Where should I live quiz
See an example first
Real results for three sample households, ranked the same way yours will be.
- Family of four leaving New YorkHybrid work, up to $650K. Most wants more space, then walkable neighborhoods, then a place people are moving to. Short, mild winters, and no hurricane country
- 1. San Antonio, TX
- 2. Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
- 3. Daytona Beach, FL
- Couple leaving Los AngelesHybrid work, up to $650K. Wants walkable neighborhoods first, then lower everyday prices, in a big metro without long, hot summers
- 1. Sarasota, FL
- 2. Pittsburgh, PA
- 3. Baltimore, MD
- Retired couple leaving BostonUp to $500K. Wants lower storm and flood risk, then walkable neighborhoods, near a beach or big lake, with short, mild winters and little snow
- 1. Richmond, VA
- 2. Memphis area (West Memphis, AR), TN/AR
- 3. Columbia, SC
About this where should I live quiz
Eight quick steps: where you live now, who is moving, your home budget, how you work, any dealbreakers, your top three priorities in order, and the weather and size of place you want. We rank every city on our list of 54 that costs less than where you live now, using Realtor.com home prices, BEA price levels, the EPA walkability index, FEMA storm and flood data, Census population and move-ins, NOAA weather normals and airport route lists.
How the ranking works
First, cities that cost more than where you live now, or more than your budget, drop out. Next, your dealbreakers remove cities: snowfall of 10 inches or more a year, 90 or more days at 90°F, FEMA storm and flood damage of $2 or more per $1,000 of buildings a year, no beach or big lake, no mountains or trails, or no nonstop flight home. If fewer than five cities are left, we drop the dealbreaker that removes the most and tell you.
Then each city is scored on the priorities you ranked. Your first pick counts for 61%, your second 28% and your third 11% (rank-order weights, a standard method in decision research). Lower home prices and more space count the saving against where you live now, and a saving of half or more earns the full score. Every other priority is the city's standing among all 54 cities on a sourced number: BEA price levels (2024), the EPA walkability index, FEMA's National Risk Index (December 2025) and Census net move-ins since 2021 (Vintage 2025). Your weather and size answers score how close each city's January lows (NOAA 1991-2020 normals) and population come to what you picked.
Your answers make up 88% of the score. The rest breaks ties: 8% for how many people moved there from elsewhere in the US, and 4% for an active relocation program if you work remotely. Nothing about who lives in a place is used.
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