Housing News

Where Should You Buy a Home for Retirement? These 10 Cities Stand Out

Finding the right place to retire isn’t always about finding the lowest-priced home.

Where retirees live can affect everything from their savings, taxes, and health care costs to how easy it is to get around and what they do with their free time. A more expensive housing market may offer advantages that matter more to some retirees than a cheaper cost of living over the long term.

Despite rising costs, Florida remained a top retirement destination. A new WalletHub ranking named Orlando, Fla., as the best place to retire in 2026, followed by Miami and Tampa, Fla.

“Because of no state income tax and warm weather, Florida continues to attract retirees,” said Cara Ameer, a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker in Florida and California. “These cities also offer a diverse array of housing options, from new construction and waterfront properties to luxury condos, along with abundant shopping, dining, sports, and entertainment, making them fun places to live.”

WalletHub compared 182 cities using 45 measures grouped into affordability, activities, quality of life, and health care. Its affordability measure includes expenses beyond housing, such as cost of living and taxes.

“It’s important to choose wisely when picking where to retire, as many retirees are on a fixed income,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said in a statement.

For homebuyers preparing for retirement, getting pre-approved for a mortgage can help clarify how much they may need to finance after accounting for savings, retirement income, and equity from the sale of an existing home.

Here are WalletHub’s top 10 places to retire

#1. Orlando, Fla.
Median metro listing price: $415,000*

Orlando combines strong affordability with plenty for retirees to do. WalletHub ranks it No. 5 for affordability, No. 18 for activities (such as all those theme parks), and No. 14 for health care. Florida also has no individual income tax, estate tax, or inheritance tax and year-round warm weather.

“Retirees can stretch their retirement income further without the burden of state income tax,” said Ameer.  

Homebuyers may find some negotiating room. In the Orlando metro, 23.3% of listings had a price reduction in August, according to Realtor.com.

#2. Miami
Median metro listing price: $490,000

Miami illustrates that retirement isn’t necessarily about finding the cheapest place to live.

WalletHub ranks Miami No. 76 for affordability, yet it ranks fourth overall. The South Florida city ranks No. 5 nationally for activities and No. 26 for health care.

#3. Tampa, Fla.
Median metro listing price: $390,000

Tampa offers retirees another Florida option with a lower median metro listing price than Orlando or Miami.

WalletHub ranks Tampa No. 10 nationally for activities and No. 35 for quality of life.

The housing market may also present opportunities. Median listing prices in the Tampa metro fell 6% year-over-year in August, while 25.5% of listings had received a price cut, according to Realtor.com.

#4. Scottsdale, Ariz.
Median metro listing price: $475,000

Scottsdale makes a strong case for looking beyond higher home prices when choosing where to retire.

WalletHub ranks Scottsdale No. 116 for affordability. Yet the Arizona city ranks No. 1 for quality of life and No. 17 for activities. It also has the highest share of residents aged 65 and older among the cities WalletHub studied. And it offers mild winters.

#5. Casper, Wyo.
Median metro listing price: $415,000

Casper, in snowy, central Wyoming, turns the affordability story around.

WalletHub ranks Casper No. 1 in the country for affordability. This helped the Wyoming city break into the top 10 despite ranking No. 74 for both activities and health care and No. 75 for quality of life.

#6. Atlanta
Median metro listing price: $419,900

Atlanta offers a different model for retirement: staying close to the amenities of a major metropolitan area.

The Georgia capital ranks No. 4 nationally for activities. WalletHub also found that Atlanta tied for the most museums per capita among the cities it studied.

Homebuyers may encounter sellers willing to negotiate. One-quarter of Atlanta-area listings saw price reductions in August, while housing stock was up 3.4% from a year earlier, according to Realtor.com.

#7. Minneapolis
Median metro listing price: $419,900

Minneapolis stands out for retirees who want more home options and don’t mind colder weather.

Housing stock in the Minneapolis metro rose 32.9% year-over-year in August, the largest increase among the 50 largest metros tracked by Realtor.com. New listings rose 13.3%, while the median listing price fell 3.1%. 

WalletHub also ranks Minneapolis No. 7 nationally for activities and No. 13 for health care.

#8. Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Median metro listing price: $490,000

Fort Lauderdale is the fourth Florida city to appear on WalletHub’s top 10.

The South Florida city ranks No. 14 nationally for activities and No. 47 for health care. It also tied for the most fishing facilities per capita in WalletHub’s study.

Retirees considering condos or planned communities should include homeowner association dues, special assessments, insurance, and maintenance when factoring in their monthly housing costs.

#9. Charleston, S.C.
Median metro listing price: $480,000

Charleston ranks No. 29 nationally for affordability and No. 26 for activities, helping the historic, coastal, Southern city land at No. 9 overall for retirement.

Homebuyers may also have more room to negotiate. In August, active listings in the Charleston-North Charleston metro were up 8.1% from a year earlier, while the median listing price fell 5%, according to Realtor.com. About 28.2% of listings had a price reduction.

#10. Pittsburgh
Median metro listing price: $249,900

Pittsburgh stands out for health care, ranking No. 7 nationally in WalletHub’s analysis. It also ranks No. 21 for activities and No. 112 for affordability.

The Pittsburgh metro had 15% more active listings in August than a year earlier, while the median listing price fell 1.6%, according to Realtor.com. About 20.8% of listings had a price cut.

* Median home list price data is from August 2026 from Realtor.com.