Americans are fleeing the most expensive US cities—and moving to these 10 more affordable places
Many Americans are looking to leave expensive coastal cities, including San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York.
That’s according to Redfin.com’s housing migration report for Q4 of 2019, which analyzed data from more than a million Redfin users who searched for homes in 87 metro areas across the US between October and December 2019.
The data showed that Redfin users in pricey metros, such as San Francisco and San Diego, are searching for homes in more affordable areas that still offer the amenities of a major city, such as Austin and Phoenix. That’s not surprising: California is one of the most expensive states in the US, and residents have voiced concerns time and time again about the skyrocketing costs of housing.
One place that recently gained popularity is Portland, Oregon. “Portland has one of the most affordable median home prices among major West Coast cities, which makes it an attractive location for inbound residents from other more expensive cities,” according to the report.
The city also allows for career flexibility. “The ability to work remotely is a huge factor in people relocating, especially within the same time zone,” Portland Redfin agent Megan Warren said in the report.
Here’s a look at the top 10 cities Americans are moving into, according to Redfin’s report:
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Nashville, Tennessee
Net inflow for Q4 2019: 2,864
Median home price: $329,000
Top city of origin: New York, NY -
Boston, Massachusetts
Net inflow for Q4 2019: 2,874
Median home price: $769,000
Top city of origin: New York, NY -
Tampa, Florida
Net inflow for Q4 2019: 2,904
Median home price: $310,000
Top city of origin: Orlando, FL -
Portland, Oregon
Net inflow for Q4 2019: 3,402
Median home price: $449,900
Top city of origin: San Francisco, CA -
Dallas, Texas
Net inflow for Q4 2019: 3,420
Median home price: $375,000
Top city of origin: Los Angeles, CA -
Austin, Texas
Net inflow for Q4 2019: 4,038
Median home price: $400,000
Top city of origin: San Francisco, CA -
Atlanta, Georgia
Net inflow for Q4 2019: 5,377
Median home price: $315,000
Top city of origin: New York, NY -
Las Vegas, Nevada
Net inflow for Q4 2019: 5,660
Median home price: $299,900
Top city of origin: Los Angeles, CA -
Sacramento, California
Net inflow for Q4 2019: 5,675
Median home price: $335,500
Top city of origin: San Francisco, CA -
Phoenix, Arizona
Net inflow for Q4 2019: 6,509
Median home price: $289,900
Top city of origin: Los Angeles, CA
Comments
last commentNote, one of these is not like the others... Being a lifelong Massachusetts resident (except for college) and knowing how expensive this area is, I am quite surprised to see Boston on a list like this. As you can see by the numbers, average housing price is meaningfully higher than any of the other cities on the list.
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^ could be b/c Boston has a lot to offer in terms of good-jobs/good-economy, good healthcare/hospitals, quality-of-life, etc - seems it has a lot of opportunities both work-wise and personal
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The Boston area also seems to have a strong # of colleges, thus people may settle-in after having attended college there as the area and it's economy have good offerings/opportunities
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For many, house pricing may be unimportant compared to income taxes, property taxes, and other inescapable cost of living factors. If you don't mind a longer commute, or if your job allows you to work remotely or telecommute, maybe moving from Hartford to Boston makes sense.
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Papi, your points are all valid. There are a lot of positives to this area to balance off the cost of living.
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My organization will be in all of those places, and lots more.
I will be living on the road for at least a decade.
Pumping stripper grade pussy at each call.
SJG
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Cheap areas tend to have low wages qnd less opportunities
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They’re all leaving Commiefornia!
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California is hard to live in, high housing costs.
Social Democracy is the future of the entire country. Otherwise we will continue to have extreme wealth stratification and the talents of our people will continue to be wasted.
SJG
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Cali is fucked up because of the power developers sway. Rents need to be regulated
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I don't know why anyone would live in San Francisco right now unless they enjoy stepping in homeless shit and getting charged out their ass for housing.
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Housing costs in San Francisco are 6 times higher than the US average and somehow its even twice as high as Los Angeles which is already three times higher than the US average.
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Yeah....
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people have moved to florida , texas and arizona for the last 50 years.....leaving the shit hole east coast, and west coast and chicago and michigan
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Very interesting and something I'm always looking at. Maybe I should fucking jet and move to Florida or back to Texas or some shit where it's cheaper, probably have a lot more financial freedom. It's tough to me there's definitely a reason why those cities we're talking are expensive in the first place. Is worth it to take a step down though? Eh maybe.
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Back in 1988 a company merger gave me the option of moving from the L.A. area to the Atlanta area with a pay raise or be without a job. Little did I know at the time that I had made the right decision. The only thing I found more expensive here than in CA was the price of produce. Some of the guys were buying mansions here to avoid paying capital gains. I retired 10+ years ago and have no desire to move back to CA. I don't even want to visit there.
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Yet those CA politicians want to tell everyone else how to manage their cities/states.
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NY and CA tax authorities will pursue high income individuals for years after they move, trying to claw as much money from them as they can. I had to hire a lawyer to defend me from the Franchise Tax Board years after I left California. Fuckers.
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It’s wise to earn an income in a high cost of living area and when you’re done with work, move to lower cost of living place. You can earn your savings and retirement benefits based on higher wages and retire to modest means. This simple strategy can help you shave years of working in a shitty job.
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CA is expensive to live in, but the tax authorities are just following the law.
SJG
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I live in a mid-size city in central Florida, and the number of new housing starts in my neighborhood is crazy. Traffic is increasing, crime is going up....Not a good change, IMO.
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Who goes from New York to Flori-duh?
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If you're in New England, Boston is not considered "more affordable".
Providence, Worcester, Portland (Maine), and others, sure. But not Boston.
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