qzseattle

Hello All,

So, the day of my move to Houston is arriving soon. I will be flying to Houston to Seattle in 2 weeks. Is anyone aware of any special going on? Best one-way fare that I have found so far is $167 on America West. This fare is being offered on almost all popular sites including expedia.com, travelocity.com and orbitz.com, as well as americawest.com.

rkkwan

That's a decent price, but if you want to go even cheaper, you can fly Southwest for $115.30 all-in. Two itineraries to choose from on Sat 10/16.

qzseattle

I checked southwest but didnt find this price for october 13/14, two of the days on which I am planning to fly. I will keep checking them.

Binthair

Get ready to spend a night in Phoenix if you are flying America West. (Just my experience the one time I let a cheap fare lure me; I spent a night in Phoenix BOTH ways on a round trip; never again).

rkkwan

The $115 price is only for certain flights on Sat. Other days have lowest at $155.

Since today's already 9/30, you're right at the 14-day mark for 10/14. You really want to finalize your purchase tonite, so you may be paying through your nose soon.

qzseattle

I have reserved tickets on America West for $162 all-in.

Binthair, I hope I dont have the same experience as you did. If it does happen, I would call up my friend in Phoenix to show me around

Next step is car rental. So far, orbitz has the best fare of $175 (all-in) per week for a mid-size car. I will have to rent a car till my car arrives in Houston.

rkkwan

Houston has one of the highest car rental fees/taxes in the country. [Hey, someone has to pay for all the new stadiums!] So, always check that. Last time (well, maybe the only time) I rented a car locally, the fees/taxes are like 40% of the rental rate.

qzseattle

Yup, you are right! Out of $175, about $70 is taxes/fees! Outrageous! Initially, I thought that was a mistake. It seems that, just because Texas doesnt have state tax, the city of Houston is making up the difference by raising every other type of tax. Highest property tax in the country. Highest car rental tax in the country. I am scared to think about other taxes such as utilities.

In that sense, the city of Seattle is doing a great job. Washington also doesnt have state income tax. Yet, property taxes in Seattle are lower than in Houston. Rental car tax is reasonable. We have a low, flat car registration fee.

On the other hand, Seattle doesnt have as extensive a freeway system as Houston so I guess someone has to pay for that.

rkkwan

qz - Don't worry. The main thing really is only property taxes. Once you move here, you won't have to rent a car, and that's why all the local voters keep approving the buidling of the stadiums - it's because they're "paid for" by others. [Of course, it hurts tourism and convention business, but people are too stupid to see that.]

Sales tax is 8.25% in the Houston metro area, including 1% for the metro transit authority. It's relatively high, but we just buy things online from out of state as much as possible. Unprocessed food items, drugs, etc are not taxed.

Car insurance can be pretty high, but it's true for most large cities. At least you only pay a flat fee for registration, and the fee is not based on the value of your car or your income, like some other states.

Stuff you'll find it cheaper includes gas, and particularly groceries. There are several main chains here competing for business, so you'll find that very very cheap. And other than medical center and parts of downtown, you'll hardly pay for parking.

As for utilities, the phone doesn't matter. DirecTV is the same price all over the country. Electricity is now deregulated, so you can theoretically choose a cheaper provider. [I say theoretically, because we submitted the form for over a month already, but the change hasn't taken place.] But at least there's competitive pressure to keep prices in line.

For travel, CO's fares with 14-day advance usually is competitive with others. And under 14-day, Southwest has a huge presence at Hobby. That operation also keeps CO honest in its overall pricing.

I mean, you can really live very cheap in Houston, if you're smart in choosing the area to live, and then shop around for stuff. At least there are some options to cut down costs.