20 Best East Coast Cities in America To Retire Without a Car

Most retirees live on a fixed income and budget in retirement, so finding ways to cut major line items from a retirement budget can greatly increase financial success — up to and including going carless. On average, retirees pay $3,989 yearly for maintenance and repairs, car insurance, gas and vehicle financing. Therefore, cutting $4,000 annually could be a recipe for retirement success.

To do so, though, requires a city with high walkability for a carless lifestyle. To that end, GOBankingRates launched a study to find the 50 best places in America to retire without a car. Locating cities where at least 20% of the population was of retirement age, we selected locations that scored well on the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Walkability Index (a score of 10.51 to 15.25 indicates above-average walkability, score from 15.26 to 20 indicate the most walkable cities). Finally, the list was then narrowed to the American East Coast.

Planning on a carless retirement in New England? Hoping to settle down in the balmy tropics of Florida without a set of wheels? One of these 20 cities might just be your future retirement home.

• Livability: 91
• Walkability: 17.0
• Cost of living (annually): $73,020
• Cost of transportation index: 130.3

• Livability: 92
• Walkability: 15.7
• Cost of living (annually): $135,228
• Cost of transportation index: 102.6

• Livability: 86
• Walkability: 16.7
• Cost of living (annually): $99,127
• Cost of transportation index: 172.8

• Livability: 83
• Walkability: 17.2
• Cost of living (annually): $71,854
• Cost of transportation index: 107.6

• Livability: 78
• Walkability: 18.7
• Cost of living (annually): $72,899
• Cost of transportation index: 96.3

• Livability: 76
• Walkability: 19.0
• Cost of living (annually): $46,517
• Cost of transportation index: 104.3

• Livability: 89
• Walkability: 13.5
• Cost of living (annually): $74,701
• Cost of transportation index: 127.3

• Livability: 85
• Walkability: 15.0
• Cost of living (annually): $95,938
• Cost of transportation index: 171.7

• Livability: 84
• Walkability: 15.2
• Cost of living (annually): $91,581
• Cost of transportation index: 142.8

• Livability: 80
• Walkability: 16.5
• Cost of living (annually): $45,577
• Cost of transportation index: 102.0

• Livability: 83
• Walkability: 15.0
• Cost of living (annually): $76,859
• Cost of transportation index: 139.8

• Livability: 87
• Walkability: 12.5
• Cost of living (annually): $81,620
• Cost of transportation index: 102.3

• Livability: 85
• Walkability: 13.2
• Cost of living (annually): $79,869
• Cost of transportation index: 83.8

• Livability: 88
• Walkability: 11.8
• Cost of living (annually): $63,597
• Cost of transportation index: 112.9

• Livability: 85
• Walkability: 13.0
• Cost of living (annually): $84,096
• Cost of transportation index: 171.2

• Livability: 76
• Walkability: 16.5
• Cost of living (annually): $45,422
• Cost of transportation index: 97.0

• Livability: 80
• Walkability: 14.8
• Cost of living (annually): $191,842
• Cost of transportation index: 130.8

• Livability: 74
• Walkability: 17.0
• Cost of living (annually): $70,422
• Cost of transportation index: 109.9

• Livability: 68
• Walkability: 19.3
• Cost of living (annually): $41,297
• Cost of transportation index: 80.0

• Livability: 81
• Walkability: 14.2
• Cost of living (annually): $51,185
• Cost of transportation index: 85.5

_{Editor’s note: Photos are for representational purposes only and might not reflect the exact locations listed.}

_{Methodology: Using the U.S. Census 2024 1-Year American Community Survey, GOBankingRates sourced total population, population ages 65 and over, total households, median household income, and mean household income were all sourced for this study. To qualify for this study, the city had to have a percentage of the population ages 65 and over of at least 20%. The cost-of-living indexes were sourced from Sperling’s BestPlaces and the average expenditure costs for retired consumer units were sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey. Using the transportation cost-of-living index for each city and national average costs for various transportation-related expenses, the average cost of those services was calculated for each city. The average mortgage, calculated using Zillow Home Value Index and Federal Reserve Economic Data, was added to the expenditures. The livability index was sourced from AreaVibes and used to determine the quality of life. The walkability index was sourced from the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Walkability Index and used to determine the ability to live without driving a car. The livability was scored and weighted at 1.00, the walkability was scored and weighted at 1.00. The scores were summed and sorted to show the best places in America to retire without a car. All data was collected on and is up to date as of Oct. 20, 2025.}