Retirees Are Leaving Florida for These 6 Cheaper States, and It’s Hard to Blame Them
Florida added just 815 retirees to its population last year.
That’s the net gain, after 44,881 people 65 and older packed up and left the state.
These are the cheaper states where many Floridians are moving to.
Note: This is general information, not financial or tax advice. Home prices, tax rates, and insurance premiums are subject to change.
Measuring the States
The information in this article is based on two studies released this year.
A moving-data firm called HireAHelper analyzed 2025 relocation records nationwide.
Florida’s net gain of 815 people came after 44,881 of them left the state.
A separate cost index from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center compares what the same dollar buys in every state, and Florida’s score sits at 100.7.
What Florida’s Cost-of-Living Score Means
Florida’s 100.7 score works as a comparison, not a price tag.
The index sets the nationwide average at exactly 100 every quarter.
Under 100 means costs run below that average. Over 100 means they run higher.
Florida sitting at 100.7 means your everyday costs there run just above the U.S. average.
Tennessee shows what the other end looks like, scoring 88.9 on that same index, almost 12% cheaper than the national average.
1. South Carolina
No state pulled in more retirement-age residents than South Carolina in 2025, a net gain of 5,427 people 65 and older.
Florida supplied 1,862 of them, more than any other state feeding South Carolina’s growth that year.
The trade-off shows up fast if you start pricing out a move.
A typical South Carolina home costs about $397,600, roughly $19,200 less than Florida’s $416,800.
Its property tax runs about 0.51% of a home’s value each year, well under Florida’s 0.79%.
Home insurance lands at $2,820 a year, less than half of Florida’s $6,060, the highest average in the country.
If you’re thinking about moving to South Carolina, many retirees are landing around Myrtle Beach, Greenville, and the Charleston suburbs, chasing beach towns and mountain foothills without Florida’s price tag.
2. Texas
Only South Carolina drew more retirement-age residents than Texas in 2025, which gained 5,156 of them, with 2,048 arriving straight from Florida.
The math skews differently in Texas than in South Carolina, though.
Texas charges no state income tax at all, the same deal Florida offers, so you gain nothing on that front by moving.
Its property tax rate runs about 1.58%, higher than Florida’s 0.79%, the steepest bite of any state on this list.
But a typical Texas home costs about $341,800, roughly $75,000 less than Florida’s.
That gap swallows the property tax difference for many buyers.
Insurance runs cheaper too, at $4,704 a year against Florida’s $6,060.
Retirees are settling into the Hill Country around Fredericksburg and the San Antonio suburbs, trading hurricane risk for hail season.
Not a perfect swap.
Still a cheaper move for many retirees’ wallets, though.
3. North Carolina
Florida sends more people to North Carolina than any other state does, 33,600 of them in the most recent year on record, according to Census Bureau data.
Retirees make up a sizable slice of that: North Carolina posted the third-largest net gain of retirement-age residents in 2025, adding 3,202 people 65 and older to its population.
One Asheville real estate broker told Florida Trend that roughly 40% of her retiree clients now come from Florida alone.
Western North Carolina’s mountain towns and the coastal stretch around Wilmington are both drawing your fellow Florida transplants.
North Carolina’s flat income tax sits at 3.99%.
Its property tax runs about 0.70%.
Its home insurance bill averages $3,480 a year, more than $2,500 below Florida’s.
A typical home costs $381,700, about $35,000 less than Florida’s median.
Every number lines up.
Psst! Curious how Florida stacks up against these six states? See the numbers for yourself below.
4. Tennessee
Census Bureau data puts Florida in second place among Tennessee’s source states, sending 18,500 people there in the most recent year on record, trailing only California.
Retirees make up a solid part of that count: Tennessee added 3,191 retirement-age residents in 2025, the fourth-largest net gain of any state, while offering the same zero-income-tax deal Florida does.
The property tax gap is where your savings show up first.
Tennessee’s effective property tax rate runs about 0.55%, versus Florida’s 0.79%.
Home insurance follows the same pattern, landing near $3,300 a year, roughly $2,760 less than Florida’s $6,060.
A typical Tennessee home costs $392,100, about $24,700 less than Florida’s median.
Retirees are still making the move for the Smoky Mountains and Knoxville’s lower overall bills.
Every dollar still counts.
5. Alabama
Alabama’s biggest source of new residents sits right along its own border: Florida sent 16,400 people there in the most recent Census count, more than any other state.
Alabama is also gaining retirement-age residents faster than Georgia these days, adding 1,828 of them in 2025 against Georgia’s 1,646.
It’s the cheapest state on this list by a wide margin, too.
A typical Alabama home costs about $299,000, nearly $118,000 less than Florida’s.
Its property tax rate of 0.38% is the lowest of any state here.
You’d be settling along the Gulf Shores coastline or around Huntsville, trading Florida’s beaches for a shorter, cheaper version of the same view.
Home insurance still runs $3,552 a year, more than its northern neighbors on this list but well under Florida’s own $6,060.
Savings start on day one.
6. Georgia
Georgia draws more people from Florida than from any other state, 52,400 of them in the most recent Census count, Florida’s biggest single contribution to any state on this list.
Retirees make up a growing share: Georgia gained 1,646 retirement-age residents in 2025, rounding out the six states pulling the most retirees away from Florida.
Property taxes are one of the few places Georgia doesn’t win: They run a touch higher than Florida’s, about 0.81% against 0.79%, one of two states on this list where that’s true.
Everything else tilts your way.
A typical Georgia home costs about $373,700, some $43,000 less than Florida’s.
Its flat income tax sits at 5.19%.
Its average home insurance bill is the lowest of any state here, at $2,580 a year, well under half of Florida’s.
Insurance alone makes the case for your budget.
Retirees are settling around Savannah’s low country and the north Georgia mountains, close enough to visit Florida without paying to live there.
Florida’s Slowing Draw
Florida is still gaining people overall, just far fewer of them.
The state’s net migration fell from 598,737 new residents in 2022 to 201,191 in 2025, a drop of about 66%, according to University of Florida researchers.
Researchers point to housing costs as the biggest reason, pushing newcomers toward mid-sized counties like Polk and Pasco instead of Miami-Dade, which lost residents to other states.
Insurance adds to the squeeze.
Florida’s home insurance premiums rose 49.5% between 2020 and 2025, compared with 27.9% inflation over the same stretch.
The bill keeps rising even for homeowners who never file a claim.
What Florida Still Has Going for It
Florida isn’t losing the popularity contest entirely.
The state still pulled in 45,696 retirement-age movers in 2025, more than any other state took in.
Florida also charges no state income tax at all, the same perk Tennessee and Texas use to lure people away.
Your winters stay mild enough to skip a coat.
Florida’s hospital and specialist network is broad enough that many retirees don’t want to gamble on finding new doctors somewhere else.
The math isn’t universal.
Psst! How much do you know about the money side of retirement? Take our quiz and see how many you can get right.
Quiz
Retiree Relocation IQ
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