I have to say for us, the remoteness has only been a factor when we go visit family and its a ten hour drive. High speed internet, directv, and Amazon fill a lot of gaps. We try and buy as much local as possible but we're frugal too so sometimes it makes more sense to stock up on the way back from Houston or San Antonio. Housing and groceries are more expensive, car and home insurance cheaper. Electricity is much cheaper. Working at home we spend very little on car expenses and gas, so the long drives to Houston or austin aren't a big deal expense-wise. There aren't many restaurant choices so we cook home a lot. So cost of living I'd say is almost equal to what we left in Houston.