How Remote Workers Should Choose Where to Live: A Decision Framework

Can You Live Anywhere If You Work Remotely?

Not always. Your company may only allow remote employees to live in certain states because having workers in a new state can create payroll, tax, insurance, and registration requirements for the employer.

That doesn't mean moving is complicated in every case. You just need to know what's allowed by your employer before you spend too much time researching cities.

Employer Location Rules and State Tax Nexus

Some companies list the states where remote employees can live, while others may approve moves on a case-by-case basis.

If you're thinking about relocating, HR is usually the best place to start. A few useful questions include:

• Which states can remote employees live in?
• Do I need approval before I move?
• Are there any city or county restrictions?
• How much notice do you need before I change my address?
• Would the move affect payroll, benefits, or anything else about my job?
• Is my position officially classified as remote?
• Do I need to live within a certain distance of an office?

You don’t need to know every detail of your employer’s state registration process, but you should know that your move can affect payroll, taxes, and whether the company can employ you there. HR can tell you what applies before you make plans.

If your move needs approval, it’s a good idea to have that confirmed in writing before you sign a lease or buy a home.

Location-Based Pay and Return-to-Office Risk

Some employers adjust salaries based on where you live, using location-based pay bands tied to the cost of living in different areas. That means a city may look more affordable at first, but not once you factor in a lower salary.

Before narrowing your list, ask HR whether your pay would change in the places you’re considering. It’s also worth asking how those salary bands work, when a pay change would take effect, and whether moving again later could change your salary.

You may also want to ask whether your position is officially remote and whether the company expects that to continue. If return-to-office rules change later, think about how often you might need to go in and how practical that would be from your new location. Check the distance, travel time, and cost so you know what that could look like.

What Financial Factors Should Remote Workers Compare?

Housing may be the biggest direct expense of wherever you choose to live, but transportation, groceries, insurance, utilities, health care, and taxes all affect how far your salary goes. If you're buying a home, property taxes, insurance, HOA fees, and upkeep can make a big difference too. Once you add everything up, a place that looked affordable at first may not be as inexpensive as you thought.

Cost of Living Against Your Actual Salary

Start with the salary you'd earn in each location, especially if your employer uses location-based pay. Then compare the biggest expenses you're likely to have:

• Housing
• Transportation
• Food
• Insurance and health care
• Utilities and other regular bills
• State and local taxes

The Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Surveys can help you see where household spending tends to go. You can also use the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities to compare prices between states and metro areas.

Try to compare the kind of life you'd actually have in each place after narrowing your search down to 2-3 places. If your budget would let you live downtown in one city but only in the suburbs in another, that difference can help you decide which option fits the lifestyle you want.

State and Local Tax Exposure

A state with no personal income tax may collect more through sales taxes, property taxes, or other state and local taxes, so consider the total cost rather than one tax rate.

Remote work can add another wrinkle. Where you live and where you work can both affect how you're taxed, and some states have special rules for remote employees.

Check with your employer about how a move would affect payroll, and take a look at the Department of Revenue website for any state you're seriously considering. If your situation involves more than one state, a tax professional can help you sort out what applies.

What Do Remote Jobs Actually Require From a Location?

For most remote workers, reliable internet and a time zone that works with the rest of the team are two of the biggest things to consider. A beautiful house or perfect neighborhood loses some of its appeal if your connection drops during meetings or your workday has to start at 5 a.m.

Before getting too serious about a location, take a closer look at both.

Internet Reliability

Good internet can vary from one neighborhood, street, or even building to the next, so check the actual address whenever you can.

Here are a few ways to get a better idea of what you'll be working with:

• Search the address on the FCC National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it, along with the connection types and advertised speeds.
• Check those providers directly to see which plans are actually available at the address.
• Ask a landlord, property manager, or nearby residents if outages are common.
• If you're staying in the area before moving, try working there for a full day.

It also helps to have a backup in mind before you need one. That might be using your phone as a hotspot for a few hours or knowing where the nearest coworking space or reliable Wi-Fi is.

Time Zone Overlap With Your Team

Think about how your new time zone would line up with the people you work with most. A one- or two-hour difference may barely change your day, while a three-hour gap can matter much more if you have a lot of meetings, work closely with clients, or your team has specific slots where they talk through ideas and make decisions.

For example, a 9 a.m. meeting in New York starts at 6 a.m. in California. That may be fine once in a while, but it could get old quickly if it's part of your regular schedule.

One easy way to test it is to look at a typical week on your calendar and adjust everything to the new time zone. You could even try following those hours for a few days before deciding.

Which Lifestyle Factors Decide Whether You Stay?

Once a city works for your job and your budget, the next question is whether you'd actually enjoy living there.

Think about the things that shape your normal day-to-day life, such as how much space you want, the weather changes, how close you are to people you care about, and how easy it is to get around. Those details can matter just as much as the budget when you're deciding where to settle.

City, Suburb, or Rural?

