The average American moves almost 12 times in their lifetime. According to a recent Yahoo! Finance post, over 700,000 Americans receive their Social Security benefits abroad. Many Americans want to live in new locales and take advantage of preferential currency exchanges that could make their dollars last a lifetime. Almost six out of 10 Americans want to live abroad due to the current political environment.
However, moving somewhere new, especially on a whim, may not solve your problems; it may compound them. Some cities heavily romanticized by Americans are actually under continual threat of imminent collapse, either ecologically, politically, or economically.
Why Did Your City Make The List?
If your city is on this list, you might be shocked and wonder why. We looked at four key categories to come up with this list of 13 cities.
- Climate/environmental risk: sea-level rise, wildfire, drought, extreme heat, or flooding.
- Natural-hazard risk: earthquakes, hurricanes, and other geographically elevated threats.
- Infrastructure/resource pressure: water supplies, housing, transportation, or other systems under unusual strain.
- Economic/political risk: extreme affordability problems or political/security conditions particularly relevant to someone considering relocation.
Being on this list does not mean a city is about to “collapse,” nor does it mean people should automatically avoid living there. Each city was included because prospective residents face at least one documented risk substantial enough to investigate before committing money to a move.
1. Venice, Italy: Sinking Beauty
Venice’s relationship with flooding is nothing new, but rising seas make protecting the historic city an increasingly complicated long-term challenge. The city’s MOSE flood-barrier system now provides protection against exceptionally high tides, meaning the old narrative that Venice is simply destined to disappear beneath the water ignores billions of euros of adaptation work. But that doesn’t eliminate the underlying threat. Higher sea levels make high-water events more difficult to manage, and Venice also contends with land subsidence.
For someone dreaming of relocating to Venice, the relevant question isn’t whether the entire city will suddenly disappear. It’s what increasingly frequent flood protection, maintenance requirements and climate adaptation could mean for a particular property and neighborhood over decades. Before purchasing property, investigate its elevation, flooding history, building-maintenance requirements and insurance availability rather than relying on a citywide prediction.
2. Jakarta, Indonesia: Submerging Under Pressure
Jakarta has one of the clearest physical-risk cases on this list. Land subsidence has been heavily influenced by groundwater extraction, while dense development, flooding and sea-level exposure compound the problem. A World Bank assessment describes subsidence from deep groundwater abstraction and building weight as occurring at alarming rates and notes that some rivers can no longer drain naturally into the sea because the land has sunk.
Indonesia’s government has responded in part by developing Nusantara as a new national capital, although Jakarta remains the country’s largest metropolitan and economic center. A prospective resident should pay particularly close attention to neighborhood elevation, flood history, water infrastructure, and transportation disruption, because the physical risks vary considerably across such an enormous metropolitan area.
3. San Francisco, USA: Perpetual Earthquake Alert
Few major American cities have a natural-hazard risk as well documented as San Francisco’s. The U.S. Geological Survey’s Bay Area earthquake outlook estimates a 72% probability of at least one magnitude 6.7 or greater earthquake somewhere in the San Francisco Bay region between 2014 and 2043. That doesn’t mean San Francisco itself has a 72% chance of being destroyed, which is an important distinction missing from many online descriptions of the statistic.
For someone considering a move, the useful questions are much more specific. Is the building seismically retrofitted? What type of soil is underneath it? Does the renter or homeowner have appropriate earthquake coverage? How much cash would be available if employment, transportation, or utilities were disrupted? San Francisco’s enormous housing costs make those questions even more important because a household paying a premium to live there may have less financial room to absorb an unexpected disaster.
4. Honolulu: Paradise Comes With Geographic Constraints
Honolulu’s attraction is obvious, but island geography creates financial and environmental risks mainland relocators can underestimate. Housing costs are exceptionally high, many goods must travel substantial distances to reach Hawaiʻi, and coastal exposure is increasing. The State of Hawaiʻi reports that local sea level has risen approximately five inches since 1970 and projects roughly eight additional inches by 2050 under an intermediate scenario.
The state says about 66,000 people are already regularly at risk from coastal flooding, while high-tide flooding has become substantially more frequent. Someone planning a retirement move shouldn’t simply ask whether they can afford today’s mortgage or rent. Consider food costs, insurance, medical access, transportation, disaster preparedness, and how exposed a particular property is to sea-level rise.
5. Miami: Flood Risk Can Affect More Than the View
Miami illustrates why waterfront property needs to be evaluated on more than location and purchase price. South Florida faces a combination of sea-level rise, tidal flooding, heavy rainfall, hurricane exposure, and saltwater intrusion. Those risks can eventually show up in places prospective homeowners care about immediately: insurance premiums, condominium assessments, infrastructure spending and property maintenance.
