The 10 best places to retire in 2026

By Muhammad Ejaz·Finance content creator·

Say you are 67 and married, with $500,000 saved and the average Social Security check. Of the 23 cities ranked here, Sioux Falls, South Dakota comes out on top for you, then Chattanooga and St. George. In Sioux Falls that money lasts until 91.

The ranking weighs four things a retirement runs on. They are how far the money goes, how safe the streets are, how good the hospitals are, and whether you will have neighbors your own age. Every figure comes from an official source, and the method is at the bottom of the page.

The ten best places to retire, at a glance

Here are the ten, with the four figures behind each score.

#City$500,000 lasts toViolent crime per 100,0004- or 5-star hospitalsResidents 65+Score
1Sioux Falls, SD91364314.1%78
2Chattanooga, TN90700317.3%69
3St. George, UT85189121.8%64
4Greenville, SC88466315.1%63
5Pittsburgh, PA87472515.6%61
6Madison, WI85214313.0%58
7Huntsville, AL88395016.4%58
8Tucson, AZ86355116.2%57
9Lakeland, FL86368021.5%53
10San Antonio, TX87528313.4%53

The household is a couple at 67 with $500,000 in an IRA. Social Security pays the national average for a retired couple. They spend $6,000 a month at US-average prices. Money lasts to: the state study's engine, with each metro area's 2024 price level from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Crime: the FBI's 2025 figures for the city's police. Hospitals: acute care hospitals Medicare lists in the city, with its overall star rating. Residents 65+ and rent: the Census Bureau's 2020-2024 survey.

Falls Park in Sioux Falls, with the falls of the Big Sioux River in the foreground and the downtown buildings behind.
Photo: Maxpower2727 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Number 1 of 23 · score 78 of 100

1. Sioux Falls, South Dakota: $500,000 lasts to 91

Sioux Falls is South Dakota’s largest city, named for the waterfalls of the Big Sioux River in a park near downtown.

Everyday prices in the metro area run 9.4% below the US average, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis count. Take a couple at 67 with $500,000 and the average Social Security check. Here their money lasts until 91. In the first year the state takes no income tax from them.

Median rent is $1,035 a month. A paid-off home costs a median $647 a month to run, with property tax and insurance in that figure. The median home is worth $292,400.

The FBI's 2025 figures give 364 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, against 395 in the middle city of the pool. Medicare gives 4 or 5 stars to 3 hospitals in the city. Among them are Avera Heart Hospital of South Dakota and Sanford USD Medical Center.

Of the people who live here, 14.1% are 65 or older. January averages 18°F and July 74°F. National Park Service sites nearby include Pipestone National Monument and Missouri National Recreational River. Airline flights leave from Sioux Falls Regional Airport. For classes, there is the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of South Dakota, a program for older adults.

Suits a budget that has to stretch: $500,000 lasts until 91 for the couple, with local prices and state tax counted.

Costs you some company your own age. Only 14.1% of residents are 65 or older, against 16.2% in the middle city of the pool.

Downtown Chattanooga across the Tennessee River late in the day, with Lookout Mountain behind and the Walnut Street Bridge at the right.
Photo: Breethol via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
Number 2 of 23 · score 69 of 100

2. Chattanooga, Tennessee: $500,000 lasts to 90

Chattanooga lies on a bend of the Tennessee River among ridges, with Lookout Mountain rising over the city and a riverfront made for walking.

Everyday prices in the metro area run 8.5% below the US average, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis count. Take a couple at 67 with $500,000 and the average Social Security check. Here their money lasts until 90. In the first year the state takes no income tax from them.

Median rent is $1,256 a month. A paid-off home costs a median $552 a month to run, with property tax and insurance in that figure. The median home is worth $283,200.

The FBI's 2025 figures give 700 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, against 395 in the middle city of the pool. Medicare gives 4 or 5 stars to 3 hospitals in the city. Among them are Memorial Healthcare System and Erlanger Medical Center.

Of the people who live here, 17.3% are 65 or older. January averages 42°F and July 81°F. National Park Service sites nearby include Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park and Russell Cave National Monument. Airline flights leave from Chattanooga Airport (Lovell Field).

Suits a budget that has to stretch: $500,000 lasts until 90 for the couple, with local prices and state tax counted.

Costs you some safety. The city recorded 700 violent crimes per 100,000 residents. The middle city in the pool recorded 395.

The red and white sandstone cliffs of Snow Canyon under a clear blue sky, with the desert valley floor below.
Snow Canyon, seen from the overlook trail north of St. George.
Number 3 of 23 · score 64 of 100

3. St. George, Utah: the lowest crime rate on the list

St. George is a desert city in Utah’s southwest corner, among red rock cliffs, with Zion National Park less than an hour’s drive away.

