The nation’s five most expensive retirement towns all have one thing in common: They’re in California.
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How did we determine the 30 most expensive retirement towns in the United States? First, we isolated cities with populations over 25,000 and percentages of residents ages 65+ of at least 25%. Cost-of-living indexes were multiplied by average expenditure costs for retirees, and mortgage and rent costs were added to find the total cost of necessities for retired homeowners.
Key Findings
California is home to America’s five most expensive retirement towns. Ranked from first to fifth place, they are Saratoga, Rancho Palos Verdes, Walnut Creek, Cerritos and Palm Springs.
High-priced towns in Massachusetts, Arizona and Florida also cracked the top 10. Among the 10 most expensive retirement towns are two Massachusetts towns (Gloucester at #8 and Barnstable Town at #10), along with Scottsdale, Arizona, (#6) and Palm Beach Gardens, Florida (#9).
14 Florida towns ranked in the list of 30, accounting for nearly 50% of the nation’s priciest retirement towns: Palm Beach Gardens (#9), Aventura (#11), Bonita Springs (#15), Delray Beach (#16), Dunedin (#19), Tarpon Springs (#20), Sarasota (#21), New Smyrna Beach (#23), Venice (#24), Bradenton (#25), Tamarac (#26), Cape Coral (#28), Largo (#29) and Ormond Beach (#30).
Ranked from most to least expensive, here are the 30 most expensive retirement towns in America.
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1. Saratoga, California
% of population 65+: 26%
Average home value: $4,118,931
Average cost of groceries (annual): $6,165
Average cost of healthcare (annual): $8,544
Total cost of living for a homeowner annually: $282,625
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2. Rancho Palos Verdes, California
% of population 65+: 26%
Average home value: $1,928,908
Average cost of groceries (annual): $5,452
Average cost of healthcare (annual): $7,156
Total cost of living for a homeowner annually: $144,381
3. Walnut Creek, California
% of population 65+: 29%
Average home value: $1,437,769
Average cost of groceries (annual): $5,551
Average cost of healthcare (annual): $9,607
Total cost of living for a homeowner annually: $115,206
4. Cerritos, California
% of population 65+: 25%
Average home value: $1,086,360
Average cost of groceries (annual): $5,129
Average cost of healthcare (annual): $6,878
Total cost of living for a homeowner annually: $91,644
5. Palm Springs, California
% of population 65+: 34%
Average home value: $1,021,141
Average cost of groceries (annual): $4,961
Average cost of healthcare (annual): $6,926
Total cost of living for a homeowner annually: $86,550
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6. Scottsdale, Arizona
% of population 65+: 26%
Average home value: $954,919
Average cost of groceries (annual): $5,120
Average cost of healthcare (annual): $7,338
Total cost of living for a homeowner annually: $81,525
7. La Quinta, California
% of population 65+: 31%
Average home value: $785,335
Average cost of groceries (annual): $4,976
Average cost of healthcare (annual): $6,926
Total cost of living for a homeowner annually: $71,613
8. Gloucester, Massachusetts
% of population 65+: 26%
Average home value: $800,820
Average cost of groceries (annual): $5,417
Average cost of healthcare (annual): $7,029
Total cost of living for a homeowner annually: $71,334
9. Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
% of population 65+: 31%
Average home value: $759,350
Average cost of groceries (annual): $5,417
Average cost of healthcare (annual): $8,012
Total cost of living for a homeowner annually: $70,601
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10. Barnstable Town, Massachusetts
% of population 65+: 25%
Average home value: $741,632
Average cost of groceries (annual): $5,377
Average cost of healthcare (annual): $7,401
Total cost of living for a homeowner annually: $68,453
11. Aventura, Florida
% of population 65+: 26%
Average home value: $666,041
Average cost of groceries (annual): $5,372
Average cost of healthcare (annual): $8,250
Total cost of living for a homeowner annually: $65,914
12. Lincoln, California
% of population 65+: 27%
Average home value: $656,147
Average cost of groceries (annual): $5,293
Average cost of healthcare (annual): $8,139
Total cost of living for a homeowner annually: $64,059
13. Palm Desert, California
% of population 65+: 37%
Average home value: $642,854
Average cost of groceries (annual): $4,936
Average cost of healthcare (annual): $6,926
Total cost of living for a homeowner annually: $62,572
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14. Prescott, Arizona
% of population 65+: 41%
Average home value: $623,194
Average cost of groceries (annual): $4,961
Average cost of healthcare (annual): $10,273
Total cost of living for a homeowner annually: $62,383
15. Bonita Springs, Florida
% of population 65+: 43%
Average home value: $609,650
Average cost of groceries (annual): $5,328
Average cost of healthcare (annual): $9,456
