Top 10 Affordable Retirement Towns
Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
April 10, 2025 — Want to retire to an affordable town that has all kinds of great things going for it? Realtor.com came up with a list last year with 10 towns that hit that sweet spot. These communities offer access to many of the things that retirees value most highly: nearby beaches, good healthcare, outdoor recreation, plenty of things to do, golf cart friendly, the arts, and most importantly – reasonable cost of living.
To come up with their list Realtor.com combed through all their single-family, condo, and townhouse listings. Then they used keywords in the descriptions to pinpoint the percentage of those listings that indicate a retiree-friendly community, and prices below or near the U.S. median price of $410,100 to determine affordability. In addition to home prices, they also included the percentage of retirement age residents as well as percentage of retiree friendly listings.
Surprisingly, New Jersey garnered three spots on this list, as did Florida. California had two towns in the top 10.
This is one of the best researched lists we’ve seen for affordable places to retire. Plus, we were pleasantly surprised to learn about several towns not previously on our radar
John Brady
Top 10 Affordable Towns
Sun City Center, Tamp FL. This very large (31,000 residents) and long established community south of Tampa has many developments within it to choose from. Some 84% of real estate listings were retirement related, and it has a median age of 71. Most of the homes are single family dwellings, but there are also duplexes, townhouses, and apartments. It has its own hospital and several nursing home facilities.
Green Valley, AZ. Located in very southern Arizona below Tucson, this is one of the most popular places to retire in the world. It has beautiful desert mountains for outstanding recreation. There is a great choice of where to live, with at least 59 different Home Owners Associations.
King City, OR. We have to admit we had never heard of King City before this list came out. Part of its attraction comes from being just 21 minutes from bustling Portand and its great medical care. The Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge is a big attraction. Average age here is a little lower at 63.
The Villages, FL. By now just everybody knows about this huge community (150,000 residents) sprawling over 3 counties in North Central Florida. If there is any activity to be done or club to join, you will find it here! Some 93% of the Realtor.com listings are retiree friendly, and home prices are about at the national median.
Manchester, NJ. This community (and the two others from New Jersey) don’t get much press but they are both retirement destinations for many people from the northeast. They are affordable and there are many communities to choose from. Home prices well below the national median. New York, the Jersey shore, and Atlantic City are close at hand.
Monroe, NJ. Another New Jersey Township, this one is great for retirees from the Northeast. There are many active communities.
Seal Beach, CA. South of Long Beach on the Pacific, Seal Beach is one of two California towns to make the list. The Leisure World retirement community, with its 9,000 residents, is a large part of the city. Some claim that Seal Beach was the first major planned retirement community in the U.S. For California, home prices are somewhat affordable and below the national median.
Sun City, CA. Aside from this one in Menifee, there are at least two other Sun Cities in California, one in Sun City Apple Valley and Lincoln Hills in Roseville. Are all long established active adult retirement community. Lincoln Hills opened for sales in 1999, and is is managed by the Home Owners Association with over 6,000 single family homes and condominiums. All Sun City’s have amazing amenities, clubs, and activities.
Laguna Beach, CA Laguna Woods Village is probably the largest active adult community in the West, with over 10,000 residents. About 99% of real estate listings are retirement friendly. Home choices include high-rise Towers, single-family and multi-family models. For being near the beach, it is very affordable.
Whiting, NJ. Yet another winner from the Garden State, this one is also near the famous Pine Barrens and Jersey beaches. It is one of the lower cost places to retire in New Jersey, with a tremendous selection of active adult and 55+ communities to choose from.
Bottom line
This is a pretty good list and should give anyone in any part of the country some ideas on interesting places to retire. Check out these towns and the communities within them in our Active Adult Community Directory. If you have suggestions on towns that should have made the list (or you know something about these), please Comment below.
Comments on "Top 10 Affordable Retirement Towns"
Patricia says:
Laguna Woods is in Southern California, not Florida. Just an fyi.
Ray S. says:
What? No link to King City, OR!
Editor Comment: Thanks for the Ray. Although Topretirements doesnt yet have a review of the town, we have now provided a link to the Wikipedia article about King City.
Moderator Flo says:
Hi Ray
I will soon be reviewing a number of retirement options in the Portland area including King City. Stay tuned!
Sharon L Alexander says:
Ray, is King City for retirees only? I looked at the Wikipedia site but it was not forthcoming. Thanks for your help.
Yolande says:
I'm always blown away at the selections in the recommendations. Too many high tax states including property taxes or high real estate priced recommendations. None which I would consider especially CA who way over taxes their seniors and citizens.
I don't know, maybe we should be doing a deeper dive into other states/communities/areas and stop revisiting the same old non appealing places, in states that are terrible choices for retirees and families.
Laguna Woods is one of the oldest retirement communities in CA. The properties there look it too. The condo complex has the highest HOA fees I've seen next to FL, very small sq ftg, with the most disgusting non updated interiors since the place was built in the 70s and 80s. I wouldn't spend any $$ in Laguna Woods. I lived in SoCal very close to this community. A check on Realtor.com will show you exactly what's there. The grounds are beautiful but the homes are awful and very outdated.
Don't get me started on the intense traffic in the entire area because it's really bad.
I don't feel like I can afford to retire any time soon if ever. Time for society to get a grip on reality. I've been horrified by what I'm hearing and seeing as I age. Ripping off seniors is a very real thing for a lot of businesses. They think we are cash cows. Well I'm not and will never be.
Admin says:
One of the most retiree friendly states of all, Pennsylvania, didn't have any towns on this list. Probably an oversight, lots of affordable towns and cities in pretty much area of the Keystone state. See PA Directory for ideas. https://www.topretirements.com/active_adult_communities/Pennsylvania/
Anybody have suggestions?
MBP says:
Yolanda, I completely agree! Before we moved and retired a few years ago, I was looking up retirement states when I came across this platform. Although there is a lot of "Lackluster" lately here and the info is outdated, this website does have some helpful information and a good platform. Everyone who has left a comments on the forums has provided me with better information. (It would be nice to be able to communicate with others when their questions on their experiences). We are gradually moving and researching a new retirement state (one that is closer to the Northeast, where we originally came from) after retiring to South Carolina, near Savannah, Georgia. Our second move is predicated on inadequate medical quality and lack of doctors as well as inadequate congested infrastructure. My husband is also a %100 disabled Vet which also navigates us to the states that could give the best Vet exemptions. It would be great to read more current information in regards to how to navigate retirement now (high interest rates, high house prices, weak medical access/quality, etc)
Moderator Flo says:
The suburban areas around Philadelphia have access to great medical services, shopping and transportation into the city (seniors ride transit for free), but the choicest areas are pricey— $450,000+, especially in 55+ communities.
The Lancaster area is also popular with retirees. Slightly less expensive than the Philly suburbs, it has a charming downtown area with shops, restaurants and a wonderful farmers market with food from surrounding Amish farms. Highly ranked Penn Medicine has a hospital there. There’s train service to Philadelphia and an airport.
For those who like small town living and the outdoors, the pocono mountain area may be an option. Pretty good medical care with two hospitals, bus service to NYC, airports in Allentown and Scranton.
Happy Hunting!