We don’t have state income taxes in Texas yet - but in a Houston suburb for a not expensive house we pay $400/month in school and property taxes, $100/month for MUD taxes (Municipal Utility District), $200/month for regular insurance, $150/month for mandatory wind insurance. Add to that up to $300/month for electricity in the really hot, humid time of the year, plus HOA dues that are pushing $100/month, a minimum monthly water bill of $60 - and all of this includes an allowance for the Homestead Exemption. The house payment is not big deal in and of itself, it’s all the other hands in the pot that make home ownership really tough for some.