How Moving Could Help You Pay Off Student Loan Debt

Written by Rebecca Safier

October 14, 2021October 14, 2021Featured, Student Loan Repayment, Student Loan Taxes1549Rebecca Safier

Updated on October 14, 2021

Editorial Note: The content of this article is based on the author’s opinions and recommendations alone. It may not have been reviewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any of our network partners.

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If you’re burdened with student loans, you might be looking for an out-of-the-box solution to your debt. Here’s one: Try moving someplace new to pay off your student loans faster.

Of course, if you love where you live, don’t let your student loans drive you away. But if you’re interested in relocating anyway, moving could be a smart choice for your finances.

Not only could you lower your cost of living or become eligible for student loan assistance, but some states will help you pay off your loans in exchange for you moving there.

Moving and student loan debt: 4 surprising upsides

From lowering your cost of living to qualifying for student loan assistance, here are four ways moving could help you conquer your student debt:

1. You could lower your cost of living
2. You could become eligible for student loan repayment assistance
3. You could save thousands in a state with no income tax
4. You could reduce your bills to $0 by leaving the country
Plus: Get creative about paying off your student loan debt

1. You could lower your cost of living

Several factors affect how much you spend each month, from your lifestyle to your recurring bills. One major influence is where you live.

Consider the cost-of-living difference between New York City and Austin, Texas, for example. Both are thriving cities with lots to do, but consumer prices, including rent, in Austin are nearly 40% lower than in New York City, according to Numbeo. Living in Austin over New York City could create a ton of room in your budget.

Moving could also save you a lot in rent each month. According to ApartmentList, San Francisco, New York City and Boston have some of the highest rent prices in the country. The median costs of a one-bedroom apartment are $2,399, $1,967, and $2,030, respectively. (All prices can fluctuate in real time depending on the market.)

But if you packed your bags and moved to Tucson, you’d face a median rent of $914 for a one-bedroom. In Chicago, that number rises to $1,291, and in Miami it’s $1,478. Changing cities could cut your monthly rent in half.

This strategy of reducing rent helped Logan Allec, a Certified Public Accountant, pay off more than $35,000 in student loans. Allec also founded and runs the personal finance site Money Done Right.

“For a few months out of college, I rented out a room in a nice area for nearly $1,000 per month,” Allec said. Then “an opportunity arose for me to share a room in a house,” he added.

Allec’s rent decreased from $1,000 to $275, which allowed him to put hundreds of extra dollars toward his student loans each month and pay them off years early.

Of course, lowering your cost of living won’t save you money if you’re limiting your job prospects. You still need to make sure you have employment opportunities and can reach your income goals.

But if you choose a destination with a solid, well-paying labor market — or perhaps get a job that lets you work from anywhere — you could transform your cost of living. And with all that money you’re saving each month, you could put additional payments toward your student loans and be out of debt years ahead of schedule.

2. You could become eligible for student loan repayment assistance

Depending on where you live, along with some other criteria, you could be eligible for student loan repayment assistance from your state. Some states offer student loan assistance to new residents, and others have loan repayment assistance programs (LRAPs) for residents who work in certain fields.

If you’re a full-time pharmacist in Arizona, for instance, you could earn up to $105,000 in loan assistance from the Arizona State Loan Repayment Program. Other jobs that commonly qualify for state-run LRAPs include lawyers, teachers, doctors, nurses, dentists and other health care professionals.

But you don’t necessarily need to work in a particular profession to get loan assistance. Kansas, for instance, offers up to $15,000 in loan assistance for five years to anyone who establishes residency in one of its rural opportunity zones. And Hamilton, Ohio, will provide up to $10,000 to new residents through its Talent Attraction Program (TAP) Scholarship.

Some places, such as Tulsa, Oklahoma, offer financial incentives to remote professionals willing to move and work there for at least a year. Tulsa’s program offers a $10,000 grant, coworking space memberships and other perks to online workers.

