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The cheapest cities in America to relax near the beach are not in Florida or California, but in the South. A new GOBankingRates study has identified Corpus Christi, Texas, as the cheapest US beach town for retirees.
GOBankingRates referred to a variety of media outlets, such as Travel + Leisure and US News & World Report, to source these seaside towns. Key factors analyzed included the population aged 65 and over, median household income and monthly cost of living in retirement (calculated using average mortgage and expense costs).
key findings
- Florida did not finish in the top five. The five cheapest beach locations are Corpus Christi (TX), Duluth (MN), Salisbury (MD), Atlantic City (NJ) and Columbus (OH). The monthly cost of living in these five cities does not exceed $3,300.
- Despite not making the top five, Florida is still home to plenty of cheap retirement hotspots. 24 cities made the top 50 and are ranked 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 St. Lucie (#28), Tampa (#29), Venice (#32), St. 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 on the south and east coast. Duluth (#2) and Columbus (#5) are the only Midwestern cities to receive top 10 mentions.
- Only one California city is in the top 50. Guerneville dropped to 45th with a monthly expense of $4,855.
Check out the 50 cheapest places to relax from coast to coast. Also, which 30 cities in the country are the safest and wealthiest?
1. Corpus Christi, Texas
- % of retired people: 15.6%
- median household income: $67,394
- Monthly Cost of Living: $3,015
- Habitable: 80
2. Duluth, Minnesota
- % of retired people: 17.3%
- median household income: $68,807
- Monthly Cost of Living: $3,158
- Habitable: 80
3. Salisbury, Maryland
- % of retired people: 13.3%
- median household income: $58,576
- Monthly Cost of Living: $3,164
- Habitable: 60
4. Atlantic City, New Jersey
- % of retired people: 16.6%
- median household income: $41,028
- Monthly Cost of Living: $3,193
- Habitable: 55
5. Columbus, Ohio
- % of retired people: 11.3%
- median household income: $66,082
- Monthly Cost of Living: $3,211
- Habitable: 81
6. Pensacola, Florida
- % of retired people: 21.3%
- median household income: $74,212
- Monthly Cost of Living: $3,226
- Habitable: 83
7. Ocean Springs, Mississippi
- % of retired people: 21.4%
- median household income: $79,712
- Monthly Cost of Living: $3,267
- Habitable: 84
8. Crystal River, Florida
- % of retired people: 46.6%
- median household income: $54,405
- Monthly Cost of Living: $3,310
- Habitable: 66
9. Daytona Beach, Florida
- % of retired people: 22.5%
- median household income: $52,058
- Monthly Cost of Living: $3,371
- Habitable: 80
10. Jacksonville, Florida
- % of retired people: 14.9%
- median household income: $69,872
- Monthly Cost of Living: $3,488
- Habitable: 84
11. Lakeland, Florida
- % of retired people: 21.5%
- median household income: $64,185
- Monthly Cost of Living: $3,509
- Habitable: 77
12. Hudson, Florida
- % of retired people: 46.4%
- median household income: $51,513
- Monthly Cost of Living: $3,567
- Habitable: 73
13. Savannah, Georgia
- % of retired people: 14.3%
- median household income: $57,137
- Monthly Cost of Living: $3,580
- Habitable: 81
14. Chicago
- % of retired people: 13.8%
- median household income: $77,902
- Monthly Cost of Living: $3,610
- Habitable: 78
15. Long Beach, Washington
- % of retired people: 30%
- median household income: $53,032
- Monthly Cost of Living: $3,620
- Habitable: 74
16. Ocean Beach, Washington
- % of retired people: 46.5%
- median household income: $58,202
- Monthly Cost of Living: $3,677
- Habitable: 61
17. Englewood, Florida
- % of retired people: 60.1%
- median household income: $69,222
- Monthly Cost of Living: $3,703
- Habitable: 72
18. New London, Connecticut
- % of retired people: 15%
- median household income: $59,098
- Monthly Cost of Living: $3,731
- Habitable: 72
19. Chincoteague, Virginia
- % of retired people: 37.6%
- median household income: $62,917
- Monthly Cost of Living: $3,754
- Habitable: 65
20. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
- % of retired people: 23.7%
- median household income: $60,394
- Monthly Cost of Living: $3,772
- Habitable: 67
21. Punta Gorda, Florida
- % of retired people: 53.6%
- median household income: $85,779
- Monthly Cost of Living: $3,783
- Habitable: 76
22. Melbourne, Florida
- % of retired people: 22.5%
- median household income: $66,991
- Monthly Cost of Living: $3,823
- Habitable: 85
23. Cape Charles, Virginia
- % of retired people: 37.7%
- median household income: $73,750
- Monthly Cost of Living: $3,845
- Habitable: 58
24. Vero Beach, Florida
- % of retired people: 28.9%
- median household income: $69,758
- Monthly Cost of Living: $3,874
