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America’s cheapest city to retire by the beach isn’t in Florida or California, but rather in the South. A new GOBankingRates study has identified Corpus Christi, Texas, as the cheapest U.S. beach town for retirees.
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That’s Interesting: 5 Clever Ways Retirees Are Earning Up To $1K per Month From Home
GOBankingRates referred to a variety of media outlets, such as Travel + Leisure and U.S. News & World Report, to source these beach towns. Key factors analyzed include the population ages 65 and over, average household income and monthly cost of living in retirement (calculated using the average mortgage and expenditure costs).
Key Findings
Florida did not rank in the top five. The five cheapest beachside places are Corpus Christi (TX), Duluth (MN), Salisbury (MD), Atlantic City (NJ) and Columbus (OH). The monthly cost of living does not exceed $3,300 in these five cities.
Despite not appearing in the top five, Florida is still home to plenty of cheap retirement hotspots. 24 cities appeared in the top 50 and rank as follows: Pensacola (#6), Crystal River (#8), Daytona Beach (#9), Jacksonville (#10), Lakeland (#11), Hudson (#12), Englewood (#17), Punta Gorda (#21), Melbourne (#22), Vero Beach (#24), Fort Myers (#25), Clearwater (#27), Port Saint Lucie (#28), Tampa (#29), Venice (#32), Saint Augustine (#33), New Smyrna Beach (#34), Sarasota (#35), Deerfield Beach (#37), Stuart (#38), Mexico Beach (#41), Grant-Valkaria (#42), Bonita Springs (#48) and Destin (#49).
Most of the top 10 beach towns are in the South and on the East Coast. Duluth (#2) and Columbus (#5) are the only Midwestern cities to receive top 10 mentions.
Only one California town is in the top 50. Guerneville slipped into 45th place with $4,855 in monthly expenses.
See the 50 cheapest places to retire by the beach from coast to coast. Plus, which 30 towns are the nation’s safest and wealthiest?
1. Corpus Christi, Texas
% of retired people: 15.6%
Median household income: $67,394
Monthly cost of living: $3,015
2. Duluth, Minnesota
% of retired people: 17.3%
Median household income: $68,807
Monthly cost of living: $3,158
3. Salisbury, Maryland
% of retired people: 13.3%
Median household income: $58,576
Monthly cost of living: $3,164
4. Atlantic City, New Jersey
% of retired people: 16.6%
Median household income: $41,028
Monthly cost of living: $3,193
5. Columbus, Ohio
% of retired people: 11.3%
Median household income: $66,082
Monthly cost of living: $3,211
6. Pensacola, Florida
% of retired people: 21.3%
Median household income: $74,212
Monthly cost of living: $3,226
7. Ocean Springs, Mississippi
% of retired people: 21.4%
Median household income: $79,712
Monthly cost of living: $3,267
8. Crystal River, Florida
% of retired people: 46.6%
Median household income: $54,405
Monthly cost of living: $3,310
9. Daytona Beach, Florida
% of retired people: 22.5%
Median household income: $52,058
Monthly cost of living: $3,371
10. Jacksonville, Florida
% of retired people: 14.9%
Median household income: $69,872
Monthly cost of living: $3,488
11. Lakeland, Florida
% of retired people: 21.5%
Median household income: $64,185
Monthly cost of living: $3,509
12. Hudson, Florida
% of retired people: 46.4%
Median household income: $51,513
Monthly cost of living: $3,567
13. Savannah, Georgia
% of retired people: 14.3%
Median household income: $57,137
Monthly cost of living: $3,580
14. Chicago
% of retired people: 13.8%
Median household income: $77,902
Monthly cost of living: $3,610 Â Â
15. Long Beach, Washington
Median household income: $53,032
Monthly cost of living: $3,620
16. Ocean Shores, Washington
% of retired people: 46.5%
Median household income: $58,202
Monthly cost of living: $3,677
17. Englewood, Florida
% of retired people: 60.1%
Median household income: $69,222
Monthly cost of living: $3,703
18. New London, Connecticut
Median household income: $59,098
Monthly cost of living: $3,731
19. Chincoteague, Virginia
% of retired people: 37.6%
Median household income: $62,917
Monthly cost of living: $3,754
20. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
% of retired people: 23.7%
Median household income: $60,394
Monthly cost of living: $3,772
21. Punta Gorda, Florida
% of retired people: 53.6%
Median household income: $85,779
Monthly cost of living: $3,783
22. Melbourne, Florida
% of retired people: 22.5%
Median household income: $66,991
Monthly cost of living: $3,823
