The latest data from the U.S. census revealed that more than 126,000 people moved from Canada to the United States in 2022 - a 70 percent increase from the previous year.

Among the 126,000 people who moved to the United States in 2022, 53,000 were born in Canada, 46,000 Americans returned to their homeland, and 30,000 immigrated to Canada from outside North America and chose to leave.

The data represents a growing trend of Canadians settling south of the border, and according to immigration lawyer Lynn Saunders, the main reason is the cost of living.

Saunders said in an interview with Your Morning Monday on CTV: "Buying a home is much cheaper, not in major cities like Los Angeles, California, San Francisco, and New York, but (in) small American towns."

The lawyer noted that many people are moving to border towns, and Saunders, who resides in Washington State and says the drive to Vancouver in British Columbia takes 45 minutes, mentioned that his home is valued at half a million dollars.

He added: "That same home, located five miles up north here in the Vancouver area, costs between 2 to 3 million dollars."

Saunders continued that the affordability of housing is an attraction for young people, and one of the main reasons this demographic looks to move south.

"Young people realize they can't enter the housing market (in Canada). Or if they can, they buy a condo, while in the United States, they can buy a beautiful house."

He said that another demographic looking to make this move is seniors, pointing out some overlap in the reasons why this age group is considering moving south.

"They are cashing out. They are taking their equity from their homes and using that equity to buy clear title properties so they don't have a mortgage and are using some of it for retirement income."

While many are noticing the lower cost of living in the United States, there is still one barrier for many that keeps them from staying in Canada: healthcare.

The immigration lawyer stated that the majority of his current cases involve helping Canadians married to Americans move to the United States, and he noted that access is a topic that comes up often. For those with an American partner, access to healthcare involves tapping into their spouse's medical coverage.

However, for older Canadian couples, getting medical care can be expensive, sometimes exorbitantly so, according to Saunders.