Every retiree assumes the South’s punishing summers mean punishing power bills – and for most Southern cities, that assumption is dead-on. But quietly, in 2026, a specific group of towns is pulling in a bigger wave of over-65 movers than almost anywhere else in the country, and the reason has nothing to do with luck.
According to the latest annual report from moving-services provider HireAHelper.com, the migration is real, it’s accelerating, and it’s driven by cold, hard numbers. U.S. electricity rates have jumped 17% in just four years, from 15.04¢/kWh in 2022 to 17.65¢/kWh in 2026 – which means picking the wrong Southern city can quietly wreck a fixed income. Here’s where the smart money is actually going, and why.
#11 – Lafayette, Louisiana: The Cajun City Nobody’s Watching Yet
Lafayette is flying under the radar, and insiders say it shouldn’t be.
This south Louisiana city carries a distinct Cajun and Creole personality, with the kind of balmy weather and lively affordability retirees keep hunting for. The real edge is the electricity rate: Louisiana checks in at just 12.87¢/kWh, one of the lowest in the country, thanks to abundant natural gas production and refining capacity…