Although this money isn’t for student loans, you could choose to put it toward your debt. If you’re drowning in student loan debt, moving to a state that offers financial assistance could make a big difference. Check out our database of LRAP opportunities for more information.

3. You could save thousands in a state with no income tax

Along with potentially making you eligible for student loan repayment assistance, moving could also save you money on taxes. In the U.S., eight states don’t charge state income tax:

Alaska
Florida
Nevada
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Washington
Wyoming

Although New Hampshire doesn’t tax wages, it does tax interest and dividends. According to a Student Loan Hero study, eliminating state income tax could potentially save the average borrower $1,977 per year.

If you used those savings to pay off your student loans, you’d chip away at your debt faster — and save even more money on interest. Note, however, some of these states have higher-than-average sales or property taxes that could offset some of the gains, so make sure you look into this before making any big decisions.

Changing states isn’t the only way to save on taxes, either. Chartered Financial Analyst and financial wellness expert Anna Yen saved big on taxes by moving to Hong Kong after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania.

“I chose to move out of the U.S. to Hong Kong three years out of graduation for higher income and to gain expat tax breaks,” Yen said. “The Foreign Earned Income Exclusion eliminates federal tax for the first $90,000 of income. This also eliminated state and city taxes, which I was originally paying in New York, some of the highest in the country.”

Thanks to her savings, Yen paid off $15,000 in student loans less than five years after graduating. If you’d like to move abroad, you might need to work for a foreign employer who can sponsor you for a visa. Or, if you work online, you could adopt a digital nomad lifestyle, moving between countries when your visitor visa expires.

4. You could reduce your bills to $0 by leaving the country

If you’re interested in leaving the country like Yen did, there is another way to use your wanderlust to conquer student loans.

This approach works a little differently than the previous one, since it doesn’t involve you making extra payments on your loans. Instead, you could put your loans on an income-driven repayment plan, which would adjust your payments according to your income.

When making this calculation, the government looks at your tax returns and your adjusted gross income (AGI). But if you’re living abroad, you can take advantage of the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion, which as Yen notes above, could exclude much of your income from taxes (as long as you meet eligibility requirements). Because of this tax perk, your AGI could be $0.

As a result, your payments on an income-driven plan could also be $0; you could pay nothing each month without running the risk of going into default. After 20 or 25 years, your entire loan balance could be forgiven. Your loans could be wiped away, but you might be responsible for paying taxes on the forgiven amount.

This strategy only works for expats who plan to live and work out of the country for two decades or more. If you return to the U.S., you’ll be facing a larger balance than when you started. It also only applies to federal student loans — private loans aren’t eligible.

Also, be aware that there’s no guarantee that income-driven repayment plans won’t change or be eliminated in the future. So while this option is somewhat risky and probably not that common, it’s worth knowing about for anyone looking to live abroad long-term.

Get creative about paying off your student loan debt

No one enjoys the feeling of having student loans hanging over their head. Debt can become burdensome if it’s eating up a lot of your paycheck every month and standing in the way of your other goals.

So it could be time to come up with creative solutions for getting rid of your student loans. Moving to a state with a lower cost of living or no income tax, for instance, could be the game-changer you need to take back control of your finances.

Or you might take a page out of these borrowers’ books and start a side hustle to make extra payments on your student loans. One home baker, for example, earns over $1,000 per month with her fidget spinner cookies, and a PR professional teaches group fitness classes on the side to pay off his debt.

By thinking outside the box when it comes to making or saving money, you could change your financial situation and pay off those student loans once and for all.

Interested in refinancing student loans?

Here are the top 9 lenders of 2022!

