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texas vs la. too broad of comparison baton rouge to austin or houston maybe I know in houston even inside the loop (the preferred place to be) you do get more house for your money sometimes alot more property taxes are way higher but so are wages of course houston could be compared to the whole state of la. the number of cars & high schools in houston is roughly the same number as is in the whole state of la.

Labor is a big one, Texas doesn't require workers comp insurance, so the subs can bid a lot cheaper. Plus the whole mexican labor, but Louisiana has a lot of that too, just more competition in Texas.