10 Cheap, Beautiful Places To Retire
If you’re like most people facing retirement, you’re working with a limited budget. Even so, that doesn’t mean you should settle for living somewhere that doesn’t have big skies and bigger budget-friendliness. Whitefish has healthy doses of natural beauty serving as the backdrop to your new, comfortable and slower pace of life.
Marfa, Texas
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Total population: 2,179
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Percentage of population 65 and older: 35.8%
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Livability score: 73
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Total monthly expenditures (including rent): $3,626
Marfa, located in West Texas, has a huge retirement community filled with artists who flocked there to be near the beautiful desert landscapes. If you retire here, you can appreciate the stunning vistas at an affordable price tag.
Leavenworth, Washington
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Total population: 2,676
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Percentage of population 65 and older: 18.3%
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Livability score: 84
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Total monthly expenditures (including rent): $5,869
Leavenworth should be on your retirement radar due to its charming Bavarian village atmosphere, historical charm, outdoor recreation opportunities and booming senior community. The town’s unique blend of outdoorsiness and relaxed lifestyle makes it a must-consider when retirement planning.
Portland, Maine
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Total population: 68,505
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Percentage of population 65 and older: 17%
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Livability score: 85
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Total monthly expenditures (including rent): $5,145
Though there may be two amazing Portland coastal big cities to choose from, Portland, Maine, slightly edges out Oregon as it has a much more affordable cost of living, but doesn’t sacrifice an ounce of natural beauty. This great city is where retirees can enjoy convenient access to excellent healthcare, a rich history and a vibrant senior community.
Seward, Arkansas
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Total population: 2,735
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Percentage of population 65 and older: 18.9%
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Livability score: 84
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Total monthly expenditures (including rent): $4,170
Seward has a surrounding area that includes such magical locations as Hot Springs Village and offers several compelling reasons for retirement. These include a low cost of living and affordable housing, as well as benefits for retirees in Arkansas, such as exemption from Social Security income taxes and military retirement pay.
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
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Total population: 22,332
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Percentage of population 65 and older: 21%
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Livability score: 85
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Total monthly expenditures (including rent): $6,489
If you retire in Portsmouth, you’ll be setting yourself up with reasonably priced real estate surrounded by beautiful natural scenery. This high quality of life comes with a bill you’ll be able to easily afford on a fixed income with just a basic amount of retirement planning.
Naples, Florida
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Total population: 19,421
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Percentage of population 65 and older: 56.2%
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Livability score: 79
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Total monthly expenditures (including rent): $6,030
When you think of cheap places to retire, you probably don’t think you’ll find Naples on the list. However, this cozy beach town still has housing costs that won’t bankrupt your Social Security benefits. Over half of its population is age 65 and older, which makes this a great choice for retirees who want to enjoy easy access to a beachy lifestyle.
J. Arky contributed to the reporting for this article.
Methodology: For this study, GOBankingRates analyzed the most beautiful U.S. cities to find the cheapest cost of retirement. Locations were selected from USNews, Forbes.com, IBTimes, RealEstateNews.com, Architectural Digest, CNTraveller, USNews&Travel, TourScanner, WorldWildSchooling, and Timeout.com to find the most beautiful locations in the United States. For each location, several factors were found, including total population, population ages 65 and over, total households, and household median income, all sourced from the US Census American Community Survey. The cost-of-living indexes were sourced from Sperling’s BestPlaces and include the grocery, healthcare, housing, utilities, transportation, and miscellaneous cost of living indexes. The average expenditure cost for each location can be calculated using the cost-of-living indexes and the national average expenditure costs, as sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey. The livability index was sourced from AreaVibes for each location. The average single-family home value was sourced from Zillow Home Value Index for March 2025. Using the average single-family home value, assuming a 10% down payment, and using the most recent national average 30-year fixed mortgage rate, as sourced from the Federal Reserve Economic Data, the average mortgage can be calculated. Using the average mortgage and average expenditure costs, the average total monthly and annual cost of living can be calculated. The cities were sorted to show the cheapest cost of retirement first. All data was collected on and is up to date as of May 16th, 2025.
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