According to Forbes, the top ten cities to retire in California include Bakersfield, Fresno, Modesto, Oxnard, Vallejo, San Jose, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Sacramento. For retirees who wish to live here but wish for more affordable options, smaller inland towns and communities can be ideal.
Lancaster, Pennsylvania, ranks as the best place to retire in the U.S. thanks to a high quality of life, a reasonable cost of living and proximity to health care options.
California, often referred to as the Golden State is a popular destination for many retirees due to its diverse landscape, rich cultural attractions, and mild climate.
Cape Coral, Fla. With its desirable climate and favorable tax status, Florida is filled with popular retirement destinations. Many of our favorite retirement spots in the Sunshine State can be found along the Gulf Coast including St. Petersburg, Sarasota and Punta Gorda.
Apart from Florida, U.S News & World Report states that among the best places to retire in the United States are names like Harrisburg, Allentown, Reading and York in Pennsylvania, and Ann Arbor in Michigan. Lancaster, Pennsylvania, tops them all, bestowed with the honor of AARP best places to retire in 2023.
Iowa. This state topped the list from MoneyRates, tied with West Virginia, scoring points for nursing care capacity, a strong economy, and a low crime rate. Social security benefits are not taxed by the state, and beginning in 2023, retirement income is exempt for taxpayers over age 55.
Queensland has always been popular with retirees thanks to its all-year round sunshine. An hour's drive north of Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast boasts beautiful beaches and a relaxed community feel that's a little bit quieter than its southern counterpart, the Gold Coast.
Retirement by state and territory
Tasmania and South Australia had the highest proportion of retirees. Between 2016-17 and 2018-19: New South Wales had the greatest increase in retirees (1.1 million to 1.3 million). Northern Territory had the highest increase in proportion of retirees (14% to 20%).
“Lower-cost states like North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee are emerging as popular alternatives for retirees seeking affordable housing and a lower cost of living,” Dixon says, noting that increased congestion and overpopulation have made Florida's cost of living not worth it for a significant number of retirees.
Arizona can be a good place to retire due to an affordable standard of living, favorable taxes and proliferation of 55+ communities. In addition, the state boasts a year-round warm dry climate with over 300 days of sunshine. This is a retirement friendly state.
Naperville, Illinois, retained its No. 1 rank as the safest city overall ($156 per capita); St. Louis, Missouri, also kept its rank as the most dangerous city, with the highest per capita crime ($8,457). Mass shootings represented 4% of the total cost of crime in 2021, but are up 33% compared to 2020.
MoneyGeek, a Nevada-based personal finance technology company marketed as a resource to help people become healthier and wiser, recently named Yorktown the safest small town in the United States with a population of 30,000 to 100,000 residents.
Move over, Florida, a new locale ranks as the best state to retire in. Although in 2022 the Sunshine State was named the No. 1 state to retire in, Virginia has taken the top spot this year, according to personal finance website WalletHub's “2023′s Best States to Retire” study.
Australia has been named the 12th happiest country in the world.
“Queensland's known as the Sunshine State. All those rays and the laid-back lifestyle might be among the reasons why it's Australia's happiest state,” Bayliss said.
Canberra is the happiest capital of Australia, according to research.