The Brutal 10 Reasons You Will Instantly REGRET Moving to Texas

Added: 2026-05-22

[00:00:00]Texas is one biging lie. And I'm going to tell you why I think that in this video. This is the state that's been selling itself for years like it's the last affordable paradise in America. Big houses, no state income tax, giant stakes, cowboy hats, and enough state pride to power a regional cult. Now, Texas can be great. Let's get that out of the way first of all before someone in a lifted truck starts overheating emotionally in the comment section. It has jobs, culture, food, history, and some genuinely nice places to live. But Texas also has a way of humbling new arrivals that show up thinking they've beat the system. And that's when people start to regret moving to the Lonear State. We're looking at those reasons right now.

[00:00:48]Number 10, low taxes, the biggest lie.

[00:00:51]This is the grand Texas sales pitch. No state income tax. People hear that and they start imagining themselves swimming through extra money like Scrooge McDuck with a Costco membership. Then the property tax shows up like some jack booted school bully and takes your lunch money. Texas doesn't have a state income tax, which is wonderful, but the government still needs that money.

[00:01:13]Roads, schools, emergency services, and public systems don't run on brisket smoke and don't mess with Texas bumper stickers alone. So the money has to come from other places. And property tax is the big cash cow for Texas. The Lonear State is ranked seventh for the most expensive highway robbery. I mean, property taxes in the nation. This surprises a lot of people, especially folks that are moving to this state where home prices were, you know, were kind of high, but the property taxes were more predictable. In Texas, you might buy what looks like an affordable house and then realize the annual taxes are large enough to make your home buying process feel a little bit like a bait and switch thing. And it isn't just homeowners. Renters feel this, too.

[00:01:55]Landlords don't get a giant property tax bill and say, "You know what? I'll absorb this because I'm basically a housing philanthropist." The cost gets baked into the rent. Congratulations.

[00:02:05]You escaped state income tax in another state and walked into a new set of tax problems just wearing a cowboy hat and some boots. Texas is not tax-free. It's tax hideand seek.

[00:02:17]Number nine, the HOA culture or suburban probation. A lot of people move to Texas for freedom. Wide open spaces, big yards, a little independence, maybe a grill, a dog, and a dream of finally owning enough garage space to store eight plastic bins labeled miscellaneous. Then they move into a master plan community and discover the HOA has more power over their daily life than some small town mayors. Want to paint your front door a slightly different shade of blue? You better file enough paperwork like you're applying for a weapons permit that includes a nuclear submarine. Want to park your truck in the driveway too long? That's a letter. Grass too tall? You get a letter. Trash can visible from the street for 11 extra minutes? Letter.

[00:03:02]Your mailbox looks inconsistent with community standards. Letter with attitude. Texas loves to market itself as the land of personal freedom, but some neighborhoods operate like tiny suburban kingdoms ruled by people named Brenda who own a clipboard and freaking binoculars. They always got binoculars.

[00:03:19]You know, it's really a strange feeling when you move to a state famous for independence and then have a committee tell you that your flower bed mulch is spiritually incorrect.

[00:03:30]Number eight, they say Texas is cheap.

[00:03:33]Texas used to be the place where people from expensive states could show up, buy a nice house, and still have money left over for patio furniture, a smoker, and a truck too large for most parking spaces. That's the Texas dream, and a lot of people bought into it. But that version of Texas only exists in some places now, and they're getting harder to find in areas where people actually want to move to. Austin got expensive.

[00:03:57]Dallas got expensive. Houston has pockets that feel affordable until you calculate insurance, taxes, utilities, tolls, and emotional damage of home maintenance. San Antonio is still more affordable than many other big cities.

[00:04:09]But even there, prices are not exactly stuck in 2009. The problem is the reputation hasn't caught up with reality here. People still talk about Texas like it's this bargain bin with barbecue. So when they move there and they realize that their cheap Texas life includes a $3,000 mortgage, rising insurance, toll roads, and a grocery receipt that you gasp in line when you see you start wondering if everyone was lying to you or you just bought into some old marketing. In 2005, Texas was ranked as the eighth lowest in overall cost of living. In 2025, it was 15th. Not the worst, but moving in the wrong direction. Texas is still cheaper than California and New York, but it's like a financial bear trap. Now, number seven, the friendly Texas neighbor. Texas has a reputation for being friendly, and plenty of Texans are. Some will help you move your furniture, invite you over for cookouts, wave from the porch, and explain local customs like you're a foreign exchange student from Oregon. But don't confuse southern polite with everyone wants to be your friend. They don't. They're just nice. In some places, especially fast growing suburbs, people are exhausted.

[00:05:23]And if you move from California, New York, Washington, Oregon, or anywhere that gets blamed for ruining Texas, congratulations. You may be treated like a walking tax hike. People might be friendly to your face, but the second you say where you move from, the air changes. Suddenly, you're not a neighbor. You're a demographic event.

