Young Buyers Are Rate-Locked: 1 in 3 Say They Need 4% to Move

Nearly 9 in 10 Americans say saving money is influencing whether they move in 2026, and interest in moving to lower-cost states is rising.

ATHENS, GEORGIA / ACCESS Newswire / February 5, 2026 / Even in a buyer's market, current mortgage rates aren't making buying any easier in 2026.

Only 8%would be motivated to buy and 5% to sell for a sub 1% point rate drop, according to a survey from moveBuddha.com, a relocation booking website.

Gen Z is the most likely to react to smaller rate cuts. 15% say a rate cut of under 1-point would help them buy, nearly twice the share of Millennials (9%) and Gen X (8%).

But most younger buyers say mortgage rates would need to drop by at least two points to motivate a home purchase; roughly one in three Gen Z (31%) and Millennial buyers (32%).

With 30-year rates at 6.01% when the survey closed, that suggests rates would need to fall to about 4%. The last time Americans saw rates that low was in 2022.

"Affordability is an issue impacting a lot of decisions right now, including moving," says Ryan Carrigan, co-founder of moveBuddha. "Mortgage rates are a key component in making homebuying decisions, but it's overall affordability that's holding back potential movers across the map.

We are seeing potential movers spending more time considering not just the cost of housing, but also the cost of living where they are headed, the costs of moving, and much more. Movers want the best cost option, and are taking more time than ever to research whether a move is the right choice."

Overall, costs are weighing more heavily this year than last. moveBuddha's annual 2026 moving survey also found that Americans are:

• Twice as concerned about living somewhere affordable.
  Interest in moving to "wherever the cost of living is low" has doubled since last year to 16% in 2026, up from 8.5% in 2025.

• Factoring in saving money.
  88% of respondents indicate that saving money is a factor influencing relocation this year.

• Looking for relief in monthly housing costs.
  73% of respondents say it would take a 20+% discount on housing costs to make a move worth it.

• Feeling stuck because of high costs.
  40% say high moving costs and 38% say housing costs in their desired destinations are keeping them from moving this year.

• Still dreaming of Florida and lower-cost states.
  This year, we asked respondents again: In which state would you want to move to or live? Florida is still #1. While states with lower average costs of living and home prices, like #3 Texas (+2), #5 Tennessee (+5), and #7 South Carolina (+4), are climbing in the ranking.

2026's Most Desired Move-to States

moveBuddha asked respondents: Whether you are planning to move or not, which 3 states would you want to move to or live in?

*Percentages reflect the total % of respondents which selected any given state. Rankings reflect how frequently each state was selected as a top destination.

Why This Matters Now? In 2026, potential movers feel boxed in by cost pressures. This is reshaping where people are willing to live and whether they move at all.

2026 Moving Survey: https://www.movebuddha.com/blog/moving-survey-2026/

Survey methodology: Conducted via Pollfish on January 7, 2026; representative sample of 1,250 Americans.

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