(NewsNation) — According to a recent poll, four in 10 California residents have thought about moving to a different state. But researchers say that isn’t necessarily a referendum on California’s politics or culture.
For many, it’s simply a money issue.
Of those considering an exit, 61% pointed to the high cost of living as the primary reason they’d go, according to a statewide poll, first reported in the Los Angeles Times.
Ben Winston, the vice president of Strategies 360, which conducted the California poll, told NewsNation Digital that the results don’t suggest an unusually broad desire to leave California. In fact, he noted, 70% of the poll respondents were happy with their lives in the state, indicating that many of those thinking about leaving would stay if they could only afford to do so.
“The fact that 40% of residents are considering moving away from the state sounds high at first, but within context, it’s not all that surprising to us … you’ll find polls in many major metropolitan areas or states with similarly high proportions of residents saying they are ‘considering leaving,’” Winston said.
Doug Ressler of the real estate site Yardi Matrix says across the country, residents are moving based on the economy, adding that post-pandemic inflation has ramped up the pressure for many people.
“As a result, moving to places that are easier on the wallet seems like the obvious solution, with many people crossing city and state lines to find a more suitable place to live,” Ressler said.
“Baby boomers are relocating to Las Vegas and Tampa while millennials prefer Austin. Both groups are leaving the larger cities of San Francisco and New York,” Ressler said.
Texas in particular has become an attractive place for Californians to relocate. Californians can save over $1 million if they choose to relocate specifically to Texas, according to Storage Café, an online platform that provides storage unit listings across the nation.
Buying a home in the Dallas area versus one in San Jose can result in savings of over $1 million, Storage Café reported, citing Point2 listings from April 2023. On average, the home price difference is 258%.
The second biggest difference in listing prices is between California’s San Mateo County and Texas’ Travis County. Homebuyers have a chance at saving nearly $1.3 million, with a median home price difference of 243%.
Based on data from Zillow, the median home value in Texas has increased 54% in the last five years. In California, the median home values went up by 42% during the same period.
According to RentCafe, the cost of living in California is 39% higher than the national average. In Texas, the cost of living is 8% lower than the national average.
In fact, every expense is higher than the national average in California, and most expenses in Texas are lower.
| Cost of Living | California | Texas |
| Housing (Buy and Rent) | 102% higher | 16% lower |
| Utilities (Monthly) | 22% higher | 2% higher |
| Food | 18% higher | 10% lower |
| Healthcare | 10% higher | 6% lower |
| Transportation | 27% higher | 3% lower |
| Goods & Services | 10% higher | 4% lower |
Storage Café found 111,000 people — or 300 per day — decided to make the move from California to Texas in 2021, an 80% increase compared to 2012, according to data from the U.S. Census and the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series.