I have to consider leaving NJ and I need the PF hive mind's input...

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Originally Posted by RevolverRob

housing market in urban areas is pretty abysmal (high priced), and the cities aren’t purple, they are BLUE. You do not have to live in the city to work there, but commute times can be measured in eons in Houston and Dallas, especially.

That said, you could target an outlying burb to either place, example: Denton in the D/FW area or The Woodlands outside of Houston and likely have a large enough market to restart your business. Those areas are on the cusp of affordable, but would be reasonable if you do not simultaneously have hours long commutes daily.

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If the OP owns a home in a metro area of NJ, I think he'll find home prices in TX to be lower and for more space. And while he would find property taxes to be slightly higher here (I believe), not having income tax would offset that. Some other costs here, like insurance, are pretty outrageous, but no worse than NJ. On the plus side, Kroger frequently has great cuts of beef on sale for $5.99/lb. I don't think you see much of that in NJ.

Denton is an interesting place to consider. You could easily live affordably nearby in Justin or Argyle and commute... IMO, I'd be looking a little further South at Roanoke if I was considering a move here. Woodlands/Conroe is also interesting, but the weather down there is too sweaty for me.

There are some nice towns West of Austin. I'd be tempted to look at business opportunities on the West side and live further West, lots of lakes out that way. Cedar Creek area (SE of Austin) is growing fast... and far enough outside the city... Maybe live in Bastrop? I don't know much about home prices out that way, but you don't have to go far to get rural still.

From Newark to some nice country in the hills is a lot shorter drive than from Houston to any nice country in any hills. Just something to keep in mind.

Austin utterly failed over the past 25 years to plan for the growth it's experienced and as a result, traffic is really, really bad on the handful of highways they have there. Commuting from the country to the outskirts might be OK, but if you have to get into town, it will suck any way you slice it.

Houston persists in the medieval concept of road planning (hub and spokes) which builds in choke points and makes it a disaster even when there are a lot of roads with a lot of lanes. If I had a real commute here, my blood pressure would be much higher.

Anywhere with gulf coast humidity, from Brownsville to somewhere in the Carolinas, mold is a constant battle that most people and many businesses are slowly losing. If you can be west of I-35, that's nicer.

I agree with jc000 about VA. I've lived here my whole life, grew up in Culpeper and now live near Harrisonburg. All 4 seasons are present, there's cool historical stuff everywhere, and there's mountains, rivers, beaches, superhighways and winding backroads and everything in between. I think the Shenandoah Valley is one of the prettiest affordable places to live where there are also job opportunities, and the humidity from the Tidewater and Piedmont doesn't really make it over the mountains.

Recent politics are well known and previously discussed. I agree that we are looking at a changing nationwide political landscape which may not be in our favor for much longer. 2A is an important part of my beliefs, but it's not the only thing. I've found VA to be friendly to running my business, the sales tax at 5.3% isn't killing me, and property taxes in my county are affordable.

Harrisonburg benefits by being the home to JMU, which raises the overall intelligence of the county more than a person might first think. After having grown up in a non-college town, I vastly prefer a college town as a place to live. The roads are so much bigger than they need to be for a full 1/3 of the year LOL. And having some youth around is a good thing; it keeps the area from stagnating.

Just some thoughts from a man who really does love his State, despite it's recent disappointments.

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Originally Posted by RoyGBiv

If the OP owns a home in a metro area of NJ, I think he'll find home prices in TX to be lower and for more space. And while he would find property taxes to be slightly higher here (I believe), not having income tax would offset that. Some other costs here, like insurance, are pretty outrageous, but no worse than NJ. On the plus side, Kroger frequently has great cuts of beef on sale for $5.99/lb. I don't think you see much of that in NJ.

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I'd be surprised if anywhere in Texas comes close to northern NJ regarding cost of living. Knowing BaiHu and the area he lives in, I'm guessing property tax on a standalone house would be $15k/year, and a townhouse anywhere from $10-13k/year.

When I moved from NJ to VA, our auto insurance policy for comprehensive on two cars dropped by about $2k/year (we're not at-risk drivers, FWIW).

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Originally Posted by YVK

My wife had to drive one hour one way for her dancing lessons because there is nothing closer, and there's nothing closer because there's no demand.

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@YVK, thank you for this comment. I would not have thought it to be the case because the ballroom circuit has a lot of very good LDS dancers. We kind of automatically concluded that ballroom was actively supported in Utah, and it gives me a sad to find out otherwise. It takes Utah off our "Possible" list.

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Originally Posted by ranger

Consider north of Atlanta GA - Cherokee or Forsyth counties are both booming and "free". Chattanooga TN or Huntsville AL on my list if I have to bail from Canton GA.

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What ranger said -- you'd be welcome and fit right in here in Cherokee County GA.

Paging @Les Pepperoni for local BJJ situation on the West coast of Florida. (Not sure if the Sunshine State is an option, but we do like guns here. :) )

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Originally Posted by TGS

I'd be surprised if anywhere in Texas comes close to northern NJ regarding cost of living. Knowing BaiHu and the area he lives in, I'm guessing property tax on a standalone house would be $15k/year, and a townhouse anywhere from $10-13k/year.

When I moved from NJ to VA, our auto insurance policy for comprehensive on two cars dropped by about $2k/year (we're not at-risk drivers, FWIW).

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I have a small starter home that is paid for and my yearly tax hit is about 350.00.

I guess I'll not whine next year when I write out that check like I have in the past.

Overland Park, KS (and nearby Lenexa, kind of a hidden gem) is one of the best places to live and work in the country. An economy that's been booming for 30 years, constitutional carry including cross-border, generally nice people, and exactly the right size to have all the services and none of the traffic. We got a little bluish in 2016 and 2018 but Kansans are conservative and I am optimistic for a rebound. Lots of folks operate successful MA studios. Great place to eat, OUTSTANDING place to raise a family either in a secular manner (the public schools are the best in the country) or responsibly.

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Originally Posted by RoyGBiv

If the OP owns a home in a metro area of NJ, I think he'll find home prices in TX to be lower and for more space. And while he would find property taxes to be slightly higher here (I believe), not having income tax would offset that. Some other costs here, like insurance, are pretty outrageous, but no worse than NJ. On the plus side, Kroger frequently has great cuts of beef on sale for $5.99/lb. I don't think you see much of that in NJ.

Denton is an interesting place to consider. You could easily live affordably nearby in Justin or Argyle and commute... IMO, I'd be looking a little further South at Roanoke if I was considering a move here. Woodlands/Conroe is also interesting, but the weather down there is too sweaty for me.

There are some nice towns West of Austin. I'd be tempted to look at business opportunities on the West side and live further West, lots of lakes out that way. Cedar Creek area (SE of Austin) is growing fast... and far enough outside the city... Maybe live in Bastrop? I don't know much about home prices out that way, but you don't have to go far to get rural still.

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If you look near Austin try and stay out of Travis county.

And fully agree. Even the highest priced TX markets like Austin, DFW and Houston will seem cheap compared to North NJ/NYC Metro Area.