8 Affordable States Drawing California Retirees Away in 2026

What do you call a retiree who sells in Fresno and buys in Tulsa?

Rich, more or less overnight.

That price gap explains a migration the Census Bureau now measures in the hundreds of thousands.

These are the affordable states drawing California retirees away this year.

Note: This is general information, not financial or tax advice. Home values and tax rules change and vary by county, so confirm the details with a professional before acting.

How These States Made the List

This ranking starts with migration data, not guesswork.

The Census Bureau’s 2024 State-to-State Migration Flows, released in January 2026, show that 661,205 Californians moved to another state in 2024.

SmartAsset’s Where Retirees Are Moving study adds the age lens: California lost a net 56,858 people 60 and older in a single year, more than any other state.

We crossed those flows with affordability, using Zillow’s Home Value Index and the Cost of Living Index from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC).

The bar every state had to clear: Show up in the moving data, and cost far less than California’s typical home value of $775,550 and top income tax rate of 13.3%.

That second test knocked out some big names.

Oregon draws tens of thousands of Californians a year, but its own costs and income tax kept it off this list.

1. Texas

Texas received 77,161 Californians in 2024, the largest state-to-state flow in the entire country, per the Census data.

The draw is simple arithmetic.

Zillow puts the typical Texas home at $302,550, well under half of California’s number.

Texas charges no state income tax, so 401(k) withdrawals, pensions, and Social Security all arrive untouched.

SmartAsset counted a net 10,050 people 60 and older arriving in Texas in a single year.

MERIC scores Texas housing costs at 77.7 against California’s 189.5, the widest gap on this list.

2. Nevada

Nevada edged out Arizona in 2024 to become California’s second-favorite escape, receiving 53,289 movers.

Retirees can keep the grandkids a half-day’s drive away, and keep their income out of a state tax return entirely.

The typical Nevada home runs $447,276, per Zillow.

Property taxes stay mild too, with an effective rate near 0.50%, per the Tax Foundation.

Henderson and Reno both fill up with former Californians who did that math.

3. Arizona

Arizona pulled in 52,383 Californians in 2024, and its retiree numbers run even hotter.

SmartAsset counted a net gain of 20,203 people 60 and older in one year, the third-best in the nation.

The typical Arizona home sits at $423,681, per Zillow, and prices dipped over the past year.

Income tax runs a flat 2.5%, the lowest flat rate in the country, and Social Security escapes it entirely.

A Californian who spent decades in a 9.3% bracket notices the difference by February.

4. Tennessee

Tennessee charges no state income tax and posts the ninth-lowest cost of living in the country, with a MERIC index of 88.9.

The typical home costs $336,445, per Zillow, and values are still inching up rather than sliding.

Retirees split between the Smokies, Nashville’s orbit, and lake towns along the Tennessee River.

Utilities run cheaper than the national average, too, per MERIC.

For a Californian, the biggest adjustment tends to be humidity, not the budget.

5. Oklahoma

Oklahoma has the lowest cost of living in the United States, with a MERIC index of 83.5.

The typical home costs $223,590, per Zillow.

That’s less than a third of California’s typical value, so a seller from Bakersfield can buy a house outright and bank the rest.

Social Security goes untaxed, and the state lets each retiree shield another $10,000 of pension or account income, per AARP.

SmartAsset’s retiree study put Oklahoma in the national top 10 for net gains, so the secret is leaking.

6. Idaho

Idaho netted 5,182 retirees in a year, per SmartAsset, and Californians have been the loudest arrivals in Boise for a decade.

The typical home costs $480,645, per Zillow, the priciest entry on this list, yet still hundreds of thousands below California.

Income tax runs a flat 5.3% after a 2025 cut, per the Tax Foundation, and Social Security stays exempt.

Utilities rank among the cheapest anywhere, with a MERIC index of 73.4.

Four distinct seasons and trout water sweeten the deal for outdoorsy retirees.

7. Missouri

Missouri never cracks the top of the destination charts, and that’s exactly why it stays cheap.

The typical home costs $268,423, per Zillow, and the state ties for seventh-lowest cost of living on MERIC’s index.

Since 2024, Missouri has left Social Security fully exempt with no income limits, per AARP, and the top income tax rate sits at 4.7%.

Branson and the Lake of the Ozarks already run on retiree traffic.

Call Missouri the value pick: It’s not where the crowd goes, just where the dollar goes furthest.

8. Florida

Florida stays the defending champion, netting 44,504 retirees in a year, more than any state, per SmartAsset.

Californians made it their fifth-favorite destination in 2024, with 36,194 arrivals, per the Census flows.

No state income tax, and the typical home costs $376,504, per Zillow.