Does the "cost of living is lower" argument still hold?

Was talking to a friend, and he moved from Seattle. I asked him about the savings, but surprisingly he said that he isn't saving much. Essentially, due to property tax being higher; also one does not get much for their tax money ("We legitimately have libertarianism at the price of socialism here" he said).

I live in NYC where I pay NY State tax, and NYC city tax, but my daughter goes to a decent 3K school for free (they just started a new program). There are also other things the city provides, but it's still expensive obviously.

How does Houston stack up compared to other cities, many have moved from here? I am legit just curious.