That doesn’t mean Miami is becoming uninhabitable tomorrow. It means a buyer should investigate a property’s flood zone, elevation, insurance history, building reserves, and hurricane protection before being seduced by the view. For retirees especially, the cost of insuring and maintaining a Florida home should be included in long-term affordability calculations rather than treated as a fixed expense.
6. Phoenix: Extreme Heat Changes the Cost of Everyday Life
Phoenix offers jobs, sunshine, and a large retirement population, but its extreme heat deserves to be treated as a financial as well as health-related relocation risk. Long stretches of triple-digit temperatures affect cooling costs, vehicles, outdoor activity, and the ability to safely tolerate a prolonged power outage. Water availability is another long-term issue prospective Arizona residents routinely encounter in discussions about the region’s growth.
The practical takeaway isn’t “don’t move to Phoenix.” It’s to compare neighborhoods, home insulation, HVAC age, utility costs, backup-power options, and water conditions before deciding that a lower purchase price automatically means lower living costs. A house that looks affordable on Zillow can feel very different after years of summer cooling bills and major HVAC replacements.
7. Chennai, India: Water Security Deserves Attention
Chennai demonstrated its water vulnerability dramatically in 2019 when major reservoirs approached or reached critically low levels. The city has since invested in water-management measures, desalination and other infrastructure, so simply saying Chennai will “run out of water” would be an irresponsible oversimplification. The more defensible point is that rapid urbanization, variable rainfall, groundwater pressures and extreme weather make water security a material long-term consideration.
Anyone considering relocating there should investigate the reliability of municipal water at the neighborhood level, backup storage, private water costs, and flood exposure as well as drought. That last point is important: some cities can face both water scarcity and destructive flooding, depending on the season and weather pattern.
8. Los Angeles: Wildfire Risk Extends Beyond the Flames
The devastating January 2025 fires demonstrated just how disruptive wildfires can become across greater Los Angeles. But someone evaluating a move should think beyond whether their individual house could burn. Wildfires can cause evacuations, smoke exposure, utility interruptions, road closures, and insurance problems across a much larger area.
California continues to face significant wildfire activity. CAL FIRE’s 2026 seasonal outlook has warned of periods of above-normal significant-fire potential as vegetation dries and weather conditions become more favorable for fire spread. Before buying, prospective residents should investigate the property’s wildfire hazard, evacuation routes, defensible-space requirements, and whether affordable homeowners insurance is actually available before closing. That last step can prevent an unpleasant financial surprise after making an offer.
9. Cape Town: “Day Zero” Changed How the City Thinks About Water
Cape Town came frighteningly close to its widely publicized “Day Zero” scenario during its severe 2015–2018 drought. The city avoided turning off most household taps, and water-management reforms and conservation helped it recover. That’s important context because describing Cape Town as perpetually on the verge of running dry would ignore what happened afterward. But the episode demonstrated how quickly prolonged drought can transform everyday urban life.
A prospective resident should investigate current water restrictions, long-term supply projects, neighborhood infrastructure, and how climate variability could affect both water availability and living costs.
10. Houston: Flood and Hurricane Exposure Can Become a Financial Risk
Houston’s booming economy and relatively affordable housing attract relocators, but the region’s hurricane, flooding, and extreme-heat exposure deserves to be priced into any move. A house outside the most obvious flood zone isn’t necessarily free of flood risk, and prospective buyers should examine historical flooding, drainage, insurance options and elevation rather than relying solely on whether a lender requires flood insurance. Hurricanes can also create costs far beyond property damage, including evacuation, hotel stays, lost work, spoiled food, and prolonged power outages. For someone moving from a region where hurricanes aren’t routine, an emergency fund that looked generous before relocating may suddenly seem inadequate.
11. New Orleans: Water Is a Permanent Planning Consideration
New Orleans has spent decades improving hurricane and flood protection, particularly since Hurricane Katrina. Yet the city’s geography still creates unusual exposure. Subsidence, coastal land loss, hurricanes and heavy rainfall all influence its long-term risk profile. That doesn’t justify declaring that New Orleans will inevitably be “underwater by 2100,” as the old article suggests.
For a prospective resident, the more useful questions concern the elevation and flood history of the actual property, flood and homeowners insurance costs, evacuation plans, backup power and the condition of the surrounding infrastructure. In New Orleans, two houses only a short distance apart can present meaningfully different risk profiles.
12. Portland: Housing and Homelessness Remain Serious
Portland has experienced highly visible homelessness and housing-affordability problems, but the old characterization of the city as essentially descending into anarchy needs to go.
Multnomah County now publishes much more comprehensive homelessness data, allowing residents to track the problem beyond periodic one-night counts. The county also reports meaningful progress: 6,160 people exited homelessness for housing during fiscal 2025, while more than 17,500 people received help that prevented homelessness.
