Any Calgarians/Albertans Living in HOU? Any advice?

Hey Houston Redditors,

Not sure if this is the right place to post this; apologies if it isn't! I tried googling these questions but I was hoping to get some insight from real people who are living in Houston and might have gone through a similar experience. My partner (28F) and I (29M) are trying to decide if a potential move from Calgary, Alberta is right for us. We have entertained the idea of a potential move to the US for some time for the generally lower cost of living, higher pay, and more career opportunities, but now there is pressure to actually decide if this big change is a right fit for our lives.

We are both Canadians and I have a potential job opportunity doing commercial management in Houston. I graduated from Chemical Engineering and spent the last 6 years mostly in Oil and Gas (upgrader and refinery processing/operations) with a bit of a dabble in utilities and renewables. My partner is a mathematics major and is now working in the banking world. Neither of us have ever been to Texas but I know it has been a common destination for Canadian working professionals, especially from the energy sector. We have a laundry list of concerns but I was hoping to get your insight on some of the following. I'm sorry if some of these sound like bad stereotypes but the common news articles that disseminates to Canada are a bit scary.

1. How bad is the crime (esp. gun violence)? I heard that crime really depends on which areas of the city you live in the US. Which areas would you avoid (travelling through or living in)?
2. Is it fair to assume that we won't have to worry about healthcare costs if both partners have healthcare coverage through work? What if there's a period of time when only I am working? We're both relatively healthy but I am constantly hearing stories of families getting bankrupted due to unforeseen healthcare expenses.
3. How expensive is it actually to live very comfortably in Houston (especially compared to Calgary)? What would you consider to be an individual income that one could comfortably live off? For any ex-Calgarians/Albertans, what would you say is your best guess for the income equivalent factor between the two cities (hypothetical example: a salary of $100k in Houston is equivalent to making $150k in Calgary)? Between rising food (groceries and restaurant) and gas cost, we have found it really difficult to save for a house. A nicer forever home starts at around $900k CAD but most of the ones that we would really want to live in are between $1-1.3M (so basically out of budget for now). We are both currently making low 6 figures (<150k) base but we still feel financially squeezed in Calgary. I am hoping that if we are to make this move, it will actually be a tangible a financial step up.
4. How good are the universities in Houston? My partner and I are both considering doing a MBA soon, but she is also considering to go back to school for law or psychology. Are UH or Rice well rated for any of those programs or is it better to look at other schools?
5. I read that traffic and public transportation is pretty bad in Houston. Do most people recommend living within a 30min drive from your work and owning 2 vehicles/household?
6. What are other things that I should be seriously considering before pulling the trigger especially as a Canadian? Do you have any overall advice or things that you wished you did differently?

Sorry for the long post. I appreciate any input y'all might have! Thank you 🙂