# Canada to Texas - what do I need to consider to make this decision?



## Texasbound (Jun 29, 2011)

Hi everyone,

My husband has a job offer in Texas and we are trying to decide between our options of staying in Canada or heading south. I know that we'll need to consider health insurance, as well as the cost of school for our young child (currently under 1 year). I don't believe I will be able to work so we'll be on one income. 

I am thinking I must be missing a number of things that we'll need to consider. Would hate to make the decision to move to TX (San Antonio) and then find out a number of things that leave me with regrets. 

I'm finding it hard to research this online. If anyone has tips or things I should consider please let me know. 

Thanks!


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## Fatbrit (May 8, 2008)

Texasbound said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> My husband has a job offer in Texas and we are trying to decide between our options of staying in Canada or heading south. I know that we'll need to consider health insurance, as well as the cost of school for our young child (currently under 1 year). I don't believe I will be able to work so we'll be on one income.
> 
> ...


H1b, TN, E2? The visa is important if you wish to have the option to stay. Don't fall into the common trap of thinking the company will take care of it. Husband needs to negotiate into the contract when they will sponsor him for residency (aka green card). Be pro-active with the immigration side or it can bite you badly.

As for Texas (except Austin), no comment!


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Lets start with the usual questions: what are your needs and wants as far as lifestyle goes? Will his compensation cover it?
Are you familiar with the climate? I thought I had seen it all. LOL! Five inches of ice and two feet of snow within a night, two months later 110F and persistent winds of 30-40 mph interspersed with tornados, dust storms and wild fires. Last night around 23:00 it was still in the 90s. Stock up on sunscreen and moisturizer. I find items such as groceries over the level of Atlanta or DC. Distances are a given. You will need two vehicles. Dining out - lunch runs you around $10, dinner $30 and up without drinks and fairly plain. Education is almost free but you have to live in the school district you want your child to attend in. I am not up to speed on Canadian visa - which one will your husband make the move with? No state income tax but real estate taxes will give you indigestion.


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## Fatbrit (May 8, 2008)

twostep said:


> No state income tax but real estate taxes will give you indigestion.


When you add all the tax bills together (state income, property, whatever they screw you for on for the car, little bits stuck on your utility bills, sales tax) they come out around the same for most south western states except California. The oddness in Texas is that the lion's share is piled on your property tax.


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Fatbrit said:


> When you add all the tax bills together (state income, property, whatever they screw you for on for the car, little bits stuck on your utility bills, sales tax) they come out around the same for most south western states except California. The oddness in Texas is that the lion's share is piled on your property tax.


That is an understatement. In our area you can count on 1200-2000/mo on 300k. Unfortunately my cats will not be able to enjoy the public school system which is largely being supported with real estate tax.


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## Guest (Jun 29, 2011)

Other lifestyle changes: 


Before ______________________After
poutine______________________barbeque
French as 2nd language_________Spanish as 2nd language
Labatt's beer__________________Lone Star beer
strange flavors of brandy_________tequila or Wild Turkey
no guns______________________shotgun in the house, revolver in your purse
High income tax, free healthcare___Lower income tax, ¬20% cost of healthcare


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

GringoCArlos said:


> Other lifestyle changes:
> 
> 
> Before ______________________After
> ...


****** - revolver as purse toy? Very few shooters expect an agressor to step inside their defense circle and grab the drum.


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## JohnSoCal (Sep 2, 2007)

Texasbound said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> My husband has a job offer in Texas and we are trying to decide between our options of staying in Canada or heading south. I know that we'll need to consider health insurance, as well as the cost of school for our young child (currently under 1 year). I don't believe I will be able to work so we'll be on one income.
> 
> ...


This is not something that somebody else can answer for you. It all depends on what your preferences are. The obvious considerations are weather and income/cost of living. The one given is that the cost of living will be much lower in Texas than Canada. As far as weather goes, the only given is that it is much different. Personally, I far prefer the climate in San Antonio to Ontario though where I live in California, it is much better than Texas. However, it depends on what kind of climate you like.

Health insurance is a big variable. Many employers pay at least part of it and some pay it all.

There is a definite strong Hispanic culture in San Antonio with more than 50% being Hispanic. To me that is a positive but to some it may not be.

Everybody that voices an opinion on which is best is simply stating their personal preferences and is no indication of what you may like.


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## MichaelS (Nov 8, 2008)

Texasbound said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> I am thinking I must be missing a number of things that we'll need to consider. Would hate to make the decision to move to TX (San Antonio) and then find out a number of things that leave me with regrets.
> 
> ...


It's been 11 years since I lived there (but i did visit recently), but here is what I remember.

It is generally a pretty cheap place to live, but as others have mentioned above, property taxes are high, and utility costs (water and electricity) are pretty insane too. For the most part this is offset by the lower costs of other things, but remember this when you are looking at that 3,000 sq foot house with a price that would only get you a 500 sq foot condo in Toronto. Apartment living is cheap, and you can find nice complexes with pools, gyms, clubhouses, etc.

