10 Great Places to Retire If You Hate the Cold

Portland, Oregon

Average high temperature in July: 80℉
Average low temperature in January: 38℉
Cost of living for retirees: 26.5% above U.S. average
Share of population 65+: 10.4%
Oregon’s tax rating for retirees: Least Tax-Friendly
Lifetime health care costs for a retired couple: About average at $391,559

Portland is such a great place to retire that it rises above the high cost of living and the Beaver State’s unfriendly tax situation. As an original participant (and sole U.S. representative) in the World Health Organization’s Global Age-Friendly Cities Project, Portland is committed to satisfying the needs of its older residents. In the early stages of its action plan, the Age-Friendly Portland Advisory Council—with members from AARP Oregon, nonprofit Elders in Action and Portland State University’s Institute on Aging—has held discussions about intergenerational activities and programs, ways for businesses to engage with older adults and developing age-friendly housing. For more information, visit www.agefriendlyportland.org.

And you can already enjoy the pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods, such as the popular Pearl District, as well as the public transit system, which costs only $1 a ride for those age 65 and older. For natural diversions, you don’t have to go far. In the city, you can stroll Forest Park or hike extinct volcano Mount Tabor. Mount Hood and the ocean are also nearby.

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Average high temperature in July: 91℉
Average low temperature in January: 34℉
Cost of living for retirees: 3.5% below U.S. average
Share of population 65+: 15.1%
South Carolina’s tax rating for retirees: Tax-Friendly
Lifetime health care costs for a retired couple: Below average at $381,681

Myrtle Beach is a great setting for the classic retirement dream of endless rounds of golf, broken up only by lounging on the beach. Tee off from any of about 100 championship golf courses in the area. And enjoy 60 miles of beach, where you can just lay out or opt to boat, fish, surf, kayak, scuba dive or partake in other water activities.

Life with all these amenities comes relatively cheap in Myrtle Beach. For example, housing-related costs for retirees typically come in 28.5% under the national average. By comparison, Hilton Head Island—another popular South Carolina retirement destination, where 28.8% of the population is age 65 and older—has housing-related costs 8.2% above average for retirees.

Sherman, Texas

Average high temperature in July: 92℉
Average low temperature in January: 33℉
Cost of living for retirees: 13.0% below U.S. average
Share of population 65+: 13.2%
Texas’s tax rating for retirees: Tax-Friendly
Lifetime health care costs for a retired couple: About average at $393,414

With a population of less than 40,000, the small city of Sherman offers retirees big savings. Overall living costs are cheap, and housing-related costs for retirees are particularly affordable, at 24.8% below average. The median home value is $98,100 in Sherman proper and $79,100 in Denison (also part of the greater metro area)—well below the state’s $128,900 median. Residents can save on taxes, as well: The Lone Star state levies no income tax.

In Sherman, you can enjoy boutique shopping, unique cafés and several community gatherings throughout the year, including an Earth Day festival and free “Shakespeare in the Grove” performances. Also explore the 12,000-acre Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge, home to about 500 different wildlife species. And when you feel the urge for big-city stimulation, Dallas is about an hour’s drive away.