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18 celebrities who moved to Texas on why it's the best place for them

Glen Powell, Bella Hadid, James Marsden side-by-side
Glen Powell, Bella Hadid, and James Marsden all live in Texas.

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  • Texas has become one of the top destinations for movers in the US.
  • Its business-friendly climate and lower cost of living attract people from all walks of life.
  • Supermodel Bella Hadid and actor James Marsden are among the celebrities who have moved to Texas.

Texas is popular for many reasons.

The second-largest US state is the birthplace of the iconic musician Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter as well as NFL star Michael Strahan and actresses Selena Gomez and Reneé Zellweger.

It's also home to a beloved football team, the Dallas Cowboys, and internationally famous festivals including South by Southwest (SXSW).

Beyond its cultural significance, Texas has a reputation for its affordability, largely due to its relatively lower cost of living and absence of state income tax. This personal finance appeal, combined with a business-friendly environment, has attracted entrepreneurs and their companies over the years.

Word has gotten out — and cities in the Lone Star State often lead lists of top places Americans are moving to.

According to a Business Insider analysis of individual-level data from the Census Bureau's 2022 American Community Survey, over 668,300 people moved to Texas between 2021 and 2022, the most recent time period for which data is available. This makes Texas the second-most popular destination in the US for movers, just behind Florida, which had about 739,000 inbound movers during the same period.

Several celebrities are among the hordes of movers to Texas. This reflects a broader trend of wealth realignment in the United States, where even the proverbial Joneses are moving to areas where their money goes further and the weather is more favorable.

Consider supermodel Bella Hadid, who moved to Fort Worth, Texas, this year to live with her professional horseman boyfriend, Adan Banuelos. Roseanne Barr and comedian and podcast host Joe Rogan have decamped from LA to Austin in recent years.

Many other stars have also relocated to Texas.

Business Insider has compiled a list of 16 notable celebrities and businesspeople who have moved themselves — and in some cases, their businesses — to the Lone Star State.

The list is presented in alphabetical order by last name.

Roseanne Barr traded the Hollywood Hills for 30 acres in Texas Hill Country.
Roseanne Barr at the Mr. Birchum Series Premiere.
Roseanne Barr.

Araya Doheny/Getty Images for DailyWire+

Roseanne Barr's son, Jake Pentland, told Us Weekly in June 2025 that his famous mother had traded the Hollywood Hills for Texas Hill Country, a region in central Texas that includes cities like Austin and New Braunfels.

"My mom lives with me, my wife, and my two daughters — she's the best grandma," Pentland told the magazine.

In a separate June interview with Fox News Digital, Barr said living in Texas is a "dream come true" and described what her new life looks like.

"I'm doing a lot of mowing. I've got a really fantastic tractor out here, and I'm mowing," Barr said. "The only problem is I don't clear the trees quite as good as I should, and I'm always hitting a tree and knocking it over, and it always hits me in the head."

Haylie Duff admitted it took a while to realize she could still have an acting career without living in LA.
haylie duff march 2020
Haylie Duff attends the LA Premiere of "Mira, Royal Detective" at Disney Studios on Saturday, March 7, 2020, in Burbank, Calif.

Mark Von Holden/Invision/AP

A native of Texas, Duff decided with her fiancé Matt Rosenberg to pack up the kids and leave California once the pandemic hit.

At first, she was nervous that the move would hurt her career.

"I think so much of my fear of moving out of Los Angeles was that my career was there and that I would never work again or something like that," she told Fox News Digital in 2022. "And, you know, I think this has all taught us that Zoom certainly can be a very powerful tool. And we can, you know, very luckily for me, get to continue to work from here, and I get to live near my dad. I haven't lived, here, near my dad in a really long time."

Scott Eastwood loves living in Texas because it "slows life down."
Scott Eastwood arrives at the world premiere of "The Mule" on Monday, Dec. 10, 2018, at the Westwood Regency Village Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP)
Actor Scott Eastwood.

Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP

The son of Clint Eastwood, Scott has been methodically building his own career, showing up in the "Fast and Furious" franchise and Guy Ritchie movies.

During his downtime in Texas, he does everything from fishing to hunting.

"I think that's why people who come to Texas really can fall in love with it," he told Flaunt in 2021 from his home in Austin. "There's more community, people are more neighborly, people are nice. It slows life down a little bit. It's not this fast-paced living in a big city like New York or Los Angeles."

Adrian Grenier's acting career is thriving in Texas.
A man holds a microphone on stage, and red drapes flow in the background.
Adrian Grenier speaks onstage during SXSW.

Gary Miller/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images

In 2020, "Entourage" and "The Devil Wears Prada" star Adrian Grenier left the Hollywood Hills for a 46-acre sustainable ranch in Bastrop, Texas, a city about a 40-minute drive southeast of Austin.

While in Texas, Grenier has continued acting and most recently appeared in the short film "Self Custody," about a struggling father who loses a cryptocurrency fortune. The film was shot in Austin, near his home.

In an interview with Page Six in March, Grenier said Texas' burgeoning film and television industry will keep him in the state.

"There's $2.5 billion that the Texas state government just put into film and television projects in Texas," Grenier said. "They're building three movie studios not too far from me. I don't see any reason why we wouldn't just continue to film in Texas."

Bella Hadid said she moved to Texas for her health.
US model Bella Hadid poses as she arrives for the screening of the film "Tre Piani" (Three Floors) at the 74th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on July 11, 2021
Bella Hadid.

VALERY HACHE/AFP via Getty Images

After spending most of her life jet-setting around the world trying to conquer the modeling industry, Hadid decided recently to take some time away from the spotlight.

In early 2024, she spoke to Allure about moving to Texas to focus on her mental and physical health (she was diagnosed with Lyme Disease in 2013), and be with her cowboy boyfriend Adan Banuelos.

"Just as I have styled myself for years now — which I still do — I love being able to do my own hair and makeup, be happy with how I look, and get ready with my girlfriends here in Texas," Hadid told Allure. "We have the best time, and I never feel like I need to do too much."

"For the first time now, I'm not putting on a fake face. If I don't feel good, I won't go. If I don't feel good, I take time for myself. And I've never had the opportunity to do that or say that before," Hadid added. "Now when anybody sees me in pictures and they say I look happy, I genuinely am. I am feeling better; my bad days now were my old good days."

Woody Harrelson is lobbying to make Texas a production hub for film and television.
Woody Harrelson smiling at a camera on the red carpet.

Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for 20th Century Studios

Harrelson lived in Hawaii for many years before moving back to his home state of Texas in 2023.

Now in the Lone Star State and living just outside Austin, the actor has lobbied alongside longtime friend Matthew McConaughey to make Texas a hub for film and television production.

In 2025, the Texas House approved Senate Bill 22, which provides $300 million every two years through 2035 to support the local film industry.

50 Cent is a New Yorker, but his primary residence is in Texas.
Curtis Jackson III smiling on set of "Fox & Friends."
Curtis Jackson III, also known as 50 Cent

John Lamparski/Getty Images

In 2021, the rapper-turned-television producer and entrepreneur announced on X that he was living in Houston.

Since James Marsden moved to Texas, he lives closer to his mother.
james marsden

Charley Gallay/Getty Images

The star has enjoyed visiting Austin for decades but finally decided to live there in 2020.

"I love it. I've been coming here for 20 years," he told "Live with Kelly and Ryan" in 2020. "I'm much closer to my mom and everybody. I love it. It's great."

Former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick traded California for Texas.
Travis Kalanick wears a black and white suit with a bowtie.
Travis Kalanick.

Theo Wargo/WireImage

The former Uber CEO announced on the daily live video and audio podcast TBPN in March that he had moved to Texas in December 2025.

Kalanick joins a slew of tech billionaires, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who have left California for greener pastures.

