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Hello to the 1,517 hotties who subscribe to this newsletter! Thank you for being here.
I’ve been seeing clients nonstop since this year’s election results have been announced and, honestly… we are not okay.
Queer & trans folx in states like Florida or Texas, which have both passed anti-trans legislation, are trying to get their coins together to move to a safer state or to receive gender-affirming surgery as soon as possible.
Besides these timely concerns, queer & trans folx are still dealing with the same problems as everyone else:
Paying off high-interest credit card debt
Choosing between paying student loans and food, healthcare, or community care
Starting an emergency savings fund
Starting a business while saving to leave a corporate job
The main difference is… we’re shouldering the same burdens with the added pressure of Trump’s upcoming presidency and what that could mean for our rights and safety.
In response to the 2024 election results, Queer & Trans Wealth is offering free financial coaching to people living in states where anti-trans or anti-LGBTQ legislation has been introduced. Apply for a financial coaching scholarship here. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until December 18, 2025.
Community members pay for these free financial coaching sessions through the Pay It Forward Fund. Consider making a donation starting at $10 up to $5,000, or becoming a monthly supporter. I’ll send a newsletter with more detailed information about this program later this week.
To help you make decisions about moving to a different state, I’ve compiled the median rent and average cost of living in the 23 safest states for trans people.
Trends over time
I’ve published different versions of this list since 2023, taking into account comments and suggestions people have so generously provided. Here’s what I’ve noticed over the last year and a half:
The difference between finding refuge & gentrification
So many people have pointed out that cities like Albuquerque and Detroit are being gentrified at alarming rates. Queer & trans people moving to those cities are pushing out Black & brown residents that are born and raised in those cities.
After doing extensive research & having many conversations with community members about this, I want to point out that seeking political refuge is different from gentrifying a city.
Gentrification is a systemic process where large corporations like Whole Foods collude with private equity landlords who hoard housing to make cost of living more expensive in diverse neighborhoods. LGBTQ communities have historically been caught in gentrification. Landlords and real estate moguls have capitalized on our presence in neighborhoods as a signal of trendiness and progressiveness within a certain rental market.
When we blame individuals for moving to safe states, we are projecting systemically-induced pain onto people who are also being harmed by the same system.
That being said, people who move to safe states need to come correct. After getting to safety, your next priority must be learning about who owns the land you’ll now inhabit and making connections within the community.
In some states and cities, rent has gone down… but the rent is still too damn high
I’ve noticed that rent is decreasing slightly in cities like Seattle,Boston, and even New York City and its surrounding burroughs. Overall, rent is still bonkers across the country.
On average, the cost of living in safe states increased 6.6% since 2022, which is high compared to 4.6% across the United States. Rent increased 11% in safe states between October 2023 and October 2024, which is almost triple compared to 3.15% increase across the country according to Smart Asset.
Most protective states
These are states that have passed legislation that protects trans people, as listed by journalist Erin Reed in her Anti-Trans Legislative Risk Map.
Hawaii
Since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, Indigenous Hawaiians have been asking tourists to stop moving or traveling to Hawaii due to a lack of resources like clean water.
New Mexico
Annual cost of living: $46,076 (↑ 6.32% since 2022)
Median rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $1,096 (↑17.34% since Nov 2023)
New Mexico offers gender-affirming healthcare. Because of the state’s affordability, many trans refugees are moving to New Mexico seeking gender-affirming care. Prepare for long waitlists to access care. (Source: KFF Health News, November 2023).
Oregon
Annual cost of living: $55,412 (↑ 6.24%)
Median rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $1,412 (↑ 10.75%)
Portland: $1,450 (↑ 11.19%)
The Oregon Health Plan covers gender-affirming care. Single adults who make $1,670 or less per month qualify for the state’s health coverage. Full eligibility details are available on the Oregon Health Authority website.
Maryland
Annual cost of living: $56,052 (↑ 6.46%)
Median rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $1,400 (↓ 8.62%)
Baltimore: $1,200 (↑ 8.50%)
Medicaid in Maryland covers gender-affirming care. Single adults who make up to $1,732 per month are eligible for the state’s health insurance plan.
Minnesota
Annual cost of living: $56,489 (↑ 6.89%)
Median rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $1,125 (↑ $20.45%)
MinnesotaCare covers gender-affirming care. Single adults who make up to $20,029 annually can qualify for the state’s health plan.
