Some Houston residents find themselves even more cost burdened than their counterparts in Los Angeles County. Transportation costs are part of the problem. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
Inflation may be easing in some sectors, but price increases over the past couple of years have made many so-called affordable cities not so affordable anymore. Take Houston. That metro area is still less expensive to live in than many other large U.S. cities, but it’s getting harder and harder for residents to make ends meet.
Manda Rogers teaches sixth grade in the Alief neighborhood of southwest Houston. She used to live in the neighborhood in a small apartment with her two children, but recently, she purchased a townhome on Houston’s southeast side.
“I was looking for a house that I can afford,” Rogers said. “I wanted the kids to have their own bedroom and stop fighting over space in one.”
At the moment, Rogers’ townhome is still bare of even a stick of furniture. She is actually saving money on housing by buying compared to what she paid in rent for her old apartment. But that doesn’t mean her new home came cheap.
“I was working with some counselors on trying to get into a house that was 30% of my income,” Rogers said. “Right now, I think I’m sitting at like 40, 45% with the taxes and stuff included.”
That makes Rogers “cost burdened,” which the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development defines as anyone who spends 30% or more of their income on housing. On top of that, Rogers now has a longer and more expensive commute. She estimates the combined cost of housing and transportation at 60% of her income.
Nadia Valliani of the Greater Houston Community Foundation said that for a community that used to be considered affordable, these costs are off the charts. “It’s more than what residents in Los Angeles County spend, which is a place known for its really expensive housing market, brutal traffic, with long commutes,” Valliani said.
Relocating to the suburbs used to be a way Americans could save money in metro areas from Chicago to Miami. But Valliani said the combined costs of housing and transportation in counties bordering Houston are also at Southern California levels. “For most of us,” Valliani said, “that means that there’s much less for everything else, and that includes health care, child care, savings, utilities, things like that.”
The consumer price index in the Houston metro area rose 14% over the past three years, compared to the 16% average increase for U.S. cities during the same period. So, this area is still a bit of a bargain, but it doesn’t feel that way to many who live here.
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