These Are 10 of the Best Places in Florida for Retirement
Dunedin Florida
My Dunedin for retirement ratings…
Percent of population age 65+: 30.6%
Crime and safety rating: Excellent
School and Employment rating: Good
Shopping and dining rating: Excellent
Recreation rating: Excellent
Healthcare for seniors 65+: Above average for US
Cost of Living: Average for Florida today.
Housing Cost: High
Population: Approximately 36,000
Location: Dunedin is located on Florida’s west coast just above Clearwater (but has much lower crime than Clearwater). It’s just a little over a half hour’s drive to both Tampa and St Petersburg from Dunedin.
Particular Positives
Safe vibrant pedestrian-friendly downtown.
Plays host to 25 different festivals annually.
The Toronto Blue Jays spring training camp and stadium is located here.
It’s just minutes to the beaches of Honeymoon Island and Caladesi Island State Parks which offer some of the best natural beaches Florida.
Access to 40 mile bike trail system
The Mease Dunedin Hospital is rated 4 out of 5 stars by Medicare.
Particular Negatives
Dunedin’s coastal location means there’s a higher risk from hurricane damage and disruption than places farther inland.
Best for:
Retirees moving from rural areas who want to be a little closer to amenities in retirement.
Seniors moving from small towns or medium sized cities.
Dunedin may also work for those relocating from large cities who are looking for a less stressful pace of life, but still want access the amenities that larger areas offer. Tampa and St Petersburg are just a half hour away.
Learn more about Dunedin in this video…
Dunedin Florida’s Official Website: https://www.dunedingov.com
Note: Nearby Safety Harbor is another place to consider as it does qualify as a best place and its Mease Countryside Hospital has a 3 star Medicare rating.
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Milton Florida is less than an hour from beach towns in Florida’s Panhandle
Milton Florida
My Milton for retirement ratings…
Percent of population age 65+: 15.2%
Crime and safety rating: Very good
School and Employment rating: Average
Shopping and dining rating: Excellent, for its small size.
Recreation rating: Excellent
Healthcare for seniors age 65and over: Average for the US
Cost of Living: Below Average for Florida*
*This will likely change not long after this article goes public. When that happens, lots of new buyers looking for a more affordable place to retire in Florida, will likely overwhelm this small town’s limited available housing and push prices up.
Housing Cost: Average for Florida*
Population: Approximately 10,000
Location: In Florida’s Panhandle about 24 miles and 36 minutes northwest of Pensacola Florida.
Particular Positives
Milton was established before Florida became a state and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The town values its local history and culture and is a designated Florida Main Street Community.
Friendly residents, strong sense of community.
Particular Negatives
None
Best for:
Retirees moving from rural areas, small and medium sized towns.
People who will be comfortable in a town that is more southern than cities along Florida’s east coast that are populated mostly by transplants from northern states.
Milton Florida’s Official Website: https://www.miltonfl.org/
Cape Coral Florida
My Cape Coral for retirement ratings…
Percent of population age 65+: 21.9%
Crime and safety rating: Excellent
School and Employment rating: Good
Shopping and dining rating: Excellent
Recreation rating: Good
Healthcare for seniors age 65 and over: Above Average for US.
Cost of Living: Average for Florida today.
Housing Cost: Average
Population: Approximately 175,000
Location: Cape coral is located on a Peninsula in Southwest Florida, just across the Caloosahatchee River from Fort Myers (but has a far safer crime rates than the latter).
Particular Positives
Has 400+ miles of man-made canals (more than any other city on the planet) that provide lots of waterfront properties. Many offer boating access to Gulf of Mexico.
Annual events and festivals such as the Cape Coral Festival of the Arts, The Cape Coral Irish Festival and the Sounds of Jazz and Blues Festival.
The League of American Bicyclist has named Cape Coral a Bicycle Friendly Community for its efforts to create safer better places to ride.
Particular Negatives
Cape Coral’s Southwest Florida coastal location means higher risk from hurricane damage and disruption.
Best for:
Seniors who are relocating from rural areas and small towns to medium sized cities. Despite it’s almost 200,000 residents, it feels more like a suburb than a city. Cape Coral’s residents are spread across 100 square miles.
Those looking for a high quality of life for a more affordable, average cost of living.
Healthcare Note: Cape Coral is large with over 100 square miles of land. The medical facility that qualified it for this list was the 3/5 star Medicare rated Cape Coral Hospital on Del Prado Blvd South. You’ll want to keep distance to it in mind when choosing a home.
