$2,500,000 buys the median home in River Oaks right now. With 20% down, that's a $500,000 down payment and a $2,000,000 loan, set against a $230,000 median household income.
At a 1.95% effective rate, River Oaks property taxes add $4,063 to the monthly payment on the median home, $48,750 a year in total.
Texas charges no state income tax. Every dollar of the $230,000 median household income here converts more directly into covering the $18,001/month payment.
River Oaks's cost of living index is 217, above the 100 national baseline. That's on top of the housing numbers above, not instead of them.
River Oaks's median home price runs 706% higher than nearby Houston: $310,000 there versus $2,500,000 here.