Best place to retire? Warm, English-Speaking, Safe, on a budget?

[andrews_dad]

Starting to think about where to retire to. Have many years yet to go but need to set my financial goals to retire. Always dreamed of Hawaii but costs are high, tax structure is not great for non-locals buying real estate, and it is a LONG flight for kids and future grandkids to visit. Live on the East Coast. Wondering if anyone has insights on something that is nice, warm, safe, English-speaking.. where a nice condo or small home can be had for a reasonable cost (say currently $450,000 or below). Anyone have vacation homes on any Carrib Isles that you'd recommend, etc?

 

[GeorgeG]

I did a lot of research before I retired and settled on Florida. No regrets.

 

[Planogirl]

Texas has many winter Texans. They seem to like it.

 

[peyjax]

Try watching House Hunters International on a Hgtv and it could give ya some ideas.

My recommendation would be the Dominican Republic. When I lived there it was very cheap to own a house even on the beach but it was much more primitive. From what I can see things have changed there a bit and there are a lot of more upscale condo style homes on the beaches with retirees living there. I think on Hgtv they were showing anywhere from 150k to 450k. Not a long flight from the states and the weather is nice except for the rainy season but even then it is not so bad.

 

[bicker]

Starting to think about where to retire to. Have many years yet to go but need to set my financial goals to retire. Always dreamed of Hawaii but costs are high, tax structure is not great for non-locals buying real estate, and it is a LONG flight for kids and future grandkids to visit. Live on the East Coast.

A few random notes. First, this last bit poked something in my head from something someone said yesterday at church: We talk about the environment and cutting down our "carbon footprint" and all, but the dirty-little-secret that a lot of the online tools for gauging your impact on the environment totally ignore the impact of a single airline flight each year. That causes so much adverse impact on the environment that it make clear that a lot of the little things we're doing to try to help the Earth are really not "little" things but really infinitesimal things. The speaker had me really beginning to rethink how I consider my vacations, going forward.

Anyway, putting that aside....

Wondering if anyone has insights on something that is nice, warm, safe, English-speaking.. where a nice condo or small home can be had for a reasonable cost (say currently $450,000 or below).

We've had our eyes on several places, but as we're still about ten years away, we've just been waiting, and while we've been waiting these place have become increasingly unaffordable. However, our budget is a little lower than yours, so the places we've been thinking about, Knoxville TN and Asheville NC, are still within your price range.

Anyone have vacation homes on any Carrib Isles that you'd recommend, etc?

We toyed with the idea of how fun it would be to retire (specifically) to St. John, but then reality hits. As you get older, moving away from where all the best medical care is doesn't seem to make a lot of sense.

 

[eliza61]

Starting to think about where to retire to. Have many years yet to go but need to set my financial goals to retire. Always dreamed of Hawaii but costs are high, tax structure is not great for non-locals buying real estate, and it is a LONG flight for kids and future grandkids to visit. Live on the East Coast. Wondering if anyone has insights on something that is nice, warm, safe, English-speaking.. where a nice condo or small home can be had for a reasonable cost (say currently $450,000 or below). Anyone have vacation homes on any Carrib Isles that you'd recommend, etc?

We actually have a vacation home in Aruba but I wouldn't retire there full time. remember cost of living can be expensive in the Carribean due to having to import every thing. My dh family is from Portugal and we love it there so we'd love to spend 1/2 our time there.

We're city lovers so we'll probably stick with the East Coast the rest of the year. I love the arts, diversity and pace of the city.

I've heard North Carolina is nice though, I have a brother who retired to Winston Salem and loves it.

 

[tomi]

We started looking for a retirement home 2 years ago. We won't be ready to retire for 6 - 8 years but wanted to buy when prices are low. We looked at Hilton Head and Amelia Island, Florida. There was no comparison. HH is congested, way overbuilt and very expensive. When we got to Amelia Island, we fell in love immediately. It is quite different than the rest of Florida - much more lush and tropical feeling. We bought a townhouse within a few days of being there. We rent it out and it more than pays for itself. When we are ready to move there 6 months of the year (we will always be in Maine part of the year), we will either move into the townhouse or sell it and buy another property on the island. But either way, we will do ok as the market was down when we bought. If you can swing it at all, now is the time to buy. Good luck with your search.

 

[taylor3297]

Asheville NC and Knoxville TN, will be cold in the winter and they do get snow. If you want mild temps overall, Fl would be your best bet, that is if you can handle the heat.

