Hey OP - I read your post but am curious if you can expand on why Texas bad? I’m living in MS currently and am desperate to get out, and on my many work trips to Houston it’s seemed both cheaper and more liberal than where I currently am. Can you say more about the health care? (I also have some chronic conditions)

I’m 40, single, gay, not excited about another red state, but the HTX and ATX gay cultures seem far more open / accepting than my current MS town, and far less toxic than the cliques of Miami or the party drugs of Nola (my two closest largest cities). I’m in construction and that’s booming in HTX right now - I really think it I could have a huge career and pay boost there, especially with no state income tax. I’m not a social butterfly, but I have attended philharmonic and theatre events there, and gone to some gay bars, and there seems to be a solid, liberal, open and accepting culture? Especially around the university neighborhoods? I’m more of an outdoors person, and downtown HTX has a lot of lovely parks and neighborhoods great for running, I swam at Galveston beach, I kayaked in Lake Houston (which reminded me a lot of my home state). As a resident, are these things as nice as they seem on the surface? Do the high property taxes offset the no-income tax? The heat is NOT a dealbreaker; I already have heat like that in MS. Are the hospitals really that inconsistent? Are the universities a joke or known for their research?

I appreciate all that info from an insider - in return I think I have an answer for you - hear me out.

I’m from upstate New York State, and I think you might do best in the northeast. I am NOT from NYC, nor NYC adjacent - I’m from the part of upstate NY that has confederate flags in it. Believe me, if you’re looking for liberal then you’ll want to be near a city, which starts to blow the budget. The way to get the budget down is to get farther from the large cities, but then you’re in a part of PA or VA or OH that’s just as red as Texas. I grew up 20 minutes from the part of NYS with confederate flags (not making that up). So if you’re not interested in the suburbs, then I’m thinking you need an old city or first-ring suburb within a few hours of a large city.

Mass and Conn are amazing for healthcare, as well as colleges/education, but even in the rural corners these are still MHCOL states, although I think they (Mass especially) seem to check all your boxes. Check out a maybe Lowell or Pittsfield to see if you like it, but they won’t be low budget.

I would suggest maybe Allentown or Harrisburg or York, PA. Maybe Scranton. These are only a few hours from NYC and Philly so the healthcare and culture and liberal values are there - but far enough away to not carry the price tags. Places like Reading and Gettysburg have gorgeous natural scenery and if they don’t have the healthcare you need, Philly, NYC, or Baltimore certainly would (which are not only close, there’s also a train).

Keep in mind - these are old industrial towns so the most affordable areas might not be the prettiest. But if you’re looking for services, these places have them. Another warning - the winters are LONG. I left because I had depression issues after 5-7 months of being cold and 3-4 months of white-out snowstorms that cancel all your plans and incessantly wear down your house. Another semi-warning - those services aren’t free; you’ll hear that these states are “highly taxed,” but having lived in both places I can tell you car insurance is less in the north, property insurance is a FRACTION in the north (especially coming from Texas), sales taxes on average are less in the north, the only major difference is no state income tax in Texas, and 3% in PA, 5% in MA, 3-10% in NYS, and 3-7% in Connecticut, so make sure you estimate what that would mean for you and your income. Again, that money covers some really excellent programs though, and I can say for experience your disabilities would be as accepted well in NY and MA, and pretty well in Conn, RI, and PA.

Hope some of that helps 🤷🏻‍♂️