# Brisbane vs Houston/Calgary



## taymur (Oct 5, 2010)

Hi,

I was interested to learn about Houston, Cost of Living, settling there and raising kids. I have a choice of either Calgary or Houston but I am not interested in Calgary as its very cold up there and cost of living is also high.

Can someone guide me about life in Houston? Cost of living, Cars, schooling for kids, weather (I don't mind hot weather).

Finally if anyone can guide me as to what city would be best (in above terms) between Calgary (Canada), Brisbane (Australia) or Houston (USA)?


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## findraj (Sep 24, 2012)

If you call Cost of Living high in Calgary, I believe any 'city' in Australia is almost out of reach.


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## taymur (Oct 5, 2010)

I agree with you that Australia has high cost of living especially if you are in Sydney or Melbourne. I find Brisbane to be not too pricey compared to Calgary especially in terms of housing, renting, and food/groceries. But obviously slightly higher salaries here make up for that.

Have you lived in Calgary too? How do you compare both?


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## findraj (Sep 24, 2012)

yes I have stayed in Calgary for a short period, but I used to live in Toronto. lived there for 3 years straight and I got enough of snow by then. And I have stayed in Houston as well. My wife had some assignment for one of the Oil biggies and I tagged along..

Compared to Australia, overall, cost of living is higher compared to living in USA/Canada.

Uncle Sam has bullied the other nations to provide things cheap to them.

Gas, Cars...

Rent and food will always be your lifestyle choices..I rented an apartment in Downtown TO Queens Quay for CAD1700 per month..1+1 

And I highly doubt you would get anything good for 2 people in Aus..Sorry I havent lived there yet but my cousins told me to expect everything atleast 30% more expensive..

I would prefer Houston to Calgary / Brisbane tbh..


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## taymur (Oct 5, 2010)

Oh thanks for your reply. Indeed USA is cheaper. perhaps I can ask you more about Houston. Hows Houston for living? like raising family, education , family environment, cost of living (I heard its low?).

I also agree with you here that Canada is soo cold. You had enough of Toronto snow in 3 years. I lived in Alberta 11 years . Its cold n snowey and very depressing 6-7 months of winter there.


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## findraj (Sep 24, 2012)

I have loved Houston during my stay, pity I didnt get reasons to stay there longer. 

Good weather, very very affordable..Good schools there but I dont have kids so I wont be the best judge of it..the best part is that there are really good neighbourhoods compared to ones in TO..

They like their outdoor sports, just like in Aus..which I missed in Canada...Its a good place to live, just the weather sucks the fun out of it..

Ah Texas, take me in!!


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## espresso (Nov 2, 2012)

> In Australia [...] my cousins told me to expect everything to be at least 30% more expensive


We live in *Sydney* and yes, it is pretty expensive, especially if you don't want to commute and prefer to live in the inner suburbs. But compared to Europe (Austria/Germany) you also earn more and the tax man is much kinder to your income . On the other hand, back home we had an amazing social security net, including paid maternal leave for up to two years, full ambulance cover, etc. Medicare is pretty good too, so I'm not complaining. 

What will hurt most (financially) is the time period before you have a job and steady local income. The initial dent on our overseas savings was substantial. In Europe we were able to rent a small city apartment for 600AUD per month but we pay about four times as much in Sydney. Almost half of my partner's income goes towards rent and basic living expenses. We still live very comfortably and on a dual income we should be able to fill up our savings account again. 

*Considerations:* Do you have a job offer/visa yet? Does your partner have any preferences where s/he wants to live? Where do you want your kids to grow up? Do you want them to get dual citizenship? Canada, the US and Australia have a comparable standard of living and your income should ideally scale to fit the local cost of living, so comparing figures is hard at best. Despite a sponsor we could not get a work visa for the US last year because our desired visa subclass capped. So we ended up here. No regrets so far . The weather is amazing, but I guess I will miss the snow down the road... 

Cheerio and best of luck with your decision, 
Monika


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## findraj (Sep 24, 2012)

I agree about having a huge dent on savings, but I feel thats bound to happen no matter where you move only the degree of dent is different.

I dont like anything about snow so it will be sometime till I miss it but the best part I will miss is the way I used to go driving all the way to casino in my Benz :s cheap gas, cheap car... empty pockets before sunrise..Gonna miss all of that


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## taymur (Oct 5, 2010)

thanks guys, really helped. I guess I should be considering Houston then compared to Calgary or Brisbane


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## katewandering (Jul 1, 2012)

taymur said:


> thanks guys, really helped. I guess I should be considering Houston then compared to Calgary or Brisbane


I grew up in Houston and now live in Sydney, but I lived in Brisbane for about 2 months before I moved here. The weather in Houston and Brisbane is comparable, although it might be slightly colder in winter in Houston. The cost of living is vastly lower in Houston than in Brisbane, especially for rent, car, petrol, electricity/gas, the big ticket items, and eating out at restaurants or getting groceries. My brother still lives in Houston, and for $1200 a month, he has a really nice 2BR 2.5BA townhouse with two car garage in a very nice neighborhood in an area not too far from downtown. Similar place in Brisbane would probably be more than double that.