Everyday prices in the metro area run 2.7% below the US average, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis count. Take a couple at 67 with $500,000 and the average Social Security check. Here their money lasts until 85. In the first year the state takes no income tax from them.

Median rent is $1,545 a month. A paid-off home costs a median $525 a month to run, with property tax and insurance in that figure. The median home is worth $496,100.

The FBI's 2025 figures give 189 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, against 395 in the middle city of the pool. Medicare gives 4 or 5 stars to one hospital in the city, St. George Regional Hospital.

Of the people who live here, 21.8% are 65 or older. January averages 41°F and July 87°F. National Park Service sites nearby include Zion National Park and Pipe Spring National Monument. Airline flights leave from St. George Regional Airport. For classes, there is the Institute for Continued Learning at Utah Tech University, built for people 50 and over and open to any adult.

Suits anyone who puts calm streets first: 189 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, against 395 in the middle city of the pool.

Costs you hospital choice. One hospital in the city carries 4 or 5 stars from Medicare, fewer than in most of the pool.

The Liberty Bridge arching over the Reedy River falls in Falls Park, with downtown Greenville's towers behind the autumn trees.
Photo: Stch2022 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Number 4 of 23 · score 63 of 100

4. Greenville, South Carolina: 3 top-rated hospitals

Greenville grew up around the falls of the Reedy River, and its downtown park and footbridge sit right over them. The Blue Ridge foothills begin a few miles north of town.

Everyday prices in the metro area run 6.7% below the US average, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis count. Take a couple at 67 with $500,000 and the average Social Security check. Here their money lasts until 88. In the first year the state takes no income tax from them.

Median rent is $1,312 a month. A paid-off home costs a median $642 a month to run, with property tax and insurance in that figure. The median home is worth $487,500.

The FBI's 2025 figures give 466 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, against 395 in the middle city of the pool. Medicare gives 4 or 5 stars to 3 hospitals in the city. Among them are Prisma Health Patewood Hospital and Prisma Health Greenville Memorial Hospital.

Of the people who live here, 15.1% are 65 or older. January averages 43°F and July 80°F. National Park Service sites nearby include Cowpens National Battlefield and Kings Mountain National Military Park. Airline flights leave from Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport. For classes, there is the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Furman University, a program for older adults.

Suits anyone who wants good hospitals close: 3 in the city carry 4 or 5 stars from Medicare.

Costs you some company your own age. Only 15.1% of residents are 65 or older, against 16.2% in the middle city of the pool.

Downtown Pittsburgh at dusk, seen from Mount Washington across the river, with the skyline and the bridges beside it.
Photo: Dan Chmill via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0, cropped
Number 5 of 23 · score 61 of 100

5. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: the most top-rated hospitals

Pittsburgh sits where the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers meet to form the Ohio, a city of steep hills, neighborhoods and bridges.

Everyday prices in the metro area run 5.3% below the US average, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis count. Take a couple at 67 with $500,000 and the average Social Security check. Here their money lasts until 87. In the first year the state takes no income tax from them.

Median rent is $1,261 a month. A paid-off home costs a median $571 a month to run, with property tax and insurance in that figure. The median home is worth $205,800.

The FBI's 2025 figures give 472 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, against 395 in the middle city of the pool. Medicare gives 4 or 5 stars to 5 hospitals in the city. Among them are Magee Womens Hospital of UPMC Health System and St. Clair Hospital.

Of the people who live here, 15.6% are 65 or older. January averages 29°F and July 73°F. National Park Service sites nearby include Fort Necessity National Battlefield and Flight 93 National Memorial. Airline flights leave from Pittsburgh International Airport. For classes, there is the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Pittsburgh, a program for older adults.

Suits anyone who wants good hospitals close: 5 in the city carry 4 or 5 stars from Medicare.

Costs you some safety. The city recorded 472 violent crimes per 100,000 residents. The middle city in the pool recorded 395.

Downtown Madison across Lake Monona, with the Wisconsin State Capitol dome rising above the lakeside buildings.
Photo: Richard Hurd via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0, cropped
Number 6 of 23 · score 58 of 100

6. Madison, Wisconsin: among the safest cities measured

Madison is Wisconsin’s capital, set on an isthmus between two lakes, with the University of Wisconsin campus along the shore of one.

Everyday prices in the metro area run 2.7% below the US average, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis count. Take a couple at 67 with $500,000 and the average Social Security check. Here their money lasts until 85. In the first year the state takes no income tax from them.

Median rent is $1,413 a month. A paid-off home costs a median $936 a month to run, with property tax and insurance in that figure. The median home is worth $372,900.