Keith Lee fell in love with Dallas' restaurants.
Keith Lee onstage at VidCon Anaheim on June 23, 2023 in Anaheim, California.
Keith Lee onstage at VidCon Anaheim on June 23, 2023 in Anaheim, California.

Unique Nicole/Getty Images

The former mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter turned TikTok food critic has set up shop in Texas.

After living in Las Vegas, Lee relocated to Texas in November 2024. In a December video reviewing the downtown Dallas restaurant The Wicked Butcher, he revealed that he now lives in Dallas.

"One thing I do love about the Dallas food scene — we've been here a month, a month and a half — they do have some nice fine dining restaurants," Lee said.

Matthew McConaughey wanted to be closer to family.
Matthew McConaughey UT
Matthew McConaughey UT

Getty

Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey and wife Camila Alves settled in Austin in 2012 after buying a 10,800-square-foot mansion.

According to a 2024 profile in Southern Living, the move to Texas was initially because of a "family crisis," when he needed to help his mother and two brothers. The couple decided to stay put and raise their three children there.

"Ritual came back," McConaughey said of being back in Texas. "Whether that was Sunday church, sports, dinner together as a family every night, or staying up after that telling stories in the kitchen, sitting at the island pouring drinks and nibbling while retelling them all in different ways than we told them before."

Elon Musk moved to Texas and brought his companies with him.
Elon Musk in black tie, laughing.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

Steve Granitz/FilmMagic via Getty Images

In July, Elon Musk vowed to move two of his companies, X and SpaceX, out of California and into Texas. He already moved Telsa to Texas in 2021.

In 2020, Musk announced that he had already moved to Texas himself at The Wall Street Journal's CEO Council summit.

Musk has claimed to own a tiny home in Texas, and records show he bought a house in Austin in 2022.

Shaquille O'Neal has been buying up properties in North Texas.
Shaq

Getty/E! Entertainment

In 2022, O'Neal bought a 5,269-square-foot home in Carrollton listed at $1,224,000 and sold it in 2024 for an undisclosed amount, though it was listed for $1.7 million, according to Realtor.com.

That year, Chexy Trust, tied to the Carrollton purchase, bought a 4,670-square-foot home in Rockwall County. In 2024, O'Neal opened a branch of his Big Chicken chain restaurant in Fort Worth.

As his footprint in the region grows, he told WFAA he plans to make the area his home base.

"I'm 75% going to move here full time," O'Neal said in June. "I have to see what's going on with TNT next year, but based on that, you'll probably be seeing a lot more of me."

Glen Powell got tired of the lack of freedom living in Los Angeles.
Glen Powell attends CinemaCon 2023.
Glen Powell attends CinemaCon 2023.

Gabe Ginsberg/WireImage

The "Twisters" star, who is also a native Texan, moved back to Austin from Los Angeles recently to be close to his family and for his own mental health.

"When all you do is consume movies and entertainment, you could become a little self-aware and maybe derivative of yourself," Powell told USA Today. "Your personal life, there's no sort of freedom there, there's storytelling around that, and I feel like that's just not good for you on the long term."

Jared Padalecki has a soft spot for Austin.
jared padalecki 2019

Charles Sykes/Invision/AP

Padalecki ditched Hollywood for Texas before it was a trend. The "Supernatural" star, a San Antonio native, relocated from Los Angeles to Austin with his wife, Genevieve, in 2012.

In an Instagram video taken on Austin's 24th Street in 2020, he explained why he loves the city so much.

"Austin brings me a warmth and a happiness and a peace that I have been unable to find anywhere else in my travels," Padalecki said. "I love being here."

Christine Quinn's return to her home state has brought her closer to her family.
Former Selling Sunset star Christine Quinn.
Christine Quinn.

Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images

In 2025, former "Selling Sunset" star Christine Quinn relocated to her home state of Texas after splitting from her ex-husband, tech entrepreneur Christian Dumontet.

Quinn now lives in a suburb outside Dallas with her young son, Christian.

"I am really, really grateful to be living here," Quinn told People in January, adding that she's happy to be closer to family. "I have a sister who lives really close to me, and my son has a cousin. So it's really something that I needed as opposed to the chaos when I was in Los Angeles."