Crime is pretty low for such a big city, and in the 5 years I lived there I never felt threatened or had any bad experiences. The north side of town seems to be a little safer and nicer than the south.

The people are, mostly, super friendly and pretty socially conservative (which may be a good or bad thing, depending on your point of view). There is a strong hispanic culture, and in the surrounding areas, the remnants of a past German culture. I think the food is amazing in San Antonio (I live in France now and I really miss tomales :-(), but it's not as cosmopolitan as big Canadian cities, so you may find it lacking of vareity. Unfortunately the city is being increasingly overrun by fast food joints and big chains, but you can still find good restaurants. It's similary being dominated by the big box stores and shopping centers too, but I suppose that is true of many American cities.

Floods are not uncommon in low areas, and you can get some crazy storms and downpours in Spring and Fall, but the rest of the year is pretty dry. Summers are _hot_, but winters are very mild. We only ever had ice once (although it did shut the whole city down for a day ), and I don't think I ever saw snow there (they got some this year though).

There is some cool stuff for kids there. SeaWorld and SixFlags are cool and the world's awesomest waterpark (Schlitterbahn) is just a half hour north in New Braunfels. And of course there is the Alamo and other historic sites around the Mission Historic District too. The gulf coast is just a few hours away, and you can even seen dolphins and sea turtles and stuff around North Padre Island state park. For adult outdoor stuff, fishing and golfing seems to be pretty popular, but I've never been much of a fan of either.

You have to have a car to get around San Antonio. Bus service is decent (by American standards) in the center of town (within the 410 loop), but outside that it gets pretty sparse. And San Antonio is BIG.

San Antonio is far from everything. Flights from San Antonio usually require connections, and driving anywhere is a journey (it takes a day just to get out of Texas ). I found San Antonio lacking in entertainment options (theatre, opera, etc.), lacking in some outdoor options (no real mountains, the hiking options aren't great and the oppresive heat in summer lessens the appeal of being outside) and maybe a little boring for young singles or couples, but I think it would probably be a pretty good place to raise a family.


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## JohnSoCal (Sep 2, 2007)

MichaelS said:


> It's been 11 years since I lived there (but i did visit recently), but here is what I remember.
> 
> It is generally a pretty cheap place to live, but as others have mentioned above, property taxes are high, and utility costs (water and electricity) are pretty insane too. For the most part this is offset by the lower costs of other things, but remember this when you are looking at that 3,000 sq foot house with a price that would only get you a 500 sq foot condo in Toronto. Apartment living is cheap, and you can find nice complexes with pools, gyms, clubhouses, etc.
> 
> ...


Your post is very objective and pretty good. I would just add that the Riverwalk in downtown San Antonio is pretty unique with some good restaurants.

San Antonio Riverwalk Information and Travel Guide

The Official Website of The San Antonio River Walk


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## Midlifer (Jul 24, 2012)

Texasbound said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> My husband has a job offer in Texas and we are trying to decide between our options of staying in Canada or heading south. I know that we'll need to consider health insurance, as well as the cost of school for our young child (currently under 1 year). I don't believe I will be able to work so we'll be on one income.
> 
> ...


Texas is great, if your child is under 1 and you're not working why would you place in school? If you plan on staying a while kinder starts at 5, with some districts offering PreK at 4. On thing I think we do very well here is public education, but I'm biased as I am currently a TX teacher. Be sure to check out both the school district and specific school. 

SA is a great city but large and diverse. About 60% Mexican/ Hispanic. The north side is very nice and lots of small town suburbs like Fair Oaks Ranch, Alamo Heights and Beorne. People here think nothing of long drives as we're a big state and very spread out.


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## Shawnjeezie (Aug 17, 2012)

Texasbound said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> My husband has a job offer in Texas and we are trying to decide between our options of staying in Canada or heading south. I know that we'll need to consider health insurance, as well as the cost of school for our young child (currently under 1 year). I don't believe I will be able to work so we'll be on one income.
> 
> ...


Dallas is a much bigger area of Texas. I live only an hour's drive from Dallas and have been out of work for 6 months and despite all my efforts to get a job here (300+ applications filled out online) I still haven't gotten a single phone call. I'd like to know what your husband did to get a job offer here because I want to move to Japan and I need money to get educated in speaking Japanese and get a one-way plane ticket to Tokyo. But that's beside the point. I'd like to know how your husband got a job offer because I'm quickly running out of what little money I have left from my previous job.


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## HoosierJedi (Aug 17, 2012)

I used to live in San Antonio. It's not a bad town, but pretty spread out. Everything is ALWAYS at least a half an hour drive and trying to change lanes or get to an exit can be a very hair-raising deal. 

The schools aren't bad, but I'd advise you to vet them very carefully. Make sure they're run by someone who knows what they're doing and cares. You wouldn't believe some of the stuff that goes on at schools were the staff doesn't care. And I say that as a teacher.


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