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These 10 Affordable ZIP Codes are Hottest with Movers This Year

John R. Roby

By John R. Roby

Apr 20, 2023


Wallet-conscious renters are finding deals in warm places.

We found that in some of the most popular spots for recent movers — sunny Florida and Arizona dominate the list — rent prices are often below the national median.

Jasen Edwards, a realtor and real estate consultant in Austin, TX, with 25 years in the business, says apartment-hunters are likely to follow a good deal when considering a move. For some, warm weather may just be an added bonus.

“Renters may decide to move when they find a more cost-effective option that allows them to maintain or improve their quality of living,” he says. “This can result from changes in their financial situation or discovering better rental deals in the market.”

Beginning early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the real estate market experienced significant shifts as many renters and even homeowners fled major metros for suburbs and smaller places. Remote workers led the way with these long-distance moves. According to an Upwork survey conducted last year about 2021, an estimated 5 million had relocated in 2021. More than a quarter of those surveyed said that they moved to a new place more than four hours’ commute from their workplace — and the main reason cited? Savings on living costs.

“The upside to working from anywhere is that renters can move to areas where the rent is more affordable, allowing their pay to go further,” says Stacy Brown, director of training for property firm Real Property Management in Waco, TX.

Considering following these movers’ lead? We crunched recent change-of-address numbers from the U.S. Postal Service to find the ZIP codes where most Americans moved in January and February of this year, and took affordability into account by comparing them with our own data on median rents for one-bedroom apartments in each ZIP code. Out of more than 107,000 data points, we found the 50 most popular ZIP codes where renters can score rent prices right now that are below the national median of $1,430 a month for a one-bedroom apartment. Below, we highlight the top 10.

If you’re mobile and looking to move and save, read on. By the end of this article, you may even be calling up a moving company and considering an interstate move.

For more specific guidance on how much rent you can afford, use our rent calculator. Keep in mind: A general rule of thumb is that you should not spend more than 30% of your monthly income on housing and you should also take into account an area’s general cost of living.

Florida

Half of the top 10 ZIP codes in our data lie in the Sunshine State. The post office says more than 700 people relocated in January and February to one of them (the numbers come from people filling out official change-of-address forms, so they represent some, but not all, movers).

  • Haines City (ZIP code 33844), which is about an hour drive away from Tampa, welcomed 365 movers this year — giving it the No. 1 spot on our list. The ZIP code’s median rent price of $1,075 is just 75% of the national one-bedroom median in our data — $1,430. Perhaps, the savings will come in handy for any renters looking to train hard for the IRONMAN 70.3 FLORIDA, a 70.3-mile triathlon held each December in Haines City.
  • Movers to ZIP code 32118 in Daytona Beach (No. 4 on our list) can catch the action at the international speedway while enjoying a median rent of $1,292.
  • Savings can also be found up the Gulf Coast from St. Petersburg. In New Port Richey (ZIP code 34652), which was ranked the No. 5 ZIP code, the median monthly rent price for a one-bedroom apartment is $1,397.
  • No. 10 on our list is the “City of Five Flags,” Pensacola, and specifically its 32507 ZIP code, which rounds out the Florida tour. The Panhandle city boasts 450 years of history as well as a median one-bedroom rent of $975 per month, or 68% of the national median.
  • Also worth mentioning is Clearwater, (33756 ZIP code), No. 17 on our list, where rent was a bit lower than the national figure as well, at a median price of $1,300 per month for a one-bedroom.

Arizona

Arizona was home to two of the top 10 ZIP codes in our data.

  • In 1971, investors moved a bridge that had spanned the Thames River in London to Lake Havasu City, No. 2 on our list. These days, more than 350 new movers to ZIP code 86403 in the London Bridge’s new home can find a median one-bedroom monthly rent price of $1,000.
  • By at least one reckoning, Yuma (which is about a three-hour drive from the state capital, Phoenix) is “the Sunniest Place on Earth.” The savings shine in the 85364 ZIP code, too, with a median monthly rent price of just $775. It came in at No. 6 on our list of hottest ZIP codes for movers with rent prices below the national median.

Other Hottest ZIP Codes

Leaving the big city can pay off rent price–wise, according to our data.

  • If beaches and birdwatching spark delight, then take a cue from the movers who migrated to ZIP code 78418 in Corpus Christi, TX (No. 8 on our list). This Texas city is next door to Padre Island National Seashore, with the Gulf of Mexico beyond. Renters likely find the median rent of $1,145, or 80% of the national, nice, too. Plus, if you’re ever missing the hustle and bustle of the city, the San Antonio and Houston metro areas are only a two- and three-hour drive away, respectively.
  • For thrifty winter sports fans, Ogden, UT (ZIP code 84401) might be calling. As over 100 movers have discovered, the city’s a picturesque gateway to ski resorts of the Wasatch Range and enjoys a median rent of $1,067. It was the No. 3 most popular ZIP code on our list for movers.
  • No. 9 on our list — 47130 in Jeffersonville, IN — boasts a median one-bedroom rent of $850 a month. Other than it’s low monthly rent prices, the city also hosts something unique on our list: an annual race of speed and nautical know-how between crews of two vintage steamboats. Held since 1963 just days before the Kentucky Derby, the Great Steamboat Race runs along the Ohio River between Jeffersonville to Louisville, KY.

