Best Places In The U.S. To Retire

Posted on 16. Nov, 2011 by Forest in Cheapest Places To Live, General, Saving Money & Finances

Best Places In The U.S. To Retire - Previously I have written articles on The Cheapest Places To Live and more specifically The Cheapest Places to Live In America but when looking to retire it’s a different story as many factors can be taken away from the equation. That is assuming you have the cash to retire and do not need to work anymore.

Best Places In The U.S. To Retire

There are obviously so many places you can retire to but we are going to focus on USA in this article as most readers here are from USA and are more likely to want to retire there. When retiring you only can discount many factors of living costs such as average wages and certain taxes.

Other things become important though such as property costs and tax, cost of public transportation (free for seniors in many places), local food costs and amenities available in the area.

Note: The information in this article is based on data I looked at in 2010, if you see anything that needs updating let me know in the comments below.

Cheapest Places To Retire: City or Rural?

Often rural areas will be cheaper but you become very dependent on driving and as you get into your 70′s it may be worthwhile to be based at very least on a good bus service to the local town. My advice is just don’t go too rural.

Also big city like New York or Boston can be fun but way too expensive. Look to some of the mid American and Southern USA cities for a good balance between affordability, rural outskirts and enough things to keep you occupied. Being placed mid USA also gives the advantage of being able to travel to different parts of the country a little easier.

Cost of real estate…

Assuming you want to buy your retirement pad, hopefully outright it is probably good to stay away from New England and the belt across the top of USA. Ohio, Kansas and Texas all have excellent property prices now and property should hold value as it’s fairly low in these areas. Property tax in the South also tends to be less but you have to factor in heat….. Get good air conditioning and budget for big electricity bills!

College Towns, retire where the young bucks party….

Increasingly retiree’s on a budget are using the initiative to move to college towns. Students often live cheaper than workers so college towns are full of cheap eateries, lots of local activities often at low-cost or free and all the people bring a lively atmosphere and generally low crime. Even some of the bigger cities have good college areas such as Houston in Texas.

Also public transport is often very good and accessible, you could even move a little more rural to keep away from the hub of partying or whatever but still benefit from the environment that students produce.

So What Are The Best Places In The U.S. To Retire?

This question cannot be answered straight up as there are so many factors. As pointed out generally mid down in USA is cheaper and college towns tend to provide more affordable surroundings. However even in the north places such as Buffalo in New York State may give a suitable cost of living but it can get darn cold in the winter! Obviously the absolute best places would be way out of budget for most people looking to live a full life on a retirement income.

Here are some towns and cities to consider according to ideal-places-to-retire.com

Houston in Texas – Houston is a large city with big neighborhoods, excellent restaurants in all budgets, a great local farming scene and plenty to do. Plus the large young population helps keep prices down.

Tallahassee in  Florida – Tallahassee is a beautiful place to retire, Full of greenery and lots of places to relax but also enough local amenities and transportation to get you around.

Thomasville in Georgia – Everyone knows how much history and culture is held in Georgia. It is a great State to retire too and is no where near as pricy as it probably should be! If you are a history fiend this could be heaven!

Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania – Pennsylvania is home to many Amish and they really know how to get by on very little and lead a nice life! You may not want to go to this extreme but Pittsburgh is not a hugely expensive city. It has cheap real estate, plenty to do and a ton of history on its doorstep.

Where Do You Think The Best Places In The U.S. To Retire Are?

We would love to hear your thoughts on this and anything related. Thanks for reading….. Also we will slowly update this article with more information as we get it so please feel free to suggest details below.

Related: Will You Ever Be Able To Retire?

Thanks for reading - Best Places In The U.S. To Retire

Tags: best places to live, best places to retire, cheapest places to live, cheapest places to retire, cheapest places to retire in america, cheapest places to retire in usa, lowest cost of living city, places to retire 2010, places to retire 2011, retiring in usa