moveBuddha’s 2026 Moving Survey: What Americans Think About Moving in 2026
We wanted to know how Americans’ moving dreams and plans are shifting in 2026. This year’s survey shows a clear economic pivot. So what do Americans want now?
Today, Americans are increasingly looking at moving in terms of their bank balances, not their lifestyle goals. While suburbs remain the top relocation preference (though they’ve slipped 5% since 2025), nearly twice as many respondents would now consider moving “wherever the cost of living is low,” and more than double would consider moving to a foreign country for a fresh start.
To understand what they’re thinking now, we surveyed 1,250 Americans about their plans to move in 2026.
What did we discover? Moving is increasingly becoming a high-cost risk, and when they’re not prioritizing work, career, and cost, this year’s respondents dream about the Sunbelt, bigger lawns, and shorter commutes.
Key Takeaways
- Suburbs are still popular. 24% of respondents choose suburbs as their preferred type of location and rural areas (21%) rank #2.
- Affordability is a growing concern. Feeling the squeeze, twice as many Americans as last year would prioritize a move to “wherever the cost of living is low” (16%, up from 8.5% in 2025).
- Moving abroad? 4-times as many Americans this year said they’d be willing to relocate to a foreign country.
- Job opportunities and the possibility of remote work are also driving more move decisions than last year, up 10 and 11%, respectively.
- 88% of respondents noted that saving money would influence their decision to move in 2026, followed by lower crime, an outdoor lifestyle, and more living space.
- Most need a huge payoff to justify a move this year, with 72.9% of respondents saying it would take a 20+% discount on their housing costs.
- #1 Florida and #2 California remain the top states Americans would like to move to or live in, with Texas now #3, up from fifth last year.
- Costs keep most Americans from relocating: 40% say high moving costs and 38% say housing costs in their desired destinations are keeping them from moving this year.
- Nevertheless, 80% of Americans are somewhat or very happy where they are.
- Many Americans are making do. 40% of respondents say they live where they can afford to live, not where they’d like to.
Moving Preferences: Movers Want Suburbs, Affordability and Jobs to Align with Moves in 2026
The infamous American ‘burbs, where cars get bigger rooms than parents, are still topping Americans’ lists of swoon-worthy locations.
But the dream is cracking with 24% of respondents saying they’d prioritize a suburban landing pad in 2026, 5% fewer than last year.
2026 Sees a Big Jump in Prioritizing Finances
Moreover, 15.68% of respondents say they’d prioritize living in a low-cost area. That’s almost double last year’s 8%, as suburban hopefuls are siphoned off toward a new head-turning ambition — cash in hand.
Another notable change is that the number of respondents who say they would prioritize a foreign country for a 2026 move has increased by 400% this year. Moving from 1% of respondents last year to just over 4% in 2026, the change reflects a greater openness to bigger leaps and fewer assumptions that the U.S. is the best setting for Americans’ next chapter.
More People Are Willing to Move for Work
Careers are increasingly shaping move priorities in 2026, as two work-related reasons gained significant interest this year. Working from anywhere (up 11%) and career opportunities (up 10%) saw the biggest year-over-year shifts among movers, suggesting that people are increasingly located where they work (not where they want to be), and are increasingly willing to relocate on the basis of their career, not lifestyle.
The change wasn’t enough to sway the two top perennial reasons why people would be willing to move: to save cash and get away from crime.
Housing Discounts of ~20% Would Make a Move Feel Worth It for Nearly 3/4 Americans
They say that everyone has their price.
And Americans would need a big payoff to persuade them to move. For 72.9% of respondents, it would have to be a 20+% discount on their housing costs.
Their hesitation might suggest comfort, as in, “I’ll stay right here in heaven unless you really make it worth my while.”
But moving is a privilege. It requires one-time transportation costs, deposits, setup costs like furniture and utilities, time off work, and a loss of networks, providers, schools, social ties, and more. It’s risky.
Further, mortgage lock-in is a real concern, with just over 52% of Americans carrying mortgage rates under 4%. Considering that almost half of renter households are already cost-burdened, and that around 24% of owners feel the same pain, the reality is that strain translates into immobility and requires bigger and bigger payoffs to tip the scales.
Where We Want To Live? In Low-Density Florida!
Without Job Constraints, Wide Open Spaces Rule
Freed of the burden of work, respondents value room to roam — preferably straight to the beach. If they could choose their locations, 20.56% would move to the suburbs or a rural area with more space to stretch out. Close behind are affordable places and those with warm climates and coastlines.
