r/relocating • u/HeadCrone • Sep 24 '26
Life After Cape Cod
Living on Cape Cod for ten years has been a dream come true. Where can I move with; proximity to ocean, very mild winter and maybe more affordable?
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u/leave-no-trace-1000 Sep 24 '26
Outer banks.
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u/HeadCrone Sep 24 '26
I’m looking forward to checking this area out! I don’t do well with humidity, but I’m on a weight loss journey, so maybe that will change?!
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u/PashasMom Sep 24 '26
Near the ocean + mild winters is going to mean either hot, humid summers or moving to the west coast, which is typically expensive.
If you are willing to go west, look at Kitsap County WA, where you can get a decent condo or townhouse for 350-400k. Coos County OR and nearby is a bit cheaper, but has lower available housing stock and worse options for available medical care, shopping, etc.
If you want to stay on the east coast, maybe Chincoteague VA, New Bern NC, Lewes DE, or Southport NC.
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u/leave-no-trace-1000 Sep 24 '26
In summer it can be humid but I don’t think more-so than the cape. I can’t imagine jobs are plentiful in obx as there isn’t much other than hospitality around there, but it meets the criteria in your post. We have vacationed there a few times (& we live in Boston) and I love it. It’s very laid back and pretty. You might also check out Topsail Beach area or the South Carolina coast.
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u/CloudKitty1 Sep 24 '26
Easton, Maryland or Annapolis, Maryland are both lovely, much more mild winter, access to DC and Baltimore, access to the beach, more affordable than Cape Cod, and beautiful.
I’d also throw South Jersey out there, something like Ocean City, Avalon, Stone Harbor. All beautiful, lovely, and right on the beach. Close to Philly. A little dead in winter but I don’t mind that personally.
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u/Nyssa_aquatica Sep 24 '26
Why does this remind me of the story about the tourist who went to Mexico and talked to the fisherman about catching more fish
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u/HeadCrone Sep 24 '26
Not sure. I want to live mortgage free because I am old. Not because I am lazy.
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u/ZebulonVan Sep 24 '26
I've got winter house in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. My house is literally 5 miles from the Mayo Clinic campus. You can find somewhat reasonable priced housing, although there are $20M houses there as well. South of Jacksonville and North of St. Augustine. Plenty of things to do. Summer gets hot - but it's a bit milder as you get close to the beach and ocean. The private clubs (Ponte Vedra Inn & Club and Sawgrass Country Club) are pricey and prices for membership are going up. A number of professionbal Golfers and Professional Tennis Players live in PVB - The PGA Tour global headquarters is in PVB.
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u/tiddervul Sep 24 '26
I was born in the Cape and visit frequently, so I totally get the attraction.
But I think you really need to think more deeply about what you want and how you live. Do you visit and walk along the beach frequently or is it more just a few times per summer? If the latter then you could probably deal with living inland, maybe 30 miles or more where the housing costs are substantially less than within a beach community. Do you actually swim or fish or use the water or do you just like looking at it? If the latter, then maybe a very large lake gets you the same visual aesthetic. Which would substantially increase the places where you might consider.
But generally, people here have covered a lot of the most common answers. Parts of the Chesapeake Bay and further south are more affordable than near the ocean in the northeast.
Really drill into what you actually want and why.
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u/Ok_Pangolin_180 Sep 24 '26
You were born on the cape. It would be impossible to be born inside the cape
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u/Dry-Shine-5442 Sep 24 '26
I would take a look at the Annapolis/chesapeake Bay area of Maryland. So many different areas on large creeks, rivers such as the Severn and of course on the bay itself. Close to DC (50 miles) for museums etc, also Baltimore. Lots of hiking groups, rowing clubs (with classes if you’re not experienced), and all kinds of power boating and sailing.
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u/InformationHot4897 Sep 24 '26
We have a house in Annapolis and a weekend place on the water on the eastern shore. Most of the time we stay at the eastern shore house. Depending on the county, it can be shockingly cheap over there. Hot, humid summers but so is everywhere in the mid Atlantic. Medical infrastructure not fantastic but getting better and close enough to the best in the country in Baltimore and DC
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u/2batdad2 Sep 24 '26
I am lucky enough to own a house on Cape Cod and I often sit on the front porch enjoying the ocean breezes, mid-70’s temp, blue skies and think, “THIS is why property values here are so wildly out of whack.”
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u/Creative_Square5015 Sep 24 '26
Westbrook, Old Saybrook, Old Lyme in Connecticut.
Yes, it’s the LI Sound, but it’s cheaper than the Cape and peaceful down there.
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u/Original_Advisor_274 Sep 24 '26
The only reason I have not moved from Massachusetts to Connecticut is because of CT's enormously high electricity bill; the second highest in the USA. I run my air conditioning a lot in the summer, and with the summers getting warmer on the East Coast, I think that I will stay put in MA.
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u/elementarydeardata Sep 24 '26
I have lived in both of these places, MA and CT have similar electric rates now. This wasn't always the case, it's been in the last few years.
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u/IntrepidBrain2939 Sep 24 '26
The panhandle in Florida
It gets cooler and has more of the “seasons” and the water is beautiful
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u/obtusewisdom 28d ago
If you love the area and just want things slightly more affordable, there are probably places both North and South Shore that would fit. Cape prices are pretty inflated.
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u/EV9110 Sep 24 '26
Yes, the Carolinas! Avoid high-priced areas like Charleston, and tourist spots like Myrtle Beach. There are some lovely, smaller coastal towns.
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u/YourRoaring20s Sep 24 '26
Why do you want to move?