Retirement Real Estate: Which State is Best – Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, or Pennsylvania

Oct. 21, 2025 — Choosing where to retire often comes down to quality of life and housing affordability and stability. Of course there are other factors like medical care that should go into choosing where to retire, but housing is usually one of the top considerations. So, if you are thinking about retiring in one of the popular retirement states of Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, or Pennsylvania, which has the best retirement real estate market?

Below is a data-driven comparison of the real-estate market a typical retiree would care about. We have provided statewide price levels (Zillow Home Value Index / ZHVI) for 4 states that tend to attract the most retirees. Within each we chose three representative retirement metro markets. At the end we close with which state looks like it has the best “deals” today, and which looks most stable.

By comparison, the most recent U.S. Zillow Home Value Index was $363,963.