Space is the #1 lifestyle upgrade people want most, but all three factors are huge once job considerations evaporate.
And at more than 8%, the number of respondents wishing to live internationally more than doubles when job constraints evaporate (Just over 4% say they’d prioritize a move abroad this year, all things considered).
Florida’s (Still) the Most Dreamed-About Destination
We asked people to dream about where they’d like to move, whether or not they were planning to relocate. Respondents were permitted to make 3 choices, and more than a quarter of Americans included Florida among them.
That’s even more than last year, though Florida was still their #1 pick in 2025.
California claims the silver medal, and Texas edges up to 3rd place this year, displacing Hawaii. States with beachfront real estate dominate Americans’ fantasy moves.
Sorry, North Dakota: Few Dream of Moving to the Northern Plains
While white sand beaches dominate the remote work daydreams of Americans, respondents think the Badlands are a bad move. Just 4 states got less than 1% of the fantasy move vote, with North Dakota pulling in the fewest interested prospective residents.
Other rural, Midwestern, and Great Plains cities, such as Nebraska, Kansas, and Iowa, were also unappealing to respondents this year.
What’s Keeping the US from Moving? Moving + Housing Costs
Empty Wallets Keep Americans Stuck in 2026
Cost is a priority for those who could be swayed to move in 2026. But what about those not planning a move at all?
It’s no surprise that when asked why they’re not planning to move this year, 39.60% of respondents say that the cost of moving itself is making the decision for them. Further, another 37.28% dream of cities where housing costs are too rich for their blood. They could move, but not to a hot-enough property. So they stay put.
Since respondents could choose two reasons that “most” hold them back, that doesn’t mean that more than ¾ of Americans can’t afford to live anywhere they want to go, but it does mean that at least 39.60% of respondents marked a cost factor as one of their top 2 barriers.
Are Americans Who Won’t Move Stuck? Or Happy at Home?
With 4 out of 10 Americans unexcited about any move they’re able to undertake, yet longing for the sand between their toes, does that mean that 40% of the country is feeling trapped?
Not quite. Almost 12% of respondents are somewhat or very unhappy sticking it out in their current location.
But around 80.48% of people are somewhat or very happy where they are.
That’s about the norm, with other studies finding that around 80% of Americans rate their communities as good or excellent. And another pre-pandemic study found that 26% of respondents admitted they’re not living in their ideal locations.
Ultimately, a good chunk of our survey’s “somewhat happy” residents could be eyeing an improvement elsewhere, while biding their time in a community that works — for now.
Where We Live Reflects What We Can Afford
For dissatisfied Americans, cash is the biggest obstacle to satisfaction with where they live. For nearly 40% of the country, their circumstances mirror financial struggles rather than personalities, preferences, and needs. That’s indicative of tough living situations, stressed neighborhoods, and ultimately, fewer ways out, at a time when Americans face mobility that’s at an all-time low.
With only around 12% of our respondents expressing unhappiness with their living situation, we noticed that means it’s likely that about 1/4 of the country (the 38.88% here, minus those ~12% who are unhappy) is at least somewhat content living in an environment that meets their needs, even if their entire want-list is a pipe dream.
Friction is the Theme of 2026 Moves
In 2026, Americans aren’t desperate to move. In fact, a lot of Americans are living in a version of “fine” that’s shaped by their checking balances, in which relocation has to meet a higher bar to make it onto their 2026 calendars. They report being at least somewhat happy where they are, but a large share also admit that their location reflects what they can afford, not what they’d choose.
Would they move? Sure, but it’d take a lot of incentivization. And we’re not talking about a higher lifetime allotment of waterfront sunsets or backyard barbeques.
Americans are still moving in 2026. They’re still dreaming.
But they’re pickier about whether their dreams fit their financial realities.
In 2026, mobility isn’t about surface preferences anymore. Instead, it’s a risk analysis with headwinds like job availability, mortgage lock-in, and housing burdens. It’s about career and stability wins. That suggests that as we head into the 2026 moving season, we’ll see selective move follow-through and big sensitivity to anything that lowers the cost or uncertainty of relocating.
This year, friction matters more than fantasy, with costs and uncertainties high. Though Americans’ intent hasn’t vanished, it has turned more deeply conditional. Places that win in 2026 will be those that reduce the rub, enticing movers to pull the trigger at a time when so many households are staying home and calling it “good enough.”
Methodology
We surveyed 1250 Americans from January 2-7, 2026, in a representative sample based on the demographic spread of population data per county.
We asked 10 questions about whether they planned to move, and what’s important enough to convince them to pack up and hit the road.
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