25 Surprisingly Affordable U.S. Spots

Dania Novack lived for nearly four decades in pricey Hawaii, publishing a local food magazine and raising two now-adult children. But after the 2023 Maui wildfires and a drawn-out, contentious and expensive divorce, she decided to return to the mainland for a more affordable retirement. With friends and family still in the Aloha State, she knew she’d visit often. So Novack started looking for a place with reasonable flight connections, a certain cultural vibe and a lower cost of living than, say, Southern California, where she grew up. Novack, now 65, took a road trip through Colorado, Oregon and Washington State and concluded, “I don’t like cold weather.” Instead, she opted for a desert climate. She visited a friend who had moved to Green Valley, Arizona, in the foothills of the Santa Rita mountains, 20 miles south of Tucson and just 70 miles north of Mexico and was sold. “There’s access to nature and culture,” she gushes. “I absolutely love Green Valley.”

The scenic unincorporated area, made up of 130 mostly age-restricted (i.e. retirement) developments, is one of 25 locales honored on Forbes’ Best Places To Retire In 2026 list, which identifies U.S. spots offering a high quality of life at a comparatively affordable price. Since 2020, the median price of single-family homes nationwide has risen 50% to $409,000, according to the National Association of Realtors. But in Green Valley, it’s just $282,000. After going to numerous open houses, Novack paid barely half of that, in cash, for a just-refurbished one-story, one-bedroom adobe-style condominium home, with 558 square feet, a walk-in shower, and an open kitchen that suits her lifestyle. (By contrast, in Maui County, Hawaii, the median condominium sells for $630,000 and the median price of a single-family home is $999,000.) For a monthly fee of $410, the homeowners association takes care of the exterior and grounds around Novack’s property and provides pools and other recreational facilities.

To determine our top 25, Forbes compared nearly 1,000 locations, with housing and other living costs (including taxes) being major factors. Indeed, 21 of our picks have median home prices at or below the national median and seven are under $300,000. (Besides Green Valley, they are Appleton, Wisconsin; Iowa City, Iowa; Lincoln, Nebraska; Midland, Michigan; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and San Antonio, Texas.) The priciest housing market on our new list is Colorado Springs, Colorado, at $449,000, followed by Raleigh, North Carolina at $434,000.

Our new list features choices in 21 states and all four domestic time zones, with a roughly even split between colder and warmer climates. Chilly Fargo, North Dakota, is the only place appearing for all 16 years we’ve compiled this list. Pittsburgh, which also has frosty winters, is another long-time favorite—on for the ninth year in a row, despite its above-average crime rate.

Besides living costs, our selection process considers such quality-of-life metrics as air quality, serious crime and the availability of primary care doctors, as well as whether a place encourages an active lifestyle by making biking or walking convenient. As we have since 2020, we screened for natural hazard and climate change risk, ruling out places with the very highest danger, as measured by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Risk Index, which evaluates 18 natural hazards ranging from hurricanes and tornadoes to heat waves and extreme cold. That, and Florida’s rising house costs, including for property insurance, help explain why only one of our top 25 is in the Sunshine State. That Florida pick is The Villages, which like Green Valley, is primarily a retirement community. All our other choices are mixed age places, with many being college towns.

Green Valley retirees can enjoy outdoor activities during its mild winters. Summers are undeniably hot, although its 3,000-foot elevation makes nights a little cooler than in Tucson or Phoenix. Plus, Green Valley’s reasonable housing prices make it easier for retirees to also hold on to another home in a cooler spot. For example, Laura and Chris Wood, who retired to Green Valley from chilly Muncie, Indiana, still keep a summer retreat on a northern Indiana lake. From the porch of their Green Valley home, they have a view of the Santa Rita Mountains (highest point: 9,400 feet). “We love the desert landscape,” says Laura, 60. Chris, 63, appreciates the local golf courses.

Our 25 best retirement picks are listed below in alphabetical order. A description of Forbes’ full methodology and how one newlywed Houston couple used a spread sheet and a road trip to select Raleigh for their retirement, is here.

A-F