For Bay Area tech workers thinking about leaving California, the question is usually where to go. The financial math behind the decision can shift a household's ten-year net worth by hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the lifestyle math is even harder to model from a spreadsheet. This guide ranks the eight destinations Bay Area residents most commonly choose, walks through the actual numbers and tradeoffs at each, and tells you which type of household each best fits.
For the broader context (California residency rules, Prop 13, capital gains, and timing), see our guide Moving Out of California. For the tax-and-DMV timing details, see How CA Prop 19 + DMV Affect Your Move Timing.
How we're ranking destinations
The eight states most Bay Area tech workers consider all share one feature: zero or low state income tax. From there the rankings split based on what matters to a specific household. Six factors that matter most:
- State income tax. California's top marginal rate is 13.3% (the highest in the country); the brackets bite early. Eight states have no state income tax: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming. Washington has no income tax on wages but does levy a 7% capital gains tax above an annual threshold.
- Property tax and home prices. Bay Area median home price (~$1.4M per Zillow data through 2025) buys dramatically more square footage almost anywhere else. Property tax rates vary widely; Texas hits the highest at roughly 1.4% of home value, and Texas reappraises homes regularly, with homestead increases capped at 10% a year, rather than only at purchase like California's Prop 13 base.
- Tech employment density and wages. Where can you continue to earn a Bay Area-comparable salary remotely or in person? BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages data shows the largest tech metros outside the Bay Area are Seattle, Austin, Dallas, NYC, Boston, Atlanta, and Denver.
- Cost of living beyond housing. Groceries, utilities, gas, dining, healthcare, childcare. C2ER and Numbeo composite indices put the Bay Area at roughly 180-220% of the national average; most of the destinations we cover sit in the 90-130% range.
- Climate and lifestyle. The Bay Area's mediterranean climate is unusual, and everywhere else has more weather: Houston in August, Boise in February, Las Vegas in July.
- Politics and culture. Some Bay Area households leave in part because they want a different political climate; others pick destinations that feel culturally similar to home. Worth being honest about which you're looking for.
1. Austin, Texas (and Greater Austin)
Austin remains the highest-volume destination for Bay Area tech migration. Tesla's 2021 HQ move to Austin, Oracle's 2020 relocation, Indeed and Bumble being headquartered there, and Apple's ongoing $1B campus expansion in North Austin all anchor genuine tech employment. Per the latest IRS migration data (Statistics of Income tax-return migration files for 2021 and 2022), Texas was the top destination state for Californians for both years, and Travis County (Austin) is consistently a top-five destination county.
- State income tax: 0%
- Property tax: ~1.3-1.5% effective rate (high: partially offsets the no-income-tax benefit at high home prices)
- Tech employer density: Very high, including Tesla, Apple, Oracle, IBM, Indeed, Bumble, Atlassian, AMD, NXP, Samsung
- Median home price (Austin metro, 2025): ~$450-550K (down from 2022 peak of ~$650K)
- Cost of living index: ~106-115% of national average
- Climate: Hot summers (100°F+ for ~30 days most years), mild winters
Best fit: tech workers who want a similar professional ecosystem and cultural scene with a meaningful cost-of-living drop. Watch the property-tax math closely on higher-priced homes; the no-income-tax benefit gets eaten partially at the assessor's office.
2. Seattle / Bellevue, Washington
Seattle is the only major destination on this list with a comparable tech job density to the Bay Area itself: Microsoft, Amazon, Meta's second-largest engineering office, Google's Seattle and Kirkland campuses, and the broader Puget Sound tech cluster. There's no state income tax on wages, and property taxes are lower than in Texas. But Washington passed a 7% capital gains tax in 2021 that applies to long-term gains over an annual exclusion (currently around $270K), which can hit equity-heavy tech compensation. Verify with a CPA before assuming "no income tax" means "no tax."
- State income tax: 0% on wages; 7% on long-term capital gains over the annual exclusion
- Property tax: ~0.9% (effective rate), much lower than Texas
- Tech employer density: Highest non-Bay-Area metro in the country
- Median home price (Seattle metro, 2025): ~$700-800K
- Cost of living index: ~155-165% of national average
- Climate: Famously gray and rainy October through May; beautiful summers
Best fit: Bay Area tech workers staying in senior tech roles who want to stay near a comparable ecosystem without the California tax burden. Worst fit: people who picked the Bay Area specifically for the climate.
