To live where the sand meets the water is a dream for many people, including those who want to retire comfortably under the palms of an affordable beach house.
Between the gorgeous natural landscapes, fun local attractions, incredible seafood cuisine, temperate oceanside weather, and the uncanny feeling that summer is never ending, having a beach house, condo or apartment can feel like you, your family and your friends are in a paradise all your own.
Although beach cities have the reputation of being expensive places to live, each of the coastal cities on this list has a median home price below the U.S. average of $425,177 and an annual cost of living index under 99.9, making them among the cheapest places to live in the country.
To find the cheapest beach towns you can afford to live in, GOBankingRates gathered a list of beach towns from across the United States, and for each city, a number of factors were found from Sperlings BestPlaces, including cost of living indexes for groceries, healthcare, housing, utilities, transportation and miscellaneous expenses. Each index was multiplied by its respective national average annual expenditure cost from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey for all consumers.
GOBankingRates crunched the numbers, calculating the total annual expenditure cost for each city, sorting them to show the cheapest beach towns you can afford to live in. All data is up-to-date as-of August 4th, 2023.
While you’re packing for the beach, see how much these beach towns cost so you know how much you need to live comfortably. Here’s the list of the 35 cheapest beach towns you can afford to live in right now in America.
Port Arthur, Texas
- Median Home Cost: $88,100
- Overall CoL Index: 72.3
Port Lavaca, Texas
- Median Home Cost: $170,500
- Overall CoL Index: $77.1
Palacios, Texas
- Median Home Cost: $158,500
- Overall CoL Index: 78.4
Waveland, Mississippi
- Median Home Cost: $199,600
- Overall CoL Index: 81.5
Gulfport, Mississippi
- Median Home Cost: $172,600
- Overall CoL Index: 80.6
Texas City, Texas
- Median Home Cost: $194,800
- Overall CoL Index: 82
Freeport, Texas
- Median Home Cost: $130,500
- Overall CoL Index: 83.8
Ocracoke, North Carolina
- Median Home Cost: $411,500
- Overall CoL Index: 80.2
Corpus Christi, Texas
- Median Home Cost: $210,500
- Overall CoL Index: 83.7
Pensacola, Florida
- Median Home Cost: $240,000
- Overall CoL Index: 87.2
Carrabelle, Florida
- Median Home Cost: $250,400
- Overall CoL Index: 84.1
Long Beach, Washington
- Median Home Cost: $312,100
- Overall CoL Index: 84
Ocean Springs, Mississippi
- Median Home Cost: $234,500
- Overall CoL Index: 88.1
Daytona Beach, Florida
- Median Home Cost: $245,100
- Overall CoL Index: 86.7
Cameron, Louisiana
- Median Home Cost: $182,000
- Overall CoL Index: 90.3
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
- Median Home Cost: $299,700
- Overall CoL Index: 87.4
Fort Pierce, Florida
- Median Home Cost: $274,000
- Overall CoL Index: 88.4
Panama City, Florida
- Median Home Cost: $252,800
- Overall CoL Index: 88.4
Grand Isle, Louisiana
- Median Home Cost: $219,600
- Overall CoL Index: 90.9
Portland, Texas
- Median Home Cost: $250,00
- Overall CoL Index: 89.1
Rockport, Texas
- Median Home Cost: $307,400
- Overall CoL Index: 89.4
Chincoteague, Virginia
- Median Home Cost: $322,800
- Overall CoL Index: 88.1
Norfolk, Virginia
- Median Home Cost: $271,500
- Overall CoL Index: 91.8
Galveston, Texas
- Median Home Cost: $347,400
- Overall CoL Index: 93.7
Holly Ridge, North Carolina
- Median Home Cost: $310,600
- Overall CoL Index: 94.5
Port Washington, Wisconsin
- Median Home Cost: $273,800
- Overall CoL Index: 96.5
Sneads Ferry, North Carolina
- Median Home Cost: $344,600
- Overall CoL Index: 93.9
Vero Beach, Florida
- Median Home Cost: $349,200
- Overall CoL Index: 95.2
Algoma, Wisconsin
- Median Home Cost: $197,900
- Overall CoL Index: 94.7
South Padre Island, Texas
- Median Home Cost: $416,000
- Overall CoL Index: 92.4
Beaufort, North Carolina
- Median Home Cost: $343,000
- Overall CoL Index: 95
Fort Walton Beach, Florida
- Median Home Cost: $322,200
- Overall CoL Index: 97.1
Port Saint Joe, Florida
- Median Home Cost: $271,500
- Overall CoL Index: 97
Ruskin, Florida
- Median Home Cost: $350,00
- Overall CoL Index: 99.2
Clearwater, Florida
- Median Home Cost: $338,400
- Overall CoL Index: 99.1
John Csiszar contributed to the reporting for this article.
To find the cheapest beach towns you can afford to live in, GOBankingRates gathered a list of beach towns from across the United States, and for each city, a number of factors were found from Sperlings BestPlaces: [1] Grocery Cost of Living Index, [2] Healthcare Cost of Living Index, [3] Housing Cost of Living Index, [4] Utilities Cost of Living Index, [5] Transportation Cost of Living Index, [6] Miscellaneous Cost of Living Index. Each index was multiplied by its respective national average annual expenditure cost from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey for all consumers. Then, GOBankingRates was able to calculate the total annual expenditure cost for each city, sorting them to show the cheapest beach towns you can afford to live in. The beach towns’ overall cost of living index and median home value were also included as supplemental data. All data is up-to-date as-of August 4th, 2023.
Photo Disclaimer: Please note photos are for representational purposes only. As a result, some of the photos might not reflect the locations listed in this article.