When you realize your career is coming to an end, you start to think about the best place in Florida to live out your retirement.
Florida is known as the retirement state. A place where you can soak up the sun and live in massive upscale retirement communities. It is no surprise that Florida is a favorite retirement destination. The weather is beautiful, the beaches practically surround the state, and the state is very affordable.
From Disney to the Everglades and everything in between, Florida is a great vacation spot, so why not retire here? If Florida is a top retirement state, we wanted to know which places are the best to retire. To find the best places to retire, we considered things that retirees like to do, like visiting museums and libraries, affordable housing near major airports, and safety.
We figured out the best places to retire in Florida, and it’s not Miami or Jacksonville.
$1,221 median rent · $69,758 median income · #6 cheapest rent in Florida
Located in
Indian River County, Florida
Vero Beach is a city in and the seat of Indian River County, Florida, United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2010 data, the city had a population of 15,220.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,496 median rent · $58,886 median income · #18 cheapest rent in Florida
Located in
Lake County, Florida
Tavares is a city located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Lake County. The population in 2015 was 14,583, with a total of 5,000 households and an average household income of $40,000. It is part of the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area. The name is a popular Portuguese surname and toponym.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,684 median rent · $72,105 median income · #32 cheapest rent in Florida
Located in
Sarasota County, Florida
Sarasota is a city in Sarasota County on the southwestern coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is at the southern end of the Tampa Bay Area, north of Fort Myers and Punta Gorda. Its official limits include Sarasota Bay and several barrier islands between the bay and the Gulf of Mexico. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2013 Sarasota had a population of 53,326. In 1986 it became designated as a certified local government. Sarasota is a principal city of the Sarasota metropolitan area, and is the seat of Sarasota County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,618 median rent · $60,822 median income · #25 cheapest rent in Florida
Located in
Manatee County, Florida
Bradenton BRAY-den-ton is a city in Manatee County, Florida, United States. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city’s 2016 population to be 54,437. Bradenton is a principal city of the Bradenton-Sarasota-Venice, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2007 estimated population of 682,833. It is the county seat.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$2,010 median rent · $90,049 median income · #56 cheapest rent in Florida
Located in
Palm Beach County, Florida
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,563 median rent · $80,973 median income · #20 cheapest rent in Florida
Located in
Bay County, Florida
Lynn Haven is a city in Bay County, Florida, United States, north of Panama City. The population was 18,493 at the 2010 census. It has the smaller population of the two principal cities of the Panama City – Lynn Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,743 median rent · $106,830 median income · #38 cheapest rent in Florida
Located in
Pinellas County, Florida
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,880 median rent · $92,135 median income · #47 cheapest rent in Florida
Located in
Broward County, Florida
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,675 median rent · $74,477 median income · #30 cheapest rent in Florida
Located in
Pinellas County, Florida
Dunedin is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. The name comes from Dn -ideann, the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. The population was 35,321 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,451 median rent · $69,409 median income · #17 cheapest rent in Florida
Located in
Indian River County, Florida
Sebastian is a city in Indian River County, Florida, United States, with a small portion in Brevard County. In 2010, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 21,929.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Florida’s statewide median.
Florida statewide median: $74,568
Florida statewide median: $375,662
On the map
Where to retire in Florida
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Places To Retire In the Sunshine State for 2026
To create our ranking of the best places in Florida to retire, we used Saturday Night Science. We analyzed Census data to find all places in the Sunshine State — 915 cities and towns.
We then narrowed it down to places with at least 10,000 people that weren’t townships. This left us with 71 places from across the state.
For these 71, 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 71, with the lowest number being the best.
Finally, we took the average rank across these criteria. The place, in this case Vero Beach, 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 Florida.