I currently live in NC and wish I lived some where warmer in the winter. I am so looking forward to summer, since I don't mind the heat.

 

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

california!!

 

[bicker]

Asheville NC and Knoxville TN, will be cold in the winter and they do get snow. If you want mild temps overall, Fl would be your best bet, that is if you can handle the heat.

Sounds contradictory to me. Seriously, Florida does not have "mild" temps overall.

I consider oppressive heat far worse than the kind of cold you get in Asheville. You can always put on more layers of clothing to stay warmer outside, but in oppressive heat, you can only peel off so many layers before they arrest your for indecent exposure.

 

[andrews_dad]

Try watching House Hunters International on a Hgtv and it could give ya some ideas.

My recommendation would be the Dominican Republic. When I lived there it was very cheap to own a house even on the beach but it was much more primitive. From what I can see things have changed there a bit and there are a lot of more upscale condo style homes on the beaches with retirees living there. I think on Hgtv they were showing anywhere from 150k to 450k. Not a long flight from the states and the weather is nice except for the rainy season but even then it is not so bad.

I've seen that show. Some places are amazing, and some places you think, "THAT is all you get for $1 million??"

 

[marcyinPA]

My in-laws retired to Annapolis MD to be close to the water. They owned a sailboat when they first moved there. My MIL passed away about a year after they moved. My FIL remarried, and still lives down there. They don't sail anymore, but they love the area. They live in a 55+ community.

 

[eliza61]

My in-laws retired to Annapolis MD to be close to the water. They owned a sailboat when they first moved there. My MIL passed away about a year after they moved. My FIL remarried, and still lives down there. They don't sail anymore, but they love the area. They live in a 55+ community.

Eastern shore Maryland is gorgeous also. We visited once and thought it may be a nice place to retire. I don't know any thing about the cost of living though.

 

[HappyDznyCamper]

Asheville NC and Knoxville TN, will be cold in the winter and they do get snow. If you want mild temps overall, Fl would be your best bet, that is if you can handle the heat.

I currently live in NC and wish I lived some where warmer in the winter. I am so looking forward to summer, since I don't mind the heat.

My kids wish we got snow! Ok we do get some, maybe an inch or two, two or three times a year. Haven't had a good, shut everything down for days snow in a long time. Most of the time our weather is mild, this winter has been the exception, but we are not the only ones. I grew up in south Florida and I will take the few weeks of real winter over the months of heat and humidity any day.

 

[bicker]

Yes, that's right on-point afaic. I don't actually know about Asheville as well, but I know Knoxville really is the epitome of "mild temps overall".

 

[*BTMRR*]

Some parts of New Mexico would fit all of your requirements.

I agree with the previous poster who said that it doesn't make sense to move far from good medical care as you get older. Personally (and this is from sad experience) I'd stay within an hour's helicopter evacuation from a major medical center.

 

[quasar4legs]

I'm in Australia, so not much point me suggesting somewhere suitable here but I agree with those that are suggesting to stay near good medical facilities.
My in-laws retired to their holiday home on the coast around a 3 hour drive from their nearest city. My FIL has lots of ongoing health issues and it has become a huge problem trekking up and down for medical treatment etc.

Good luck for the future.

 

[kydisneyfans]

I know of several retirees that went to the Lake Cumberland/Somerset KY area. You have all the recreational stuff, boating, fishing, golfing, etc. Somerset has the restaurants and some shopping, and it is inexpensive and quiet. You see some snowflakes in the winter, and a few 90s in the summer. This would be about a 90-120 minute drive from Knoxville.

 

[golfgal]

I would look in Missouri, especially around the St. Louis area. Housing there is dirt cheep, like 1/2 or better of what you want to spend for a NICE house (fully upgraded, granite kitchens, whirlpool master baths, etc.). The summers can get hot but overall the weather is mild--NO BUGS either (well mosquitoes anyway). It is central to pretty much everything in the country-driving distance to a lot of the country even.

If not there, I would say the Carolinas are a nice retirement area. The other option like most do around here is a lake home in MN for the summer and a place in Florida, Arizona or Texas for the winter.

You may also want to research states without Income Taxes for retirement. I would SERIOUSLY consider Sioux Falls, South Dakota too. It is a GREAT place to live (especially since you don't have to worry about schools). The medical care there is outstanding-some of the best in the nation. You have 4 seasons but overall the weather is pretty mild.