A Cape Coral Video…
Cape Coral Florida’s Official Website: https://www.capecoral.net/
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The City of Miramar Florida’s western border is the Everglades Wildlife Management Area
Miramar Florida
My Miramar for retirement ratings…
Percent of population age 65+: 9.6%
Crime and safety rating: Very Good
School and Employment rating: Good
Shopping and dining rating: Excellent
Recreation rating: Excellent
Healthcare for seniors age 65 and over: Very good, above average for US
Cost of Living: Very High
Housing cost: Very High
Population: Approximately 135,000
Location: Miramar Florida is about 35 minutes and 22 miles north of Miami in Southeast Florida.
Particular Positives
As part of the Miami metropolitan area, just about anything you could possibly want to do or see is less than an hour away.
The Memorial Hospital Miramar is rated 4 of 5 stars by Medicare.
Access to professional sports teams and stadiums.
Multiple Atlantic beaches are just a short drive.
Access to a vast variety of art and culture of Broward and Miami-Dade Counties
Particular Negatives
Miramar’s Southeast Florida coastal location means higher risk from hurricane damage and disruption than locations farther inland.
Best for:
Retirees who want access to the vast variety of amenities that major metro areas provide.
Seniors looking to retire to a city in Florida with a diverse population. Miramar is approximately 46% African American, 37% Hispanic and 6% Asian.
Here’s a Miramar Florida video to learn more…
Miramar Florida’s Official Website: https://www.miramarfl.gov/
Note: If you travel to check out Miramar, the next door town of Pembroke Pines is another place that qualifies as a best place to retire. Pembroke Pines “Memorial Hospital West” is rated 3/5 stars by Medicare.
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Fernandina Beach Florida
My Fernandina Beach for retirement ratings…
Percent of population age 65+: 30.9%
Crime and safety rating: Very Good
School and Employment rating: Good
Shopping and dining rating: Excellent
Recreation rating: Excellent
Healthcare for seniors age 65 and over: Very Good, above average for US.
Cost of Living: High
Housing Cost: High
Population: Approximately 13,000
Location: Fernandina Beach is just south of the Georgia-Florida border, about 30 minutes off of I-95
Particular Positives
Unique island lifestyle.
It’s hospital, Baptist Medical Center, is rated 4/5 stars by Medicare.
Has a pedestrian-friendly historic downtown
Walk from downtown to the beach
Particular Negatives
Fernandina Beach’s is right on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean and is vulnerable to hurricanes disruptions and damage.
Best for retirees who:
Are retiring from rural areas, small towns and possibly even medium sized cities.
Want a Florida beach town to retire to.
Like to bike, walk or run for exercise and pleasure.
Want a place in Florida that’s not as hot as south Florida.
Will be traveling to northern states by car and back for visits. Fernandina is about 5-7 hours closer than southwest Florida.
Fernandina Beach’s Official Website: https://www.fbfl.us/
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Bee Ridge, South Sarasota and Siesta Key Florida
My Bee Ridge for retirement ratings…
(Data is for Bee Ridge, the largest of the three Census Designated Places)
Percent of population age 65+: 37.3%
Crime and safety rating: Excellent
School and Employment rating: Very Good
Shopping and dining rating: Excellent
Recreation rating: Excellent
Healthcare for seniors age 65+: Excellent
*Cost of Living: Very High
*Housing Cost: Very High
*Data is for the Sarasota FL area.
Population: Approximately 11,000
Location: About 30 minutes south of Tampa-St Petersburg on Southwest Florida’s Gulf Coast
Particular Positives
All 3 places are just a short drive to Sarasota Memorial Hospital and Doctors Hospital of Sarasota. Both facilities have been awarded Medicare’s highest rating of 5 stars.
Siesta Key Beach is one of the highest rated beaches in the world.
The Sarasota area is the art and culture capital of Florida’s West Coast
Particular Negatives
All 3 places are located have a coastal location and a higher risk from hurricane damage and disruption than places farther inland.
Best for:
Bee Ridge, South Sarasota and Siesta Key may work for those moving from almost anywhere, from small towns to major metro areas.
Retirees who want access to nearby upscale dining, shopping and entertainment in a small-medium size coastal city.
A Siesta Key Florida Video…
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Key Largo Florida
My Key Largo for retirement ratings…
Percent of population age 65+: 24.3%
Crime and safety rating: Excellent
School and Employment rating: Very Good
Shopping and dining rating: Excellent
Recreation rating: Excellent
Healthcare for seniors 65+: Excellent
Cost of Living: Very High
Housing Cost: Very High
Population: Approximately 11,000
Location: Key Largo is an hour south of Miami and two hours north of Key West.
