{"id":284172,"date":"2026-04-24T18:47:30","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T18:47:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/284172\/"},"modified":"2026-04-24T18:47:30","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T18:47:30","slug":"families-are-leaving-california-and-saving-672-a-month-as-living-costs-soar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/284172\/","title":{"rendered":"Families are leaving California and saving $672 a month as living costs soar"},"content":{"rendered":"

Californians are fleeing the Golden State <\/a>in search of cheaper living, as soaring food, gas and housing costs are laid bare in a damning new report.<\/p>\n

A study by the California Policy Lab analyzed credit data from 2016 to 2025 and found that residents who move out typically land in far more affordable areas.<\/p>\n

All signs suggest California is fast becoming a playground for the wealthy, researchers warn.<\/p>\n

A recent study analyzed credit data from 2016 to 2025 and found that residents who move out typically end up in far more affordable areas. Getty Images<\/p>\n

On average, those who leave save about $672 each month on housing alone.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe expected to see people moving to cheaper locations in other states, but our analysis showed the average costs dropping by nearly $400,000, that\u2019s a key data point for families who want to become homeowners,\u201d Evan White, executive director of the California Policy Lab, told Fox Business<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe likelihood of becoming a homeowner increased by nearly 50%<\/a> for those who left California. That\u2019s a big difference,\u201d White added.<\/p>\n

Even in California\u2019s so-called affordable areas, the price tag is steep: residents shell out 11% more for groceries. Getty Images<\/p>\n

Even in California\u2019s so-called affordable areas<\/a>, the price tag remains steep, with residents paying 11% more for groceries, 40% more for gas and 61% more for utilities than the national average.<\/p>\n

Most movers aren\u2019t going far; Nevada tops the list of destinations, followed by Idaho, Oregon and Arizona.<\/p>\n

Those leaving California are often lower-income residents struggling to keep up with soaring costs, but discovering a more manageable life once they settle elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Most aren\u2019t venturing too far from home. Nevada tops the list of destinations, trailed by Idaho, Oregon, and Arizona. AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Since the pandemic, the share of residents leaving the state\u2019s higher-income communities has jumped to 19%, according to the California Policy Lab.<\/a><\/p>\n

The families moving out aren\u2019t destitute, but they are feeling the squeeze, especially compared to their more affluent neighbors.<\/p>\n

The families moving out aren\u2019t destitute, but they are feeling the squeeze, especially when stacked against their more affluent neighbors. AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Sky-high rents and housing costs have weighed heavily on residents\u2013the average California household<\/a> has about 35 percent less disposable income than the national average.<\/p>\n

he reason is simple, high taxes, high housing costs and high energy costs.<\/p>\n

The exodus of people could have serious consequences<\/a>, the California Policy Lab said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf trends continue, the implications for California\u2019s tax base and national political clout could be severe,\u201d the report said.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor example, after losing one congressional seat in 2021, California is on track to lose three to four seats in Congress after the 2030 Census.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Californians are fleeing the Golden State in search of cheaper living, as soaring food, gas and housing costs…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":284173,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[29736,7,9,8,1011,4182,34500,5967,234,3586],"class_list":["post-284172","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-affordability","tag-california","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-news","tag-housing","tag-metro","tag-moving","tag-population","tag-prices","tag-us-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/284172","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=284172"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/284172\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/284173"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=284172"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=284172"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=284172"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}