[00:05:40]You could be the nicest person alive.

[00:05:42]You're rescuing puppies. You're returning shopping carts. and someone will act like you personally brought condo developers and oat milk to their neighborhood. Texas hospitality is real.

[00:05:52]So is Texas side eye. Keep that in mind.

[00:05:57]Number six, local pride can be a little much. Every state has pride. Texas has pride with a fog machine, stadium lighting, and a fireworks show at the end. Most Texans don't simply live in Texas. They perform in Texas. The flag is everywhere. The state shape is on everything from shirts, hats, belt buckles, cutting boards, waffle makers, porch signs, wall art, wedding decorations, baby clothes, tattoos, and probably a few medical devices at your colonoscopy. If Texas could legally put the outline of Texas on the moon, it would have been done already, and then they would have passed a resolution bragging about it. At first, this could be a little charming. Then after a while, you start feeling like you accidentally joined a brand instead of moved to a state. Texas Pride is fun until you realize that it's also a full-time security system protecting the state from mild feedback. When I was in the military, I was with a bunch of people from Texas and I was with people from everywhere across the country. A lot of people from Iowa, a lot of people in Washington DC, a few from New Jersey, some from New York, uh, and then New Hampshire. But it's like they got us by region. A whole bunch of people from California. Out of all the people I knew, Texans were crazy about Texas.

[00:07:15]They all had a flag up in their room.

[00:07:17]They all had a bumper sticker that had something to do with Texas. They all had cowboy hats. Their Texas love was weird.

[00:07:25]What was even weirder, the second most New Jersey of all places. Who takes pride in New Jersey? I don't know. But Texas, they're like a cult. I swear to God.

[00:07:36]Number five, the food will ruin your body. It's like a delicious scam. Texas food is one of the best reasons to move there. Barbecue, Texmech, breakfast tacos, kalashi, chicken fried steak, burgers, smoked everything. Queso, and portions large enough to qualify as cheesy quicksand. The problem is, Texas food doesn't quietly invite you to indulge. It grabs you by the collar and drags you into a booth. You move there thinking that you'll try local favorites on the weekend. Then suddenly it's Tuesday and you're eating brisket, tortillas, and something covered in cheese because it was nearby. Texas doesn't make moderation easy. Texas looks at a salad and says, "Cute. Let's add a steak, ranch, tortilla chips, and emotional consequences." Newcomers underestimate this. They think that they're moving there for opportunity, affordability, and a better lifestyle. 6 months later, they've developed strong opinions about smoked sausage and need to take a small walk after lunch just to rejoin society. Texas has some of the best food in America. Unfortunately, your belt is not emotionally prepared. I promise you that. I love TMEX. I love barbecue. I could spend a lot of time in Texas just eating. Let's say you want to go to Texas for a couple days. Plan where you're going to eat. Look up the best places because if you just grab something like McDonald's on your way someplace, you are doing yourself a disservice. Do your food research before you go there to visit for a couple days.

[00:09:03]Let's say you're going to be in the Dallas Fort Worth area. Find out where the best taco place is. Find out where the best TMEX and just have it like appointments and go there. Enjoy it.

[00:09:12]You'll thank me later. Your belt buckle won't.

[00:09:17]Number four, the political bubble can get exhausting. You don't have to be political to get tired of politics in Texas. Politics finds you. It shows up in schoolboard fights, neighborhood Facebook groups, business signs, truck decals, family conversations, local news, public meetings, and random strangers who think the grocery store checkout line is the perfect place to explain civilization to you. And this goes both ways. Texas is not just one giant conservative postcard. The big cities are blue. The suburbs are complicated. The rural areas are deep red. And everyone seems to be convinced that the other side is plotting to destroy society using zoning laws and reusable bags. We all know those people.

[00:10:03]They say ignorant online like they hate America because you don't agree with them. You get a lot of that in Texas. If you're someone who just wants to live their life, raise your kids, go to work, and occasionally eat tacos without hearing about a national collapse, Texas can be tiring. The culture war doesn't stay on TV. It wanders into real life wearing a Texas shirt and carrying a yard sign. You may move to Texas thinking I don't get involved in politics. That's adorable.

[00:10:30]Texas politics gets involved in you whether you like it or not. Now, I'm not saying anything bad about either party.

[00:10:37]You know, every state has political people and I call them zealots because they they're obsessed with it. It controls their whole life and it's on both sides of parties. I'm not pointing any fingers at anyone. There's just some people that live and breathe politics and they want to talk to everyone about it and they want to post to everyone about it. There's a whole lot of that going on in Texas. Every single time I've gone there, I'm like, "Wow, these people like to talk about politics or they like to display their politics on bumper stickers and yard signs and flags."

