When moving to the Rio Grande Valley there are a few things you should know. First and Foremost, let me say that the Rio Grande Valley is one of the best places to live in the United States. This is evident by the amount of people that move back here after they leave. Even though this is true, if you are moving to the Rio Grande Valley there are some things you should keep in mind. Today we will cover some Economics and the climate.
It is widely known that the cost is living is low here. However, there are some areas that do not follow that trend. Yes, you can save a ton of money on a house. For example, we bought a new, small 2 story house. It has 3 bedrooms, 2 ½ baths, an office, a one car garage and has 1750 ft of living space. It cost us $79,000. The same house in Cambridge, MA will run about $440,000.
**A good reason for moving to the Rio Grande Valley** Live up north and don’t have enough to retire? Sell your $440,000 house and buy the same house here for $79,000. That’s a profit of $361,000. With a good investment making 10% you could possibly obtain a yearly income of $36,100 just from your current house. By the way you could live in the Rio Grande Valley on $36,100 just fine. According to www.cityrating.com that is the equivalent to $81,144.28 in Cambridge.
Now let’s discuss areas that do not have the same extreme in differences. The most important is Healthcare Insurance. Although, the Rio Grande Valley has been having an economic boom over the last 15 years, there is not an abundance of large corporations based here. Therefore, the odds of working for a small company are high. Small companies do not have the pull are bargaining power to pull down great plans for their employees like large corporations do. Expect to pay larger monthly fees, higher co-pays, and larger deductibles. However, if economic progress continues like it has been doing expect more large companies to be moving to the Rio Grande Valley.
Since, we are talking about insurance let’s go over car insurance. Car insurance in the Rio Grande Valley can be higher than it is in Boston. My insurance auto insurance went up $15 dollars a month. In my opinion, there are two main reasons for this “cost of living flip.” The first is car theft. MSN Money did a study in 2004 and named the McAllen –Edinburg-Mission area as the 56th worst city for car theft. The high degree of car theft is most likely due to the proximity of the border. If a car thief steals your car while you go into a restaurant for lunch, they can be in Mexico before you finish your dessert. Once your car is over the border, Hasta la vista, baby. Second, is the amount of uninsured drivers we have. Many drives do not have insurance, maybe because they can not afford it or because they are just visiting from across the border.
Let’s talk about something good, the weather. If you like it hot, this is the place for you. Even if you do like it hot, here are a few tips for you. Spend $100 a tint your car, unless you want to know what it feels like to have your face melt. Believe me when you car has been sitting in 110 degree weather it can feel hotter inside. Here is a brief list of things to have or do to prepare for the change in climate.
1) Drink plenty of water
2) Wear sunscreen
3) Take time to climatize slowly
4) Educate yourself on heatstroke and heat exhaustion
http://www.howstuffworks.com/question699.htm
5) Park you car in the shade when possible
6) Dress for the weather.
7) Carry a cell phone
We’ll wrap up with just a few more short tips. When you do arrive here, be sure to relax. Don’t bring your snow shovel. If by some freak of nature it does snow here, it should melt by lunch. You can drive in the snow and rain. We cannot.
