The whole "income tax" thing is WAY blown out of proportion. For overall tax burden, Texas ranks VERY high.

Here are some other things you should consider...

In Texas everyone averages 30k miles a year in their car. That not only costs a lot, but it is about 700 hours a year sitting in the car. North Carolina has WAY more stuff to do and it is all closer. You can go to the beach one weekend and the mountains the next. 15k miles a year is considered a lot of driving in NC. So there is an extra 200 hours a year you just gained.

Texas has the best mid priced restaurants and grocery stores in America. Nothing in all of America is even close to the quality of Market Street and HEB.

The weather is Texas is absolutely horrible and you will be able to do stuff outside in North Carolina. With Texas weather comes Texas mosquitoes. It does not have to suck that bad.

North Carolina has rivers and lakes that are actually not a health hazard to get into. I will never ever get into a body of water in Texas as it is nothing but filth and fertilizer. Texans simply don't care about living with horrid levels of pollution.

Texas and North Carolina have quality education for the most part. Both states have high quality Universities. The NC schools are probably rated slightly higher than Texas but Texas has more quality Colleges.

People in Texas are slightly cooler than NC. In NC they kinda get into your business. In Texas everyone pushes their friends to succeed more.


I would choose NC over Texas 100 days of 100 because it is more relaxed and the quality of life is way higher. But I am me and you are you. If you value bars and restaurants, then Texas is better. If you value clean amazing national and state parks, rivers, beaches, BBQ, and relaxing, then NC blows away Texas. I advise you don't even worry about the money, live the best life you can.

Jesus.

Edited to add:

I sat on this, because my response was going to be snippy if I posted right away. Which was dumb.

Taxes are generally a wash between property vs income taxes.

NC has more high end Universities. They're also much smaller and harder to get into, not to mention higher cost. To be honest, outside of Duke, it's mostly a wash based on the number of large, respected universities in Texas as well as schools such as Rice.

The only people I know driving anywhere close to 30K miles a year are regional sales people who live out of a car. My wife and I both average under 10K miles a year and that included a 4K miles summer trip on each vehicle alternating the last 2 summers. The actual average is around 16K miles and within less than 100 miles of the NC average based on research.

Weather is warmer here, colder there. The great thing about Texas compared to NC is we have more than a half dozen regions that can be very different in climate and geography. The gulf coast is going to be hot, rainy, humid, and with mosquitos. West Texas will be hot and dry. Panhandle more temperate just like northeast Texas. NC is temporate to cold with snow and Ice. It's different, but the generic comparison doesn't necessarily hold water. The hill country is similar, but a little warmer, more arid hills compared to forested mountains. Both get Hurricanes on their coast.

People in Texas used to be a lot better and friendlier. That has dwindled in large cities as transplants move in for jobs and to do their best to change the culture. A large portion of NC has this problem in spades as well. The trade off is Houston is one of the most diverse cultural cities in the USA.

Saying value of life is better is subjective and a stretch at best. Places like Houston with elite culture (museums, sports, Rodeo, festivals, etc) restaurants of every ethnicity and quality, massive amounts of green space (bayou hike and bike, Herman / Memorial Park in addition to neighborhood parks) isn't challenged for most by NC. It's just different. If NC barbecue is a bullet point, good luck. The number of state parks within an hour of Houston generally baffles people. The pollution claim for them is not applicable. The Gulf of Mexico is generally ugly, but mainly due to mud from rivers. There's issues with the port / refinery area, but that also keeps our gas prices much lower than NC.

The reality is moving for work right now is much harder to overcome just because of interest rates. It would cost me double or more in interest to move from the very nice house in town I have a 2.5% rate on in the best case scenario. While it's possible to find less expensive options to try and counter, that's typically counter intuitive when moving for work. No one wants a less desirable home, and if one has to pack up their life, most generally want something nicer to justify it. So housing alone would require a huge relocation package, salary increase that means c-suite to even have be an option. In housing alone that probably means $50k+ in relocation costs and $500k total to cover the added interest on the home just in interest rate differences.

I'd need at least double pay to move back to Texas from Colorado. Not happening. Summers + lack of outdoor activities moved us to Colorado. Quality of life much better here imo.

Interesting points. I was suppose to fly up yesterday but the storms got my flights cancelled. Gonna try again in a week or so.

htxag09 said:

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knoxtom said:

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In Texas everyone averages 30k miles a year in their car.

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Please show your supporting evidence for this....I'd love to see it.

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Yeah! I drive 30k a year and I'm sure I'm an EXTREME outlier.

But… I don't doubt or disagree with most of Knoxtoms other points. Weather and mosquitoes here suck ass.

10%

I don't think there is a number, honestly. Because whatever they offer would have to be an increase to cover both my and my husband's salary (bc no guarantee he can find a job in the new state), plus extra to cover cost of living adjustments, plus extra to cover having to sell our house/buy a new house.

And all of that would be a REALLY high salary and a job that would command that kind of salary? Not what I want. Not looking to be a c-suite executive.