We know why Arizona is one of the best states to retire in America. It has some of the best places to spend your golden years in America.
Arizona’s median age is one of the oldest in the country. Whether you’re looking to join Arizona’s Parrot Heads, love the sun, or want to learn how to Shag, Arizona has you covered.
And HomeSnacks has you covered, too. We’ve created a list of the best places to retire in Arizona for 2026.
To produce this list, we looked at the latest FBI and Census data for 39 cities with 12,000 residents. We looked at important factors like safety, affordability, rent, and how close a place is to an international airport.
We discovered many people come to Arizona as snowbirds and never leave. That’s because the best places to retire in The Grand Canyon State are some of the safest, most affordable places with great amenities. You can hike Camelback Mountain just outside of Phoenix and ski Flagstaff’s black diamonds in the same day.
You’ll be living like retired royalty in the following places.
$896 median rent · $74,015 median income · #4 cheapest rent in Arizona
Located in
Yuma County, Arizona
Somerton is a city in Yuma County, Arizona, United States.
Somerton has an annual Tamale Festival that benefits students from the area who will be attending Arizona State University. More than 20,000 visitors attend the festival each year. The festival is put together by The El Diablito Arizona State University Alumni chapter.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,302 median rent · $79,644 median income · #15 cheapest rent in Arizona
Located in
Pinal County, Arizona
Florence is a town, 61 miles southeast of Phoenix, in Pinal County of Arizona, United States. Florence, which is the county seat of Pinal County, is one of the oldest towns in that county and is regarded as a National Historic District with over 25 buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The population of Florence was 30,770 at the 2015 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$772 median rent · $42,019 median income · #3 cheapest rent in Arizona
Located in
Cochise County, Arizona
Douglas is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States that lies in the north-west to south-east running San Bernardino Valley within which runs the Rio San Bernardino. Douglas has a border crossing with Mexico at Agua Prieta and a history of mining.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,059 median rent · $69,203 median income · #7 cheapest rent in Arizona
Located in
Yavapai County, Arizona
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,395 median rent · $70,874 median income · #19 cheapest rent in Arizona
Located in
Yavapai County, Arizona
Prescott is a city in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the city is 39,843. The city is the county seat of Yavapai County. In 1864 Prescott was designated as the capital of the Arizona Territory, replacing the temporary capital at Fort Whipple. The Territorial Capital was moved to Tucson in 1867. Prescott again became the Territorial Capital in 1877, until Phoenix became the capital in 1889.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,248 median rent · $61,237 median income · #14 cheapest rent in Arizona
Located in
Yavapai County, Arizona
Chino Valley is a town in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the town is 10,817.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,120 median rent · $48,448 median income · #10 cheapest rent in Arizona
Located in
Yavapai County, Arizona
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,345 median rent · $67,710 median income · #17 cheapest rent in Arizona
Located in
Gila County, Arizona
Payson is a town in northern Gila County, Arizona, United States. Its location puts it very near to the geographic center of Arizona. Payson has been called “The Heart of Arizona”. The town is surrounded by the Tonto National Forest and has many outdoor activities year round. As of the 2010 census, the population of Payson was 15,301.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$737 median rent · $43,214 median income · #1 cheapest rent in Arizona
Located in
Santa Cruz County, Arizona
Nogales is a city in Santa Cruz County, Arizona. The population was 20,837 at the 2010 census and estimated 20,407 in 2014. Nogales forms part of the larger Tucson-Nogales combined statistical area, with a total population of 1,027,683 as of the 2010 Census. The city is the county seat of Santa Cruz County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,058 median rent · $61,792 median income · #6 cheapest rent in Arizona
Located in
Mohave County, Arizona
Kingman is a city in and the county seat of Mohave County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 28,068. The nearby communities of Butler, and Golden Valley bring the Kingman area total population to over 45,000. Kingman is located 85 miles southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada and about 165 miles northwest of the state capital, Phoenix.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Arizona’s statewide median.
Arizona statewide median: $79,964
Arizona statewide median: $423,330
On the map
Where to retire in Arizona
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Places To Retire In the Grand Canyon State for 2026
To create our ranking of the best places in Arizona to retire, we used Saturday Night Science. We analyzed Census data to find all places in the Grand Canyon State — 435 cities and towns.
We then narrowed it down to places with at least 12,000 people that weren’t townships. This left us with 39 places from across the state.
For these 39, we looked at the following criteria taken from the Census, the FBI’s Crime Report, National Weather Service, and OpenFlights:
- Low cost of living as measured by rent
- Low crime
- Things to do (Museums, Colleges, and Libraries in town)
- Nice weather
- Distance to the closest international airport
- Other retirees (High median age)
We then ranked each of these places for each criterion from one to 39, with the lowest number being the best.