The best fit usually comes down to how you like to spend your time. Some people want restaurants, gyms, and coffee shops within walking distance, while others would happily trade that for more space and a quieter street.

Think about your usual week and compare things like:

• Space to work: Do you want a separate office, or is a smaller setup fine?
• Walkability: What would you like to reach without getting in the car?
• Cost: How much space can you get for your budget?
• Transportation: Would you still have a regular commute for school, appointments, or family?
• Social life: How easy would it be to meet people or see friends?
• Things to do: Are there restaurants, events, parks, or activities you'd actually use?
• Community: Does the area feel friendly and like somewhere you'd be comfortable living?
• Diversity: Is it important to you to live around people from a mix of backgrounds and cultures?

Climate and Disaster Risk

It’s good to know if you prefer warm weather, snow, or four seasons. But you should also ask yourself what it would be like to live with that climate every day, especially if storms, wildfire, flooding, or extreme temperatures could affect your power, internet, or insurance premium.

For a remote worker, that might mean dealing with:

• Power outages
• Internet or cellular outages
• Flooding
• Hurricanes or severe storms
• Wildfire smoke or evacuations
• Snow and ice
• Extreme heat or cold

Government hazard maps can give you a better idea of the risks in an area, and local residents can tell you how often the power actually goes out during inclement weather. Frequent hurricanes, wildfires, flooding, or other disasters can also mean higher homeowners or renters insurance costs, and coverage may be harder to find in some areas. Be sure to factor that into your monthly budget when you compare cities.

If outages are common, you’ll need to plan for a backup battery, mobile hotspot, or nearby coworking space.

Proximity to Family, Friends, and Airports

A place may seem close enough to family and friends on a map, but two flights and a long layover can turn a weekend visit into a much bigger trip. Nonstop flights, train routes, or an easy drive can make it much simpler to stay connected.

Before narrowing your list of places to live, check the travel options to the two areas you're most likely to visit. Look at the travel time, typical cost, and whether nonstop routes are available.

Being closer to the people you care about may end up mattering more than saving a little extra on housing, so keep that in mind before you move.

Safety, Schools, Walkability, and Transit

Once you’ve narrowed it down to a few places, you can then compare safety, schools, walkability, and transit. This can also help you figure out which neighborhoods within a city are the best fit.

For safety, look at local crime data and, if you can, spend time in the neighborhood at different times of day. If schools matter, check the actual school district and attendance boundaries rather than relying only on a ZIP code.

For walkability, think about the places you'd want to reach regularly, such as a grocery store, park, gym, or coffee shop. And if you plan to use public transit, look at the routes and schedules you'd actually need, including evenings and weekends.

How To Weigh These Factors Against Each Other

Some things will matter more to you than others. You may not care about heavy snow, for example, but reliable fiber internet or access to good suburbs could be a must. Those are your non-negotiables, and knowing them makes it much easier to narrow your list.

Here’s an overview of the step-by-step process of choosing a new place to live and work remotely:

1. Check with your employer first, so you know which locations are actually possible.
2. Write down your non-negotiables, such as reliable internet, a certain budget, airport access, or being close to family.
3. Rank the remaining factors based on what matters most to you, whether that's weather, space, walkability, nightlife, or something else.
4. Cut the list to two or three places that meet the basics.
5. Score your shortlist using the same categories for each location.

If two places end up with similar scores, the deciding factor doesn't have to be something you can put in a spreadsheet. You may simply feel more excited about one place, have better connections there, or like the lifestyle more.

Once you have a favorite, testing it in person can make the choice much clearer.

Test the City Before You Commit

If you can, spend at least a full working week in the place you're considering. Stay in a neighborhood you could realistically afford, work your normal schedule, and use the internet you'd rely on if you moved there. Try to experience a regular weekday too, not just the fun parts of a weekend visit. A short-term rental for a month or even a season can give you an even better sense of daily life.

By the end of your stay, you should have a much better sense of whether the city feels good in real life, not just on paper.

How HireAHelper Can Help You Move

Once you’ve picked a city, the next step is figuring out how to get there, and that’s where HireAHelper can help.

HireAHelper is a nationwide marketplace with moving providers in all 50 states. You can book labor-only help, where you provide the rental truck or moving container and the crew handles the loading or unloading, or choose local full-service movers who handle the heavy lifting and transportation in many areas.

Scheduling is flexible, and next-day help may be available if your plans come together quickly or change at the last minute. Your payment is held until the job is complete, so the mover isn’t paid before the work is done.

Standard Repair Coverage of $0.60 per pound is included, and eligible labor-only moves can add SmartProtection for higher coverage during loading and unloading.

Why Trust HireAHelper

HireAHelper is a marketplace that helps people compare and book professional moving help across the country. We’ve helped with more than 1 million moves and have a network of more than 1,700 vetted moving providers.

That experience gives us a pretty good idea of what people need once they’ve decided where they want to live, from planning the move to finding the right kind of help when moving day arrives.