Lender	Variable APR	Eligible Degrees
	2.49% – 11.72%¹	Undergrad & Graduate	Visit Splash
	2.50% – 6.30%²	Undergrad & Graduate	Visit Laurel Road
	4.13% – 7.39%³	Undergrad & Graduate	Visit Lendkey
	2.49% – 7.99%⁴	Undergrad & Graduate	Visit Earnest
	2.49% – 7.99%⁵	Undergrad & Graduate	Visit NaviRefi
	3.24% – 8.24%⁶	Undergrad & Graduate	Visit SoFi
	2.48% – 7.98%	Undergrad & Graduate	Visit Elfi
	1.74% – 7.99%⁷	Undergrad & Graduate	Visit Purefy
	3.69% – 9.92%⁸	Undergrad & Graduate	Visit Citizens
Check out the testimonials and our in-depth reviews! ¹ Important Disclosures for Splash Financial. Splash Financial Disclosures Terms and Conditions apply. Splash reserves the right to modify or discontinue products and benefits at any time without notice. Rates and terms are also subject to change at any time without notice. Offers are subject to credit approval. To qualify, a borrower must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident in an eligible state and meet applicable underwriting requirements. Not all borrowers receive the lowest rate. Lowest rates are reserved for the highest qualified borrowers. If approved, your actual rate will be within a range of rates and will depend on a variety of factors, including term of loan, a responsible financial history, income and other factors. Refinancing or consolidating private and federal student loans may not be the right decision for everyone. Federal loans carry special benefits not available for loans made through Splash Financial, for example, public service loan forgiveness and economic hardship programs, fee waivers and rebates on the principal, which may not be accessible to you after you refinance. The rates displayed may include a 0.25% autopay discount. The information you provide to us is an inquiry to determine whether we or our lenders can make a loan offer that meets your needs. If we or any of our lending partners has an available loan offer for you, you will be invited to submit a loan application to the lender for its review. We do not guarantee that you will receive any loan offers or that your loan application will be approved. Offers are subject to credit approval and are available only to U.S. citizens or permanent residents who meet applicable underwriting requirements. Not all borrowers will receive the lowest rates, which are available to the most qualified borrowers. Participating lenders, rates and terms are subject to change at any time without notice. To check the rates and terms you qualify for, Splash Financial conducts a soft credit pull that will not affect your credit score. However, if you choose a product and continue your application, the lender will request your full credit report from one or more consumer reporting agencies, which is considered a hard credit pull and may affect your credit. Splash Financial and our lending partners reserve the right to modify or discontinue products and benefits at any time without notice. To qualify, a borrower must be a U.S. citizen and meet our lending partner’s underwriting requirements. Lowest rates are reserved for the highest qualified borrowers. This information is current as of September 6, 2022. ² Important Disclosures for Laurel Road. Laurel Road Disclosures All credit products are subject to credit approval. Laurel Road began originating student loans in 2013 and has since helped thousands of professionals with undergraduate and postgraduate degrees consolidate and refinance more than $9 billion in federal and private school loans. Laurel Road also offers a suite of online graduate school loan products and personal loans that help simplify lending through customized technology and personalized service. In April 2019, Laurel Road was acquired by KeyBank, one of the nation’s largest bank-based financial services companies. Laurel Road is a brand of KeyBank National Association offering online lending products in all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. All loans are provided by KeyBank National Association, a nationally chartered bank. Member FDIC. For more information, visit www.laurelroad.com. As used throughout these Terms & Conditions, the term “Lender” refers to KeyBank National Association and its affiliates, agents, guaranty insurers, investors, assigns, and successors in interest. Checking your rate with Laurel Road only requires a soft credit pull, which will not affect your credit score. To proceed with an application, a hard credit pull will be required, which may affect your credit score. Savings vary based on rate and term of your existing