The 5 Most Beautiful Places To Retire on the Average 401(k)

One of the great things about beautiful scenery is that it’s free to look at — unless you want to live near it. In that case, you’ll likely pay a premium. Many of the most beautiful places in the United States have high costs of living, which makes it tough for retirees who have the typical 401(k) savings. But there are some exceptions.

GOBankingRates analyzed U.S. cities to find cheap, beautiful places to retire. The analysis looked at a variety of categories, including the costs of housing, groceries, healthcare, utilities, transportation and other items. It arrived at total living costs as well as living costs after you account for average Social Security checks.

GBR also analyzed data from Booking.com’s Natural Beauty Index, which measures the natural attractions a place offers measured by state parks, national parks, volcanoes, lakes, shoreline and mountains. In terms of beautiful places, index scores typically range between a low of 4.55 and a high of 8.40.

Many of the most beautiful places in the Natural Beauty Index are located in the Pacific Northwest — especially Washington state. It happens that many of those places are also kind of pricey, which makes them difficult retirement destinations for most U.S. seniors.

According to a 2023 Vanguard report cited by CNN Underscored, the average 401(k) balance for Americans 65 and older is $232,710. However, a GBR analysis of Department of Labor and Missouri Economic Research and Information Center data found that the average 401(k) balance at retirement is about $300,000.

If you take the average of those two studies, you come up with an average of $266,355. Spread out over a 20-year retirement, the typical 401(k) balance equals roughly $13,317 a year. So if you want to retire in a beautiful place, you’ll need to find one where living costs are about that much after Social Security income is accounted for.

Following is a list of the five most beautiful places to retire on the average 401(k) balance at retirement. All places have a Natural Beauty Index rating of at least 5.25, while three of them score a highest-possible rating of 8.4.

Natural beauty index: 8.4

Annual cost of living after Social Security benefits: $11,742.33

Natural beauty index: 5.25

Annual cost of living after Social Security benefits: $13,461.26

Natural beauty index: 8.4

Annual cost of living after Social Security benefits: $ 12,448.49

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Natural beauty index: 5.77

Annual cost of living after Social Security benefits: $11,862.18

Natural beauty index: 8.4

Annual cost of living after Social Security benefits: $ 12,311.74