I can attest Houston is a great city for saving money. I was able to save $40,000 living in a nice 1400 sq ft house in a beautiful historic neighborhood, 5 minutes from downtown. This is while my wife was going to school and not working, we were going out to eat and/or drinks 4-7 times a week, and taking two week long vacation each year.

Used the savings to quit my job try and get a startup or consultancy going.