That doesn’t make Portland’s housing challenges disappear. It does mean prospective residents deserve something more informative than politically charged descriptions of the city. Compare housing costs, neighborhood conditions, taxes, summer heat exposure and access to services based on the particular area you’re considering.
13. Moscow: Geopolitical Risk Changes the Equation Entirely
Moscow differs fundamentally from the other cities on this list because the primary concern for an American considering relocation isn’t climate or housing; it’s geopolitical risk. Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine, sanctions, restrictions on movement and communications, and the complicated relationship between Russia and the United States can create risks that ordinary cost-of-living comparisons don’t capture.
For an American considering living in another country, current U.S. government travel guidance should be one of the first sources consulted, particularly when diplomatic relations are strained. Cheap rent or favorable exchange rates can’t compensate for a situation in which access to banking, transportation, communications, consular assistance, or the ability to leave the country becomes uncertain. That makes geopolitical stability a legitimate financial-planning consideration, not merely a political one.
Before Moving, Calculate the Risk
A cheaper house or favorable exchange rate doesn’t necessarily make a destination financially safer. Someone moving from Ohio to coastal Florida, for example, might reduce one expense while discovering substantially higher homeowners insurance, flood coverage, hurricane preparation, or evacuation costs. International moves introduce additional variables including currency fluctuations, healthcare coverage, visa requirements, taxes, and the cost of returning to the United States unexpectedly.
Start by calculating total annual housing costs, not simply rent or mortgage payments. Add property taxes, insurance, utilities, maintenance, transportation, and any disaster-specific expenses that apply to the location.
Then stress-test the budget. What happens if insurance rises 25%? Could you absorb a $10,000 home repair? Could you afford to leave for two weeks during an evacuation?
A city is only affordable if your finances can handle some of the risks that come with living there.
Insurance Should Be Researched Before You Commit to a Home
Don’t wait until after making an offer on a house to discover what it costs to insure.
Ask for homeowners, flood, earthquake, wildfire, or windstorm quotes as applicable to the location. Pay attention not only to premiums but also deductibles, exclusions, and whether separate policies are required for hazards excluded from standard homeowners coverage.
International relocators have another question: what happens to health coverage? Medicare generally provides limited coverage outside the United States, making health insurance and medical evacuation planning particularly important for retirees considering an overseas move.
The cheapest destination can become extraordinarily expensive if a serious medical event requires treatment or transportation that isn’t covered.
People Over 50 May Need a Larger Relocation Emergency Fund
The standard “three to six months of expenses” rule can be too simplistic for someone relocating in retirement or moving internationally.
A better approach is to build the emergency fund around the things that could realistically force you to spend money quickly. That might include an insurance deductible, emergency airfare for two people, temporary lodging, a vehicle evacuation, replacement medications, medical care, home repairs and enough cash to cover normal living expenses during a disruption. Someone still working with highly portable employment may need less cushion than a retiree living primarily on fixed income who owns a home in a hurricane or wildfire zone.
For international retirees, I’d consider maintaining enough accessible money to return to the United States and support yourself temporarily if the overseas living arrangement suddenly becomes untenable. The goal isn’t to predict disaster. It’s to make sure an unexpected event doesn’t require taking on expensive debt or selling investments at the worst possible moment.
Ask These Questions Before You Put Down a Deposit
- What is the biggest documented risk in this location?
- Is the property itself exposed, or just the broader region?
- What insurance would I need, and what would it cost today?
- How have insurance and property taxes changed during the past five years?
- Where would I go during an evacuation?
- How much would leaving for two weeks cost?
- Could I handle several days without electricity, water or transportation?
- How close are hospitals and specialists I might need as I age?
- If moving abroad, what happens to my healthcare coverage?
- Could I afford to move again if this location doesn’t work out?
A Dream Destination Still Needs a Stress Test
No city on this list is destined to collapse, and millions of people successfully live in places exposed to earthquakes, hurricanes, wildfires, droughts, and other serious risks. What separates a calculated relocation from a financial gamble is understanding those risks before signing a lease, purchasing a home or moving your life thousands of miles.
Look beyond average home prices and picturesque neighborhoods. Research the particular property’s hazards, obtain real insurance quotes, understand local infrastructure, calculate an emergency fund based on realistic scenarios and consider how easily you could relocate again if circumstances changed.
For people moving after 50, those questions become especially important because rebuilding savings or returning to the workforce may be harder than it was decades earlier.
The best place to move isn’t simply somewhere you can afford when everything goes right. It’s somewhere your finances can withstand when something goes wrong. Have you ever moved somewhere and seriously regretted it? Or do you live in any of the places on this list? Share your thoughts below.
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