To move or not to move? Are you thinking about breaking up with your city and moving on, literally? We’ll help with the move part of moving on.
Breaking up with a person and moving on is tough. Breaking up with your city and relocating can be even tougher. You like and dislike things about the city you live in, much like a relationship. And just like a relationship, sometimes the negative outweighs the positive, and it’s time to find a new city.
If you’re weighing the good and not-so-good parts of life in your city, you’re not alone. Unaffordable house prices, high taxes, and traffic jams are dealbreakers that drive certain migration trends. MoveBuddha asked 1,250 people about their moving intentions, and the data in “moveBuddha Moving Survey: Where Americans Aspire to Move in 2025?” is interesting.
Let's explore happiness in the neighborhoods we live in, signs it's time to break up with your city, and moving company tips for better ways to move.
A Reason for Moving: Even if You Are Happy Living in Your City?
Do you have a love-hate relationship with your city? Love your neighborhood but hate the traffic? Love your house, but property taxes stress you out?
Happiness is a complex emotion. The state you live in can help or hinder your happiness. WalletHub examined happiness in the US and ranked the 50 states in its "Happiest States in America (2025)" article. Sadly, only 44% of Americans are "very satisfied" with their lives.
WalletHub ranked states on 30 metrics, including the rate of depression, productivity, income, and employment vs. unemployment.
A side note for Utahns and Coloradans: Utah ranked #6, and Colorado is #41.
What are the most popular cities and neighborhoods in Colorado and Utah? Read our "2025 Local Moving Guide" to find out.
Your neighborhood matters, too. According to a USA Facts article titled “What do Americans Think of Their Neighborhoods,” in 2023, over 75% of adults in the US were satisfied with their neighborhoods. In 2024, an AARP article, “Building for the Future: Creating Homes and Communities for Aging Well,” found that 75% of Americans over 50 want to stay where they are for as long as possible.
The reason for moving is different for everyone and it often changes. In 2023, the same USA Facts article examined Americans’ satisfaction with common aspects of the city neighborhoods we live in. Here is how satisfied we were in 2023:
Satisfied
- Local schools = 66%
- Safety = 66%
- Severe weather & region-related natural disaster risk levels = 65%
- Crime risk = 61%
- Neighborhood housing costs = 37%
Realistically, though, close to 50% of the 18-and-over crowd and 44% of those over 50 anticipate moving to a community that meets their changing needs. That’s a lot of people who will likely “break up” with their city. Maybe you will, too.
Why It’s Not About Zip-Code Envy: You Can Be Happier in a New City
Lifestyle, shorter distances to family and friends, and a lower risk of natural disasters outweigh a popular zip code for many Americans who are looking to move. MoveBuddha captured shifting values in its article, “moveBuddha Moving Survey: Where Americans Aspire to Move in 2025?”
These factors edged out higher earning potential and tax rates in moving decisions:
- Higher earning potential = 60%
- Safer neighborhood = 79%
- Lower chance of natural disaster = 62%
- Outdoor lifestyle =76%
- Closer to loved ones = 67%
- Warmer climate = 67%
Sorry, City! It’s Not Me, It’s You: Here Are 3 Signs It’s Time to Move
Affordability comes first, because regardless of the city, you need to buy or rent a place to live.
1. It’s Too Expensive to Buy or Rent
You want or need to buy a first home or new home. But can you? Renting versus buying is another affordability-related reason to move. As USA Facts noted in its “What do Americans Think of Their Neighborhoods?” article, only 29% of renters were satisfied with their neighborhoods in 2023.
Read “Lease to Lease: Top Apartment Moving Tips – How to Move Quickly and Easily” for more on apartment moving.
2. You and Your City Have Grown Apart
A city’s charm can fade as life changes. What you initially liked could be a problem later. You loved the climate and terrain then, but do you loathe it now?