Rhode Island
Annual cost of living: $58,286* (↑ 5.96%)
Median rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $1,700 (↑ 2.04%)
Rhode Island Medicaid covers gender-affirming healthcare. Income eligibility guidelines are unclear from the state’s websites.
The Rhode Island Public Health Institute has a gender-affirming healthcare initiative called Open Door Health. Besides sexual health and primary care services, Open Door Health also provides:
gender-affirming hormone care
surgical referrals
facilitation for legal letters and documentation
Illinois
Annual cost of living: $58,333 (↑ 7.5%)
Median rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $1,481 (↑ 14.10%)
Chicago: $1,695 (↑ 13.38%)
Illinois Medicaid covers gender-affirming healthcare. Income eligibility guidelines are unclear from the state’s websites.
Check out the Transgender and Gender Diverse Wellness and Equity Program, a statewide initiative that supports and expands access to gender-affirming healthcare.
Vermont
Annual cost of living: $58,958 (↑ 5.77%)
Median rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $1,700 (↓ 1.45%)
Vermont Medicaid covers gender-affirming healthcare. According to the Department of Vermont Health Access, an individual who earns $30,120 per year or less is eligible for the state’s health insurance plan.
Check out the Vermont Diversity Health Project for a directory of healthcare providers — from therapists to bodyworkers — who serve gender-diverse people.
Maine
Annual cost of living: $60,250 (↑ 8.00%)
Median rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $1,500 (no change since Nov 2023)
MaineCare covers gender-affirming healthcare. Single adults with an income of $1,733 per month or less are eligible for benefits. Full eligibility details are available on Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services website.
OUT Maine’s Gender-Affirming Care Coverage Guide has a complete list of covered procedures and therapies. Maine Queer Health has a directory of LGBTQ+ friendly healthcare providers.
Washington
Annual cost of living: $60,528 (↑ 7.00%)
Median rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $1,529** (↓ 0.26%)
Seattle: $1,800 (↓6.54%). To qualify for an apartment at this price, you need to earn a salary of $61,714.
Washington Apple Health covers gender-affirming care. Single adults who make $1,732 per month or less qualify for health coverage. Full eligibility requirements can be found on the Washington State Health Care Authority website.
Apple Health’s Transhealth Program page provides detailed requirements to access services like:
primary care services
behavioral health services
speech therapy (including voice training)
hormone therapy (including puberty blockers)
gender-affirming surgeries
Colorado
Annual cost of living: $63,781 (↑ 7.43%)
Median rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $1,475 (↑ 4.83%)
Denver: $1,495 (↓ 2.16% since Nov 2023)
Health First Colorado covers gender-affirming care. Single adults ages 19 to 65 who make up to $1,669 per month qualify for the state's health plan. Full eligibility requirements can be found on Connect for Health Colorado.
Visit the Gender-Affirming Care Coverage Guide to find a detailed list of services included in various state health insurance plans. These services include:
Gender-affirming surgical procedures
Hormone therapy
Mental and behavioral health
Appeals processes if your request is denied by your health insurance plan
Connecticut
Annual cost of living: $65,128 (↑ 7.80%)
Median rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $1,434 (no change since Nov 2023)
HUSKY Health, Connecticut's state health plan, covers gender-affirming care. According to the HUSKY Health website, single adults need to earn less than $20,783 to qualify for the state’s health plan.
New Jersey
Annual cost of living: $67,851* (↑ 6.21%)
Median rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $1,979 (↑ 12%)
Single adults who make less than $1,732 per month are eligible for NJ Family Care, the state’s medicate plan, which covers gender-affirming care. New Jersey also has a State Health Benefits Program (SHBP) available to state and local government employees. SHBP covers gender reassignment surgery, but SHBP does not explicitly cover other gender-affirming care.
California
Annual cost of living: $73,714* (↑ 7.57%)
Median rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $2,150 (↑ 14.97%)
Los Angeles: $2,195 (↑ 1.59%)
San Francisco: $2,900 (↓ 0.31%)
San Diego: $2,309 (↓ 0.46%)
Medi-Cal covers gender-affirming care. According to the California Department of Health Care Services, single adults who make $20,783 or less annually qualify for Medi-Cal healthcare coverage.
Massachusetts
Annual cost of living: $85,714* (↑ 7.61%)
Median rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $2,500 (↑13.17%)
Boston: $2,695 (↓ 6.36%)
MassHealth covers gender-affirming care. The state’s Medicare Savings Program provides healthcare coverage assistance for individuals making $2,824 or less per month.