The full plate
Best Places To Retire In Florida
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Retire Score | Population | Median Income | Average Home Prices | Median Rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vero Beach | 16.50 | 17,042 | $69,758 | $362,131 | $1,221 |
| 2 | Tavares | 17.50 | 20,463 | $58,886 | $310,773 | $1,496 |
| 3 | Sarasota | 20.50 | 56,970 | $72,105 | $412,112 | $1,684 |
| 4 | Bradenton | 21.00 | 57,014 | $60,822 | $353,218 | $1,618 |
| 5 | North Palm Beach | 22.10 | 13,238 | $90,049 | $622,594 | $2,010 |
| 6 | Lynn Haven | 23.90 | 20,081 | $80,973 | $321,841 | $1,563 |
| 7 | Safety Harbor | 25.20 | 17,033 | $106,830 | $495,956 | $1,743 |
| 8 | Lighthouse Point | 27.60 | 10,600 | $92,135 | $762,810 | $1,880 |
| 9 | Dunedin | 27.90 | 36,062 | $74,477 | $405,386 | $1,675 |
| 10 | Sebastian | 28.70 | 26,262 | $69,409 | $346,765 | $1,451 |
| 11 | Lake Mary | 29.20 | 16,860 | $109,173 | $466,032 | $2,120 |
| 12 | Tampa | 29.70 | 401,618 | $75,475 | $374,888 | $1,701 |
| 13 | Winter Park | 29.80 | 30,274 | $105,724 | $464,211 | $1,738 |
| 14 | Seminole | 30.00 | 19,396 | $75,774 | $380,864 | $1,708 |
| 15 | Tarpon Springs | 30.30 | 25,791 | $79,529 | $388,386 | $1,298 |
| 16 | Lake Wales | 30.50 | 16,785 | $56,347 | $246,149 | $1,110 |
| 17 | Palmetto | 30.60 | 13,588 | $62,621 | $350,685 | $1,366 |
| 18 | Stuart | 30.70 | 18,520 | $60,225 | $378,041 | $1,586 |
| 19 | Pinellas Park | 31.40 | 53,560 | $63,432 | $298,643 | $1,631 |
| 20 | West Palm Beach | 31.50 | 122,290 | $73,446 | $399,471 | $1,772 |
| 21 | Cocoa | 31.60 | 19,554 | $63,105 | $296,004 | $1,274 |
| 22 | Hialeah Gardens | 31.80 | 22,915 | $65,439 | $416,365 | $1,946 |
| 23 | Gulfport | 32.30 | 11,734 | $71,203 | $349,949 | $1,555 |
| 24 | Palm Bay | 32.90 | 130,132 | $72,614 | $302,461 | $1,601 |
| 25 | Key West | 33.20 | 25,720 | $87,037 | $1,018,284 | $2,220 |
| 26 | Leesburg | 34.30 | 30,807 | $52,880 | $277,247 | $1,258 |
| 27 | West Melbourne | 34.30 | 28,795 | $92,986 | $372,682 | $1,845 |
| 28 | Miami | 34.70 | 459,745 | $62,462 | $579,564 | $1,758 |
| 29 | Miami Lakes | 35.00 | 31,553 | $101,557 | $653,606 | $2,120 |
| 30 | Oldsmar | 35.20 | 14,904 | $88,333 | $365,724 | $1,427 |
| 31 | Bartow | 35.40 | 20,438 | $68,178 | $277,441 | $1,142 |
| 32 | Sweetwater | 35.40 | 20,085 | $54,967 | $438,052 | $1,771 |
| 33 | Winter Haven | 35.70 | 55,200 | $59,648 | $275,361 | $1,246 |
| 34 | Sanford | 35.80 | 63,730 | $66,891 | $342,584 | $1,609 |
| 35 | Casselberry | 35.80 | 30,135 | $62,447 | $346,839 | $1,674 |
| 36 | Sunny Isles Beach | 35.80 | 22,437 | $61,921 | $649,891 | $2,096 |
| 37 | Marco Island | 35.90 | 16,205 | $101,523 | $865,675 | $1,990 |
| 38 | Kissimmee | 36.70 | 81,479 | $53,758 | $358,736 | $1,647 |
