50 Cheapest Places To Retire by the Beach

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America’s cheapest city to retire by the beach isn’t in Florida or California, but rather in the South. A new GOBankingRates study has identified Corpus Christi, Texas, as the cheapest U.S. beach town for retirees.

GOBankingRates referred to a variety of media outlets, such as Travel + Leisure and U.S. News & World Report, to source these beach towns. Key factors analyzed include the population ages 65 and over, average household income and monthly cost of living in retirement (calculated using the average mortgage and expenditure costs).

Key Findings

• Florida did not rank in the top five. The five cheapest beachside places are Corpus Christi (TX), Duluth (MN), Salisbury (MD), Atlantic City (NJ) and Columbus (OH). The monthly cost of living does not exceed $3,300 in these five cities.
• Despite not appearing in the top five, Florida is still home to plenty of cheap retirement hotspots. 24 cities appeared in the top 50 and rank as follows: Pensacola (#6), Crystal River (#8), Daytona Beach (#9), Jacksonville (#10), Lakeland (#11), Hudson (#12), Englewood (#17), Punta Gorda (#21), Melbourne (#22), Vero Beach (#24), Fort Myers (#25), Clearwater (#27), Port Saint Lucie (#28), Tampa (#29), Venice (#32), Saint Augustine (#33), New Smyrna Beach (#34), Sarasota (#35), Deerfield Beach (#37), Stuart (#38), Mexico Beach (#41), Grant-Valkaria (#42), Bonita Springs (#48) and Destin (#49).
• Most of the top 10 beach towns are in the South and on the East Coast. Duluth (#2) and Columbus (#5) are the only Midwestern cities to receive top 10 mentions.
• Only one California town is in the top 50. Guerneville slipped into 45th place with $4,855 in monthly expenses.

See the 50 cheapest places to retire by the beach from coast to coast. Plus, which 30 towns are the nation’s safest and wealthiest?

1. Corpus Christi, Texas

• % of retired people: 15.6%
• Median household income: $67,394
• Monthly cost of living: $3,015
• Livability: 80

2. Duluth, Minnesota

• % of retired people: 17.3%
• Median household income: $68,807
• Monthly cost of living: $3,158
• Livability: 80

3. Salisbury, Maryland

• % of retired people: 13.3%
• Median household income: $58,576
• Monthly cost of living: $3,164
• Livability: 60

4. Atlantic City, New Jersey

• % of retired people: 16.6%
• Median household income: $41,028
• Monthly cost of living: $3,193
• Livability: 55

5. Columbus, Ohio

• % of retired people: 11.3%
• Median household income: $66,082
• Monthly cost of living: $3,211
• Livability: 81

6. Pensacola, Florida

• % of retired people: 21.3%
• Median household income: $74,212
• Monthly cost of living: $3,226
• Livability: 83

7. Ocean Springs, Mississippi

• % of retired people: 21.4%
• Median household income: $79,712
• Monthly cost of living: $3,267
• Livability: 84

8. Crystal River, Florida

• % of retired people: 46.6%
• Median household income: $54,405
• Monthly cost of living: $3,310
• Livability: 66

9. Daytona Beach, Florida

• % of retired people: 22.5%
• Median household income: $52,058
• Monthly cost of living: $3,371
• Livability: 80

10. Jacksonville, Florida

• % of retired people: 14.9%
• Median household income: $69,872
• Monthly cost of living: $3,488
• Livability: 84

11. Lakeland, Florida

• % of retired people: 21.5%
• Median household income: $64,185
• Monthly cost of living: $3,509
• Livability: 77

12. Hudson, Florida

• % of retired people: 46.4%
• Median household income: $51,513
• Monthly cost of living: $3,567
• Livability: 73

13. Savannah, Georgia

• % of retired people: 14.3%
• Median household income: $57,137
• Monthly cost of living: $3,580
• Livability: 81

14. Chicago

• % of retired people: 13.8%
• Median household income: $77,902
• Monthly cost of living: $3,610   
• Livability: 78

15. Long Beach, Washington

• % of retired people: 30%
• Median household income: $53,032
• Monthly cost of living: $3,620
• Livability: 74

16. Ocean Shores, Washington

• % of retired people: 46.5%
• Median household income: $58,202
• Monthly cost of living: $3,677
• Livability: 61

17. Englewood, Florida

• % of retired people: 60.1%
• Median household income: $69,222
• Monthly cost of living: $3,703
• Livability: 72

18. New London, Connecticut

• % of retired people: 15%
• Median household income: $59,098
• Monthly cost of living: $3,731
• Livability: 72

19. Chincoteague, Virginia

• % of retired people: 37.6%
• Median household income: $62,917
• Monthly cost of living: $3,754
• Livability: 65

20. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

• % of retired people: 23.7%
• Median household income: $60,394
• Monthly cost of living: $3,772
• Livability: 67

21. Punta Gorda, Florida

• % of retired people: 53.6%
• Median household income: $85,779
• Monthly cost of living: $3,783
• Livability: 76

22. Melbourne, Florida

• % of retired people: 22.5%
• Median household income: $66,991
• Monthly cost of living: $3,823
• Livability: 85

