- John Brunner and his wife, Manon, moved from Avignon, France, to Kyle, Texas, in 2022.
- The couple chose the area in part because California and Austin, Texas, were too expensive.
- They miss France’s small businesses and said chain stores can make Kyle feel “like a truck stop.”
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with John Brunner, 39, about picking a place to move to in the United States after living in France for many years. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
My wife and I got married in Avignon, France, during 2019. I’m from outside of Chicago, and Manon is from the south of France. We met through business: I am a marketing manager for an agency that exports wine to the United States.
In the US, foreigners don’t automatically get citizenship because they are married to an American. Instead, the government requires that they live here physically for a certain period of time.
Our long-term goal is to live in France and the United States. Since I had lived in France for a long time, after we got married, it was her turn to live in my country.
California and Austin were too expensive
Since we both worked in the wine industry, Manon briefly discussed the idea of moving to California but quickly killed it once she realized how ridiculously expensive it was.
For one, the price of housing in California is way too high, especially as it relates to our salaries. We work for small companies, so there was no way that either would have been able to increase our salaries proportionally to the cost of living.
We wouldn’t be able to take trips, and would be living on pasta and ramen. My wife and I also don’t know too many people in California. Building up a social circle would not be as easy.
The Austin area came up in our search. I had been there 10 years earlier for business at South by Southwest, but Manon had never visited. We liked the idea of moving there because we found out there was wine country nearby in Fredericksburg, which reminds us of the south of France.
It has limestone everywhere and rolling hills. The temperatures are also similar, so it would be easy for Manon to adapt. The area also has parks and rivers, and outdoor dining and patios for bars and restaurants, which is a big thing for Southern Europeans.
However, we realized that for the price of a two-bedroom apartment in downtown Austin, we could get a three-bedroom house in the cities south of Austin. We also knew both of us would be working remotely and would probably go crazy if we were stuck in a small apartment.
City of Kyle
We decided on Kyle, Texas. We chose the area because of the amount of building going on in the city. There are a lot of new homes, apartment complexes, and businesses.
I also knew that when we finally got settled and were ready to raise a family, there would be houses available at reasonable prices. For me, that was the number one factor in my decision.
We chose our Texas house sight unseen
After Manon got her green card validated in 2022, we had a really short period of time to find somewhere to live before it expired. We did some online shopping in France, but didn’t start applying for places to live until landing in the States.
From Illinois, we applied for places to live while I was packing up furniture and belongings. We found one in Kyle that looked right.
We only saw photos of the home and satellite images on Google Maps. The night before the lease was supposed to start, we drove over to the house and observed it from the outside. We decided it was in good condition.
We were still anxious about our decision because we didn’t know if it would work out, or if we’d like the area. I’m from the suburbs, but I’ve lived in cities. I’m flexible. She was coming from overseas, and it looked like we were going into a boring suburban life. So how would she adapt?
Our housing costs in Texas are more than in France
We moved to Kyle in May 2022. My wife and I are renting a 1,207-square-foot-home and we pay $1,918 a month, including a pet fee. This is our first place together, which is a big thing for us as a relatively newly married couple.
Manon still owns a townhome in France. She has a 20- to 30-year mortgage. The major difference is that the interest rates in France and other countries are much lower than they are in America. Over here, 3% mortgages are the best in a lifetime. She got half that. It’s like $900 a month.
Courtesy of John Brunner.
Since our housing is affordable, we’re taking trips and vacations around the country — it’s not going to break the bank. I’ve introduced her to places she’s never seen before, like Arizona and New Mexico.
Life in America is a bit of a culture shock, but we’re enjoying the ride
We feel that there is a lot of potential in Kyle for all stages of life. The city is seeing economic growth and housing construction, which is stagnant back where I am from in the Midwest. It is a great suburban place to live because it’s growing but well-priced.
Our neighbors are friendly and helpful, and have been from the day we moved in. The weather in Kyle, despite a couple very hot months in the summer, is fantastic.
Kyle has access to a lot of things in terms of culture, shopping, entertainment, and food. It also has the benefits of Austin, including city life and amenities like parks and rivers, while avoiding the drawbacks such as traffic and limited backyard space.
City of Kyle
Kyle is growing tremendously and filling itself up with chain places like Einstein Brothers and Chipotle. I think the economic development is focused on getting massive national names, which is fine, but at times it feels like a truck stop on a highway. I’m from Woodstock, Illinois. We have Starbucks, but we don’t have five Starbucks.
There’s still a lack of local independent restaurants and bars in Kyle. I would expect this town to have a dive bar. The city should have more of a small-town Texas feel, but I think it’s still trying to find its identity.
If things don’t work out with the house or area, we’re only on the lease for a year and can move elsewhere if needed. But so far, everything has worked out as we expected. We’re hoping to buy a home in the city next year.
