Austin, Texas: Cost of Living

[momus]

Everyone complains about the high rents and high home prices in Austin. But according to a website called Apartment Finder, which I trust, there are 4,213 rental listings between $600 and $1,050 per month. That is a huge number of housing opportunities.

Austin is often seen as an up-and-coming tech city, similar to San Francisco. However, San Francisco only has 94 rental options under $1,050. In most of those cases, you are likely renting a room in someone else's place rather than having your own apartment, which is still possible in Austin.

Am I missing something?

 

[Jammer]

Life is better in San Francisco. It is too hot in Austin and the rest of Texas.

 

[kingsfan]

Base salaries tend to be higher in San Francisco. My salary in Los Angeles was significantly higher than salaries in cities with a lower cost of living.

 

[momus]

Oh no, I lived in San Francisco over 40 years ago. It was nice back then, and my apartment in the Lower Haight cost $375 a month. Now, I think it rents for $3,500.

There are no true liberals left in the city. Being politically correct is not the same as being liberal. And when you do find actual liberals, all they seem to do is argue among themselves.

The city feels totally unfamiliar to me now and has for a long time. The weather is pretty lousy too, unless you live in the Mission or North Beach. None of the people who live there now were around when I was, and they do not represent what San Francisco was all about. I like warmth. No, San Francisco, like me, is not what it used to be. It is just a vibe now. It has become a yuppie and techie place. Things change, and that is just how life goes.

The cost of living is high throughout California. I think their entire tax base moved to Denver some years ago, which still makes me laugh. From what I have seen, a higher salary does not make up for more stress, more traffic, more frustration, and five-dollar cups of coffee.

I would never move to Austin or San Francisco, but Corpus Christi interests me, and I am moving there soon. The whole scene there is about the beach, the bay, Padre Island, fishing, and listening to music at free outdoor events. I plan to be like that man on the Big Island who threw down his newspaper in disgust after reading the national news and said, "I am just going to go back to worrying whether the surf is up or not." That was a wise man.

 

[kingsfan]

I hear you. I used to pay $900 for a one-bedroom apartment right next to Balboa Park in San Diego.

 

[Tex]

I have lived in Texas for almost 70 years, and Austin ranks near the bottom of the list of places I would want to visit, let alone live in. It has too many similarities to San Francisco for my taste.