23. Cape Charles, Virginia
% of retired people: 37.7%
Median household income: $73,750
Monthly cost of living: $3,845
24. Vero Beach, Florida
% of retired people: 28.9%
Median household income: $69,758
Monthly cost of living: $3,874
25. Fort Myers, Florida
% of retired people: 23.2%
Median household income: $63,732
Monthly cost of living: $3,912
26. Calabash, North Carolina
% of retired people: 32.1%
Median household income: $65,310
Monthly cost of living: $3,975
27. Clearwater, Florida
% of retired people: 24.1%
Median household income: $66,381
Monthly cost of living: $3,979
28. Port St. Lucie, Florida
% of retired people: 21.8%
Median household income: $80,648
Monthly cost of living: $3,997
29. Tampa, Florida
% of retired people: 13.7%
Median household income: $75,475
Monthly cost of living: $4,024
30. Beaufort, South Carolina
% of retired people: 14.9%
Median household income: $61,220
Monthly cost of living: $4,029
31. Surfside Beach, South Carolina
% of retired people: 28.9%
Median household income: $70,106
Monthly cost of living: $4,054
32. Venice, Florida
% of retired people: 61.4%
Median household income: $76,755
Monthly cost of living: $4,137
33. St. Augustine, Florida
% of retired people: 27.4%
Median household income: $78,151
Monthly cost of living: $4,222
34. New Smyrna Beach, Florida
% of retired people: 35.3%
Median household income: $83,865
Monthly cost of living: $4,227
35. Sarasota, Florida
% of retired people: 29.2%
Median household income: $72,105
Monthly cost of living: $4,248
36. Virginia Beach, Virginia
% of retired people: 15.9%
Median household income: $92,968
Monthly cost of living: $4,248
37. Deerfield Beach, Florida
% of retired people: 22.7%
Median household income: $59,730
Monthly cost of living: $4,275
38. Stuart, Florida
% of retired people: 29.1%
Median household income: $60,225
Monthly cost of living: $4,389
39. Dauphin Island, Alabama
% of retired people: 36.8%
Median household income: $67,206
Monthly cost of living: $4,419
40. Gulf Shores, Alabama
% of retired people: 25.9%
Median household income: $78,188
Monthly cost of living: $4,483
41. Mexico Beach, Florida
% of retired people: 38.1%
Median household income: $63,864
Monthly cost of living: $4,567
42. Grant-Valkaria, Florida
% of retired people: 41.4%
Median household income: $119,583
Monthly cost of living: $4,685
43. Ocean City, Maryland
% of retired people: 31.2%
Median household income: $77,750
Monthly cost of living: $4,686
44. Sunset Beach, North Carolina
% of retired people: 59.7%
Median household income: $81,976
Monthly cost of living: $4,772
45. Guerneville, California
Median household income: $81,281
Monthly cost of living: $4,855
46. Charleston, South Carolina
% of retired people: 16.4%
Median household income: $92,414
Monthly cost of living: $5,086
47. Port Townsend, Washington
% of retired people: 43.6%
Median household income: $62,606
Monthly cost of living: $5,137
48. Bonita Springs, Florida
% of retired people: 44.2%
Median household income: $95,210
Monthly cost of living: $5,151
49. Destin, Florida
% of retired people: 18.3%
Median household income: $89,011
Monthly cost of living: $5,259
50. Orange Beach, Alabama
% of retired people: 23.7%
Median household income: $97,736
Monthly cost of living: $5,326
Explore more original studies and surveys in the GOBankingRates original research center.
Methodology: GOBankingRates sourced beach towns from Travel + Leisure, Thrillist.com, Realtor.com, U.S. News & World Report, and USA Today. Population ages 65 and over and household median income were sourced from the US Census 2024 5-Year ACS. The cost-of-living indexes were sourced from Sperling’s BestPlaces. The national average expenditure costs for retired households were sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024 Consumer Expenditure Survey for retired consumer units. The average home value was sourced from Zillow Home Value Index from January 2026. The average mortgage was calculated for each location using the home value, assuming a 10% down payment and using the national average 30-year fixed mortgage rate, as sourced from the Federal Reserve Economic Data. Cost of living was then calculated by adding mortgage to cost of expenditures for each location. The livability index was sourced from AreaVibes. The beach towns were sorted to show the cheapest cost of living first. All data is up to date as of March 4, 2026.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 50 Cheapest Places To Retire by the Beach