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‘It’s financial suicide to remain here’: Here’s why readers say they’re leaving Mass. in 2026
Nearly two-thirds of Boston.com respondents said they are planning to leave the state due to affordability concerns.
As housing, utilities, and everyday costs of living continue to climb, a growing share of Massachusetts residents say the math of staying in the Bay State no longer works. In a recent Boston Globe/Suffolk University poll and an informal survey of Boston.com readers, residents said Massachusetts is just too expensive to get by.
The Globe/Suffolk survey found that about one-third of Massachusetts voters have seriously considered leaving the state in the past year because of affordability pressures, even as a majority still believe the state is generally moving in the right direction. Inflation, health care costs, housing, taxes, and soaring utility bills topped the list of financial stressors.
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Against that backdrop, we asked Boston.com readers a more pointed question: Are you planning to leave the Commonwealth in 2026 because of affordability concerns?
More than 300 people responded, and the results were stark. Nearly two-thirds said they are planning to leave the state, while another 21% said they are thinking about it. Just 17% said they plan to stay.
Are you planning to leave the Commonwealth due to affordability concerns?
Yes, I'm planning to leave
62%
No, I'm staying here
17%
Maybe - I'm thinking about it
21%
Many readers described feeling priced out despite working full time, earning solid incomes, or having deep roots in Massachusetts.
“I have to work two jobs full and part time to make ends meet, and I can’t. I’m moving to Rhode Island,” Hakeem from Cambridge said.
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Others pointed to rising rents, childcare costs, property taxes, and utilities as breaking points — while a smaller but vocal group said the state’s schools, hospitals, jobs, and values still make the high cost of living worth it.
Below, readers share how affordability is impacting their decision to stay in or leave the Bay State.
Responses have been lightly edited for grammar and clarity.
Are you planning to leave the Commonwealth due to affordability concerns?
Yes, I’m planning to leave
“The average rent in Boston is $3k. The average home price in Boston is $1M. What more needs to be said? I’m moving to Ohio to pursue a remote position and actually have a standard of living again.” – Martin B., Somerville
“This state just keeps getting more and more expensive and there’s no end in sight. I realize that inflation and tariff impacts are a nationwide problem, but here in MA, it definitely feels worse. I feel that our elected officials, from my own town’s government up to the Governor herself, aren’t doing anything about it. They all just complain and blame the president, which I see as deflecting. My heating bills are insane, my grocery costs are eye-watering, and my taxes just keep going up year over year … It feels like MA is run by the ultra-wealthy elite, and I’m not in the club so I’m out of here.” – Alan B., Bedford
“The cost of rent and groceries is too high. Rent continues to increase each year when amenities and conditions remain the same. My roommate and I pay $3,100/month for a 2B1B unit in East Somerville. Groceries are costing me on average $100/week for the basics. I love to go out to eat, but in my opinion, the prices are rarely worth the experience. I’d like to move to Philly where average rent is much lower. My family is mostly located in Philly, so I’d like to support and be supported by them.” – Mike T., Somerville
“We are a 5-person, upper-middle class family ($200k annually) that financially lives week to week. We have debt, our kids have college loans, and the whole American Dream that our parents enjoyed seems like a farce. We certainly don’t believe New England is a smart choice for our retirement years.” — Dave, Winthrop
“We purchased a property in New Hampshire and will be moving in January. No hard feelings towards Massachusetts; we just don’t feel like we get our money’s worth here anymore. The ‘tipping point’ was when interviewing in other states, we realized we could earn similar wages elsewhere with lower expenses and a more reasonable commute. We considered moving to a warmer climate, but we decided to stay in New England because we’ve made too many friends that we’d like to stay in touch with.” – Melanie C., Fitchburg
“My husband and I are seriously looking into moving to North Carolina, where our younger daughter and her family live. After quite a few years of looking, we have decided on an early retirement. Our children are grown and we own a house that will be sold to help with our transition. The cost of living, insurance (both medical and auto), utilities, food has gotten out of control in the last 30 plus years that we have been married and raising our own family … Even though health insurance is one of our concerns, we just don’t believe it should be the main reason to continue pouring money into costs that are out of control. I love Mass. and always will but it’s time to move on — something I never thought I would say.” – Cathay, Norton
