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Where is the best place for retirees to live in the United States?

Author

Sarah Oconnell

Published Mar 18, 2026

Where is the best place for retirees to live in the United States?

Minnesota is the best for quality of life and health care but has low affordability for retirees. Florida is the best state for retirees, not surprising considering it has the second-most senior citizens and high scores for affordability and quality of life.

Then, where is the best place in the US to retire?

Top 10 Best Cities to Retire

  • Sarasota, Florida.
  • Austin, Texas.
  • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
  • Grand Rapids, Michigan.
  • Nashville, Tennessee.
  • San Antonio, Texas.
  • Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. Okay, folks.
  • Lakeland, Florida. Our final retirement hot spot brings us back to Florida—a city named Lakeland.

Likewise, where is the best place for seniors to live? Wisconsin has the most cities on this list with eight, followed by Minnesota with five, Iowa with four, and Illinois, North Dakota, and Missouri with two apiece. Fargo, North Dakota, ranks as one of the 30 best cities for older Americans for a number of reasons.

Accordingly, what are the 10 best places to retire in the United States?

Here are the top 10 places to retire down south, according to GOBankingRates.

  • Naples, Florida. Naples, Florida.
  • Plano, Texas. aimintang | iStock Unreleased | Getty Images.
  • El Paso, Texas. DenisTangneyJr | E+ | Getty Images.
  • Irving, Texas.
  • Boca Raton, Florida.
  • Bradenton, Florida.
  • Laredo, Texas.
  • Virginia Beach, Virginia.

What is the cheapest state for retirees to live in?

According to data from Blacktower Financial Management, the best states for retirees based on cost of living are Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. Other states on the list include Texas, New Mexico, and Tennessee, which all offer retirees affordable homes and living costs.

What's the worst state to retire in?

The worst states to retire in are Maryland, New York, Alaska, Illinois, and Washington. According to Bankrate's metrics, Maryland ranked in the bottom 15 for affordability (4th worst), culture (9th worst) and wellness (tied for 13th worst). The state ranked highly for its weather, landing at No. 18.

Where is the cheapest place for seniors to live?

  • 10 least expensive cities for retirees: Laredo, Texas. Memphis, Tenn. Knoxville, Tenn. Huntington, W. Va. Fort Smith, Ark. San Antonio, Texas. Amarillo, Texas.
  • 10 most expensive cities for retirees: San Francisco. New York. Pearl City, Hawaii. Honolulu. San Jose, Calif. Fremont, Calif. Washington, D.C. Oakland, Calif.

Where is the cheapest place to retire in the USA?

Here are the 17 most affordable cities for retirees, along with data on each state's tax rates via WalletHub and median senior day care costs from AARP.
  1. Laredo, Texas. Shutterstock.
  2. Cheyenne, Wyoming.
  3. Brownsville, Texas.
  4. Montgomery, Alabama.
  5. Fort Smith, Arkansas.
  6. El Paso, Texas.
  7. Memphis, Tennessee.
  8. Gulfport, Mississippi.

What state is the cheapest to retire in?

Missouri tied with Michigan as the most affordable state to retire.

What state is the least expensive to live in?

These states have the lowest cost of living and the most-affordable housing.
  • Indiana.
  • Oklahoma.
  • Michigan.
  • Nebraska.
  • Missouri.
  • West Virginia.
  • Kansas.
  • Pennsylvania.

What is the best state to retire in 2020?

The 5 Best States to Retire in 2020
  1. Florida.
  2. South Dakota.
  3. Iowa.
  4. North Carolina. North Carolina has a diverse set of locations for retirees to consider.
  5. Tennessee. Tennessee has a quality of life that's especially attractive to those with musical tastes, as the key cultural center of Nashville attracts millions of visitors every year.

Where is the best place to retire in the world?