Finally, we took the average rank across these criteria. The place, in this case Somerton, with the lowest average rank, was crowned the best of the best, a place for you to start your second career.
The report has been updated for 2026. This list reflects our eleventh time ranking the best places to retire in Arizona.
The full plate
Best Places To Retire In Arizona
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Retire Score | Population | Median Income | Average Home Prices | Median Rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Somerton | 13.20 | 14,574 | $74,015 | $271,558 | $896 |
| 2 | Florence | 13.40 | 25,570 | $79,644 | $333,593 | $1,302 |
| 3 | Douglas | 13.80 | 15,981 | $42,019 | $173,569 | $772 |
| 4 | Camp Verde | 13.80 | 12,521 | $69,203 | $431,372 | $1,059 |
| 5 | Prescott | 14.10 | 47,400 | $70,874 | $605,543 | $1,395 |
| 6 | Chino Valley | 14.80 | 13,602 | $61,237 | $500,150 | $1,248 |
| 7 | Cottonwood | 15.00 | 12,580 | $48,448 | $397,513 | $1,120 |
| 8 | Payson | 15.20 | 16,622 | $67,710 | $446,820 | $1,345 |
| 9 | Nogales | 15.40 | 19,841 | $43,214 | $220,632 | $737 |
| 10 | Kingman | 16.50 | 34,375 | $61,792 | $273,783 | $1,058 |
| 11 | Yuma | 16.90 | 100,139 | $65,482 | $301,508 | $1,114 |
| 12 | San Luis | 17.20 | 37,337 | $59,400 | $238,911 | $741 |
| 13 | Paradise Valley | 17.90 | 12,611 | $247,159 | $3,474,597 | $3,501 |
| 14 | Oro Valley | 18.40 | 48,162 | $107,117 | $506,584 | $1,669 |
| 15 | Tucson | 18.70 | 547,073 | $57,073 | $324,023 | $1,145 |
| 16 | Apache Junction | 18.80 | 41,058 | $60,975 | $376,628 | $1,146 |
| 17 | Show Low | 18.80 | 12,102 | $60,368 | $436,997 | $1,110 |
| 18 | Prescott Valley | 19.30 | 49,179 | $74,569 | $462,396 | $1,580 |
| 19 | Eloy | 19.40 | 17,433 | $55,736 | $275,410 | $978 |
| 20 | Sierra Vista | 20.00 | 45,155 | $70,291 | $298,883 | $1,150 |
| 21 | Scottsdale | 21.00 | 243,821 | $110,886 | $858,022 | $2,013 |
| 22 | Sahuarita | 21.40 | 35,862 | $104,680 | $353,394 | $1,837 |
| 23 | Chandler | 21.50 | 280,136 | $108,095 | $524,156 | $1,902 |
| 24 | Mesa | 22.30 | 511,764 | $82,752 | $435,134 | $1,620 |
| 25 | Coolidge | 22.50 | 16,636 | $67,023 | $270,015 | $1,314 |
| 26 | Glendale | 22.60 | 252,833 | $73,530 | $407,332 | $1,528 |
| 27 | Casa Grande | 22.80 | 60,905 | $69,983 | $319,032 | $1,386 |
| 28 | Maricopa | 22.90 | 67,163 | $96,391 | $346,284 | $1,998 |
| 29 | Peoria | 23.00 | 196,906 | $95,815 | $488,596 | $1,843 |
| 30 | Tempe | 23.20 | 188,065 | $79,663 | $468,281 | $1,743 |
| 31 | Phoenix | 23.30 | 1,642,323 | $81,332 | $410,169 | $1,582 |
| 32 | Surprise | 23.60 | 154,948 | $96,711 | $422,473 | $2,033 |
| 33 | Marana | 24.00 | 56,938 | $112,606 | $436,915 | $1,818 |
| 34 | Gilbert | 24.20 | 280,262 | $122,551 | $572,507 | $2,110 |
| 35 | Goodyear | 24.90 | 107,645 | $103,319 | $469,424 | $1,956 |
| 36 | Queen Creek | 24.90 | 71,867 | $141,978 | $632,223 | $2,210 |
| 37 | Avondale | 26.50 | 92,477 | $86,123 | $398,568 | $1,832 |
| 38 | El Mirage | 27.00 | 36,088 | $78,050 | $342,377 | $1,806 |
| 39 | Flagstaff | 27.80 | 76,445 | $71,512 | $656,480 | $1,645 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024, FBI UCR, OpenFlights. 39 cities with more than 12,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Maybe You’re Not Ready To Retire In Arizona Yet…
So there you have it, the best place to retire in Arizona goes to Somerton.
The best places to retire in Arizona are Somerton, Florence, Douglas, Camp Verde, Prescott, Chino Valley, Cottonwood, Payson, Nogales, and Kingman.
If you’re not ready to hang up your office apparel yet, then these places might be up your alley.
