A quarter of U.S. adults have relocated for love

A quarter of U.S. adults say they’ve relocated to pursue a romantic relationship with the person they love at some point during their lives, and doing so generally pays off, according to a new survey.

Some 27% of men said they’d relocated in the past compared with 23% of women respondents in the survey of 1,000 adults by HireAHelper, which is a moving and relocation company.

Moving for love might seem like a simple enough decision, but the survey found that many who did so were in two minds about it. Indeed, one third of those who moved for love said that actually going through with it was the hardest part of the process. Others cited homesickness as being the toughest part, ahead of the difficulty of adjusting to a new life.

And although more men have moved for the sake of their relationships, they actually have a harder time in making up their minds (38% of men compared to 28% of women), the survey found. Men also reported more difficulty in managing changes to their relationship following the move (13% versus 11%). However, women found it tougher to find a suitable home once they’d decided to relocate.

Still, the vast majority of those who moved to be near a romantic partner said it was worth doing so. Three quarters are still together or at least, stayed with their partner for over a year after moving. And another two thirds said they had “no regrets” about moving. Indeed, even if the relationship didn’t ultimately work out, most reported still being satisfied with their decision to relocate.

Of those who’ve never moved for love, 44% said they would be willing to do so if they were in a long distance relationship. However, distance does play a part, as 46% said they’d only be willing to relocate to a city in their own state to be closer to a partner, with 44% saying they’d happily move across state lines.

Still, respondents said they’d first need to be sure the relationship was the real thing. According to the survey, 68% of adults would only consider relocating after being with someone for at least six months. Just 20% said they’d consider doing so for a partner they’ve been with for a shorter time than that.

Meanwhile, a somewhat stubborn 12% said they’d never relocate to be with a partner at all, no matter how much they loved them.

“Overall, Americans are fairly open to the idea of moving for love, and a quarter of adults have actually done so,” the survey researchers said. “And most people who relocate to pursue a romantic relationship … [find] resettling nearer to a romantic partner has a solid chance of succeeding, sustaining, and paying off even when you don’t stay together.”