Here are the top countries for retirement, ranked in ascending order of final score, according to expats who have already made the move.
  • Costa Rica.
  • Mexico.
  • Colombia. Medellín, Colombia.
  • Ecuador. Quito, Ecuador.
  • Malaysia. Penang, Malaysia.
  • Spain. Girona, Spain.
  • France. Brittany, France.
  • Vietnam. Hanoi, Vietnam.

Where is the best and cheapest place to retire?

The World's Cheapest, Safest Retirement Countries
  • Australia. Global Peace Index: 13/163.
  • Czech Republic. Global Peace Index: 7/163.
  • Portugal. Global Peace Index: 4/163.
  • Slovenia. Global Peace Index: 11/163.
  • Spain. Global Peace Index: 30/163.
  • Malaysia. Global Peace Index: 35/163.
  • Chile. Global Peace Index: 28/163.
  • Costa Rica. Global Peace Index: 40/163. Cost of Living Index: 50.89.

What US city has the best year round weather?

Retirees, These 15 Cities Have the Best Weather Year-Round
  • Hilo, Hawaii. The prices are high, but you can't beat the view.
  • Portland, Oregon. Despite the rain, the temps are pleasant.
  • Key West, Florida. The warm weather is a huge draw.
  • Hot Springs, Arkansas.
  • San Diego, California.
  • Carlsbad, California.
  • New Orleans, Louisiana.
  • Sherman, Texas.

What are the 10 worst states to retire in?

The worst states to retire in are Maryland, New York, Alaska, Illinois, and Washington.

What state is the best to retire in financially?

Minnesota is the best for quality of life and health care but has low affordability for retirees. Florida is the best state for retirees, not surprising considering it has the second-most senior citizens and high scores for affordability and quality of life.

Which state is the lowest cost of living?

These states have the lowest cost of living and the most-affordable housing.
  • Indiana.
  • Oklahoma.
  • Michigan.
  • Nebraska.
  • Missouri.
  • West Virginia.
  • Kansas.
  • Pennsylvania.

What is the best small town to live in America?

Great small towns to live in the U.S. include:
  • Vineyard, Utah.
  • Fulshear, Texas.
  • Timnath, Colorado.
  • Watford City, North Dakota.
  • Granville, West Virginia.
  • Whitestown, Indiana.
  • Cave Springs, Arkansas.
  • Thompson's Station, Tennessee.

What state has the best benefits for seniors?

The Best States in America for Seniors
  1. Virginia. Virginia is our top-ranking state when it comes to overall senior friendliness and it gets high marks in almost every category we reviewed.
  2. Hawaii. Spending your senior years in Hawaii is about more than just fun in the sun.
  3. Nebraska.
  4. Oklahoma.
  5. Kansas.
  6. Maryland.
  7. Florida.
  8. Texas.

Where can I retire on 1000 a month?

Even if you don't have $1 million when you're done working, you can still enjoy your golden years if you retire in the right location.

These Are the 15 Cities Where You Can Retire for Less Than $1,000 per Month

  • Beaumont, Texas.
  • Montgomery, Ala.
  • Columbus, Ga.
  • Tulsa, Okla.
  • Des Moines, Iowa.
  • Pasadena, Texas.
  • El Paso, Texas.

What are the top 5 states to retire?

Top 10 States for Retirement 2020
  • Florida. Florida's high ranking as a state for retirement is no surprise.
  • Iowa. This Midwestern state presents a clear contrast to Florida as a retirement option, but it has performed consistently well in this annual study.
  • Arkansas.
  • Oklahoma.
  • Idaho.
  • Missouri.
  • West Virginia.
  • (tie) Arizona.

What is the cheapest state to live in 2020?

The cheapest state to live in in the United States is Mississippi. Overall, Mississippi's average cost of living is about 19% lower than the national average cost of living. Mississippi's living wage is only $48,537 and has the cheapest personal necessities anywhere in the country.

What state has lowest taxes for retirees?

The 10 least tax-friendly states for retirees:
  • Kansas.
  • Wisconsin.
  • Minnesota.
  • Vermont.
  • Rhode Island.
  • New Jersey.
  • Illinois.
  • New York.