Now, I'm not in love with Houston, having lived in Austin for most of my life. But Houston is coming up in the world as a cosmopolitan city. In the cooler neighborhoods close to the city center, there are a million amazing world class restaurants, great museums and parks, great theater, etc. I think Houston has almost as much to offer culturally as Sydney or Melbourne, and way, way more than Brisbane. 

Brisbane, on the other hand, has more beautiful natural surroundings. Gorgeous beaches much closer to the city than in Houston (and the northern beaches in Texas are not pretty beaches or clean water--have to drive 5-8 hours to the south to get that in Texas). The bush around Brisbane out into to the hinterland is absolutely gorgeous. There's nothing to compare in the area around Houston.

The thing that both cities have, unfortunately, is the tendency to flooding. Keep that on your radar screen in either place as you look for where you want to live.

If you decide on Houston, stick to living in the areas closer in to the city. The outer suburbs are a sprawling wasteland of strip malls and parking lots, like the rest of suburban America. And remember that Houston is as big as LA and the traffic is just as bad, as is the public transportation system. Houston has nothing comparable to the Queensland Rail, which you can set your watch by. I'd never try to go anywhere on public transport in Houston, but I rode the train the whole time I lived in Brisbane and was never disappointed.

Hope this was helpful!

Best,
Kate


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## ozbound12 (Mar 23, 2012)

Houston is cheap, yes, but the humidity is oppressive, traffic is a nightmare (public transport is basically non-existent), and crime is a serious issue (in 2011, Houston had a violent crime rate of 934.6 per 100k compared to 623.5 in NYC or 522.6 in Los Angeles). Much of Houston is a sprawling mess.

Calgary is brutally cold in winters, but I wouldn't say it's an expensive city to live in - in fact, it's far cheaper than most Canadian cities and certainly cheaper than Toronto or Vancouver. But it's a bit of a cultural backwater and is pretty isolated from anything of interest (aside from Banff maybe).

Brisbane has its beautiful surroundings going for it (and of course, the weather), but it's far more expensive than either of the other two cities and to be honest, it's a bit of a cultural backwater too.

I guess it depends on what you're looking for in a city.


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## katewandering (Jul 1, 2012)

It occurred to me after I posted my last post that air quality is also a concern in Houston. The heavy reliance on cars for transportation plus the proximity to the oil refineries in coastal East Texas = really bad air quality. Brisbane is pristine compared to Houston on an environmental level.

I do have to agree with the last poster that Brisbane is a cultural backwater. Houston used to be, but it's coming up in the world. It ranked really high on Forbes Magazine's list last year of the coolest cities in the US. I couldn't really understand how it could have beat out Austin, which is way cooler, but hey, it's Forbes Magazine rating cool--how weird is that?

If you've never thought about Austin, check it out. Much better air quality and lower humidity, much smaller and more interesting place  But a lot hotter in summer!

Best,
Kate


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## ozbound12 (Mar 23, 2012)

katewandering said:


> It occurred to me after I posted my last post that air quality is also a concern in Houston. The heavy reliance on cars for transportation plus the proximity to the oil refineries in coastal East Texas = really bad air quality. Brisbane is pristine compared to Houston on an environmental level.
> 
> I do have to agree with the last poster that Brisbane is a cultural backwater. Houston used to be, but it's coming up in the world. It ranked really high on Forbes Magazine's list last year of the coolest cities in the US. I couldn't really understand how it could have beat out Austin, which is way cooler, but hey, it's Forbes Magazine rating cool--how weird is that?
> 
> ...


Air quality is a good point - but I think another reason why it's so bad in Houston is because it's the only American city without zoning laws. Which means there are factories and sewage treatment plants next to residential areas. 

But hey, at least it's "cool".


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## taymur (Oct 5, 2010)

thanks alot guys, thanks Kate for detailed reply. really helps. I think I will be fine without beaches although I will miss them if i move from Brisbane to Houston however for me warm climate is very important as I had enough of brutal canadian/albertan winters and if Houston and brisbane have almost same weather then its great


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## iamjohngalt (Nov 4, 2010)

taymur said:


> thanks alot guys, thanks Kate for detailed reply. really helps. I think I will be fine without beaches although I will miss them if i move from Brisbane to Houston however for me warm climate is very important as I had enough of brutal canadian/albertan winters and if Houston and brisbane have almost same weather then its great


Houston's weather CAN NOT be compared to Brisbane. I lived in Houston for 6 years and there was only ONE day that I can say the weather was nice. I remember it distinctly because it stands out so much compared to all the other days. Its either opressive heat/humidity or cold, wet freezing winter with humid wet miserable spring and fall. Brisbane's weather is good almost all the time, assuming you want warm weather. Except for humidity, Brisbane's weathe compares favorably with Los Angeles, and in winter it is better than LA.

