Outside The Loop
Sugar Land shamed: Another Houston suburb takes a major Texas honor, beating Dallas' burbs too
Talk about outside the Loop bragging power.
Pearland is the most affordable suburb in Texas and the fourth most most affordable in the United States, according to a new study published by real estate blog Movoto. The survey compared cost of living, food costs, utility costs and various tax rates to determine the cheapest places to live.
Pearland had the lowest food costs of any suburb in the Top 10 and lower than average costs for living and utilities. Not having an income tax benefited Texas as a whole, although Pearland's property and sales taxes are way above average.
Obviously the Houston Texans defense dropping $12,000 on a team dinner at Killen's Steakhouse isn't bringing up the average food cost too much. Maybe the reasonably priced, consistently delicious Vietnamese food at Thanh Phuong helps balance it out.
Midwest City, a suburb of Oklahoma City, tops the list. The three other Texas slots belong to San Antonio suburbs Universal City, Schertz and Cibolo.
Overall, the list is an improvement in the way Movoto treats Houston. Previously, the site has tried to invent a disgusting sounding cocktail named after the city and also dubbed Houston America's 10th least romantic city. So maybe Sugar Land and Kingwood shouldn't feel too slighted after all.