and refinanced loan(s). Refinancing to a longer term may lower your monthly payments, but may also increase the total interest paid over the life of the loan. Refinancing to a shorter term may increase your monthly payments, but may lower the total interest paid over the life of the loan. Review your loan documentation for total cost of your refinanced loan. After loan disbursement, if a borrower documents a qualifying economic hardship, we may agree in our discretion to allow for full or partial forbearance of payments for one or more 3-month time periods (not to exceed 12 months in the aggregate during the term of your loan), provided that we receive acceptable documentation (including updating documentation) of the nature and expected duration of the borrower’s economic hardship. During any period of forbearance interest will continue to accrue. At the end of the forbearance period, any unpaid accrued interest will be capitalized and be added to the remaining principle amount of the loan. Automatic Payment (“AutoPay”) Discount: if the borrower chooses to make monthly payments automatically from a bank account, the interest rate will decrease by 0.25% and will increase back if the borrower stops making (or we stop accepting) monthly payments automatically from the borrower’s bank account. The 0.25% AutoPay discount will not reduce the monthly payment; instead, the discount is applied to the principal to help pay the loan down faster. Assumptions: Repayment examples above assume a loan amount of $10,000 with repayment beginning immediately following disbursement. Repayment examples do not include the 0.25% AutoPay Discount. Annual Percentage Rate (“APR”): This term represents the actual cost of financing to the borrower over the life of the loan expressed as a yearly rate. Interest Rate: A simple annual rate that is applied to an unpaid balance. Variable Rates: The current index for variable rate loans is derived from the one-month London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) and changes in the LIBOR index may cause your monthly payment to increase. Borrowers who take out a term of 5, 7, or 10 years will have a maximum interest rate of 9%, those who take out a 15 or 20-year variable loan will have a maximum interest rate of 10%. KEYBANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MODIFY OR DISCONTINUE PRODUCTS AND BENEFITS AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE. This information is current as of April 29, 2021. Information and rates are subject to change without notice. ³ Important Disclosures for LendKey. LendKey Disclosures Refinancing via LendKey.com is only available for applicants with qualified private education loans from an eligible institution. Loans that were used for exam preparation classes, including, but not limited to, loans for LSAT, MCAT, GMAT, and GRE preparation, are not eligible for refinancing with a lender via LendKey.com. If you currently have any of these exam preparation loans, you should not include them in an application to refinance your student loans on this website. Applicants must be either U.S. citizens or Permanent Residents in an eligible state to qualify for a loan. Certain membership requirements (including the opening of a share account and any applicable association fees in connection with membership) may apply in the event that an applicant wishes to accept a loan offer from a credit union lender. Lenders participating on LendKey.com reserve the right to modify or discontinue the products, terms, and benefits offered on this website at any time without notice. LendKey Technologies, Inc. is not affiliated with, nor does it endorse, any educational institution. Subject to floor rate and may require the automatic payments be made from a checking or savings account with the lender. The rate reduction will be removed and the rate will be increased by 0.25% upon any cancellation or failed collection attempt of the automatic payment and will be suspended during any period of deferment or forbearance. As a result, during the forbearance or suspension period, and/or if the automatic payment is canceled, any increase will take the form of higher payments. The lowest advertised variable APR is only available for loan terms of 5 years and is reserved for applicants with FICO scores of at least 810. As of 09/09/2022 student loan refinancing rates range from 4.13% APR – 7.39% Variable APR with AutoPay and 2.99% APR – 9.93% Fixed APR with AutoPay. ⁴ Rate range above includes optional 0.25% Auto Pay discount. Important