Austin aside texas is UGLY. Houston is one of the UGLIEST places in Texas. The traffic is HORRIBLE. Nothing about Houston's "cuture" is appealing when compared to placed like LA, NY, SF, Sydney, Melbourne, Bangkok, London.

All Houston has is its cheap, and Atlanta has much more pleasant weather, more culture, better food than Houston, and its comparable in price.

that said, I live in Brisbane because in spite of its higher expense, it has a good climate, wonderful people, great beaches nearby, and the bush/hinterlands are amazing, too. If you are a culture snob who thhinks NYC is a great place to live then Brisbane won't have what you want culturally, but neither will Houston. I'd rate them about equal on culture because Brisbane has the gold coast and sunshine coast within 70-100 miles and they have an abundance of great activities going on virtually all the time. Brisbane is a great sports city, too, although that isn't important to me, it may be appealing to you.

Houston is a cesspool compared to Brisbane.
If you are fixated on Texas, consider Austin or Fort Worth, but nothing in Texas compares to Queensland.


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## Texish (May 17, 2013)

Hi.

I'm currently living in Houston. We are on the suburbs in Katy west of Houston. We have been here almost two years. We came from Ireland and I did have some concerns when coming here but overall we have had a fantastic time.

My husband works west of the city so it gave us options to live in suburbs. We live in a master planned community with good services, low crime, excellent public schools. 

Coming from Ireland the things I miss most is nice scenery , especially the coastline. We have gone to Galveston twice but we don't like it down there. 

The cost of living is pretty good here. I have a friend in Brisbane and I know our expenses like groceries, rent , clothing are all far cheaper here. Ireland's cost of living is expensive but groceries are more expensive for us here in Houston than home. It's one thing I haven't figured out the reason for considering eating out in Houston is cheap. It's strange the food in grocery stores is expensive relative to restaurants.

The things that worry me about Houston is the air quality, water quality, weather risks like storms. These are all things that were new to us than home in Ireland so they stressed me a bit when settling in. We drink bottled water the whole time, the water in the tap just seems very chlorinated and doesn't taste good. I have got a blocked nose most of the time since living here and I have never suffered from allergies at all. Also my husband has got a blocked nose the last few months and he is a very healthy man with no allergies ever either. 

These are the concerns that I've just stated BUT there are so many pluses for here ! There seems to be no sign of a recesssion where I live. Plenty of work especially if you are in the oil/gas industry. Public schools in the good areas are really really good. Lots of great choices of after school activities and camps for kids and we've met some lovely people through them.

Good variety of shops, grocery stores with Sprouts, Wholefoods, HEB, Kroger, Target. Good value overall and far cheaper to shop here than many other states.

I have loved the climate here. Houston is ranked pretty humid like Brisbane and from my comparison to my friend in Brisbane it seems we have similar climate except we get slightly colder winters. It can get down to 30F in the very early morning here in winter but then it can be up to 60 or more by noon. It is always nearly bright here which I love. Rarely is is cloudy or grey only with a thunderstorm. We've get a good few thunderstorms. Two tornado touchdowns last spring but they were only EF1 on tornado scale, it seems low risk here for tornados from statistics I've read and when they do touchdown it is low on scale.

Summer here can get quite humid and up to 100f but honestly I have found it good as there is air conditioning everywhere! It's rare I overheat and there is lots of swimming pools in our area! When you rent / buy a home in this area you have a great choice of swimming pools in the area to use. They are well staffed and great facilities !!

We move back home to Ireland with work this summer. We are so glad to have spent two years in Houston. The people are lovely, so much going for the place. We've been to some amazing shows in the city and we've travelled about to see other parts of Texas and some other states. It's a great base. If I had a choice of here or Brisbane I think it would be hard to choose. If cost of living is a big factor Houston is far cheaper and better value. For me nature is quite important and clean air etc so Brisbane would attract me first if I could afford to live there and have good visa options.

Anyhow I hope my review is some help and good luck in your choice!


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## taymur (Oct 5, 2010)

Hi Texish, thanks for detailed reply. I wanted to ask you how much crime is a factor in Houston? I know it happens virtually everywhere in the world now but is it something to be really considered before moving to Texas? Is it as bad as it is on a weekend night in LA or NYC Downtown or is it just little news here and there which you would also see if you were living in Canada or Australia?


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