Joe Rogan ended up in Texas once the pandemic hit.
Joe Rogan

Syfy/Getty Images

Like many other celebs, Rogan left Los Angeles once the pandemic hit.

In a 2023 episode of his popular podcast, "The Joe Rogan Experience," he explained why he ended up in Texas.

"Then we went to the lake, and people are playing music and jumping in the water," said Rogan, adding that his kids "were like, 'We want to live here!'"

"That was it. Two months later, I lived here," he said in the podcast episode.

Jamie Lynn Sigler has felt more connected to her craft since moving to Texas.
Jamie-Lynn Sigler in 2020.
Jamie-Lynn Sigler in 2020.

Jason Mendez/Getty Images

"The Sopranos" star moved to Austin in 2021 with her family, husband Cutter Dykstra, and sons Beau and Jack.

"I almost feel more connected to my craft and why I love acting," Sigler told The New York Times in 2021. "When the calls come in, it's a beautiful surprise. I'm still on things and I'm still a businesswoman and it's still my career, but I don't feel the pressure around it because we took a stand for ourselves and we made decisions for our families."

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I moved to Portugal by taking a two-week cruise there from the US. Traveling by boat had major benefits.

A man with the Lisbon skyline behind him.
Zachary Biss sailed from Tampa, Florida, to Lisbon to move.

Courtesy of Zachary Biss.

  • Zachary Biss moved from the Tampa Bay area to Lisbon seeking a new lifestyle.
  • Biss chose to take a cruise instead of flying and was able to bring more items with him.
  • Biss appreciates the slower pace of life in Portugal and anticipates saving more money on bills.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Zachary Biss, 29, a musician from St. Petersburg, Florida, who moved with his girlfriend, Marina, to Portugal by boat. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I'm a full-time musician. Back in the States, I played gigs at bars and restaurants with my guitar, singing and playing covers for a living.

I've always had the same job in music, and over time, I was able to play all my gigs and have enough money at the end of the month to put away in savings and invest in stocks.

That allowed me to buy a house in Florida in 2019. I was really proud that I was able to make that happen.

Ever since I moved into the house, I've kept a budget down to the penny, and the expenses got absolutely insane.

My electric bill roughly doubled over the course of five years. My utilities, which covered water and garbage disposal, doubled as well.

You have all these people telling you homeownership is the goal — that's the dream — but the bills kept going up. I'm like, "This seems backward. I feel like I should be paying something off to where eventually I'll be paying less."

Over the course of half a decade, everything has crept up to where I'm working harder than I've ever worked, and making as much money as I've ever made, but I have nothing to show for it here.

We knew we wanted to move to Lisbon

I thought, maybe it's time to go somewhere else and try something different, because otherwise I'm just going to float here and not really thrive.

A man and woman drinking beer.
Biss and his girlfriend, Marina.

Courtesy of Zachary Biss.

I haven't sold my home yet. It's still on the market.

My girlfriend and I already knew we wanted to move to Portugal for a while. So by the time we were able to finally move, I was like, "I don't care. We just have to go."

It was a little bit emotional, but not really because we'd been planning it for so long. I had gotten to the point where I didn't want to wait anymore.

We decided to move by taking a cruise

We found a cruise that was actually going directly one way, because they do the transatlantic sailings to move the boats. After the season's over in the Caribbean, they move to Europe, so we found one that was going from Tampa and ending in Lisbon. It was a match made in heaven.

We did pay a little bit more than flying, but you're getting a two-week cruise: all the food, all the lodging, and a couple of stops along the way.

We stopped in the Bahamas, and then after the Bahamas were six days at sea, and that was pretty wild. I've never spent that much time at sea.

After that was the Azores, and then it was another sea day because they're pretty far off from the mainland. Then we did Porto, which was really cool, and then we ended in Lisbon.

A slefie of a man and woman in Lisbon.
Biss and his girlfriend in Lisbon.

