I moved from Connecticut to the South and didn't like it, so I moved back

July 11, 2026 - 21:38

Sandra Bonola, a lifelong Connecticut resident, packed her bags for South Carolina hoping to find Southern hospitality and a lower cost of living. What she discovered instead was a reality that did not match the postcard image. After a short stay, she packed up again and moved back north.

Bonola said the heat was the first shock. Summers in the South, she explained, were not just warm but oppressive, making it hard to enjoy the outdoors for months at a time. She also found the area more crowded than she anticipated, with traffic and development that rivaled the Northeast she had left behind. The biggest surprise, however, was the price tag. While she expected her money to stretch further, she found that rent, groceries, and utilities were not significantly cheaper than in Connecticut. The "affordable" lifestyle she had imagined turned out to be a myth.

The charm she had hoped for also felt thin. She missed the distinct seasons, the familiar landscape, and the straightforward pace of New England life. The decision to return was not easy, but Bonola said she feels more at home back in Connecticut, even with its higher taxes and long winters. For her, the trade-off was worth it. She now advises others considering a similar move to visit for more than a vacation and to run the real numbers before making a leap. Sometimes, she noted, the grass is not actually greener on the other side of the Mason-Dixon line.