Three Young Adults Move Back With Parents Amid High Rents and Debt

Keara Callahan moved back in with her parents in Northern Virginia in 2023 after a relationship ended and living alone in Miami became unsustainable. At the time she was 25 and working remotely as a government tech consultant. "At that time, I was 25, and I thought moving back home would be embarrassing," Callahan told Business Insider.

She studied economics in college and said the move allowed her to avoid rent, save money, and build savings. Zillow data showed Miami's average rent reached $3,200 as of June 2026, more than $1,000 above the national average of $2,003. The savings enabled Callahan to quit her government job and work as a content creator.

She has since traveled to countries in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America. She plans to return to Miami and rent her own apartment in a few months. "I wouldn't have been able to save up as quickly without having my parents' home as a place to land," she said.

"I feel like I'm finally on a good path. " Luke Howland, 24, sold his electric-bike retail business in Flagstaff, Arizona, and moved back in with his parents in 2026. He said he wanted to avoid signing a new lease while deciding his next step.

"I'm lucky enough to be able to move back in with my parents," Howland told Business Insider. " Howland set a two-year timeline to save for a down payment on a home. A 2019 Urban Institute study found adults who lived with parents between ages 25 and 34 were less likely to become homeowners or head their own households a decade later.

Danny Stewart, 28, moved back in with his parents after accumulating $10,000 in credit card debt by age 26. He had taken on the debt after renting his first apartment in Chicago for $1,500 a month and buying a car. "I had never had a credit card before," Stewart told Business Insider.