3. Miami / Tampa / Florida
Miami's "tech hub" narrative grew significantly during 2020-2022 as financial services, crypto, and venture capital relocated to South Florida. Tampa, Orlando, and Jacksonville are smaller but growing tech ecosystems. Florida has no state income tax and no state-level capital gains tax. Property insurance has gotten expensive due to hurricane risk, especially on the coast: a line item to model carefully before assuming Florida is cheaper.
- State income tax: 0%
- Property tax: ~0.85-1% (effective rate)
- Hurricane insurance: Often $5-15K+ per year on coastal homes, material to overall housing cost
- Median home price (Miami metro, 2025): ~$575-650K (Tampa lower, ~$400K)
- Cost of living index: Miami ~125-140%, Tampa ~100-110%
- Climate: Hot and humid most of the year; hurricane season June-November
Best fit: tech workers in fintech, crypto, or finance-adjacent roles where the Miami ecosystem makes sense; anyone wanting a beach-adjacent lifestyle with no state income tax. Watch hurricane-zone property insurance.
4. Las Vegas / Reno, Nevada
Nevada's pitch to Californians is geographic proximity plus zero state income tax. Reno especially has absorbed Bay Area relocations: Tesla's Gigafactory Nevada, the "Reno-Sparks" manufacturing corridor, and a growing remote-worker population cashing in on Bay Area home equity for far less expensive housing. Las Vegas has Switch (data centers), Caesars and the gaming-tech sector, and a significant Amazon and Google presence in supporting roles.
- State income tax: 0%
- Property tax: ~0.5-0.8% (effective rate)
- Tech employer density: Moderate, growing
- Median home price (Las Vegas metro, 2025): ~$425-475K; Reno ~$525-575K
- Cost of living index: ~105-115%
- Climate: Hot dry summers, mild winters in Vegas; four seasons in Reno
Best fit: remote tech workers who still want California-adjacent geography (drive-back-able weekends), Bay Area homeowners cashing out and downsizing, anyone in manufacturing or data-center adjacent tech.
5. Denver / Boulder, Colorado
Colorado's Front Range (Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins) consistently ranks high in "best places to live" surveys for tech workers. The region has real tech employers: Lockheed Martin, Palantir Denver, Google Boulder, IBM, Microsoft, and dozens of venture-backed startups. Outdoor lifestyle appeals to people who chose the Bay Area for similar reasons. Tax-wise it's less favorable: Colorado has a flat 4.4% state income tax. The property tax is moderate.
- State income tax: 4.4% flat
- Property tax: ~0.5% (effective rate, among the lowest in the country, due to a constitutional cap)
- Tech employer density: High in Denver-Boulder corridor
- Median home price (Denver metro, 2025): ~$575-650K (Boulder higher, ~$800K)
- Cost of living index: ~120-135%
- Climate: Four real seasons, 300+ sunny days, dry air
Best fit: tech workers prioritizing outdoor lifestyle, mountain access, and quality of life over maximum tax savings. Note that Colorado's 4.4% flat tax is much better than CA's 13.3% but worse than zero-tax states.
6. Phoenix / Scottsdale, Arizona
Arizona has been a quieter but consistent Bay Area destination, particularly for retirees and remote-first households. The tech ecosystem isn't Bay Area-comparable but is real: Intel's massive Chandler manufacturing footprint, GoDaddy headquarters, Carvana, and a growing startup scene in Phoenix and Tempe. Arizona has a flat 2.5% state income tax (recently reduced from 4.5%), far below California but not zero.
- State income tax: 2.5% flat
- Property tax: ~0.6% (effective rate)
- Tech employer density: Moderate, semiconductor-heavy
- Median home price (Phoenix metro, 2025): ~$425-475K
- Cost of living index: ~100-110%
- Climate: Brutal summers (115°F+), pleasant winters
Best fit: remote-first households, retirees, and semiconductor-industry workers. Worst fit: anyone who struggles with extreme heat (the Phoenix summer is genuinely rough).
7. Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville has emerged as a fast-growing tech destination, particularly for healthcare-tech and music-tech overlap. Tennessee eliminated its tax on investment income (the "Hall tax") in 2021, making it a true zero-state-income-tax destination. Oracle's 2024 announcement to relocate its HQ to Nashville (still in progress as of 2026), Amazon's major operations hub, and a growing startup scene give it real tech credibility, though nowhere near Bay Area or Seattle scale.