New York
Annual cost of living: $88,491* (↑ 8.88%)
Median rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $2,581 (↑ 46.07%)
New York City and surrounding boroughs: $3,100 (↓ 1.59%). To qualify for an apartment at this price, you must earn a salary of $106,286.
New York Medicaid covers gender-affirming care. You can find out if you’re eligible for New York state’s health plan by entering your zip code and creating an account on NY State of Health insurance marketplace.
Visit the following websites to access gender-affirming healthcare:
NYC.gov’s Transgender, Gender Non-Conforming, Non-Binary, and Gender Expansive Health guide
Callen-Lorde, a transgender health clinic in New York City
Amida Care, a trans healthcare advocacy organization in New York State
Washington DC
Annual cost of living: $92,037 (↑ 7.35%)
Median rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $2,200 (↑ 16.40%)
D.C.'s Healthy Families program covers gender-affirming care. According to the Department of Health Care Finance, adults without dependent children who earn $2,698 or less are eligible for the state’s health insurance plan.
Low-risk states
These are states that have refrained from targeting trans adults, though they haven’t passed any legislation to protect trans adults either, as listed by journalist Erin Reed in her Anti-Trans Legislative Risk Map.
Michigan
Annual cost of living: $52,210 (↑ 5.51% since 2022)
Median rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $1,050 (↑ 16.41% since Nov 2023)
Detroit: $900 (↓ 0.01% since Nov 2023)
The Healthy Michigan Plan covers gender-affirming healthcare. Single adults who make about $18,000 per year are eligible for the Healthy Michigan Plan. Full eligibility details are available here.
Wisconsin
Annual cost of living: $52,593 (↑ 6.71%)
Median rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $995 (↑ 16.41%)
Wisconsin BadgerCare Plus covers gender-affirming healthcare. Single adults who make $1,255 per month or less may be eligible for certain health plans under the BadgerCare Plus umbrella. A guide to applying for benefits is available on the Wisconsin Department of Health Services website.
Arizona
Annual cost of living: $53,921 (↑ 7.58%)
Median rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $1,295 (↑ 13.50%)
Phoenix: $1,295 (↓ 1.67%)
Arizona state health plans, which are under the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) Medicaid agency, do not cover gender-affirming healthcare.
Nevada
Annual cost of living: $54,054 (↑ 6.15%)
Median rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $1,300 (↑15.66%)
Las Vegas: $1,295 (↑ 10.97%)
Nevada Health Link covers gender-affirming healthcare. People of any income level may use Nevada Health Link as their health insurance, but only people with incomes at the federal poverty level are eligible for free benefits. For single adults, that income level is $15,060 per year. Full eligibility details are available here.
Pennsylvania
Annual cost of living: $57,009 (↑ 6.16%)
Median rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $1,250 (↑ 11.31%)
Philadelphia: $1,350 (↑ 9.58%)
Pennsylvania Medical Assistance covers gender-affirming healthcare. Income eligibility is unclear from the state’s website.
Delaware
Annual cost of living: $57,672 (↑ 5.76%)
Median rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $1,448 (↑ 15.75%)
Delaware Assist, the state’s health insurance plan, covers gender-affirming healthcare. Full eligibility details are available at Delaware Assist’s website.
Virginia
Annual cost of living: $58,320* (↑ 7.14%)
Median rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $1,707** (↑ 4.66%)
Richmond: $1,295 (↑ 4.44%)
Virginia Medicaid covers gender-affirming healthcare. Single adults who make less than $22,289 per year are eligible for free benefits. Use CoverVA’s Eligibility Screening Tool to find out if you are eligible.
Methodology
The annual cost of living data is sourced from the Bureau of Economic Analysis’ Personal Consumption Expenditures 2023 Report released on October 3, 2024.
*Some states have a cost-of-living that is far lower than what is needed to qualify for an apartment at the price listed in this newsletter. I updated those prices to reflect the median rent as 35% of the annual cost of living.The median rent for each state is sourced from Zillow Rentals Data updated on November 4, 2024 (Search settings: 1 bedroom » Apartments and Condos), except for **average rent in Delaware, Virginia, and Washington State, which is sourced from Apartment List.
The information about each state’s healthcare laws was sourced from the Movement Advancement Project’s report called Healthcare Laws and Policies: Medicaid Coverage for Transgender-Related Health Care last updated on May 21, 2024.
Income level eligibility information for each state health plan was sourced from each state health plan’s website when it was available.
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