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Changing city or state: costs, paperwork and what to check before you sign. It covers your driver's license in the new state and setting up power, water and internet without a Social Security number.
Stage 1 of 3
What to settle first: papers, accounts and how housing works here.
5 guides in this stage
Featured guide 13 minute read
How to set up electricity, gas, water and internet without a Social Security number: accepted ID, when deposits apply, how to avoid them, Lifeline, scams.
The most important thing
Find out who provides each service at your address: electricity and gas from a regulated company follow the state commission's rules; water is sometimes municipal and internet is separate.
Verified on October 17, 2026
Essential guide From Puerto Rico to Florida: what changes when you move What changes when you move from Puerto Rico to Florida: credit, birth certificate, license, homestead, home and hurricane insurance, flood and taxes. 15 min read Verified on October 17, 2026 
Moving company scams and your rights in an interstate move How to choose a registered mover, which estimate to ask for, how much you can be charged at delivery, how to protect your things and file a claim. 11 min read Verified on October 31, 2026 
Moving to another state: the checklist with dates A dated checklist for moving to another state: notice to your landlord, deposit, mail, voting, license, plates, health coverage, school and taxes. 14 min read Verified on October 17, 2026 
Driver's license after a move: the rules by state How long you have to switch your license after a move, what REAL ID is, which states license people without lawful presence and what they ask for. 13 min read Verified on October 17, 2026 The data behind these guides
The guides on Moving cite these figures. They update when their sources publish new ones; what you see here is current.
See all the dataSources: U.S. Census Bureau (Average 2020–2024) · HUD (Fiscal year 2027)
Stage 2 of 3
The payments, taxes, insurance and decisions that come after you buy.
1 guide in this stage
Featured guide 13 minute read
Buying or inheriting a home in Mexico from the U.S.: the restricted zone, the bank trust, the SRE filing, Mexican notaries, inheritance and scams.
The most important thing
The restricted zone is the strip one hundred kilometers along the borders and fifty along the beaches.
Verified on October 31, 2026
Tools
The calculators these guides use. Each one leaves you with a result you can use today.
How much is left for housing each month.
What you get → what is left
The rent that fits your budget.
What you get → rent that fits
Your home's estimated tax per year and per month.
What you get → tax per year
Your monthly payment with taxes and insurance.
What you get → monthly payment
Stage 3 of 3
What happens to your loan, how much you keep and how to prepare the move.
1 guide in this stage
Featured guide 21 minute read
How to end your lease in Texas or Florida, get your deposit back from abroad, and what the IRS says if you sell or rent out your home as a nonresident.
The most important thing
Read your lease before you buy the ticket: move-out notice is counted by rent periods, and in Florida an early termination fee cannot exceed 2 months' rent and applies only if you signed the addendum.
Verified on October 29, 2026
Frequently asked questions
Short answers taken from the guides on this topic; each one links the guide that explains it with its sources.
Your credit report does not stay on the island: pull the three free ones at AnnualCreditReport.com as soon as you arrive and check that your Puerto Rico accounts appear with your new address. If a lender says they see no history, show them the reports. If there are errors, dispute them in writing; the credit guide explains how.
Read the full guideThe FTC says movers that cross state lines must be registered with the Department of Transportation and that you can check registrations on DOT's website. If the move is within your state, ask your state consumer protection office.
Read the full guideYes, with rules. The Constitution says that in the restricted zone (one hundred kilometers from the borders and fifty from the beaches) foreigners cannot hold direct ownership. There a bank trust is used, with an SRE permit. Outside that zone, the foreigner files a written agreement with the SRE accepting to be treated as Mexican for that property.
Read the full guideIt depends on your lease and your state. In Texas, a month-to-month tenancy ends on the day in the notice or one month after it is given, whichever is later, unless the signed lease sets a different period. In Florida, month to month is at least 30 days before the end of the monthly period, and a fixed-term lease may require between 30 and 60 days' notice of non-renewal.
Read the full guideThe full path with its steps in order, the calculators these guides use, and the agencies their rules come from.
Every rule, number and date in these guides comes from what these agencies publish. Each guide links the exact page.
and 35 more official sources
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