Total cost of living for a homeowner annually: $61,349
16. Delray Beach, Florida
% of population 65+: 28%
Average home value: $563,507
Average cost of groceries (annual): $5,248
Average cost of healthcare (annual): $8,012
Total cost of living for a homeowner annually: $58,417
17. Santa Fe, New Mexico
% of population 65+: 26%
Average home value: $612,233
Average cost of groceries (annual): $5,006
Average cost of healthcare (annual): $6,521
Total cost of living for a homeowner annually: $57,749
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18. Lake Havasu City, Arizona
% of population 65+: 35%
Average home value: $486,770
Average cost of groceries (annual): $4,847
Average cost of healthcare (annual): $10,400
Total cost of living for a homeowner annually: $53,721
19. Dunedin, Florida
% of population 65+: 35%
Average home value: $471,601
Average cost of groceries (annual): $5,224
Average cost of healthcare (annual): $8,227
Total cost of living for a homeowner annually: $52,200
20. Tarpon Springs, Florida
% of population 65+: 31%
Average home value: $450,937
Average cost of groceries (annual): $5,219
Average cost of healthcare (annual): $8,227
Total cost of living for a homeowner annually: $50,679
21. Sarasota, Florida
% of population 65+: 29%
Average home value: $459,792
Average cost of groceries (annual): $5,278
Average cost of healthcare (annual): $8,068
Total cost of living for a homeowner annually: $50,319
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22. Georgetown, Texas
% of population 65+: 28%
Average home value: $445,631
Average cost of groceries (annual): $4,713
Average cost of healthcare (annual): $7,989
Total cost of living for a homeowner annually: $50,144
23. New Smyrna Beach, Florida
% of population 65+: 35%
Average home value: $447,930
Average cost of groceries (annual): $5,090
Average cost of healthcare (annual): $8,147
Total cost of living for a homeowner annually: $49,745
24. Venice, Florida
% of population 65+: 60%
Average home value: $432,874
Average cost of groceries (annual): $5,293
Average cost of healthcare (annual): $8,068
Total cost of living for a homeowner annually: $49,034
25. Bradenton, Florida
% of population 65+: 27%
Average home value: $419,337
Average cost of groceries (annual): $5,144
Average cost of healthcare (annual): $7,901
Total cost of living for a homeowner annually: $47,928
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26. Tamarac, Florida
% of population 65+: 26%
Average home value: $390,907
Average cost of groceries (annual): $5,139
Average cost of healthcare (annual): $7,870
Total cost of living for a homeowner annually: $47,914
27. Banning, California
% of population 65+: 29%
Average home value: $422,401
Average cost of groceries (annual): $4,802
Average cost of healthcare (annual): $8,092
Total cost of living for a homeowner annually: $47,141
28. Cape Coral, Florida
% of population 65+: 25%
Average home value: $366,430
Average cost of groceries (annual): $5,204
Average cost of healthcare (annual): $9,456
Total cost of living for a homeowner annually: $46,886
29. Largo, Florida
% of population 65+: 27%
Average home value: $375,120
Average cost of groceries (annual): $5,174
Average cost of healthcare (annual): $8,227
Total cost of living for a homeowner annually: $45,895
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30. Ormond Beach, Florida
% of population 65+: 33%
Average home value: $387,914
Average cost of groceries (annual): $5,050
Average cost of healthcare (annual): $8,147
Total cost of living for a homeowner annually: $45,794
Methodology: For this study, GOBankingRates first isolated cities with a total population greater than 25,000 and the percentage of the population of residents ages 65 and over of at least 25%, as sourced from the U.S. Census’ 2023 5-year American Community Survey. After isolating the retirement towns, GOBankingRates found for each city the average rent for all rental types (sourced from Zillow Observed Value Index from May 2025), average home value (sourced from Zillow Home Value Index from May 2025), average mortgage cost (assuming a 20% down payment and using the national average 30-year fixed mortgage rate from June 26 of 6.77%, sourced from the Federal Reserve Economic Data) and assuming there is no HOA fees or property taxes, cost-of-living indexes covering grocery, healthcare, utilities, and transportation sourced from Sperling’s BestPlaces and multiplied by the average expenditure costs for retirees for each expenditure (sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2023 Consumer Expenditure Survey Consumer Expenditure Survey for retired households). The expenditure costs were added to the mortgage and rent cost to find the total cost of necessities for homeowners and renters. The cities were sorted to show the highest to the lowest total cost of necessities for retired homeowners. All data was collected on and is up to date as of June 27, 2025.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 30 Most Expensive Retirement Towns in America
