It's not just the cost of moving either. If you are poor your job is not likely to pay you when you aren't there, and jobs you would be looking at in the new lo

It's not just the cost of moving either. If you are poor your job is not likely to pay you when you aren't there, and jobs you would be looking at in the new location aren't flying you out for an interview. Chances are you'd be without any income for quite a while. Even if you aren't living completely paycheck to paycheck, that gap in time will likely eat up any money you might have put aside for rental deposits, utility hook up, etc. Anecdotal, but, I do know people who have moved because of the promise of work elsewhere. Some wound up benefiting and turning their life around. Some wound up on the street. These people were all young with no children. As a parent, it would be very difficult for me to make the decision to move somewhere on a gamble that things would turn out ok. I'd honestly probably choose to continue to barely scrape by, but still feed my kids and keep a roof over their heads than I would gamble that we become homeless. I'm glad I "won the life lottery" and don't have to make these kinds of choices for my family. I have a lot of compassion for those who do.