A Redfin article, “Flood-Prone America Is Seeing More People Move Out Than In for the First Time Since 2019,” noted that in 2024, most of the highest-flood-risk counties experienced larger net resident outflows than counties with lower flood risks.
3. Your City Can’t Fulfill Your Work-From-Home Needs
The top states in WalletHub’s “Happiest States in America (2025)” article ranked higher for income growth and lower for unemployment rates. People have been moving to new cities for employment for years. Today, employees will move to a new city to gain flexibility in where they work.
Here’s the twist on employment: You want or need to work remotely, but your city isn’t remote-friendly.
Where you work is a post-pandemic dealbreaker and a reason to move for many employees. WalletHub’s article, “Best States for Working from Home (2025),” actually ranked states based on 12 work-from-home metrics.
A side note for Utah fans – Utah ranked #2 overall and #11 for “Work Environment.”
New City? Moving Company Best Ways to Move Locally, Interstate, or Intrastate
Will you move to a new city in the same state or a new one? Local and intrastate are within the state, but a local move is 50 miles or under. Intrastate moves are over 50 miles. Interstate is an out-of-state move.
Local Move Characteristics:
- Shorter timelines
- Smaller truck sizes
- Use non-binding estimates
- Can be completed in one day
- Shorter driving distance
- Costs are based on the number of hours, the hourly rate, size of crew, and the specific services provided
Intrastate Move Characteristics:
- Longer transport or driving times
- Can incur unexpected costs, such as storage and extra stops
- Costs are based on the inventory list & weight, and services provided
- The moving truck is weighed on a federally-certified scale 50 miles from the destination for the actual cost
Interstate Move Characteristics:
- State-to-state moves
- Often the most complex
- More logistics and timeline pressures
- Typically loaded on trailers and shipped together with other customers’ household goods
Why the Cheapest Way to Relocate Isn’t Always the Best Way
Money is usually the reason you do it yourself (DIY). It is the most dreaded option if you’ve moved before. Moving sucks for a reason! Packing your life onto a truck and relocating is emotionally tough and physically exhausting. Life keeps you busy during a move, so DIY isn’t always the best way to relocate.
The cheapest move isn’t always the best when:
- Your hired mover ends up being sketchy, adding unexpected or unexplained costs.
- Packing, loading, and unloading take way longer than planned. You take more time off work or add rental-truck time.
- Heavy items break or are lost, and you need to replace or repair them.
- You run into an unexpected challenge that requires more time or equipment, adding costs.
Best Ways to Move on a Budget: More Help for Less Work & Stress
Full-Service – Less Stuff
Reduce inventory and weight to help reduce moving costs. Hire a moving company to pack, supply the truck and drive, load, and unload, but move less inventory or stuff. Save money by selling or donating items you don’t want or need.
Find places to sell or donate items in our “Sustainable Moving Tips” article.
Intrastate move costs are based on your inventory and its weight. Either get rid of items before getting an estimate or create a list of items you aren’t moving and exclude them from your inventory list.
Hybrid Method – Lighten the Load
Like local moves, doing time-consuming but lighter tasks yourself reduces full-service costs while saving your back from heavy lifting.
You pack and hire a moving company for the heavy lifting. You rent a moving truck, but a professional moving crew loads and unloads your stuff on moving day.
Do What You Can – Then Hire a Moving Company for the Rest
Do as many of the time-consuming but lighter tasks like packing before or loading smaller items on moving day. Hire a moving company to load and unload the heavy stuff.
Want help with the move part of moving on? Get a free quote and let us help you move to a new city.
Conclusion
We explored happiness in the neighborhoods we live in and signs it's time to break up with your city. If you’re planning an intrastate or interstate move, consider the better ways to move. Our love-hate relationships with our cities are complex when it comes to costs, safety, and whatever else we value. You moved into your neighborhood for certain reasons, and maybe you still love it or now dislike it.
If you’re moving to a city in Colorado or Utah, read about popular and affordable areas in our “2025 Local Moving Guide” article.