- State income tax: 0%
- Property tax: ~0.7% (effective rate)
- Tech employer density: Moderate, growing fast
- Median home price (Nashville metro, 2025): ~$425-475K
- Cost of living index: ~95-105%
- Climate: Hot humid summers, mild winters, occasional snow
Best fit: tech workers in healthcare-tech, media, music-tech, or those willing to bet on a fast-growing ecosystem rather than buying into an established one.
8. Boise, Idaho
Boise is the dark horse on this list. The Bay Area-to-Idaho migration story doesn't get the press that Texas gets, but Idaho consistently appears in IRS migration data as a top-10 destination for California outflow. Boise's tech ecosystem is small (Micron Technology is the largest local employer) but real, and the cost of living is meaningfully lower than the other destinations on this list.
- State income tax: 5.8% flat (was a graduated rate, simplified in recent reforms)
- Property tax: ~0.6% (effective rate)
- Tech employer density: Low (Micron, HP, some smaller employers); strong remote-worker community
- Median home price (Boise metro, 2025): ~$485-525K (up dramatically from the 2018 ~$280K)
- Cost of living index: ~105-115% (rising fast)
- Climate: Four real seasons, cold winters, dry summers
Best fit: remote-first households who want a smaller-city feel, outdoor lifestyle, and a slower pace. Ironically, Bay Area inbound migration has driven Boise's housing market up substantially. Boise is no longer the bargain it was in 2018.
Quick comparison table
Approximate values as of 2025 data; verify before move decisions.
| Destination | Income tax | Property tax | Median home (metro) | Tech ecosystem |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin, TX | 0% | ~1.3-1.5% | $450-550K | Very high |
| Seattle, WA | 0% wages / 7% LTCG | ~0.9% | $700-800K | Highest non-Bay |
| Miami / Tampa, FL | 0% | ~0.85-1% | $400-650K | Growing (fintech) |
| Las Vegas / Reno, NV | 0% | ~0.5-0.8% | $425-575K | Moderate |
| Denver / Boulder, CO | 4.4% flat | ~0.5% | $575-800K | High |
| Phoenix / Scottsdale, AZ | 2.5% flat | ~0.6% | $425-475K | Moderate (semis) |
| Nashville, TN | 0% | ~0.7% | $425-475K | Growing |
| Boise, ID | 5.8% flat | ~0.6% | $485-525K | Low |
Three quick decision frames
If your priority is maximum tax savings
Texas, Florida, Nevada, and Tennessee all have zero state income tax. Watch Texas property tax and Florida hurricane insurance, which erode the headline savings.
If your priority is staying near a comparable tech ecosystem
Seattle and Austin both have real Bay Area-rivaling tech employer density. Seattle is closer to Bay Area pace and salary; Austin has the bigger lifestyle drop and the political/cultural shift.
If your priority is lifestyle
Denver and Boulder for outdoor and mountain access, Nashville for culture and music, Boise or Reno for smaller-city pace, and the Florida coast or Phoenix for warmth. Each one has a real tradeoff against Bay Area weather, food, or cultural depth. Be honest with yourself about which.
The Bay Area home equity math
Bay Area home equity is a unique asset, and it doesn't fit on a tax-rate table. A Bay Area homeowner sitting on a 2010 purchase with $1M+ in equity has an effective "exit bonus" that non-California destinations don't produce. Realizing that equity (paying federal capital gains, taking the Section 121 primary-residence exclusion ($250K single / $500K married), and buying a $500-700K home in a no-state-income-tax destination outright) is a wealth-locking move that the spreadsheet of monthly tax savings doesn't fully capture.
Conversely, Bay Area renters or recent buyers without that equity get the tax-savings benefit of leaving but not the equity-realization benefit.
How we fit in
Silicon Valley Moving & Storage has been a Bekins Van Lines interstate agent since 1990. We move Bay Area residents to all eight of the destinations above, every month. If you're shopping interstate movers and want to know what the agent model means for cross-country accountability, our interstate moving page covers the operational side. You can request a free quote or call us at (408) 941-0600. For the broader context on California residency rules and timing, see the Moving Out of California guide and Prop 19 + DMV Move Timing.
Sources: IRS Statistics of Income state-to-state migration data (2021, 2022 tax-year files); Tax Foundation State Business Tax Climate Index 2024-2025; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages 2024 metro tech employment data; Zillow Home Value Index regional data through 2025; Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) Cost of Living Index 2024-2025; Florida Office of Insurance Regulation 2024 hurricane insurance reports; Washington Department of Revenue capital gains tax program FAQ. State tax rates verified against each state's Department of Revenue publications. Cost-of-living and housing data shifts quickly; verify current figures before making move decisions.