Jillian Lovato loved living in Orange County, CA, but she hated the area’s high home prices.
“My wife Jamie and I knew we wouldn’t be able to buy the home we wanted in California,” Jillian explains. “We felt like we would have been stuck renting our whole lives.”
So in 2021, they decided to move to a different state—and while many places were less expensive than California, the couple honed in on Texas because of Jamie’s job as a golf instructor, as “weather conditions would play a big role in her time working.”
After traveling around the state, they decided to move to Austin, TX, because “it felt the most like us.”
The couple has since bought their dream home there, where they and their dogs have access to woods and local creeks nearby—perks that wouldn’t have been available in their former California city.
“Life has been very different in a positive way,” Lovato says. “While there are many things we miss about California, moving to Austin has allowed us to fulfill that dream of owning a home together.”
The ‘Texafornia’ trend: Why Californians are moving to Texas—and other states
These Californians turned Texans are hardly alone in their search for an affordable home. Californians sick of their state’s high home prices are shopping across the country for better real estate deals.
Texas is by far the most popular destination for Californians, with an estimated 102,000 residents in the Golden State moving to the Lone Star State in 2022, according to Texas Realtors’ 2024 Texas Relocation Report.
And many more are looking to move there. Data from Realtor.com between April and June 2024 revealed that 8.1% of home shoppers browsing Texas listings originate in California. The growing similarities between these two states have even led to the term “Texafornia.”
While Texas might top Californians’ list of most-desired relocation destinations, Realtor.com data also shows that they’re perusing plenty of listings in Arizona (7.5%) , Nevada (7.4%), Florida (6.7%), Oregon (5.8%), Washington (4.8%), Tennessee (4.7%), Illinois (4.1%), Idaho (3.5%), and Missouri (2.9%).
While the affordability of homes for sale in these states varies, they’re all bargains compared to California.
“Seeking affordability is one of the key reason that Californians shopped in these states,” says Realtor.com senior economist Jiayi Xu, who points out that the median listing price in California in July 2024 ($777,900) was nearly double the price in Texas ($380,000).
Ted Wilson, of Residential Strategies, a market research company based in Dallas, says Texas’ lack of state income tax, strong job growth, and low cost of living have also contributed to “a very strong surge” of migration coming from California—as well as Chicago and the East Coast.
“In addition to high prices, the high insurance costs such as for wildfire could also increase housing burdens and force people to move away from California,” Xu adds.
And Hamilton Lombard, a demographer at the University of Virginia, notes that “California is so expensive, just about anywhere else in the country is more affordable. … So the spread is massive for those looking to leave the state.”
How work-from-home policies have helped Californians move
Southern Californian Julie Johnson moved to Las Vegas in 2023.
“I knew my money would go further out here,” she says. “At the time, I was working remotely, and I knew a few of my old coworkers had moved out here during the later end of the [COVID-19] pandemic.”
Nevada, another favorite location for migrating Californians, absorbed 369,878 California residents from 2020 through 2023, according to driver’s license surrender data obtained from the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles.
Johnson says housing in Vegas is “definitely more affordable” than in Southern California, adding that she lives in a one-bedroom, one-bathroom home for under $1,200 a month—utilities included. While she knew to expect a lower cost of living, she was pleasantly surprised by the many high-paying job opportunities in the city, after losing her job.
“I was met with better-paying jobs,” she reports.
As for the future, Johnson says she’s glad she found the courage to move out of California but isn’t sure if she sees herself staying in Nevada forever. She even hints that she might consider living in the Pacific Northwest.
“Vegas has been good to me, so we’ll see where it goes,” she says.
Why warm weather states remain popular
Florida and California have a lot in common: sun, beaches, even Disney theme parks. So it’s no surprise that many Californians move to the Sunshine State, too. Data shows that 37,000 Californians moved to Florida in 2021. In 2022, more than 50,000 Californians followed suit.
Tanya Vanterpool, a real estate agent in Miami, says she sees “a significant” number of transplants coming from California as well as other parts of the country.
“People are moving from states like New York, New Jersey, Illinois, and even as far as Washington,” she says. “The trend reflects a broader national shift where individuals are seeking better quality of life, more space, and affordability, which Florida consistently offers.”
Vanterpool says that many people are attracted to Florida because of the relatively low housing costs, lack of state income tax, and—of course—the year-round pleasant weather.
“Florida’s world-renowned stunning beaches, lively cities, and various recreational opportunities offer something for everyone, making it a top choice for both families and retirees,” she says.
Another warm-weather state on Californians’ wish lists is Tennessee: According to Census data, 22,000 Californians moved to Tennessee between July 2021 and July 2022.
Kayla Gunter, a broker/owner of CENTURY 21 Platinum Properties in Clarksville, TN, says she expects the trend to continue.
“Tennessee, with its relatively lower cost of living and affordable real estate prices, has emerged as an attractive destination [for Californians],” she says, adding that cities like Clarksville, which was featured on Money’s 50 Best Cities to Live in the U.S., are especially desirable, as they offer “a blend of urban amenities, natural beauty, and a lower cost of homeownership.”
Why ‘affordability’ is a relative term
While Portland, OR, isn’t known for cheap real estate, it’s been another favorite destination for Californians. In 2022, 36,429 Californians moved to Oregon, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Kevin Kretzer, who moved from California to Portland in 2023, says it’s still less expensive than his former Southern California home.
“I look at dog-friendly apartments back in our hometown occasionally, and I cannot find a single dog-friendly one-bedroom for what we pay here in Portland,” he says.
But affordability aside, the real draw to Oregon was the culture: the outdoor lifestyle, the food, and the people. After a year in his new state, Kretzer is thrilled with his move and hopes to be in Portland for the long haul—and has set his sights on buying a home.
“While that would be impossible in Southern California, it’s possibly something that I could see happening here,” he says.