[00:11:08]Number three, schools are a total coin toss. A lot of families move to Texas for the suburbs, the houses, the space, the idea of a better life for their kids. And yes, Texas has some excellent school districts. Some are genuinely strong, wellunded, competitive, and loaded with extracurriculars that make high school look like a small college with pep rallies. But the gap between the districts can be huge. One thing I want to tell you about the football in Texas, even their baseball, you will go to their stadiums at a high school. You will think to yourself, there are universities in other states that don't have as good of stadiums for high school football. It's crazy. And the whole city turns out for it, it seems like. But anyway, back to the schools. One suburb might have highly rated schools, packed stadiums, robotics programs, and enough parental involvement to launch a space mission. A few miles away, another district may be underfunded, overcrowded, politically chaotic, and dealing with rapid growth that can't be managed by mortals. And because Texas grows like someone spilled a miracle grow on subdivision map, schools in booming areas can get overwhelmed quickly. New neighborhoods can just appear as families pour in and suddenly the district is playing educational Tetris with portable classrooms. Parents who don't do research may get blindsided by this. They assume nice suburb automatically means great schools. That is how you end up attending schoolboard meetings where everyone is angry, no one agrees, and the phrase temporary solution gets used way too much. In Texas, school districts can matter as much as a house, sometimes even more.

[00:12:53]Number two, the pest situation.

[00:12:56]Nobody talks enough about bugs. Texas has bugs with confidence. Roaches, fire ants, mosquitoes, wasps, scorpions in some areas, spiders, termites, and mystery insects that look like they escaped a government lab after eating a government lab tech named Gary. And the fire ants deserve their own congressional hearing. You don't just step near them. You enter a legal dispute with the ground. One second you're standing in your yard, the next your ankle is being attacked by tiny rage bait employees. Then there's the roaches. In Texas, some roaches are not dirty house roaches. They are outside deciding to come inside roaches. This distinction will not comfort you when they appear in your bathroom at midnight looking at you like they paid rent.

[00:13:43]Newcomers from colder and drier states are often unprepared for how alive Texas can feel. The ecosystem is not subtle.

[00:13:50]It knocks, it crawls, it buzzes.

[00:13:52]Occasionally, it stares at you from the garage like it knows your credit score.

[00:13:57]Texas is beautiful, but the bugs act like they were here first because they were and they have no plans of downsizing.

[00:14:07]All right, before we get to number one, if you would like to watch another really good video, it's suggested at the end of this video and I hope you watch it. It's about Cincinnati. All right, back to the video.

[00:14:22]And number one, the Texas dream is getting crowded and corporate. This might be the biggest disappointment for people who move to Texas expecting character, freedom, and some authentic lonear magic. A lot of fast growing Texas now feels less like a rugged independent state and more like an endless master plan subdivision, chain restaurant, storage unit, car washes, toll roads, and shopping centers named after trees that were bulldozed to build the subdivision. You move here expecting Texas. Instead, you get the preserve at something creek where there's no preserve and the creek is basically a drainage ditch and the entrance monument has better lighting than your living room. I hate it when they come up with these fancy names for housing areas.

[00:15:06]We've got this one not too far from us called Arbor Vineyards. There's no vineyard anywhere near there. It's just Arbor. That's the name of the company that built them, I think. But it's like Arbor Vineyards. And then they'll come up with other ones where it's like Shady Creek Estates. It's like these houses are $200,000. You don't get to throw estates on a house that's $200,000.

[00:15:28]Probably more now, but it's how it was a few years ago. This is the weird modern trap of Texas growth. The state is booming, but the boomtown development can make different areas feel copied and pasted. The same beige houses, the same retail plazas, the same 15 restaurants, the same giant pickup trucks, the same new residents trying to convince themselves they move somewhere unique while sitting in a drive-thru next to a mattress store and a dental office called Smile Ridge. Texas has plenty of real culture. You can find it in older neighborhoods, smaller towns, music scenes, you know, food traditions, ranch, country, border culture, golf communities, and places that existed before developers discovered the word luxury. But if you move to the wrong part of Texas, you might not feel like you moved to a legendary state. You feel like you moved to a spreadsheet with a BIES nearby. And that's the brutal surprise. A lot of people move to Texas chasing freedom, affordability, culture, space, identity, and then they find out the version they wanted is either expensive, far away, heavily regulated by an HOA, or sitting underneath a subdivision called Heritage Oaks, where there are no oaks and absolutely no heritage. Texas can still be great, but it's not magic. It is not automatically cheap. It's not automatically free, and it's definitely not for everyone. So, before you move there, do the math.

[00:16:53]Check the property taxes. research school districts, read HOA rules, inspect bug situations, and maybe spend a full week there living like a normal person instead of a tourist with brisket goggles because Texas doesn't always break your heart. Sometimes it just slowly charges you for the privilege.

[00:17:11]All right, that's today's video. If you like that one, you're going to like this one right here. It's about Cincinnati. I really like this video. Everyone, have a great day. Be nice to each other.