Texas vs. California, which one is better? Which one has a better economy? Which one has a lower tax? Texas or California, which one has a better weather?
The United States of America is home to many amazing states and sometimes it’s hard to choose which one is better for living.
In this article, we will compare two of the most popular states, Texas and California in weather, job market, living expenses and, education.
Weather
When the word “Texas” comes to mind, it equals desert and cowboys!
Let’s change those cliches by looking at these pictures!
Winter
Both states have mild winters.
Northern California gets more rain compared to the rest of the state, but even in the San Francisco area, winters are tolerable.
The same rule applies to Northern Texas. City of Amarillo experiences lower temperatures during winters than other parts of Texas.
Summer
Everyone agrees that both states have pretty hot summers which could be a little hard to live without an Air conditioner in many parts.
This rule doesn’t apply to San Diego in Southern California, as well as Houston in Southern Texas.
San Diego has the best weather among all of America’s cities. It has a mild lovely temperature year-round.
Summer also means beach time!
Living expenses
These states are too big to have the same living price everywhere but Taxwise, Texas is much better.
You pay about %7 in Texas while it’s about %13 in California.
That’s a huge difference for having the same standard of living and more surprisingly, Although California’s economy is bigger, Texas’s economy is stronger, thanks to its oil reserves.
In the 2008-2009 worldwide economic crisis, Texas was the only state in the US that had growth in its GDP!
California’s most expensive city is San Francisco. The prices are too much that makes it impossible for a lot of people to buy a house and forces them to move to nearby cities like Oakland that has a very high crime rate (Four times more than the national average).
Texas’s most expensive city title goes to Austin, but when comparing it with San Francisco, this city is way too affordable! Housing prices are more than %50 cheaper in Austin as well as grocery which is more than %20 cheaper.
Education
California and Texas are home to great universities like Stanford University in Stanford, CA or The University of Texas at Austin in Austin, TX.
California has slightly more diversity than Texas. This state ranks NO. 1 out of all the states while Texas is the second one.
On the other hand, Texas is slightly less racist than California (Unlike what everyone thinks).
Do you have any experience in one of these states? got any questions?
Leave them in the comment below.
Texas is the best place to live and i prefer Houston!
Great choice! Houston is so nice, but I kind of like Austin better! Lol!
Thank you for your comment! 😊
Austin is nice. I especially loved Brazos Bend because of the alligators and water moccasins. I was little when I lived in Texas so that was pretty darn cool!
I have lived in both states and since I’m not a person that deals well with humidity, I hate Texas! AC is a necessity there. In California, I can cope well without AC, but that’s because my area is a sweet spot. There are other more humid areas that you do need AC.
Exactly!
However, I found Texas more relaxing in general (and cheaper! Lol!)
I like Austin the most.
How about you?
I want to move to Texas, but the times of uncertainty is now…
You’re right. It’s probably better to wait a while until Coronavirus is gone and the peace comes back to the country again.
I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and I now live about an hour North of San Francisco. Overall, unless you are rich (and I’m not) California is far too expensive to live a decent life and NOT worth it! Ironically, I don’t have the money to leave. I dislike my home state and for the past 4 years I’ve been wanting to movie to Texas. I can see the similarities in the 2 states, with Texas having a huge advantage over California in practically every way. To say the weather in CA is better is a huge myth. But the BIGGEST reason California is a horrible, dangerous state is because of WILDFIRES. My family and I were evacuated twice in the past 2 years. Both times fearing that our home would burn down. The areas around us were burned to a crisp and many people lost their lives. This happens every year now. The change in the climate has made living here during “Fire Season” unbearable and deadly. Imagine having to leave your home in the middle of the night in a huge windstorm with flames all around you. That’s California. Flames. Not rain, not snow or sleet. FLAMES. Scared to death as you drive down a pitch dark highway because PG&E turned off all the electricity in the Northern Part of the state. We had to drive for hours to get to a town with electricity. PG&E never updated their power lines (they should have 30 years ago) that means every time there are high winds and low humidity in our area they SHUT OFF the electricity, sometimes for DAYS. So we were left trying to pack in darkness as another wildfire was coming. PG&E has started most of the fires because of faulty power lines. However, the wildfires of October 2019, were STATEWIDE. Practically the entire state of California was on fire. The North, Middle and South. I would say after these experiences, not even the flooding in Houston looked as scary. The smoke was thick in the air. I hate California, but I can’t say I love Texas only because I’ve never been there. But I can promise I’d like it better than CA and I can only dream of moving away from California, the state the people once all wanted to flee to.
That’s horrible to hear. We had a similar issue two years ago in the Vancouver area. There was a wildfire, not too far away from us which they said could’ve rich us and for a few days, we were breathing a smokey air, fearing for our lives and houses. Plus, whenever there’s a strong wind in the area, we have power outage at least for a few hours! A few years ago, the outage continued for a few days and everyone was desperately trying to charge their phones either in their cars or the public places!
I pray you can live a happy life, not fearing over your life or home.
Texas usually doesn’t have such problems, except as you mentioned yourself, the Houston storms once a while!
Thank you for your comment!
Oh no, sorry to hear it. I can definitely sympathize with that! My folks have always loved California (they are originally from Boston), but since the wildfires they are less happy with it. Still they say the only place they could think of moving would be Victoria, Canada. They vacationed there twice and loved it! I have never been to Canada, but I hear good things. I will always wonder about TX until I get there, if I ever do. It looks exciting and interesting.
Well, as a Vancouverite, I’d like to live in Texas, myself! You’d love VIctoria and Vancouver if you come during summer, but ask your friends to stay here during winter (not to the ski resorts! lol), and they’ll probably never wanna come back! Imagine having short days and grey, rainy weather for about 8 months! not that lovely at least for me! lol!