The FBI's 2025 figures give 214 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, against 395 in the middle city of the pool. Medicare gives 4 or 5 stars to 3 hospitals in the city. Among them are UnityPoint Health Meriter and University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics.

Of the people who live here, 13.0% are 65 or older. January averages 19°F and July 72°F. The National Park Service runs the Ice Age National Scenic Trail nearby. Airline flights leave from Dane County Regional/Truax Field. For classes, there is PLATO, a volunteer-run learning group whose members are mostly retired.

Suits anyone who puts calm streets first: 214 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, against 395 in the middle city of the pool.

Costs you some company your own age. Only 13.0% of residents are 65 or older, against 16.2% in the middle city of the pool.

Big Spring Park in downtown Huntsville, with a red footbridge over the pond and a glass office tower behind the trees.
Number 7 of 23 · score 58 of 100

7. Huntsville, Alabama: $500,000 lasts to 88

Huntsville is north Alabama’s space city, home to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, against the foothills of the Appalachians.

Everyday prices in the metro area run 6.9% below the US average, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis count. Take a couple at 67 with $500,000 and the average Social Security check. Here their money lasts until 88. In the first year the state takes $188 of income tax from them.

Median rent is $1,171 a month. A paid-off home costs a median $481 a month to run, with property tax and insurance in that figure. The median home is worth $293,600.

The FBI's 2025 figures give 395 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, against 395 in the middle city of the pool. No hospital in the city carries 4 or 5 stars from Medicare.

Of the people who live here, 16.4% are 65 or older. January averages 43°F and July 81°F. The National Park Service runs Russell Cave National Monument nearby. Airline flights leave from Huntsville International Airport. For classes, there is the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, a program for older adults.

Suits a budget that has to stretch: $500,000 lasts until 88 for the couple, with local prices and state tax counted.

Costs you hospital choice. No hospital in the city carries 4 or 5 stars from Medicare.

Downtown Tucson seen from Sentinel Peak, with the Santa Catalina Mountains rising behind the city under a blue sky.
Photo: SD Dirk via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0, cropped
Number 8 of 23 · score 57 of 100

8. Tucson, Arizona: among the safest cities measured

Tucson sits in the Sonoran Desert, ringed by mountain ranges, with the two districts of Saguaro National Park on either side of the city.

Everyday prices in the metro area run 3.1% below the US average, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis count. Take a couple at 67 with $500,000 and the average Social Security check. Here their money lasts until 86. In the first year the state takes no income tax from them.

Median rent is $1,145 a month. A paid-off home costs a median $514 a month to run, with property tax and insurance in that figure. The median home is worth $266,200.

The FBI's 2025 figures give 355 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, against 395 in the middle city of the pool. Medicare gives 4 or 5 stars to one hospital in the city, Banner-University Medical Center South Campus.

Of the people who live here, 16.2% are 65 or older. January averages 54°F and July 88°F. National Park Service sites nearby include Saguaro National Park and Tumacacori National Historical Park. Airline flights leave from Tucson International Airport. For classes, there is the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Arizona, a program for older adults.

Suits anyone who puts calm streets first: 355 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, against 395 in the middle city of the pool.

Costs you hospital choice. One hospital in the city carries 4 or 5 stars from Medicare, fewer than in most of the pool.

Downtown Lakeland's towers across Lake Mirror on a sunny day, with wading birds along the grassy shore.
Photo: Trevorrrrvalent via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0, cropped
Number 9 of 23 · score 53 of 100

9. Lakeland, Florida: plenty of neighbors your age

Lakeland sits between Tampa and Orlando, a city built around its lakes, with an old brick downtown and swans on Lake Morton.

Everyday prices in the metro area run 2.9% below the US average, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis count. Take a couple at 67 with $500,000 and the average Social Security check. Here their money lasts until 86. In the first year the state takes no income tax from them.

Median rent is $1,395 a month. A paid-off home costs a median $554 a month to run, with property tax and insurance in that figure. The median home is worth $249,400.

The FBI's 2025 figures give 368 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, against 395 in the middle city of the pool. The FBI says its 2025 data for Florida are limited. No hospital in the city carries 4 or 5 stars from Medicare.

Of the people who live here, 21.5% are 65 or older. January averages 62°F and July 83°F. Airline flights leave from Lakeland Linder International Airport.

Suits anyone who wants neighbors their own age: 21.5% of residents are 65 or older, against 16.2% in the middle city of the pool.

Costs you hospital choice. No hospital in the city carries 4 or 5 stars from Medicare.