Particular Positives
Offers an island lifestyle that many of us dream about. Offers the rare ability to see a sunrise over the water in the morning on one side of the island, and another sunset on the water on the other side.
Key Largo’s Mariners Hospital enjoys Medicare’s highest rating of 5 stars.
Miami and everything you could want from a major city is only a half hour away. But when you’re in Key Largo, you feel like you’re a world away.
Particular Negatives
Vulnerable to hurricane damage and evacuations as well as possible future insurance issues.
Best for:
Retirees from rural all the up to large cities who want an island lifestyle.
Seniors who want to make boating, fishing or other water-sports part of their retirement lifestyle.
Those who desire easy access to a major metro area but want to live where they can get away from it all.
Here’s a Key Largo video…
Official Website: The official website for all of the Florida Keys is https://www.monroecounty-fl.gov/
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Gulf Breeze Florida
My Gulf Breeze for retirement ratings…
Percent of population age 65+: 19.8%
Crime and safety rating: Very Good
School and Employment rating: Excellent
Shopping and dining rating: Excellent
Recreation rating: Excellent
Healthcare for seniors 65+: Excellent
Cost of Living: High
Housing Costs: High
Population: Approximately 6,500
Location: Gulf Breeze is located in Florida’s panhandle. It’s just south of Pensacola by way of a miles-long bridge and at the southern end of a peninsula.
Particular Positives
The Gulf Breeze Hospital is a small community hospital. However, it has the advanced technology, services and experienced staff that is often only found in large hospitals. Better yet, this friendly small town hospital has earned Medicare’s top rating of 5 stars. That’s something hundreds of larger hospitals have not been able to do.
Seniors can enjoy an “island lifestyle” that most people only dream about, by buying a home for roughly the same price as the current US median.
Particular Negatives
Gulf Breeze’s proximity to the very warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico make it more susceptible to the hassle of evacuations and damage from hurricanes.
Best for:
Those seeking a safe, quiet, friendly small town.
Seniors who have dreamed of living on a tropical island (although Gulf Breeze is technically located on a peninsula). Those who want to be close to beaches and water sports such as fishing and boating. Gulf Breeze is minutes by bridge from portions of the Gulf Islands National Seashore.
Gulf Breeze Florida’s Official Website: https://cityofgulfbreeze.us/
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Niceville Florida
My Niceville for retirement ratings…
Percent of population age 65+: 14.9
Crime and safety rating: Excellent
School and Employment rating: Very Good
Shopping and dining rating: Excellent
Recreation rating: Excellent
Healthcare for seniors 65+: Good
Cost of Living: Average for Florida today.
Housing Costs: High
Population: Approximately 15,000
Location: On a bay in near the Gulf in Florida’s panhandle region.
Particular Positives
Niceville is a coastal small town that’s quieter (if you don’t count the aircraft from nearby Air Force Base). It’s less hectic than most of the west and east coast of Florida.
Many of Florida’s best less crowded beaches and interesting fishing villages are less than an hour’s drive.
Particular Negatives
Niceville’s coastal location makes it more susceptible to disruption and damage from hurricanes.
Best for:
Retirees relocating from small towns and rural areas.
Those who are retiring to Florida for time on the beach, fishing, boating and other water related activities.
Niceville Florida’s Official Website: https://cityofniceville.org/
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Naples Florida
My Naples for retirement ratings…
Percent of population age 65+: 51.5%
Crime and safety rating: Excellent
School and Employment rating: Excellent
Shopping and dining rating: Excellent
Recreation rating: Excellent
Healthcare for seniors 65+: Very Good at 1 of it’s 3 major medical centers, the Naples Community Hospital
Cost of Living: Very High
Cost of Housing: Very High
Population: Approximately 21,000
Location: Deep Southwest Florida on the Gulf, almost due west from Miami.
Particular Positives
Was named as one of the best places to retire for nature lovers by AARP due to its location near numerous nature preserves and parks such as the Everglades National Park.
Historic walkable downtown.
It’s a beach town.
Many upscale dining, shopping and entertainment options.
Has more golf courses per capita than just about anywhere else in the US.
Particular Negatives
Naples coastal location on the very warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico means a higher chance of disruption and damage from hurricanes.
A high number of homes and condos are owned by wealthier folks who are only in town for the winter. Some feel it becomes too crowded during those months, and almost deserted the rest of the year.
Best for:
People looking for a true upscale town for retirement in Florida.
Retirees who feel that high temperatures and humidity for most of the year won’t be a problem long term.
A video from Naples Florida…
Naples Florida’s Official Website: https://www.naplesgov.com/
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There’s a couple of important points you should know about this list.