The Full List

We crunched recent change-of-address numbers from the U.S. Postal Service to find the ZIP codes where most Americans moved in January and February of this year, and took affordability into account by comparing them with our own data on median rents for one-bedroom apartments in each ZIP code. Below is our full list.

The 50 Most Popular ZIP Codes for Movers in 2023 So Far Below the National Rent Median

RankZIP codeCityStateNumber of Movers to ZIP CodeMonthly Median Rent Price for 1-Bedroom ApartmentPercent of the National Monthly Median Rent Price for a 1-Bedroom Apartment
133844Haines CityFL365$1,07573%
286403Lake Havasu CityAZ359$1,00068%
384401OgdenUT117$1,06773%
432118Daytona BeachFL112$1,29288%
534652New Port RicheyFL110$1,39795%
685364YumaAZ110$77553%
733756ClearwaterFL63$1,30089%
878418Corpus ChristiTX59$1,14578%
947130JeffersonvilleIN59$85058%
1032507PensacolaFL58$97567%
1144052LorainOH56$69547%
1232205JacksonvilleFL39$1,14578%
1385018PhoenixAZ38$1,29388%
1428052GastoniaNC35$90061%
1598663VancouverWA34$1,39595%
1655112Mounds ViewMN33$1,12477%
1733755ClearwaterFL26$1,35092%
1860409Calumet CityIL21$95065%
1965401RollaMO21$50034%
2055109Saint PaulMN20$93164%
2185710TucsonAZ20$87460%
2282601CasperWY20$67546%
2348202DetroitMI19$1,00068%
2432210JacksonvilleFL17$1,00068%
2574120TulsaOK14$1,24985%
2640475RichmondKY14$74251%
2746807Fort WayneIN14$67446%
2812305SchenectadyNY13$1,20082%
2932207JacksonvilleFL13$1,14478%
3098405TacomaWA12$1,35292%
3135801HuntsvilleAL12$1,32690%
3295350ModestoCA12$1,25085%
3346218IndianapolisIN12$70048%
3480214EdgewaterCO11$1,33391%
3519121PhiladelphiaPA11$1,30789%
3650023AnkenyIA9$1,07573%
3755116Saint PaulMN7$1,06973%
3830901AugustaGA7$1,01369%
3945213CincinnatiOH7$85058%
4070605Lake CharlesLA7$78854%
4179015CanyonTX7$60041%
4260130Forest ParkIL6$1,10075%
4360302Oak ParkIL5$1,37594%
4455426MinneapolisMN5$1,20182%
4568102OmahaNE5$1,17080%
4699206SpokaneWA5$1,09575%
4760402BerwynIL5$1,05072%
4882001CheyenneWY3$79554%
4979401LubbockTX3$69547%
5067213WichitaKS3$64844%

Methodology

We combined data from the United States Postal Service on change-of-address filings by ZIP code with our data on median rents for one-bedroom apartments. We limited our analysis to address changes in January and February 2023, the latest months for which data were available. Median rental prices were calculated for each U.S. ZIP code that met adequate inventory thresholds for those months, and paired with the USPS data. In this list, we only included cities where the median monthly rent price for a one-bedroom apartment fell below the national median of $1,430 a month for a one-bedroom apartment. The rankings are based off of the number of movers to each ZIP code, from the most to least amount of net movers.

We rate and sort every listing based on fair market rent.

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Top metro areas

Atlanta Metro Apartments

5,218 apartments starting at $402/month

Austin Metro Apartments

7,137 apartments starting at $468/month

Baltimore Metro Apartments

1,934 apartments starting at $636/month

Boston Metro Apartments

5,859 apartments starting at $800/month

Charlotte Metro Apartments

3,073 apartments starting at $449/month

Chicago Metro Apartments

4,572 apartments starting at $650/month

Dallas Fort Worth Metro Apartments

14,874 apartments starting at $400/month

Houston Metro Apartments

5,560 apartments starting at $595/month

Las Vegas Metro Apartments

3,483 apartments starting at $650/month

Los Angeles Metro Apartments

14,117 apartments starting at $450/month

Miami Metro Apartments

1,621 apartments starting at $1,000/month

Milwaukee Metro Apartments

1,421 apartments starting at $500/month

New York Metro Apartments

10,001 apartments starting at $590/month

Orlando Metro Apartments

3,483 apartments starting at $650/month

Philadelphia Metro Apartments

2,754 apartments starting at $500/month

Phoenix Metro Apartments

5,346 apartments starting at $650/month

Pittsburgh Metro Apartments

1,382 apartments starting at $549/month

Portland Metro Apartments

4,757 apartments starting at $412/month

Raleigh Metro Apartments

2,360 apartments starting at $600/month

Riverside Metro Apartments

1,321 apartments starting at $499/month

San Antonio Metro Apartments

3,471 apartments starting at $400/month

San Diego Metro Apartments

3,566 apartments starting at $615/month

San Francisco Metro Apartments

2,957 apartments starting at $595/month

San Jose Metro Apartments

1,457 apartments starting at $750/month

Seattle Metro Apartments

5,574 apartments starting at $650/month

Tampa Metro Apartments

2,024 apartments starting at $500/month

Washington Metro Apartments

3,845 apartments starting at $750/month