| 39 | North Port | 37.10 | 84,605 | $84,049 | $303,120 | $1,894 |
| 40 | Longwood | 37.60 | 16,337 | $78,548 | $455,599 | $1,755 |
| 41 | Oviedo | 37.80 | 40,599 | $117,070 | $506,154 | $1,955 |
| 42 | St. Petersburg | 37.90 | 262,732 | $75,192 | $347,964 | $1,663 |
| 43 | Titusville | 37.90 | 49,385 | $66,192 | $270,988 | $1,334 |
| 44 | Delray Beach | 38.20 | 67,979 | $82,041 | $340,487 | $1,961 |
| 45 | Boca Raton | 38.40 | 100,234 | $106,273 | $562,566 | $2,508 |
| 46 | Temple Terrace | 38.50 | 27,275 | $69,252 | $325,256 | $1,594 |
| 47 | Riviera Beach | 38.70 | 38,657 | $68,060 | $405,539 | $1,702 |
| 48 | Boynton Beach | 39.30 | 81,435 | $70,074 | $401,877 | $2,041 |
| 49 | Royal Palm Beach | 40.00 | 40,344 | $96,027 | $481,810 | $2,273 |
| 50 | Key Biscayne | 40.30 | 14,791 | $181,505 | $1,658,764 | $3,501 |
| 51 | St. Cloud | 41.20 | 65,130 | $83,174 | $394,011 | $1,683 |
| 52 | Wellington | 41.30 | 62,146 | $115,632 | $648,906 | $2,562 |
| 53 | Maitland | 41.50 | 19,469 | $97,150 | $480,711 | $2,071 |
| 54 | Ocala | 41.80 | 66,584 | $56,376 | $269,576 | $1,359 |
| 55 | South Miami | 41.90 | 12,277 | $94,507 | $867,893 | $1,764 |
| 56 | Atlantic Beach | 42.30 | 13,363 | $118,935 | $704,117 | $2,159 |
| 57 | Altamonte Springs | 42.40 | 46,116 | $64,070 | $294,423 | $1,740 |
| 58 | Cutler Bay | 42.90 | 45,070 | $89,244 | $564,584 | $1,978 |
| 59 | North Miami Beach | 42.90 | 43,898 | $63,280 | $447,840 | $1,750 |
| 60 | Auburndale | 42.90 | 18,530 | $77,911 | $303,498 | $1,208 |
| 61 | Miami Gardens | 43.20 | 113,177 | $63,627 | $469,434 | $1,787 |
| 62 | Palatka | 44.80 | 10,650 | $32,021 | $206,963 | $901 |
| 63 | Aventura | 45.60 | 39,885 | $89,274 | $425,757 | $2,513 |
| 64 | Davenport | 46.10 | 13,238 | $73,685 | $341,898 | $1,914 |
| 65 | Miami Shores | 46.50 | 11,752 | $144,050 | $735,780 | $2,657 |
| 66 | Palmetto Bay | 46.80 | 24,639 | $142,447 | $920,528 | $2,101 |
| 67 | Coral Springs | 46.90 | 136,103 | $93,602 | $520,102 | $2,084 |
| 68 | Belle Glade | 47.00 | 16,972 | $48,001 | $285,194 | $898 |
| 69 | Crestview | 47.20 | 28,773 | $65,480 | $289,578 | $1,366 |
| 70 | Gainesville | 48.80 | 145,702 | $46,195 | $297,055 | $1,296 |
| 71 | Apopka | 53.90 | 58,232 | $96,884 | $394,963 | $1,969 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024, FBI UCR, OpenFlights. 71 cities with more than 10,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Maybe You’re Not Ready To Retire In Florida Yet…
So there you have it, the best place to retire in Florida goes to Vero Beach.
The best places to retire in Florida are Vero Beach, Tavares, Sarasota, Bradenton, North Palm Beach, Lynn Haven, Safety Harbor, Lighthouse Point, Dunedin, and Sebastian.
If you’re not ready to hang up your office apparel yet, then these places might be up your alley.