- Finding places to retire in Florida that offer high quality healthcare for seniors is not easy. Why? Because not many cities and towns in Florida have healthcare facilities that are rated as average or better by Medicare, the main health insurer of Floridians over 65 years of age. Higher quality healthcare is a requirement to make my best places to retire in Florida list.
- It’s even harder to find cities and towns in Florida with average or better medical facilities, that also offer a higher quality of life. However, the 10 cities and towns on my list offer both, better healthcare than you’ll find elsewhere in Florida and very high quality of life scores across the board.
- If you’ve been reading my best place’s lists for years, you’ll notice that most of the same places appear year after year, and that’s exactly what you want! Why? Because you don’t want to go through all of the hassle and expense of moving far away just to end up in a city where the quality of life starts to deteriorate. I’ve seen “best” places on other lists that rapidly change for the worse, forcing many who just recently moved there, to move again. What you really want when retiring to Florida, is a great place to retire that will remain a best place for the duration of years you want to stay.
The Criteria: Why These Particular Places are Best for Retirement in Florida Today
This is very important because in the last couple of years, most other best places lists have drastically reduced, or eliminated all together, any consideration of crime rates and safety in their ratings.
Always check the methodology for any best places list to see if it meets your criteria!
All of our best places to retire choices have crime rates so low they’re among the safest places to live in the US.
After a lifetime of work, you deserve to be able to go where you want in your community without worrying about your personal safety.
While there are no guarantees, I analyzed these places and personally feel they have a better chance of maintaining their excellent low crime rates into the future.
How long do you plan on staying in Florida?
The places on our list have better schools than the average Florida town. Why is this important even though you’re retiring?
Whether you rent or own, you will help pay for the education of the children where you live.
So get your money’s worth. Better educated children turn into adults that are employable.
This will help to keep crime rates low in the community into the future.
The places on our lists have better than average job options which can also help keep crime rates low.
Crime rates that remain low can help protect your property value.
Additionally, if you retire to Florida and expenses increase faster than your fixed income, it would be nice to know you have a better chance of finding the extra income you need to make ends meet. Just in case.
Many retirees pick up part time work just to get out of the house or to stay connected.
All of our choices have more recreation, dining, shopping, entertainment per capita, than most other places in Florida.
Now that you’re no longer obligated to spend 40+ hours a week just earning a living, you’re going to have a lot of white space on your calendar.
Retiring to the places on this list will give you plenty of options to enjoy your new found free time.
The Additional Step I Took to Make Sure These Are The Best Places to Retire in Florida: Higher Quality Medical Facilities
All of the towns on my best places to retire in Florida list, have 3-5 star Medicare rated hospitals located right in town or just a short distance away. Just in case…
Why is this so important to know when retiring to Florida?
- Most of the hospitals in Florida have below average ratings from Medicare (The US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services). It’s alright if you weren’t aware of this, I found almost no newly retired folks moving to Florida know this (and a lot of other things too, found in my Florida Move Guide).
- Medicare has been the main health insurer for almost all US retirees 65 and older, for many years and they’ve learned a thing or two. They’ll probably be paying your healthcare bills for you too. The latest hospital ratings from Medicare were made available in January 2020. Of the 50 US states and DC, only Nevada, New York and DC (in that order) have a lower average hospital rating than Florida, according to a study done by Psy.D. Programs published February 24th 2020.
- Additionally, Florida’s health care quality in general, is rated lower than most other states. That’s according to data from the US Health and Human Services Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Here’s an article on the subject from Heath News Florida
Moving to Florida for Retirement Tips
Florida retirement relocation tip #1:
I very recently spent years as a caregiver for 2 close family members who developed cancer.
I always assumed that healthcare in the US was top notch at all hospitals.
However, those years of actual experience with loved ones who relied on that care, has led me to believe that the quality of medical care can vary wildly, depending upon which hospital/healthcare system where treatment is received.
This is especially important to consider, because the quality of healthcare overall in Florida is a very mixed bag according to Medicare itself.
This is why all of my best places to retire lists will now only include cities/towns with average or better hospital systems as rated by Medicare, who is the primary health insurer for most people 65 and better.
Warning: A lot of hospitals in Florida only received 1 or 2 stars out of 5, by Medicare on quality.
Tip #2
A best places to retire list will only be as good as the criteria it uses to choose it’s places, no matter how well known and popular the list publisher is.
For instance, I have seen recent lists where the crime criteria stated, says any place with crime rates lower than twice the national average qualifies.
Are you okay losing all of the money it takes to move 1100 miles, not to mention the hassle, just to end up living in a place where crime happens almost twice as often as average nation wide?
