U.S. News published best places to retire in 2018, but is it any good?

by Geoffrey Bourne

Annually, U.S. News & World Report publishes their list of best places to retire in the United States, and the 2018 list is out. The list is decent and certainly has some gems, but depending upon what you’re looking for, such as increased 💲 spending power, low crime, or healthcare access, you might not find all the recommendations worthwhile.Don’t get me wrong, these are all beautiful, wonderful places to retire, but just because I want to winter in Paris and summer in Italy, doesn’t mean I can or should.We looked through the entire list and rated two factors: affordability via BestPlaces and low crime (safety) via Niche.Here is the full list with links to the U.S. News rankings and my view if you should consider the location for a cost effective (ranks near or below average cost of living — 100) and safe (at least a C+ rating) retirement.Recommend locations are designated with a 🍏. The average cost of living is 100, so anything below 100 is great and anything above 100, not so great.

List of Recommend Retirement Locations

  1. Sarasota, FL (Cost of Living: 114, Safety: C)
  2. Lancaster, PA (Cost of Living: 93.3, Safety: C)
  3. San Antonio, TX (Cost of Living: 93.2, Safety: C)
  4. Grand Rapids, MI (Cost of Living: 87.2, Safety: C)
  5. 🍏 El Paso, TX (Cost of Living: 83.6, Safety: C+)
  6. 🍏 McAllen, TX (Cost of Living: 80.9, Safety: B-)
  7. Daytona Beach, FL (Cost of Living: 88, Safety: C-)
  8. Pittsburgh, PA (Cost of Living: 88, Safety: C)
  9. Austin, TX (Cost of Living: 117.4, Safety: C+)
  10. Washington, D.C. (Cost of Living: 158.5, Safety: C-)
  11. Dallas, TX (Cost of Living: 95.2, Safety: C)
  12. Houston, TX (Cost of Living: 114, Safety: C)
  13. Greenville, SC (Cost of Living: 94.1, Safety: C)
  14. 🍏 Fayetteville, AR (Cost of Living: 91.4, Safety: C+)
  15. Fort Myers, FL (Cost of Living: 99.7, Safety: C-)
  16. 🍏 Des Moines, IA (Cost of Living: 82.7, Safety: C) Note: Recommend because of the suburb of West Des Moines (Cost of Living: 95.5, Safety: B)
  17. 🍏 Raleigh-Durham, NC (Cost of Living: 102.1, Safety: C+)
  18. 🍏 Charleston, SC (Cost of Living: 115.1, Safety: C+) Note: Right on the edge with cost, but might be right for some people.
  19. Philadelphia, PA (Cost of Living: 99.5, Safety: C-)
  20. Orlando, FL (Cost of Living: 96.3, Safety: C-)
  21. San Diego, CA (Cost of Living: 166, Safety: C+)
  22. Charlotte, NC (Cost of Living: 97.2, Safety: C)
  23. Jacksonville, FL (Cost of Living: 92, Safety: C)
  24. Honolulu, HI (Cost of Living: 199.8, Safety: N/A)
  25. Allentown, PA (Cost of Living: 96.9, Safety: C)
  26. Lakeland, FL (Cost of Living: 92.1, Safety: C)
  27. Portland, ME (Cost of Living: 122.6, Safety: C+)
  28. Boston, MA (Cost of Living: 169.9, Safety: C)
  29. Tampa, FL (Cost of Living: 94.1, Safety: C)
  30. Miami, FL (Cost of Living: 122.8, Safety: C-)
  31. Springfield, MA (Cost of Living: 102.2, Safety: C-)
  32. Richmond, VA (Cost of Living: 97.5, Safety: C)
  33. 🍏 Madison, WI (Cost of Living: 109.6, Safety: C+)
  34. Phoenix, AZ (Cost of Living: 99.4, Safety: C)
  35. Nashville, TN (Cost of Living: 92.5, Safety: C)

Out of 35 U.S. News recommendations, I found seven worth exploring that have low cost of living and excellent safety. Again, this is a good list and a great place to start on exploring where to move in retirement. Just always be sure to do your research and never rely upon a single source, especially for life-events such as retirement.However, these aren’t the only retirement locations with low cost of living and excellent safety. Check out RETIRETY’s Retirement Relocator to get recommendations on where to move in retirement. You’ll get a report with locations that increase you potential 💲 spending power, are recommended by experts as a “best place to retire”, and have excellent safety and healthcare.