21 Affordable Small Cities To Retire on the East Coast

Some dream of spending their retirement in an adventurous big city, others hope to live on a beach, while some plan to spend their retirement traveling. Others, though, look forward to the quiet simplicity of spending their golden years in a small town. As your retirement approaches, you might find yourself daydreaming of that quiet, small-town life — low traffic, no loud noises, minimal crime rates, etc.

GOBankingRates analyzed data concerning livability, median incomes and crime rates across America, specifically in the country’s small towns. That breakdown located the 44 best small towns to retire in across America and broke down that list further into the 21 best small towns on the East Coast for your retirement years.

Whether your dream is to settle down in New England, with its gorgeous winters, or spend your retirement years basking in the warmth of the Gulf Coast, the perfect small town for your East Coast retirement is on this list.

• Monthly expenditures: $1,845
• Average rent: $995
• Livability: 80

• Monthly expenditures: $1,863
• Average rent: $1,073
• Livability: 81

• Monthly expenditures: $1,832
• Average rent: $1,353
• Livability: 80

• Monthly expenditures: $1,840
• Average rent: $1,504
• Livability: 81

• Monthly expenditures: $1,902
• Average rent: $1,454
• Livability: 92

• Monthly expenditures: $1,980
• Average rent: $1,692
• Livability: 80

• Monthly expenditures: $1,865
• Average rent: $1,850
• Livability: 84

• Monthly expenditures: $2,033
• Average rent: $1,833
• Livability: 85

• Monthly expenditures: $1,947
• Average rent: $1,970
• Livability: 87

• Monthly expenditures: $1,797
• Average rent: $2,492
• Livability: 88

• Monthly expenditures: $2,303
• Average rent: $2,046
• Livability: 80

• Monthly expenditures: $1,925
• Average rent: $2,483
• Livability: 81

• Monthly expenditures: $1,990
• Average rent: $2,464
• Livability: 81

• Monthly expenditures: $2,079
• Average rent: $2,448
• Livability: 81

• Monthly expenditures: $2,072
• Average rent: $2,538
• Livability: 82

• Monthly expenditures: $2,002
• Average rent: $2,617
• Livability: 81

• Monthly expenditures: $1,902
• Average rent: $2,921
• Livability: 82

• Monthly expenditures: $2,065
• Average rent: $2,856
• Livability: 81

• Monthly expenditures: $2,096
• Average rent: $2,870
• Livability: 87

• Monthly expenditures: $1,993
• Average rent: $3,125
• Livability: 80

• Monthly expenditures: $2,065
• Average rent: $3,320
• Livability: 81

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

Methodology: GOBankingRates found all towns with populations between 1,000 and 10,000 residents, as sourced from the U.S. Census American Community Survey, along with the total households and median household income. The average rental cost was sourced from Zillow Observed Rental Index. The cost-of-living indexes were sourced from Sperling’s BestPlaces. Using the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey for Retired Residents, the average expenditure cost was calculated for each city. The expenditure cost was added to the rental cost to find the monthly total cost of living. Using the FBI’s Crime Data Explorer, the number of reported crimes for each city was found and the crime rate per 1,000 residents was calculated. The livability index was found from AreaVibes. All cities with data missing from any source were removed and the remaining 200 cities were scored. The household median income was scored and weighted at 1.00, the expenditure cost was scored and weighted at 1.25, the rent cost was scored and weighted at 1.25, the livability index was scored and weighted at 1.00, and the crime rate was scored and weighted at 1.00. All of the scores were summed and sorted to show the best small towns to retire in America. All data was collected on and is up to date as of April 8, 2024.