“I am a single, childless person living in the small town I grew up in (Dunstable). We have had 2 years of override requests with another coming up due to increasing school costs … Besides property taxes, utilities have skyrocketed. They run $2K/mo in January and February which is insane. I work from home. Why would I stay here when I can live somewhere like northern North Carolina where I still get a semblance of seasons, a nicer yet less expensive home, lower utilities and property taxes that are a third of what I am paying now? It’s financial suicide to remain here. My home is listed and with luck I will be gone by February.” – Erica F., Dunstable
“I’ve lived here 22 years, my entire life. I have to leave everything I know when I should be just starting my life in my home state. I make good money, work a full time job, 50 hours a week, and it’s still not enough to keep up with the cost of living here. One missed paycheck from being sick, emergencies, etc. should not make or break our financial status, yet it does. My friends and I all live with our parents still, even after graduating with bachelors degrees simply because living in this state is so unattainable even above minimum wage. It’s truly sad.”’ – Emily, Plymouth
“All our money is in our house. Daycare costs as much as rent. I haven’t had a raise in years and the costs are just getting too high to justify staying.” — Lainey B., Somerville
“Not being able to afford a house so my kids can have their own backyard where they can play and have fun — a thing that is almost impossible to do here even with a household income over $170k.” – Yaz, Belmont
Maybe – I’m thinking about it
“Firstly, we cannot mitigate the affordability crisis until Massachusetts outlaws real estate ownership by private equity. As morally superior as we claim to be in Massachusetts, some of the greediest people in the country with massive real estate portfolios live here. They dangle housing over the heads of working people who just want to live a stable and affordable life and parasitically suck them dry of their poverty wages. Unaccountable landlords are a major contributing factor to this crisis.” – Justin D., Billerica
“The politicians are fully incompetent in budget management causing the cost increases.” – John M., West Roxbury
“The steadily rising taxes and skyrocketing utility rates are becoming unaffordable for me. As a homeowner, my property taxes keep going up due to increasing home values, yet my income has remained unchanged. As a middle-class single mother, I simply can’t absorb these constant added costs. What’s especially frustrating is that I don’t feel I’m receiving any meaningful benefit in return for the higher taxes. The ever-expanding social programs in Massachusetts are the reason for these tax increases and I feel like they are designed to wipe out the middle class.” – Sagine B., Lynn
“My dream is to buy a house. That cannot happen here. I’m looking at the South Carolina, Myrtle Beach area. Housing there is affordable to buy.” – Kole S., Medford
“If my rent goes up, I am going to have to leave MA. I cannot afford extras in life anymore. My food bill is killing me, I cant afford gas to go visit family. I work full time and receive a pension, and it’s still not enough.” – Pam D., North Andover
No, I’m staying here
“Yes, things are expensive, but I’d rather live no more than 15 minutes from (multiple) world class hospitals and have my child educated in a good system then to move away. I have a great job that I would not be able to replace anywhere more affordable than metro Boston/MA. For that I’d need to go to NYC or San Fran, neither of which is any more affordable.” – Mike, Lincoln
“While affordability is challenging right now in MA, I’m proud to live in a state that prioritizes healthcare, maternity/families, and rights for my neighbors and immigrants. The same can’t be said for other states in this country.” – Cara, Canton
“While the cost of living is high, you get what you pay for in MA: the best in education, healthcare, and job opportunities, never mind the arts, sports and history. Yeah you get snow, but you also get the ocean, the mountains and distinct gorgeous seasons. We’ll never leave.” – Krystyn M., West Boylston
“I’m staying where I am. No interest at all in moving, especially given the rollback in rights across this country.” – Lisa E., Easthampton
Boston.com occasionally interacts with readers by conducting informal polls and surveys. These results should be read as an unscientific gauge of readers’ opinion.
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