America's Best Affordable Places to Retire

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BAYONET POINT FL IS CHEAPEST , NO CRIME,1100TAX YR.,,,,WARM AND CHEAP .LOL.............

JO of FL 2:08PM March 21, 2012

Thought you would be interested in this

kathleen Smith of NJ 2:41PM February 12, 2012

The Carolinas are wonderful with the beach and mountains only hours away.
I would recommend Aiken, Asheville (if you don't mind snow), Camden, Summerville, Bluffton, outside Raleigh in one of the smaller towns. Kinston and Little Washington are both beautiful and have water. Costs of housing is fairly reasonable in the South compared to many larger cities, but don't expect it to be THAT much cheaper. Your heat will be less but AC will make up the difference. The people are friendly as long as YOU adapt and don't expect THEM to care about where you came from. Become one of them. We don't like Yankee ways and don't like being told how much better it was where you came from. Groceries and services are a little cheaper but wages are a lot less too.

Gayle P of SC 6:40PM July 27, 2011

I am facing early retirement and have 2 years & 10 months before my full retirement kicks in. I am looking for a city where I can live inexpensively until that time. Any ideas , I am wanting more information in terms of Jacksonville,Asheville, Sarasota,Fort Meyers or South Carolina.
Some place to live comfortably, inexpensive and interactive in terms of things to do museums,theater, universities etc

Patrick of TX 3:00PM February 15, 2011

The art, music, festivals, theater are all wonderful...though some are free or low cost...most are not for the budget minded!!! Utilities & auto gas are the only big bargins in town. I am comparing with So. California, so people from less costly areas may find everything here even higher then I do. Eating out with the exception of a few cheap coffee shops is about the same as CA, monthly food costs the same, wine and liquor are higher, you do save a whole $2.00 to $3.00 on a movie for two!! What was most amazing to me is that to get a manicure & pedicure here costs $11.00 more than Orangte County Ca.!!! I am not talking about an upscale spa or the Biltmore Hotel.....I even checked good ole Walmart!!! I swear it is more at Walmart and all the small strip malls I checked as well...ditto for your hair care, cuts, color, highlights etc.. Visit to the dentist same, massage same!! I have been trying for the last four months to figure how the devil all the cost of living sites on the inter-net give Asheville some thirty % lower then So. Ca.. Even the big deal called housing, is so close it hardly matters...true the place we rent here would be $1,600. close to the beach, 15 minutes inland $1,300. 30 minutes inland ??? We pay $1,000. here. If you talk about buying Asheville is very high...in fact with the foreclosures still piling up in Ca. it may be a better buyers market in the near future. Nice here..yes!! Worth the cost??? Time will tell !!!

Diana of CA 3:33AM September 04, 2010

I fell in love with Asheville on a brief visit two years ago. How I would love to be able to afford to retire there! However, I did discover how expensive real estate is. Maybe housing would be less expensive in one of the surrounding towns.
At any rate, Asheville is a wonderful place with so many good people. I definitely want to go back to see it again.

Cindy L of KS 7:39PM August 22, 2010

Great suburbs, particularily the beaches, amongst the best Golf & Tennis in the south, fantatic and affordable restaurants, amazing beaches good roads unbelievable climate, The inner city is easy to avoid andthe rest of the area is fantastic...

Brian of VT 2:05PM August 10, 2010

Jacksonville, Florida is a terrible place to live. Crime is everywhere, even in nice neighborhoods -- and I mean rapes, muggings, your local bank being robbed. The public schools are awful and their budgets are still being cut, meaning the next generation will not be able to perform intelligent or thoughtful work. The river is so polluted that you sail or eat fish from it at your peril. There is virtually nothing to do, unless you like football. I have to stay because I'm retired and my insurance plan won't let me leave. But you have now been warned.

Eliabeth of FL 1:14AM August 02, 2010

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lakeweirliving of FL 11:33PM August 01, 2010

I am one of over a million Americans living my retirement in Mexico. Like you do now, I believed the media hype on the violence here. It is true to an extent, but only in the border states and Mexico City. I will not mislead you, you will have a huge anxiety attack. It will be the result of the fear of the unknown, your statis as a foreigner, and the poverty that you will see around you in some places. I live in Aguascalientes (6900ft) in the middle of Mexico, and I feel safer here than I did living in East Dallas. I walk and drive around this city (the size of Fort Worth with a million more people) with little fear of being mugged or attacked. I have no fear of the police. They have never bothered me. I have been living here for four years, and I have only been stopped six times, all at army checkpoints while traveling. Most Americans live in places like Merida, Yucatan, San Miguel de Ende, Lake Chapala, or the coastal resort cities. I have met many foreigners and Americans living here, and they feel the same as me. Living here is nothing like what they expected. It is so Americanized here. We have almost everything here that I had back home. Home Depot & Lowes, Sears, Wal-Mart Sam's & Costco, Autozone and Grease Monkey, Applebees & Chili's, BurgerKing Hardies Mcdonalds & KFC, Domino's & Pizza hut, Starbucks & Italian Coffee Co., Office Depot & Office Max, and more are some of the brand names here. Movie theatres show the movies in English with subtitles. The weather is fantastic. On average, it ranges from 55 to 85 ten months of the year. Winter is January, but it never freezes. Summer is May (mid 90's). We have a cross between PPO and socialized medicine here. I pay nothing for my medicines, and I have access to more and better medicine than I was getting in the U.S. Dental is much less expensive. Crowns are $8.00, fillings $4.00, & root canals $6.00 thru the dental college. I had a molar removed at a regular dentist office for $80.00, far cheaper than in the U.S. Eyeglasses are cheaper here, too; Exam-free, frames-$12.00, lenses $13.00. My retirement money stretches ten times further, here. At the current exchange rate of 12.8 pesos for every dollar, you can live very well. You can rent a 3-bdroom, 2 1/2 bath two story condo in a gated upscale secure community like mine for $650.00 a month.
Life here is very laid-back, most of my neighbors speak English ( we play dominos every Thursday night), the people are very friendly, the mountains are beautiful after the afternoon rains, the weather is great, and the places that I have traveled to here are beautiful. I still have to smuggle in some things from the U.S. that they do not have here (i.e. Jello pudding, corn bread mixes, and others), but for the most part, I can find most of what I am looking for here.
More and more Americans are moving here everyday. They are discovering the same thing that I have found. I really enjoy retirement and living here.

dennis 12:14PM July 26, 2010