New Yorkers searching for an escape from the city’s punishing housing costs are increasingly eyeing a familiar neighbor — Philadelphia, where homes cost less than half.

The New York metro posted a net outflow of 27,143 prospective movers during the second quarter, meaning significantly more people were looking to leave the region than move in, according to a new Redfin analysis of home-search activity.

That was the second-largest net outflow among the country’s 100 biggest metros, trailing only Los Angeles, at 28,652. (Angelenos, for their part, headed to the Sin City of Las Vegas in search of cheaper housing costs there.)

And for New Yorkers looking elsewhere, the most popular destination wasn’t Miami, Orlando or another sunny southern city.

It was Philadelphia — just 90 miles south.

The reason may come down to a whopping half-million-dollar difference in home prices.

A typical home in the New York area costs about $832,000, compared with just $309,000 in Philadelphia — a roughly $523,000 gap, according to Redfin.

New Yorkers are also looking south

Philly may be the top destination for New Yorkers considering a move, but the Sunshine State continues to exert a powerful pull.

New York was the most common origin for people looking to relocate to Orlando, Miami and Tampa, which ranked third, fourth and seventh, respectively, among the metros with the biggest net inflows.

Florida dominated at the state level, too.

The Sunshine State recorded a net inflow of 38,922 prospective movers during the quarter — more than Arizona, South Carolina and Tennessee, the next three most popular states, combined.

South Carolina followed with a net inflow of 13,764, while Arizona gained 11,929 and Tennessee gained 9,872.

New York sat on the opposite end of the spectrum, posting a net outflow of 29,838 at the state level, second only to California’s whopping 56,548.

Illinois, Washington and Massachusetts rounded out the five states with the largest net outflows.

Nearly 1 in 5 is looking beyond their home metro

The trend reflects a broader reshuffling of where Americans are willing to live as high housing costs continue to push would-be buyers and renters beyond their home markets.

Nationwide, 18.7% of Redfin users searched for homes outside their current metro during the second quarter, up from 18.1% a year earlier and the highest second-quarter share in records dating back to 2021.

Ongoing trends in remote and hybrid work have made it easier for Americans to consider farther-flung destinations, Redfin noted, while the huge differences in housing costs give residents of pricey coastal metros another reason to look elsewhere.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean Americans are packing up the U-Haul in record numbers.

Overall homebuying remains sluggish, so the total number of people actually relocating is likely still below the pandemic-era levels seen in 2021 and 2022, even as relocation searches account for a larger share of the market.

Redfin’s figures measure home-search activity rather than completed moves. Its analysis covers users who viewed at least 20 homes for sale or rent in a destination metro during a month, and can include searches for second homes and investment properties.