{"id":482269,"date":"2026-06-04T07:11:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T07:11:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/482269\/"},"modified":"2026-06-04T07:11:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T07:11:12","slug":"best-and-worst-states-to-retire-in-2026-to-stretch-retirement-savings-most","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/482269\/","title":{"rendered":"Best and Worst States To Retire in 2026 To Stretch Retirement Savings Most"},"content":{"rendered":"

Choosing where to retire isn\u2019t just about lifestyle \u2014 it can determine how long your savings<\/a> last.<\/p>\n

If affordability is your top priority, a new 50-state analysis from Western & Southern Financial Group<\/a> highlights where retirees face the lowest and highest living costs<\/a>. The report ranks states using multiple factors tied to retirement readiness, including a cost-of-living index designed to show where retirees can stretch their budgets<\/a> further.<\/p>\n

Just Relax: I\u2019m a Financial Advisor: Here\u2019s How Often You Should Check Your Retirement Account Balance<\/a><\/p>\n

Try It:Start Growing Your Net Worth With Smarter Tracking<\/a><\/p>\n

Based on the cost-of-living portion of the analysis, these are the most and least affordable states for retirees.<\/p>\n

States With the Lowest Cost of Living for Retirees<\/p>\n

These states have the lowest cost of living, ranked from most to least affordable:<\/p>\n

States With the Highest Cost of Living for Retirees<\/p>\n

These states have the highest living costs for retirees. They’re ranked from least to most affordable:<\/p>\n

How Retiree Income Changes What ‘Affordable’ Really Means<\/p>\n

It’s important to note that low costs can coincide with lower retiree income, while high-cost states may have higher retiree incomes. Affordability is about the gap<\/a> between income and expenses, not just prices.<\/p>\n

Some of the states with the lowest living costs also have some of the lowest median household incomes among those ages 65 and older:<\/p>\n

Mississippi has the second-lowest living costs, but also the lowest median household income at $44,031.<\/p>\n

West Virginia has the second-lowest median household income at $45,778.<\/p>\n

On the flip side, some of the states with the highest living costs also have the highest median household incomes for retirees:<\/p>\n

Hawaii has the highest cost of living and the highest median household income: $91,390.<\/p>\n

California also ranks among the states with the highest median household income for those ages 65 and older, at $71,673.<\/p>\n

Remember that no matter where you choose to live, there will likely be tradeoffs. If you\u2019re considering retiring in a high-cost state<\/a>, make sure you have a plan to pay for housing and healthcare, in addition to everyday expenses. If you\u2019re considering a low-cost state, check access to the services and amenities you will want in retirement.<\/p>\n

Summer spending adds up fast. Enter MoneyLion’s Summer Break Giveaway for a chance to win $500<\/a>\u2014 and give your budget a break. (No pur. nec. Ends 7\/4\/26. See official rules at mlion.info\/summerbreakofficialrules<\/a>)<\/p>\n

This article was provided by MoneyLion.com<\/a> for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal or tax advice.<\/p>\n

More From MoneyLion:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Choosing where to retire isn\u2019t just about lifestyle \u2014 it can determine how long your savings last. If…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":482270,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[72,169757,176,61,60,207603,174,175,207602],"class_list":["post-482269","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-personal-finance","tag-business","tag-cost-of-living-index","tag-finance","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-median-household-incomes","tag-personal-finance","tag-personalfinance","tag-western-southern-financial-group"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482269","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=482269"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482269\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/482270"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=482269"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=482269"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=482269"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}