- Habitable: 79
25. Fort Myers, Florida
- % of retired people: 23.2%
- median household income: $63,732
- Monthly Cost of Living: $3,912
- Habitable: 85
26. Calabash, North Carolina
- % of retired people: 32.1%
- median household income: $65,310
- Monthly Cost of Living: $3,975
- Habitable: 62
27. Clearwater, Florida
- % of retired people: 24.1%
- median household income: $66,381
- Monthly Cost of Living: $3,979
- Habitable: 81
28. Port St. Lucie, Florida
- % of retired people: 21.8%
- median household income: $80,648
- Monthly Cost of Living: $3,997
- Habitable: 68
29. Tampa, Florida
- % of retired people: 13.7%
- median household income: $75,475
- Monthly Cost of Living: $4,024
- Habitable: 80
30. Beaufort, South Carolina
- % of retired people: 14.9%
- median household income: $61,220
- Monthly Cost of Living: $4,029
- Habitable: 71
31. Surfside Beach, South Carolina
- % of retired people: 28.9%
- median household income: $70,106
- Monthly Cost of Living: $4,054
- Habitable: 73
32. Venice, Florida
- % of retired people: 61.4%
- median household income: $76,755
- Monthly Cost of Living: $4,137
- Habitable: 79
33. St. Augustine, Florida
- % of retired people: 27.4%
- median household income: $78,151
- Monthly Cost of Living: $4,222
- Habitable: 87
34. New Smyrna Beach, Florida
- % of retired people: 35.3%
- median household income: $83,865
- Monthly Cost of Living: $4,227
- Habitable: 70
35. Sarasota, Florida
- % of retired people: 29.2%
- median household income: $72,105
- Monthly Cost of Living: $4,248
- Habitable: 80
36. Virginia Beach, Virginia
- % of retired people: 15.9%
- median household income: $92,968
- Monthly Cost of Living: $4,248
- Habitable: 83
37. Deerfield Beach, Florida
- % of retired people: 22.7%
- median household income: $59,730
- Monthly Cost of Living: $4,275
- Habitable: 75
38. Stuart, Florida
- % of retired people: 29.1%
- median household income: $60,225
- Monthly Cost of Living: $4,389
- Habitable: 86
39. Dauphin Island, Alabama
- % of retired people: 36.8%
- median household income: $67,206
- Monthly Cost of Living: $4,419
- Habitable: 71
40. Gulf Coast, Alabama
- % of retired people: 25.9%
- median household income: $78,188
- Monthly Cost of Living: $4,483
- Habitable: 68
41. Mexico Beach, Florida
- % of retired people: 38.1%
- median household income: $63,864
- Monthly Cost of Living: $4,567
- Habitable: 66
42. Grant-Valkaria, Florida
- % of retired people: 41.4%
- median household income: $119,583
- Monthly Cost of Living: $4,685
- Habitable: 71
43. Ocean City, Maryland
- % of retired people: 31.2%
- median household income: $77,750
- Monthly Cost of Living: $4,686
- Habitable: 72
44. Sunset Beach, North Carolina
- % of retired people: 59.7%
- median household income: $81,976
- Monthly Cost of Living: $4,772
- Habitable: 66
45. Guerneville, California
- % of retired people: 27%
- median household income: $81,281
- Monthly Cost of Living: $4,855
- Habitable: 57
46. Charleston, South Carolina
- % of retired people: 16.4%
- median household income: $92,414
- Monthly Cost of Living: $5,086
- Habitable: 77
47. Port Townsend, Washington
- % of retired people: 43.6%
- median household income: $62,606
- Monthly Cost of Living: $5,137
- Habitable: 60
48. Bonita Springs, Florida
- % of retired people: 44.2%
- median household income: $95,210
- Monthly Cost of Living: $5,151
- Habitable: 70
49. Destin, Florida
- % of retired people: 18.3%
- median household income: $89,011
- Monthly Cost of Living: $5,259
- Habitable: 79
50. Orange Beach, Alabama
- % of retired people: 23.7%
- median household income: $97,736
- Monthly Cost of Living: $5,326
- Habitable: 77
See more original studies and surveys in GOBankingRates Original Research Center.
Methodology: GOBankingRates sourced beach cities from Travel + Leisure, Thrillist.com, Realtor.com, US News & World Report and USA TODAY. Population age 65 and older and household median income were obtained from the US Census 2024 5-year ACS. Cost of living indices were obtained from Sperling’s BestPlace. National average expenditure costs for retired households were obtained from the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024 Consumer Expenditures Survey for Retired Consumer Units. Median home value was taken from the Zillow Home Value Index through January 2026. The average mortgage was calculated for each location using home value with a 10% down payment and the national average 30-year fixed mortgage rate, as derived from Federal Reserve economic data. The cost of living was then calculated by adding the mortgage to the cost of living for each location. The liveability index was obtained from AreaVibes. Beach towns were sorted to show cheapest cost of living first. All data is updated as of March 4, 2026.