I have seen more than 2 recent lists that include a city in Florida where the violent crime rate is 300% higher than the national average.
Do you want to retire to a city that has far more crime that where you have lived for years? My decades of selling homes to seniors tells me you don’t.
So my tip is, check the criteria used to choose these places, before you waste your time looking at the list because the criteria may not meet your standards.
The criteria for my list is clearly spelled out on this page.
In case you’re wondering, my criteria on crime is that all places, on all of my lists on all of my websites, must have both property and violent crime rates below the national average. Preference is given to places with rates far below average.
Here’s what you need to know to make this, or any other best places list, work for you…
Where Are the Best Places to Retire in Florida FAQ
Q) What is the best area to retire in Florida?
A) The best area to retire in Florida is different for everyone and has a lot to do with where you are moving from. I’ve been selling homes to people moving in and out of different states for more than 30 years, and here’s a little tip. Retiring to a place that is pretty similar in many ways to where you’re moving from, will drastically cut down on expensive relocation mistakes.
For instance, how happy do you think a newly retired person who lived their whole life in rural Iowa would be, if they moved to a major city in Florida populated mainly by people who moved there from other major cities such as Chicago and New York? How happy do you think someone who lived in major cities such as Chicago or New York all their lives would be, if they moved to a small rural Florida town populated by people who moved there from other small rural towns?
There’s more to it than just this, but the best area to retire in Florida for you will probably be similar in size and amenities to the place you moved from. Except of course it will be 1000-1500 miles south and have palm trees.
Q) Is Florida a good state for retirees?
A) Florida is one of the best states for vacation. The state has worked for decades at being excellent for spending a week or so at the beaches or theme parks. A state that’s great for vacations doesn’t necessarily make a good state for retirement.
I can tell you that Florida is a great place to sell real estate because people are constantly moving in (often for retirement) because they loved vacations in the state. Those same people will also call you to sell that home when they are moving out. All of the extra moving in, moving out and the accompanying buying and selling means more income for real estate agents, than in less transient states.
I’ve read population studies by well known universities in Florida and my best guess is that about 50% of “permanent” moves to Florida will not work out over time. However, almost everyone loves living in Florida at first.
More estimates: Florida will be a good state for 90% of retirees for up to 3 years. Up to 75% seniors relocating to the state will still be in the state after 5 years. Only about 50% will still be Floridians at 10 years.
The disconnect is that almost 100% of people moving to Florida for retirement are totally convinced it’s the best state and their move is a permanent one.
Q) What is the cheapest place to retire in Florida?
A) What is the cheapest place to live where you’re now located? The cheapest place to live in your area is probably also one of the least desirable places. It may be the cheapest because there’s a lack of places to work, shop or dine. It could be cheap because lots of violent crime happens there.
The cheapest places to live in Florida are also usually, but not always, cheap for a desirability/demand reason. However, there are still a few places that offer a high quality of life where the cost of living is lower.
That’s what you really want, a place that’s both affordable and also a desirable place to retire. You’ll be happy to know that all of the places on the list below are highly desirable places to retire, and a couple are affordable.
Q) What are the safest places to retire in Florida?
A) When it comes to putting money down and signing a lease or an offer on a home, most retirees will only do so if they perceive it’s a safe place to retire. The problem is their “perception” may not be correct. Florida has a higher overall crime rate than most states (based on FBI statistics) at this writing.
Most people and especially as we get older, will not move to someplace that has more crime than where we are moving from. That’s why all of the places on my list below (my whole site actually) have crime rates lower than the national average for both property and violent crime.
All the places on the list below are safer for retirement in Florida than average. Most are “Mayberry” safe. If you don’t know what that is, you’re too young to be retiring.
Why is it so Critical to Choose the Right City to Retire in Florida?
- Because selling your home, buying a new one in Florida, then moving you and your stuff a 1000 miles is not cheap or easy. The money you burn up relocating is an expense and gone forever. Time is life, we only get so much so we shouldn’t waste any. Why spend lots of time (life) just to end up living in the wrong place with a bad case of “relocation remorse”?
- A far higher percentage of seniors than what most people would guess, move to Florida only to eventually decide it was a mistake. Many get to the point they feel they must spend more of their limited time on this planet and money to correct the error, by moving all over again. Moving to the ideal place in Florida that’s right for you (if in fact Florida is the right move in the first place) will remove at least this one factor for relocation discontent.
- While real estate in Florida has a history of steep price increases followed by price declines, the true best places tend to regain their property value quicker and hold it better over time.
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Ron Stack “That Best Places Guy”
- Want to be certain if moving to Florida is right for you or your family? You’ll know after reading the Florida Move Guide.
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