A new study has named the 25 best US cities for retirement, based on affordability, quality of life and other key factors.
THE Forbes Best Places to Retire in 2023 The list released Friday names Pittsburgh, San Antonio, Indianapolis and Cincinnati among the top retirement destinations on the unranked list.
All 25 cities on the list have median home prices below the national median, which is $376,000, according to the National Association of Realtors.
Augusta, Georgia, where the Masters tournament is held, had the lowest median price on the list, at $173,000.
Meanwhile, Charlotte and Spokane, Wash., tie for the highest median home price on the list, squeaking just below the national figure at $375,000.
Ten cities from the Forbes Best Places to Retire In 2023 list with the lowest median house prices are shown above, with the median house prices listed
Augusta, Georgia, home of the Masters tournament, had the lowest median prize money on the list, at $173,000
San Antonio, which made the Forbes list for the fifth straight year, hit $262,000.
The list “aims to identify the top choices in the United States for affordable, high-quality retirement living,” wrote Forbes contributor William P. Barrett, who compared more than 800 locations with populations above 10,000.
In addition to affordability, the list considered a range of factors, including state taxes, crime rates, air quality, walkability, and the risk of natural disasters and impact of climate change.
The list excludes any location that is assigned a “very high” risk level on the FEMA National Risk Index for Natural Hazards.
That means much of hurricane-prone Florida, traditionally a favorite destination for retirees, is automatically excluded from the Forbes list.
This year, Jacksonville is the only city in Florida to make the top 25, with a median home price of $295,000.
The Villages, a popular retirement community in central Florida, had been on the list for two years but has fallen due to rising costs of living, with the median home there now priced at $416,000.
Despite its above-average crime rate and cold winters, Pittsburgh made the list for the sixth straight year, with an affordable median price of $219,000.
Despite its above-average crime rate and cold winters, Pittsburgh made the list for the sixth straight year and made the rankings 11 out of 13 years.
This is due in part to Pittsburgh’s relative affordability, with a median home price of $219,000, 42% below the national median.
Georgia leads the states with three cities on this year’s list, while Arizona, Pennsylvania and Virginia have two each.
The northernmost city on the list, Fargo, North Dakota, is also the only city to appear on the Forbes rankings for the 13 years since its inception.
Forbes list of the best places to retire in 2023
Median house price
Athens, Georgia
$290,000
Augusta, Georgia
$173,000
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
$298,000
Charlotte, North Carolina
$375,000
Cincinnati, Ohio
$223,000
Columbia, Missouri
$277,000
Fargo, North Dakota
$279,000
Green Valley, Arizona
$291,000
Greenville, South Carolina
$282,000
Indianapolis, Indiana
$219,000
Iowa City, Iowa
$275,000
Jacksonville, Florida
$295,000
Lawrence, Kansas
$284,000
Lexington, Kentucky
$276,000
Lincoln, Nebraska
$264,000
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
$219,000
Pittfield, Mass.
$258,000
Rochester, Minnesota
$309,000
San Antonio, TX
$262,000
Savannah, Georgia
$275,000
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
$316,000
Spokane, Washington
$375,000
Sun City, Arizona
$293,000
Virginia Beach, Virginia
$371,000
Winchester, Virginia
$348,000