Finding the perfect place to hang your hat after decades of work shouldn’t feel like guessing which lottery ticket to buy. Yet here we are, watching folks pack up their lives hoping they picked right. The truth? Some cities offer both financial breathing room and the lifestyle you’ve been dreaming about since your first paycheck. These aren’t places where you sacrifice sunshine for savings or culture for cheap groceries. They’re spots where everything actually clicks together.
Here’s the thing about retirement locations: what looks good on paper doesn’t always feel good when you’re living there. That’s why the cities earning top spots in 2024 and 2025 rankings surprised a lot of people. Florida didn’t sweep the board. Instead, places you might’ve overlooked are delivering exactly what retirees need without the sticker shock.
Orlando Tops National Rankings With Tax-Friendly Living
Orlando claimed the number one spot in WalletHub’s 2025 retirement rankings, largely due to Florida’s lack of state income tax and zero estate or inheritance taxes, plus moderate costs for homemaker services and adult day health care. Think about what that means for your monthly budget when Social Security checks aren’t getting nibbled away by state taxes.
The city ranks third nationally for recreation overall, featuring exceptionally high numbers of music venues, fishing facilities, art galleries and adult volunteer activities, while also placing nineteenth for gerontologists and sixth for home health care facilities per capita. So you’re not choosing between keeping your money and actually enjoying retirement. You get both, which honestly feels rare these days.
Pennsylvania Cities Dominate Affordability Rankings
Seven of the top ten best places to retire in the U.S. according to U.S. News & World Report are in Pennsylvania, with Harrisburg taking top honors, followed by Reading, Lancaster, Scranton, Allentown, York, and Pittsburgh. That’s not a typo. Pennsylvania basically owned the podium.
The top three best places to retire are all in Pennsylvania, which reflects the state’s friendliness for retirees given that Social Security income, withdrawals from retirement accounts, and public and private pension income are all not taxed in the state. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania ranked first nationally in affordability, considering cost of living, personal income taxes and Supplemental Security Income payments. When your pension goes further, suddenly retirement stops feeling like rationing mode.
Harrisburg Offers Outdoor Access At Reasonable Prices
Harrisburg sits ideally within a few hours’ drive from New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington D.C., offering residents a more affordable housing market and lower cost of living than many major cities on the East Coast. You’re not isolated, but you’re also not paying city prices for a studio apartment.
Harrisburg’s proximity to the great outdoors, including the Appalachian Trail, state parks and state forests, combined with an affordable housing market and lower cost of living compared to larger East Coast metro areas, helped it claim the top ranking. The average Harrisburg home value reached $230,687, up nearly eight percent over the prior year. That’s still accessible compared to coastal metros where condos alone can hit seven figures.
Pittsburgh Reinvents Itself As Affordable Tech Hub
Pittsburgh, a growing technology hub, offers a cheaper housing market than other large cities with a median home price of $203,150, as its old blue-collar reputation is being replaced and the quality of life continues to improve with new industries making Pittsburgh home. The Steel City learned to pivot, and retirees are benefiting from that transformation.
Known as Blitzburgh and Steel City, Pittsburgh is on the verge of greater heights after emerging from a dying steel industry, earning another name as reinvention city while attracting major corporations, and surprising transplants who find a hub of technology and education with rising job opportunities making it attractive for families and graduates. For retirees who want part-time work or just a lively community atmosphere, Pittsburgh delivers without the premium price tag.
Scottsdale Balances Desert Living With Culture
Scottsdale secured second place overall, offering retirees abundant leisure opportunities while ranking among the very best for art galleries, volunteer activities, golf courses and book clubs, with its mild desert climate ranking near the top nationwide for weather and Arizona’s tax structure featuring no estate or inheritance taxes boosting its appeal. If you’ve ever spent a winter somewhere truly cold, year-round mild weather starts looking pretty valuable.
Scottsdale’s tax-friendliness stems from Arizona having no estate or inheritance taxes and no income taxes, while the city ranks fourth nationally for mild weather and second among the most caring cities, offering residents a welcoming community and year-round comfort. Let’s be real: caring communities matter more when you’re building a new life away from decades-old connections.
Des Moines Surprises With Big City Amenities On A Budget
Des Moines stands as a good choice for retirees looking to live in a big city on a small budget, with affordability being just one reason the Milken Institute ranked the state capital among the 100 large U.S. metro areas for successful aging in 2025. Iowa doesn’t typically jump to mind when people dream about retirement, which is exactly why it’s such a solid value.
Des Moines also boasts a strong economy and plenty of health care facilities specializing in aging-related services, with numerous museums and arts venues including an outdoor sculpture park, zoo and botanical gardens. You’re not settling for bland just because it’s affordable. The culture’s there if you want it.
