By any measure, Adam Staley’s Costco dedication is next level. He hits his local warehouse at least four days a week for samples, deals and hot dogs. His wardrobe is proudly Kirkland Signature, and he freely admits Costco is his favorite place on earth.
So when it came time for his family to hunt for a rental house in Kansas City, Missouri, Staley chose one just five blocks from his personal mecca.
“It was one of the top reasons why we wanted to choose this house,” Staley said. “Walking out the door, getting in the car and being there in three minutes was a huge plus.”
When house hunting, most renters and homebuyers draw up a familiar checklist: good school districts, safe neighborhoods, short commutes, enough bedrooms. But for some Americans, another priority has quietly shot to the top: Living within minutes of a Costco.
The pull of bulk paper towels, rotisserie chickens and discounted gas has created what real estate watchers call the “Costco effect” – when proximity to the wholesale giant shapes where people put down roots.
Home Is Where the Executive Membership Is
On Reddit, users openly trade advice on moving closer to a Costco.
“Does anyone else only look for houses that are close enough to a Costco?” asked one user who obsessively checks Redfin maps against warehouse locations.
Another buyer relocating to Austin created a dedicated spreadsheet column with the distance to the nearest warehouse.
A third, weighing two neighborhoods in a state with only one Costco, admitted: “I’m embarrassed to say how real the consideration is for distance-to-Costco in my deliberations.”
For members, proximity comes with benefits such as late-night gas runs right before closing when lines dissipate or cheap and easy weeknight dinners in the food court. In Los Angeles, developers are tapping into the trend by building hundreds of apartments directly on top of a Costco warehouse.
A Major Case of ‘Costco Envy’
While living close is the dream for some, living too far creates its own frustration.
Kathy Spangler and her husband live in a Pinehurst, North Carolina, golf community more than an hour from the nearest Costco.
The retired school administrators and English teachers make a day trip out of visiting the warehouse club two or three times a year.
It was during these rare treks that Spangler coined the term “Costco envy” to describe the pang of jealousy she feels pushing two fully loaded carts past locals who popped in for a quick run.
“Whenever we’re up there and I see somebody walking out with just a rotisserie chicken or rolls of toilet paper, I say I have Costco envy because they obviously live so close that they can come here and get one or two items,” Spangler said.
How Costco Proximity Became a Must-Have
Real estate agents say the sweet spot is typically 5 to 15 minutes away – close enough for a quick run but far enough to avoid traffic congestion and delivery truck noise.
While proximity to a warehouse rarely replaces traditional factors like school zones, it has become a powerful selling feature.
“Buyers have asked me where the closest Costco is when considering an area,” Arizona real estate agent Lisa Bayless said.
According to a Zillow analysis of active listings across 606 ZIP codes with a Costco warehouse, roughly 3% explicitly highlight the store in their descriptions.
“Sellers are actively marketing proximity to the warehouse club as a selling point, treating it more like a lifestyle amenity,” Zillow home trends expert Amanda Pendleton told USA TODAY.
In Pensacola, Florida, a recent listing for a three-bedroom cul-de-sac home touted its 20-minute drive to downtown and 30-minute commute to beaches right alongside the fact that Pensacola’s first-ever Costco was opening just 2.6 miles away.
In Austin, Sean McCormack has built his 21-year membership into a core marketing strategy.
The broker-owner of Nice Move Realty offers customized searches on his website filtering homes by their radius to local Costcos and regional grocery giant H-E-B.
For McCormack, it’s not just a sales gimmick. A Costco less than 10 minutes from his family home is a necessity with three boys aged 9 to 17.
“I thought it would be a cute idea to differentiate myself,” he said. “It’s for people who care about saving time and saving money.”
That balance is why losing his local warehouse hit Staley so hard.
His Kansas City Costco recently closed to transition into a Costco business center that caters to commercial buyers rather than household shoppers so no more food court or free samples, he says. The next closest traditional warehouse is a 25-minute drive across the busy metro area so, at least for now, Staley will have to trade his near-daily Costco habit for longer-range planning as moving again isn’t on the table.
“If it was just us and we didn’t have kids to think about, it might be a different consideration,” he said, citing local schools for keeping his family in place. “I’m going to have to go through some withdrawal there and get better at making sure I get everything on that one trip.”
Can’t get enough of our Costco coverage? Here’s more:
- Meet Costco’s most devoted fans
- This is probably why you spend so much at Costco
- Policy or pushing limits? The heated debate over Costco’s return policy
- Shoppers beware: It’s ‘Mad Max’ with shopping carts
- How the Costco hot dog became America’s happy meal
- Why America loves Costco free samples
- Welcome to the Costco parking lot wars
- The surprising new role Costco plays in American life
USA TODAY covers the culture of Costco, from the way it gets shoppers to splurge to why the $1.50 hot dog is the kind of deal they relish. Have a Costco story to share? Email Jessica Guynn.
Reporting by Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY / USA TODAY
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
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