I’ve lived in both states, among other places. I don’t really have a favorite: both Texas and California have/had things I liked and didn’t like.
I do have to say that weather-wise living on the coast near Santa Cruz is the best weather I’ve ever experienced. It doesn’t get too hot in the summer and it doesn’t get cold in the winter. Basically temperate all year long, and it is hard to beat living around redwood trees.
Right! weather could get too hot in Texas in summers, but around Santa Barbara and that area, the weather is among the top 10 in the world, actually!
Thank you very much for your comment!
People who can’t afford to live in San Francisco can’t afford to live in Oakland either. They move inland to cities almost 100 miles away and spend four hours in the car every day, because they can’t afford to live any closer. This is considered normal in California. The people who have run the state for the last generation have taken a beautiful place and run it into the ground.
That’s very unfortunate but the reality! 😣
It’s exactly the same here in BC since Vancouver housing market is just nonsense! We spend an average of 2.5 hours in the car, commuting!
Yeah, it’s like that in a lot of places… unfortunately, you can’t have it both ways. You can’t have a growing population and a growing economy while blocking the construction of high density buildings and prohibiting new growth over open space, while still having enough land to grow food.
Well, the residential high rises in Vancouver are popping up like there’s no tomorrow but because of the rich immigrants who have piles of cash to spend on a few condominiums, and even houses, the demand is still much more than the construction speed! Plus, many people
here are doing money laundry which just rises up the inflation!
I believe San Francisco has a height limit for buildings in the majority of the city. Residential highrises are popping up in the small part of the city where they are allowed. And they have all the big tech money there.
A lot of big tech money up in and around San Jose as well.
Cool, I didn’t know that! I keep learning from you Greg! Thank you for that!
There’s no special industry in Vancouver, a small economy with bunch of international millionaires, enjoying their luxury lives! lol
Nice way of choosing topic to write .
Thank you for your support dear Dpranita! 😊
welcome on my site.
I’ve been to Texas, it’s a lovely state, but I was born in raised in California, so that’s always going to have a special place in my heart!
Fair enough!
Thank you for your comment! 😊
I have lived in TX off and on over 7 years. Beautiful state. Great economic opportunities. However, as one half of an interracial couple, I find the racist views alive and well in TX. It is the last state to enact desegregation and the attitudes haven’t changed all that much. My partner and I have lived in other states yet have not experienced racial backlash anywhere else but in TX. Watch what’s going on currently and Dallas, where we lived (he still does and is born and raised) is having tensions run higher than other spots. I find people much more open minded in CA. I’m an east coast chick and that’s my 2 cents 😉
Equality for all, #antiracism now✊ everywhere. One race, human race❤
I so enjoy your posts, thank you for sharing!
I haven’t been to Texas for a long time now and had no idea that racism is still a big issue. I thought the biggest issue might be Texan accent for now! Lol!
That’s sad! But you know? The reality is that North America as a whole, is still pretty much racist! I live in Vancouver, Canada where people are famous for being polite and kind, but those terms are only real if you are white! Other than that, even though 52% of greater Vancouver’s population were born abroad (and their children who are born here are still people of color), racism is still a big thing!
Thank you very much for your comment!
I agree with you my friend, North America has a whole continent has to and is being finally forced to repent for its decades, centuries of sins against people other than purely white. There really is no such thing anyways as white and thankfully so. We are all pieces of each other, underneath it all we are all one. I have many friends from your area and someday I would live to visit. Your landscape is stunningly beautiful.
This post was quite thought provoking and I really enjoy conversing with you and sharing ideas. As a writer and a human being. Since we don’t get out and about much lately, I really relish my socializing online. Thank God for WordPress, I have met so many wonderfully talented people such as yourself.
Enjoy your day😊
I enjoyed our conversation too!
Stay safe! 😊
How do you quantify that “California is more racist than Texas”?
Hate crimes? Incarceration rates? Affirmative action policies? Race riots?
California is more diverse in its population. I wouldn’t say racist. That’s a broad statement.
Hello there. Thank you for reaching out. The source is provided right in the text.
Please Let me know if you couldn’t find it.
Texas and loving it, moved here from NY 10 yrs now–had been visiting for >30 yrs. When young, never wanted to live in Texas, but NY lost its appeal as I aged. Texas…more bang for your buck!
Exactly. Glad you’re enjoying it in there.
What aspects of living in NY you don’t like anymore?
Expense #1 and crowded.
I live in California and my brother lives in Texas… California is better – more expensive yes… homes are cheaper in Texas and the cost of living
But California has ALOT more to offer!!
It could be a sibling rivalry? Lol but I’m gonna go with California ✌️
Lol, Good point on ALOT, I know what you mean
I love them both, lived in Texas for 16 years and have been all over California probably at least 500 times. Both have many things that I enjoy about them. I am going to reblog this article for you.
Thank you very much dear @oldpoet56 , I appreciate it. 😃
I enjoyed this post, as I have wondered about these two different states. ❤️
Glad you liked it.
Thank you for your comment dear, Tamara.
Texas. God bless it!
Texas is too hot in the summer. While I wouldn’t want to live in neither- I’d go with California- especially northern California. I’ve been to all of the continental 48 – neither would be in my Top 10 states to live in.
I hear you @hanspostcard , personally, I cannot tolerate high temperatures either but for some people like my partner, it’s more pleasant to live in hot areas like Texas.
I currently live in Texas, but I lived in San Diego for about 9 years.
I agree.
The Texas summer is hot, hot, hot, compared to San Diego.
But there are not as many taxes.
Guess you have to make a choice.
Cooler weather or lower Taxes…..hmmmm.
Thanks for commenting dear Marry.
Right, it’s hard to find that perfect place that got it all!
I’ve been searching for more than 10 years so far and yet no result!