Want to live and work in Houston?

Houston has one of the best cost-benefit ratios among major American metropolises. The cost of living is about 5% below the national average, and housing is the item that most favors the city. Three-bedroom homes in decent family neighborhoods still go for less than $350,000 in many parts of greater Houston, something unthinkable in New York or California.

Texas does not collect state income tax, which significantly boosts take-home pay. In return, property tax is among the highest in the country, reaching up to 2.5% of the property's value per year. Combined sales tax sits around 8.25%.

Rent varies a lot: studios in Midtown or Montrose start at $1,200-$1,500, while in neighborhoods like Pasadena or Northwest Houston they drop to $900-$1,100. Fuel is cheap. Healthcare without insurance is expensive, but the Harris Health System offers subsidized care for those without documentation.

Houston's economy is diversified and deep. The energy sector (oil, natural gas, refining, petrochemicals) is the historic pillar, with headquarters of ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, Phillips 66, Chevron USA, BP America, Halliburton, and dozens of service providers. The Port of Houston moves more than 270 million tons per year, generating jobs in logistics, customs, and transportation.

The Texas Medical Center employs more than 100,000 people and houses MD Anderson, Houston Methodist, Texas Children's Hospital, and Memorial Hermann. NASA's Johnson Space Center and aerospace companies like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and SpaceX (nearby operations) sustain the engineering sector. United Airlines has a major hub at IAH.

For immigrants, there are opportunities in construction (in high demand), restaurants, cleaning, logistics, home care, and the petrochemical industry at the Ship Channel refineries. Qualified professionals find positions in engineering, IT, finance, medicine, and research. English is required for most; Spanish opens many doors in the service sector.

Houston is home to the Texas Medical Center, the largest medical complex in the world, with 21 hospitals, more than 100,000 professionals, and about 10 million patient visits per year. Patients come from all over the world, especially Latin America and the Middle East. MD Anderson Cancer Center is a global reference in oncology.

Other top hospitals: Texas Children's Hospital (pediatrics, national leader), Houston Methodist Hospital (cardiology and transplants), Memorial Hermann (trauma and neuroscience), and Baylor St. Luke's. There are also major networks outside the TMC, such as HCA Houston Healthcare and Kelsey-Seybold Clinic. Emergency care requires insurance: without it, bills reach tens of thousands of dollars.

For immigrants without insurance or documentation, the Harris Health System offers subsidized care at community clinics (CHCs) and hospitals like Ben Taub and LBJ Hospital. Enrollment in the Harris Health Gold Card guarantees consultations, exams, and surgeries at affordable prices. There is also Healthcare for the Homeless Houston and dozens of Federally Qualified clinics.

Houston was built for the car. The city spreads over more than 650 square miles and five highway loops (including the I-610 Loop, Beltway 8, and Grand Parkway). Traffic on I-10, I-45, US-59, and Westheimer is heavy at peak hours. Without a car, life in Houston is difficult in almost every neighborhood.

METRORail has three lines (Red, Purple, and Green) serving Downtown, Midtown, Museum District, Texas Medical Center, and NRG Stadium. Useful for those who work or study in that central corridor. METRO Bus covers wider routes, but with irregular frequency. There is a growing bike-lane network on White Oak Bayou and Buffalo Bayou.

The city has two international airports: George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), a United Airlines hub with direct flights to Sao Paulo, Rio, Madrid, Tokyo, and Frankfurt, and William P. Hobby Airport (HOU), a Southwest hub with domestic and regional flights. Both have limited rail service and require taxi/Uber or car.

Houston's culture is the sum of its immigrant communities. The food scene is world-class, with dishes like Tex-Mex (fajitas, tacos al pastor, chili con carne), Texas-style brisket barbecue, Viet-Cajun (the Vietnamese-Cajun fusion born in Houston, with spicy crawfish), pho, Nigerian jollof, and Gulf of Mexico seafood.

The Museum District holds 19 museums, including the Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Natural Science, the Holocaust Museum, and the Menil Collection. The city has its own resident opera, ballet, symphony, and theater (all in the Theater District, the second largest in the US after New York). The Rothko Chapel is a pilgrimage site for fans of modern art.

The biggest annual event is the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, in February and March, which draws millions with country, rap, and pop concerts. Other highlights: Houston Pride, Bayou City Art Festival, Dia de los Muertos at Talento Bilingue de Houston, and the WorldFest film festival. The Houston Astros, Rockets, and Texans dominate sports.

Houston is today the most ethnically diverse city in the United States, with approximately 28% of the population born abroad and no single group forming a majority. The Mexican community is the oldest and largest, present in Magnolia Park, Denver Harbor, Northside, and Gulfton, the latter known as Gulfton Ghetto and one of the densest immigrant areas in the country. Salvadorans, Hondurans, and Guatemalans grew considerably from the 1980s onward along the Long Point corridor and in Spring Branch. Vietnamese arrived after 1975 and built the largest Vietnamese community in the country outside California, centered in Midtown and along Bellaire Boulevard, now known as Asiatown, sharing space with Chinese, Taiwanese, Korean, and Filipino communities. Indians and Pakistanis established themselves in Sugar Land and Hillcroft, Nigerians formed the largest Nigerian community in the U.S. in Alief and Mission Bend, and Colombians and Venezuelans continue to expand in the Energy Corridor.

Legal and social support is coordinated by the Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative, which connects dozens of free providers. BakerRipley operates opportunity centers with English classes, citizenship preparation, and childcare, while YMCA International Services assists newly arrived refugees. The Tahirih Justice Center serves immigrant women who are survivors of violence, and Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston covers asylum, family reunification, and shelter. The Living Hope Wheelchair Association serves immigrants with disabilities. Houston is home to consulates from almost all of Latin America, as well as Nigeria, India, Pakistan, and Vietnam, reflecting the weight of these migration flows.