Courtesy of Zachary Biss.

All in, we paid $2,500 total, so definitely more than two flights, but I would say it was worth the cost. The transatlantics are usually a bargain because they're not that full and they're just trying to sell tickets to make the voyage worth it — we actually got a balcony room and everything.

But the biggest perk was that there was no hard luggage limit. I brought my guitar, I brought my suitcases, Marina brought a bunch of her suitcases — as much as we could fit — and we got to the port and the porter's like, "How many luggage tags do you need?" And we said, "However many."

Flying would have been a lot more restrictive.

We also thought that sailing would ease us into moving a little more than flying would, because there's really nothing worse than landing at Lisbon Airport after an overnight flight, not sleeping on the plane, and dealing with that brutal jet lag.

On the cruise, there were six days at sea in a row, and they would roll forward the clock one hour at a time; they did that five times over the course of the trip to get us five hours ahead to where we are now.

I would totally recommend moving by boat for the luggage benefit alone, but especially if you're a cruiser or you just like relaxing, it's like being at the spa.

It's fun, and at the end of the day, I don't think many people get to say they've sailed across the ocean.

We like the pace of life in Portugal

The first night, we were sitting at the dinner table, and we looked at each other, and we both started crying, like, "What are we doing?" But I think that's 100% normal for anyone moving, even just moving to another state. It's scary. This is the first time I've moved.

There were things pushing us out of the US and things bringing us to Portugal. Honestly, the biggest one was health insurance.

As a self-employed person in the States, I often feel punished for being self-employed when it comes to health insurance. The cheapest plan offered to me on the marketplace for this year was about $360 a month.

A man and woman at the Arco da Rua Augusta in Portugal.
Biss and his girlfriend at the Arco da Rua Augusta in Portugal.

Courtesy of Zachary Biss.

When I talk to my friends who live here or have moved here, and I tell them what I paid in a month, they're like, "Well, that's about what I pay in a year."

Affordability wasn't the only reason we moved. If we were going for affordability, there are definitely cheaper places in Portugal, and even more affordable places in Europe. It's all relative; what's affordable to me might be different than what's affordable to a local here.

The people, in broad strokes, are in a little bit less of a rush here. I made a joke that even the people trying to sell you something off the street, once they realize you're not going to buy what they're selling, they'll just have a conversation with you, which is nice.

A selfie of a man and woman holding an ice-cream cone.
Biss enjoying ice cream in Portugal.

Courtesy of Zachary Biss.

The pace of life is not so much work, work, work all the time, rush, rush, rush. People here really will take a moment — it's built into the day to have a coffee, have your pastry in the morning, and you're not just grabbing your big iced coffee and getting in your car and rushing to work.

It's a breath of fresh air.

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The Property Brothers share 4 essential tips for homebuyers in a tough market

Twin brothers posing in front of a home during a renovation.
Drew and Jonathan Scott star in their new show "Property Brothers: Under Pressure," and give tips for struggling homebuyers.

HGTV

  • The Property Brothers guide buyers in a tough housing market on "Property Brothers: Under Pressure."
  • The Scotts said they noticed buyers now have less strict wish lists and tighter budgets.
  • Below, they give buyers their tips for breaking into the market.

After renovating over 1,000 homes and filming more than 600 episodes of television about their exploits, Drew and Jonathan Scott — also known as the Property Brothers — have seen a lot of changes in real estate.

In their latest HGTV series, "Property Brothers: Under Pressure," the Scotts guide buyers through the process of purchasing a home and help them navigate all of the decisions that come with it — from renovating to adding other revenue streams like rentals to make payments more affordable.

"We didn't want anyone with grand budgets that could do anything," Jonathan told Business Insider of the type of buyer they chose to focus on. "We're showing relatable stories of every kind you can possibly imagine."

With record-low inventory and prices still falling slowly, the current real-estate market is tough. The Scotts want to show that the reality of homebuying these days comes with a lot of compromise.