23. Cape Charles, Virginia

• % of retired people: 37.7%
• Median household income: $73,750
• Monthly cost of living: $3,845
• Livability: 58

24. Vero Beach, Florida

• % of retired people: 28.9%
• Median household income: $69,758
• Monthly cost of living: $3,874
• Livability: 79

25. Fort Myers, Florida

• % of retired people: 23.2%
• Median household income: $63,732
• Monthly cost of living: $3,912
• Livability: 85

26. Calabash, North Carolina

• % of retired people: 32.1%
• Median household income: $65,310
• Monthly cost of living: $3,975
• Livability: 62

27. Clearwater, Florida

• % of retired people: 24.1%
• Median household income: $66,381
• Monthly cost of living: $3,979
• Livability: 81

28. Port St. Lucie, Florida

• % of retired people: 21.8%
• Median household income: $80,648
• Monthly cost of living: $3,997
• Livability: 68

29. Tampa, Florida

• % of retired people: 13.7%
• Median household income: $75,475
• Monthly cost of living: $4,024
• Livability: 80

30. Beaufort, South Carolina

• % of retired people: 14.9%
• Median household income: $61,220
• Monthly cost of living: $4,029
• Livability: 71

31. Surfside Beach, South Carolina

• % of retired people: 28.9%
• Median household income: $70,106
• Monthly cost of living: $4,054
• Livability: 73

32. Venice, Florida

• % of retired people: 61.4%
• Median household income: $76,755
• Monthly cost of living: $4,137
• Livability: 79

33. St. Augustine, Florida

• % of retired people: 27.4%
• Median household income: $78,151
• Monthly cost of living: $4,222
• Livability: 87

34. New Smyrna Beach, Florida

• % of retired people: 35.3%
• Median household income: $83,865
• Monthly cost of living: $4,227
• Livability: 70

35. Sarasota, Florida

• % of retired people: 29.2%
• Median household income: $72,105
• Monthly cost of living: $4,248
• Livability: 80

36. Virginia Beach, Virginia

• % of retired people: 15.9%
• Median household income: $92,968
• Monthly cost of living: $4,248
• Livability: 83

37. Deerfield Beach, Florida

• % of retired people: 22.7%
• Median household income: $59,730
• Monthly cost of living: $4,275
• Livability: 75

38. Stuart, Florida

• % of retired people: 29.1%
• Median household income: $60,225
• Monthly cost of living: $4,389
• Livability: 86

39. Dauphin Island, Alabama

• % of retired people: 36.8%
• Median household income: $67,206
• Monthly cost of living: $4,419
• Livability: 71

40. Gulf Shores, Alabama

• % of retired people: 25.9%
• Median household income: $78,188
• Monthly cost of living: $4,483
• Livability: 68

41. Mexico Beach, Florida

• % of retired people: 38.1%
• Median household income: $63,864
• Monthly cost of living: $4,567
• Livability: 66

42. Grant-Valkaria, Florida

• % of retired people: 41.4%
• Median household income: $119,583
• Monthly cost of living: $4,685
• Livability: 71

43. Ocean City, Maryland

• % of retired people: 31.2%
• Median household income: $77,750
• Monthly cost of living: $4,686
• Livability: 72

44. Sunset Beach, North Carolina

• % of retired people: 59.7%
• Median household income: $81,976
• Monthly cost of living: $4,772
• Livability: 66

45. Guerneville, California

• % of retired people: 27%
• Median household income: $81,281
• Monthly cost of living: $4,855
• Livability: 57

46. Charleston, South Carolina

• % of retired people: 16.4%
• Median household income: $92,414
• Monthly cost of living: $5,086
• Livability: 77

47. Port Townsend, Washington

• % of retired people: 43.6%
• Median household income: $62,606
• Monthly cost of living: $5,137
• Livability: 60

48. Bonita Springs, Florida

• % of retired people: 44.2%
• Median household income: $95,210
• Monthly cost of living: $5,151
• Livability: 70

49. Destin, Florida

• % of retired people: 18.3%
• Median household income: $89,011
• Monthly cost of living: $5,259
• Livability: 79

50. Orange Beach, Alabama

• % of retired people: 23.7%
• Median household income: $97,736
• Monthly cost of living: $5,326
• Livability: 77

Explore more original studies and surveys in the GOBankingRates original research center.

Methodology: GOBankingRates sourced beach towns from Travel + Leisure, Thrillist.com, Realtor.com, U.S. News & World Report, and USA Today. Population ages 65 and over and household median income were sourced from the US Census 2024 5-Year ACS. The cost-of-living indexes were sourced from Sperling’s BestPlaces. The national average expenditure costs for retired households were sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024 Consumer Expenditure Survey for retired consumer units. The average home value was sourced from Zillow Home Value Index from January 2026. The average mortgage was calculated for each location using the home value, assuming a 10% down payment and using the national average 30-year fixed mortgage rate, as sourced from the Federal Reserve Economic Data. Cost of living was then calculated by adding mortgage to cost of expenditures for each location. The livability index was sourced from AreaVibes. The beach towns were sorted to show the cheapest cost of living first. All data is up to date as of March 4, 2026.

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