Where Should You Retire?
So you’re retiring and thinking of moving. That’s great! But one thing you don’t want to do is listen to any hype. Some retirement destinations get hyped up as the best thing ever, but ask those who’ve been living there for years and they’ll tell you it’s not that great. Cost of living, high crime rates, etc are all issues. Here’s 35 of the most overrated retirement destinations.
Honolulu, Hawaii
Hawaii is a gorgeous paradise straight out of a movie… until you see the price tag. Honolulu has breathtaking views and perfect weather, but the cost of housing, groceries, and healthcare is sky-high. It’s also isolated, which makes visiting family difficult.
Sedona, Arizona
Sedona looks like a perfect postcard, but retirement here isn’t all red rocks and bright blue skies. It's expensive, packed with tourists most of the year, and summer temperatures can be absolutely brutal. It also lacks access to good healthcare facilities, not what you want as you reach your twilight years.
Charleston, South Carolina
Charming? Yes. Overrated for retirees? Also yes. The sheer popularity of Charleston has driven up costs, traffic, and congestion. Summers are hot and sticky, and hurricane threats are a constant worry. If you want to move to the South, there are plenty of other options.
Miami, Florida
Life in Miami isn’t going to be like The Golden Girls. Sure, the place has beaches and sunshine, but the crowds, high cost of living, and oppressive heat can get old fast, especially if you’re craving peace in retirement. Traffic is a nightmare, and hurricane season is a constant worry.
Aspen, Colorado
Unless you’ve got a ski chalet, and congratulations if you have, Aspen isn’t ideal for retirement. It's a luxury town with luxury prices, and even milk is expensive. And while it looks beautiful in winter, all that snow is hard to get around in.
Naples, Florida
Naples has long been hyped as a fantastic place for retirees, but it’s gotten expensive – very expensive. Like many places in America, it’s a playground if you’re rich but a trap if you’re poor. Plus, the traffic is surprisingly bad for a smaller city, and reportedly it’s not the most friendly place.
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is artsy, pretty, and full of culture… but all of that comes at a high price. Housing costs are difficult, and so is the cost of healthcare. And you’d better make sure you can drive and have a car, because it’s nigh-on impossible to get around the state without one.
San Diego, California
Generally it’s advised that retirees avoid California, it’s just too expensive. San Diego’s cost of living is one of the highest in the country, and even modest homes come with million-dollar price tags. It’s a beautiful place but only the very rich can afford to live there.
Portland, Oregon
Portland has a quirky vibe that attracts retirees looking for something different… but rising crime, high taxes, and rainy, gray winters soon put people off. It’s a great place to visit, but living there is difficult, to be quite frank.
Austin, Texas
Austin is fun and full of energy - but that might not be what you're looking for in retirement. Honestly, it’s a place for young people, not old. Plus, the city’s grown fast, which means more traffic, more noise, and skyrocketing home prices. It’s just not worth it.
Scottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale has golf, spas, and sunshine, but it also has sky-high home prices, crowded areas, and very high energy bills. It’s beautiful, but it’s a desert, and not everyone is suited to desert life. People go there dreaming of the great outdoors and find it’s too hot to enjoy it.
Key West, Florida
Island life sounds perfect… until you factor in the hurricanes, endless tourists, and outrageous cost of living. Key West is tiny, expensive, and gets flooded with visitors every year. Healthcare options are limited, and you’ll probably need to head to the mainland for anything serious.
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder’s outdoor lifestyle and mountain views are incredible, but this is another place where you have to be rich to start off with to get the real retirement experience. Housing is ridiculously expensive, and as if that wasn’t bad enough, winters bring snow and icy conditions.
Los Angeles, California
If you like traffic jams, smog, and astronomical housing costs, LA’s the place to be. Sure, the weather’s great and there’s lots to do… but it’s all overcrowded, noisy, and very expensive. It’s hard to enjoy retirement when you’re spending so much just to get by.
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville once topped “best places to retire” lists, but demand has made it overpriced and crowded. The quaint mountain town vibe is fading as more and more people flood in. As for healthcare, it’s decent, but limited compared to bigger cities.
Palm Springs, California
Yet another Californian destination on this list! Palm Springs looks great in brochures but when you actually get there it’s a different story. The heat is intense for much of the year, and water shortages are a growing concern. Prices have crept up fast, and it’s not exactly number one for healthcare.
Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota’s often billed as the perfect Florida retirement spot, but it’s gotten crowded and pricey. The influx of retirees means longer waits everywhere and rising housing costs. Plus, many people struggle in the dense humidity once summer rolls around.
Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington just feels like a young person’s city now. The tech industry has moved in, and the city’s gotten a lot more crowded. Retirees are also turned off by the long, rainy winters and the traffic all over the place.
The Villages, Florida
It’s billed as a retiree paradise, but The Villages can feel more like high school sometimes, according to some. There’s a strict social rulebook which can lead to drama, cliques, and fallings-out. There’s a lot of hype around The Villages, but it’s really not for everyone.
San Francisco, California
San Francisco is beautiful, but the cost of housing, taxes, and even groceries is through the roof. The city also struggles with homelessness and crime in certain areas, which is obviously not great for anyone, let alone retirees. It’s a place that unfortunately has a lot of social inequality.
Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts
Martha’s Vineyard has a lot of hype around it, but it’s more of a summer playground for the wealthy than a place to actually retire to. Winters are cold and quiet, while everything from groceries to housing is wildly overpriced. Healthcare is limited, too.
Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Stunning scenery and wildlife aside, Jackson Hole is built for billionaires, not retirees. Housing prices are astronomical, and the cost of everyday living is sky-high. The winters are also long, cold, and absolutely draining for a lot of people. It’s a challenging place to retire to, to say the least.
Chicago, Illinois
Chicago is noted for its lively culture and great food, but it’s also famous for its high crime rate and that puts a lot of people off. That’s not the only problem, though. Taxes are high, winters are bad, and tourists fill the place up every year.
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Cape Cod has its charms, no doubt, but it’s a better place to visit than to live. Winters are cold and long, housing is pricey, and tourism clogs everything in warmer months. Healthcare access can also be spotty depending on where you live.
New York City, New York
It’s the city that never sleeps - and that might not work for someone who actually wants to. New York is endlessly exciting, but also expensive, noisy, and wild. And the tourists! The city is so crowded with tourists that just buying your groceries soon becomes a chore.
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence has a lot of hype around it, but it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. The cost of living is surprisingly high for such a small city, and winters are long and chilly. Property taxes are high, and the healthcare system is unfortunately just average. Visit the place for a weekend instead.
Lake Tahoe, California/Nevada
Lake Tahoe is gorgeous, no doubt… but living there year-round will not paint a pretty picture in the end. It’s expensive, filled with tourists for much of the year, and winter snow can be a real hassle. Plus, basic services can be limited in smaller towns around the lake. Do a lot of research beforehand if you’re planning to move here.
Washington, D. C.
The nation’s capital is beautiful, famous and seems at first like a great place to live… but it’s also full of traffic, tourists, and sky-high prices. Housing is expensive, and taxes are high. It’s a very fast-paced city that just doesn’t go well with the slow lifestyle most retirees want.
Portland, Maine
The second Portland on this list! Portland, Maine is picturesque and many find it charming, but winters are tough and heating costs will put retirees back. It’s also become a bit of a tourist trap, driving up housing prices and leading to annoyance for many people.
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale offers sun and sandy beaches, but it also brings heavy traffic, high humidity, and a massive tourist crowd that a lot of residents hate. The cost of living isn’t as low as people think, and hurricane season brings added stress for homeowners.
Wilmington, North Carolina
Thanks to all the hype around it, Wilmington’s growing fast - and with that comes rising housing costs, more traffic, and a loss of the small-town charm that drew people in the first place. And then there’s the climate to worry about. Summers are hot and humid, and hurricanes can be a real concern.
Reno, Nevada
Reno bills itself as a smaller, more affordable Las Vegas, but don’t be fooled. Many people find it a worse place to live. It’s hotter, drier, and housing prices have jumped in recent years. And then there’s the big ongoing issue in Nevada and other desert regions: water scarcity.
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah has southern charm and gorgeous architecture, but unfortunately that’s about it. It’s hyped up and people overlook the big problems: summers are too hot, bugs are everywhere, and hurricane threats are a real issue.
New Orleans
New Orleans is full of life, color and parties… and that’s a big problem for some people. Many retirees just want peace and quiet, and New Orleans isn’t going to provide that. It’s also humid and prone to flooding.
Anchorage, Alaska
Alaska is a very beautiful place, but the isolation, dark winters and cold put a lot of people off once they actually move in. And by then it’s too late to do anything about it! Make sure you thoroughly research every place that appeals to you and make sure it’s what you actually want.