"With these budgets, people have the dream look, or the dream function in their home — they're not getting that," Drew told Business Insider. "We're trying to make the best that we can with what they have, and we don't want people to feel they're settling. We want people to still love where they're going to live."

Below, the Scotts give homebuyers tips on what to consider when buying a home in a brutal market.

Consider what home features are the most conducive to your lifestyle.
A family enjoying the outdoors in their yard.

Pressmaster/Getty Images

For the Scott brothers, a home isn't simply a place to rest your head; it should also be a space that complements your lifestyle.

"Take a few minutes to actually sit down and think through your lifestyle," Drew said. "Where are the friction points within your day? Are you finding that you're getting tripped up when you're getting the kids ready for school or organizing their play area? Is it laundry? Is it the kitchen? Think through what would actually make life easier, because your home should work to make your life easier. We always reverse engineer from there."

It's not just about being in a neighborhood that's closer to your work or having a dedicated parking space. What you spend your money on outside of your home should also be a huge deciding factor in if you're ready to become a homebuyer.

"Do you want to travel with your family, do you need extra money for different things?" Jonathan said. "If that's the most important thing, maybe renting is better for you at this time. But if we can help people into home ownership, we obviously love to do that."

Don't assume you can handle a fixer-upper on your own.
A room in a home being renovated.

Martin Deja/Getty Images

Getting into DIY with a fixer-upper can be an exciting and rewarding project. But the Scotts say it's best to consult with professionals first, not only to protect yourself in the event of safety concerns, but also financial ones.

"If you don't renovate houses for a living, you probably shouldn't do your own renovation," Jonathan said. "I think a lot of people are trying to save money anywhere they can, but what they try to do is they save money in areas where you need someone to protect you to make sure you're not overspending. We see that all the time."

The brothers warned that not everyone who posts a renovation video online is a professional, and social media is littered with inaccurate information about the specifics of home-renovation projects.

"Just be careful what you try and tackle yourself," Drew said.

"The internet may be good for you finding a date, maybe not so good if you're trying to redo your electrical — that's dangerous," Jonathan added.

Be more realistic with your wishlist.
A railroad track with two homes in the background.

Peter Blottman Photography/Getty Images

A common trope of homebuying starts with a wishlist: prime location, under budget, and with plenty of space. But more often than not, you won't end up in a place that checks every box.

The brothers said they've been asked countless times over the course of their careers to make miracles happen, but if you're serious about buying a home, you need to be more realistic.

"Sometimes people ask for stuff that is crazy and we're like, 'There's just literally no way this is going to be within your budget,'" Jonathan said. "And a lot of times that ends up being location based. They'll ask for a location that we just know the inventory's so low, the prices are so high. It's going to mean you'll find the place and you'll have zero money to customize it."

The tough current market also means buyers may have to revisit some of the things they considered dealbreakers.

"In multiple episodes this season, there was a train right behind the property thundering by multiple times a day," Jonathan said. "Most people have been like, 'Absolutely not,' but for one couple on the show, they couldn't afford a house that was big enough on a quiet cul-de-sac. People are definitely changing what their must-haves and no-gos are."

Watch out for shoddy work in quick flips.
A woman on the phone pointing at her damaged ceiling.

Roberto Jimenez/Getty Images

While Drew and Jonathan mostly advise against tackling large renovation projects without consulting professionals, some people do it anyway.

Not all home flips include bad work, but some do — and sometimes, you may not notice that until it's too late.

"We see this in LA all the time. It's a flip market where people do a really terrible lipstick-on-a-pig kind of a renovation job," Jonathan said. "To the average homeowner, it looks amazing — new materials, this is awesome. It's not until they move into it that they realize how completely un-functional it is."

The Scotts acknowledged shows like theirs may have had the unintended effect of making viewers think they could do their own renovations.

"Networks like this have given some people a false sense of confidence to say, 'I know what this needs, I know how to do this project,'" Drew said. "I've had people walk up to me on the street and say, 'Hey, I'm a general contractor, and by the way, thanks a lot. You're making it real tough because now people think they know everything.'"

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