a short drive of other large, rich cities and a short flight of others, whose citizens understand the unique problems that face American citizens and therefore can serve as excellent early adopters for consumer solutions for the American market?
- JumpCrisscross 3y ago
  > within a short drive of other large, rich cities and a short flight of others Agreed. But if one's job and life go remote only, this ceases to be a differentiator. My entire argument is geography is far from becoming irrelevant. But if someone in Houston takes no advantage of their proximity to said "rich city with a well-educated workforce," they're competing against anyone with internet.
blululu 3y ago
Maybe chose a different example. Houston has a real economy. It is the global hub for petroleum engineering. This is a global industry that is highly competitive and it has been for quite a while. And yet Houston is consistently able to attract top tier talent and thrive. Personally I’m not a fan of Houston but I think it has a much more impressive economy than New York.
- JumpCrisscross 3y ago
  > Houston has a real economy. It is the global hub for petroleum engineering The example sustains itself. If petroleum engineering could be done remotely, there is no chance it would continue to pay a premium for Houston-based talent. > I’m not a fan of Houston but I think it has a much more impressive economy than New York New York's economy is that of control and administration. Houston is to it as Baton Rouge is to Houston.

kQq9oHeAz6wLLS 3y ago

> The real reason people have been moving to these places Most of the people I know moving to those places are doing it mainly to escape cities run by politicians who care more about what people on Twitter think of them than actually helping their citizens. High crime, apathetic city councils, and poor schools are the cited reasons.

juve1996 3y ago
Yes, and certain media narratives reinforce that in people, I'm sure. But the statistics don't always track. Houston has a far worse violent crime rate than these cities (if we say, NY). A city like Tampa, crime wise, is comparable. And fantastic schools are available in every suburb outside all of these major cities - you'll find amazing school districts in the NE, Virginia, etc, so that can't be it. These places are very pricy too. Most people I know who have moved have all said a similar thing: cost of living is a fraction and taxes are lower. It's not just politics - people aren't moving to Louisiana. Texas and Florida offer economic opportunity.

mdanger007 3y ago

Living in Texas to achieve the nerd symbols of success is quite the Hobsin's Choice. Florida too. Feel sorry for those kids wrestling with gender issues

hnburnsy 3y ago
What is better for kids, living in a cramped apartment attending NYC public schools or a larger single family home in a good school district in Texas?
- govolckurself 3y ago
  Having been, myself, relentlessly bullied by closed-minded bigots, I can confidently say that getting away from environments like that is priceless.
  - questime 3y ago
    Looks like there is a price - otherwise people wouldn't be moving here in droves. Also Houston being full of close minded bigots is hilarious to me, it's far more racially integrated than NYC. You seem to be the one that's a bigot
    - govolckurself 3y ago
      I expect better from Hacker News. Oh well.
  - juve1996 3y ago
    Do you think bullying doesn't exist in New York City?
    - govolckurself 3y ago
      [dead]
    - mdanger007 3y ago