Note: In 2017 Wallethub’s incredibly poor list is actually what inspired us to do our own research on the best state to retire to. Many of these choices are in places with a high cost of living. In addition, some of these cities are metro areas and typically not the best cities to retire to.
Wallethub recently listed their best retirement cities and while we might doubt their methodology (is there really a “BEST” retirement city?) After all, 2 of their criteria were fishing and number of museums. There are some surprising cities, that they chose!
- Orlando, FL – This is a no-brainer, it’s in Florida, it’s near parks for those with grandkids and near activities for those that are active. With affordable housing options in Kissimmee and lesser known Davenport it’s no wonder Orlando tops this list.
- Tampa, FL – When you look at a list of best retirement cities you can’t help but have several Floridian retirement favorites. Tampa makes this list and it’s no surprise to us.
- Miami, FL – Miami is one of the least likely places we’d recommend retiring to. It’s not because it’s not a wonderful city but rather there’s so many other options in Florida that offer similar lifestyle options without the price tag and the Miami headache. Naples for example. In fact, it’s our opinion that Miami only made it because “fishing” was a retirement category for Wallethub.
- Scottsdale, AZ – An all around real estate favorite, it’s no surprise that Scottsdale would make this list. Arizona is on our own top states to retire to, so Scottsdale is an excellent choice.
- Atlanta, GA – Retirees are attracted to Atlanta because of the metro area’s great retirement communities, warm weather and tax breaks for seniors. Surprisingly, Atlanta is actually a tax haven for Seniors. With specialty neighborhoods cropping up like Village At Deaton Creek, Atlanta is starting to cater to this demographic. Let’s be clear though, Wallethub doesn’t know anything about Atlanta, because it’s an awful city to live in if you’re in retirement. However, the suburbs of Atlanta make are excellent.
- Salt Lake City, UT – According to Wallethub, Salt Lake City isn’t stellar in any one category, in fact, it’s just above average in ALL options, making it rise in this listing.
- Honolulu, HI – With the highest cost of living on this list (and well, most of the US) this is a surprising pick. Then again, who WOULDN’T want to retire to Hawaii. Similar to Atlanta, we personally don’t think this is a great pick but rather the fact that Oahu would be a great place to retire but not the metro city itself.
- Denver, CO – Like Hawaii, if you can afford to live here you likely would. The high cost of living makes us question this choice. Of course, there’s no doubt that it’s a retirement dream for those that love the mountains.
- Austin, TX – A bustling metro town with a college feel. Austin has a sense of charm to it that if you’ve ever been there you might not think of retiring there but at the very least you’ve enjoyed the visit.
- Las Vegas, NV – Despite this writer’s thoughts, Las Vegas has a surprising number of suburbs that are indeed great values, such as Summerlin.
As many people’s retirement funds are suffering and pensions dwindling, many are seeking ways to have the best retirement possible. According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute’s 2017 Retirement Confidence Survey, only 18 percent of U.S. workers have a high level of confidence that they’ll have enough money to retire comfortably and nearly four in 10 have little to no retirement savings. Be sure to check out our 8 Keys To Retirement Planning to be sure you’re ready.