Disclosures for Earnest. Earnest Disclosures You can choose between fixed and variable rates. Fixed interest rates are 3.99% – 8.74% APR (3.74% – 8.49% APR with Auto Pay discount). Starting variable interest rates are 2.74% APR to 8.24% APR (2.49% – 7.99% APR with Auto Pay discount). Variable rates are based on an index, the 30-day Average Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) plus a margin. Variable rates are reset monthly based on the fluctuation of the index. We do not currently offer variable rate loans in AK, CO, CT, HI, IL, KY, MA, MN, MS, NH, OH, OK, SC, TN, TX, and VA. ⁵ Important Disclosures for Navient. Navient Disclosures You can choose between fixed and variable rates. Fixed interest rates are 3.99% – 8.74% APR (3.74% – 8.49% APR with Auto Pay discount). Starting variable interest rates are 2.74% APR to 8.24% APR (2.49% – 7.99% APR with Auto Pay discount). Variable rates are based on an index, the 30-day Average Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) plus a margin. Variable rates are reset monthly based on the fluctuation of the index. We do not currently offer variable rate loans in AK, CO, CT, HI, IL, KY, MA, MN, MS, NH, OH, OK, SC, TN, TX, and VA. ⁶ Important Disclosures for SoFi. SoFi Disclosures Fixed rates range from 3.99% APR to 8.24% APR with a 0.25% autopay discount. Variable rates from 3.24% APR to 8.24% APR with a 0.25% autopay discount. Unless required to be lower to comply with applicable law, Variable Interest rates on 5-, 7-, and 10-year terms are capped at 8.95% APR; 15- and 20-year terms are capped at 9.95% APR. Your actual rate will be within the range of rates listed above and will depend on the term you select, evaluation of your creditworthiness, income, presence of a co-signer and a variety of other factors. Lowest rates reserved for the most creditworthy borrowers. For the SoFi variable-rate product, the variable interest rate for a given month is derived by adding a margin to the 30-day average SOFR index, published two business days preceding such calendar month, rounded up to the nearest one hundredth of one percent (0.01% or 0.0001). APRs for variable-rate loans may increase after origination if the SOFR index increases. The SoFi 0.25% autopay interest rate reduction requires you to agree to make monthly principal and interest payments by an automatic monthly deduction from a savings or checking account. This benefit will discontinue and be lost for periods in which you do not pay by automatic deduction from a savings or checking account. The benefit lowers your interest rate but does not change the amount of your monthly payment. This benefit is suspended during periods of deferment and forbearance. Autopay is not required to receive a loan from SoFi. ⁷ Important Disclosures for Purefy. Purefy Disclosures Purefy Student Loan Refinancing Rate and Terms Disclosure: Annual Percentage Rates (APR) ranges and examples are based on information provided to Purefy by lenders participating in Purefy’s rate comparison platform. For student loan refinancing, the participating lenders offer fixed rates ranging from 2.73% – 7.99% APR, and variable rates ranging from 1.74% – 7.99% APR. The maximum variable rate is 25.00%. Your interest rate will be based on the lender’s requirements. In most cases, lenders determine the interest rates based on your credit score, degree type and other credit and financial criteria. Only borrowers with excellent credit and meeting other lender criteria will qualify for the lowest rate available. Rates and terms are subject to change at any time without notice. Terms and conditions apply. ⁸ Important Disclosures for Citizens. CitizensBank Disclosures Education Refinance Loan Rate Disclosure: Variable interest rates range from 3.69%-9.92% (3.69%-9.92% APR). Fixed interest rates range from 4.49%-10.11% (4.49%-10.11% APR). Undergraduate Rate Disclosure: Variable interest rates range from 6.39%- 9.60% (6.39% – 9.60% APR). Fixed interest rates range from 6.58% – 9.79% (6.58% – 9.79% APR). Graduate Rate Disclosure: Variable interest rates range from 3.69% – 9.16% (3.69% – 9.16% APR). Fixed interest rates range from 4.49% – 9.35% (4.49% – 9.35% APR). Education Refinance Loan for Parents Rate Disclosure: Variable interest rates range from 3.69%- 9.09% (3.69%- 9.09% APR). Fixed interest rates range from 4.49% – 9.28% (4.49% – 9.28% APR). Medical Residency Refinance Loan Rate Disclosure: Variable interest rates range from 3.69% – 9.16% (3.69% – 9.16% APR). Fixed interest rates range from 4.49% – 9.35% (4.49% – 9.35% APR).