Downtown San Antonio under a deep blue sky, with the Tower of the Americas and the hotel towers rising above the streets.
Photo: Jonathan Cutrer via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0, cropped
Number 10 of 23 · score 53 of 100

10. San Antonio, Texas: 3 top-rated hospitals

San Antonio is a big city with an old heart: the River Walk, the Alamo, and the Spanish missions of a national historical park.

Everyday prices in the metro area run 5.3% below the US average, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis count. Take a couple at 67 with $500,000 and the average Social Security check. Here their money lasts until 87. In the first year the state takes no income tax from them.

Median rent is $1,324 a month. A paid-off home costs a median $623 a month to run, with property tax and insurance in that figure. The median home is worth $235,700.

The FBI's 2025 figures give 528 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, against 395 in the middle city of the pool. Medicare gives 4 or 5 stars to 3 hospitals in the city. Among them are Baptist Neighborhood Hospital Thousand Oaks and Methodist Hospital.

Of the people who live here, 13.4% are 65 or older. January averages 52°F and July 85°F. National Park Service sites nearby include San Antonio Missions National Historical Park and Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park. Airline flights leave from San Antonio International Airport.

Suits anyone who wants good hospitals close: 3 in the city carry 4 or 5 stars from Medicare.

Costs you some company your own age. Only 13.4% of residents are 65 or older, against 16.2% in the middle city of the pool.

Where the other 13 cities land

A city outside the ten can still suit a particular budget or taste. Here is the rest of the pool, in order.

#City$500,000 lasts toViolent crime per 100,0004- or 5-star hospitalsResidents 65+Score
11Knoxville, TN89685114.4%52
12Albuquerque, NM871,013217.7%49
13Des Moines, IA90641012.7%48
14Boise, ID85279116.2%47
15Portland, ME83243216.9%44
16Prescott, AZ85426040.6%42
17Asheville, NC86750020.1%41
18Las Vegas, NV84407*316.0%40
19Charleston, SC83280116.4%39
20Sarasota, FL83378229.2%37
21Ann Arbor, MI84294212.9%36
22Lancaster, PA85371110.4%36
23Spokane, WA84608016.6%25

* The Las Vegas figure is the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department's. It covers the city and unincorporated Clark County, about 1.7 million people, not the city alone.

Naples, Florida was measured but not ranked. Its police department has no 2025 crime report in the FBI's figures, and the ranking scores no city on a guess.

Three examples show what the ranking means for a real budget

Each one runs through the same engine as the state study.

A couple at 67 with $500,000. Social Security pays them the national average for a retired couple, and they spend $6,000 a month at US-average prices. Their money lasts until 91 in Sioux Falls, until 90 in Chattanooga and until 85 in St. George.

A single retiree at 67 with $500,000. The same study engine, with $4,000 a month of spending and the average retired worker's check. The money lasts to these ages: Sioux Falls to 105, Chattanooga to 104 and St. George to 96.

A renter. Median rent is $1,035 a month in Sioux Falls and $1,545 in St. George. That is $6,120 a year apart, before anything else in the budget.

Each example is what the state study's engine produces for the stated household. It assumes 5% growth and 2.5% inflation, each metro area's prices and its state's 2026 income tax rules. How the engine works.

How the ranking works, and what it weighs

Each city gets a place on each measure, from best to worst in the pool. The score adds those places up with the weights below, out of 100.

Money gets the most weight because it decides whether the rest is possible. It is one number that carries both local prices and state income tax. It is run month by month, the same way as the study How long $500,000 lasts in every state.

The pool is 24 mid-size cities chosen to cover every region and price level, and 23 of them have every measure. The pool is this page's choice, and any other city can be measured the same way.

What this list cannot tell you

The list shows what official figures say about places. It is not advice about where you should live, because I do not know your life. I can show you every number and where it came from.

Three questions before you move

  1. Have you seen it in its worst month? Visit the desert in July and the north in January before you sign anything.
  2. What does your own budget say? Run your balance and spending through the state study's "Your numbers". Then price a rental or a home there.
  3. Who will you call on a bad day? No ranking measures how far you would live from family.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best place to retire in 2026?

Of the 23 cities ranked here, Sioux Falls, South Dakota scores highest. The score weighs savings, crime, hospitals and neighbors 65 and over.

Where does retirement money last longest?

Among the ten, it is Sioux Falls. Take a couple at 67 with $500,000 and average Social Security. Their money lasts until 91 there, with local prices and state tax counted.

Which of the ten best places to retire is safest?

The safest is St. George. The FBI's 2025 figures give it 189 violent crimes per 100,000 residents.

How was the list of best places to retire made?

Each of 23 cities was ranked on four official measures. The ranks were then weighted: money 45%, safety 25%, hospitals 15% and neighbors 65 and over 15%.

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