If you think that New York is too big, too expensive, and too boring of a state to spend your retirement years, you’re wrong.
We’re here to tell you why.
We created a list of the best places to retire in NewYork for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the Empire State’s best places to retire, so trust us when we say these cities are the best.
How’d we determine the best places to retire in New York? We consulted the numbers and analyzed 45 cities with over 10,000 residents. We looked at important factors like cost of living, crime, amenities, rent, and the distance to the closest airport.
There’s Tonawanda for the retiree that can afford a boat, Beacon for the retiree that likes a quaint downtown with plenty of coffee shops, and give Lockport a second look if living close to Niagara Falls is your schtick.
$1,095 median rent · $64,929 median income · #24 cheapest rent in New York
Located in
Ontario County, New York
Canandaigua is a city in Ontario County, New York, United States. The population was 10,545 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Ontario County; some administrative offices are located at the county complex in the adjacent town of Hopewell.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,658 median rent · $107,859 median income · #35 cheapest rent in New York
Located in
Dutchess County, New York
Beacon is a city located in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The 2010 census placed the city total population at 15,541. Beacon is part of the Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown, New York Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York-Newark-Bridgeport, New York-New Jersey-Connecticut-Pennsylvania Combined Statistical Area. It was named to commemorate the historic beacon fires that blazed forth from the summit of the Fishkill Mountains to alert the Continental Army about British troop movements.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$934 median rent · $66,961 median income · #13 cheapest rent in New York
Located in
Niagara County, New York
North Tonawanda is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 31,568 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Buffalo-Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is named after Tonawanda Creek, its south border. Tonawanda in the Seneca tongue means “Swift Running Water”.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$925 median rent · $59,446 median income · #12 cheapest rent in New York
Located in
Genesee County, New York
Batavia is a city in and the county seat of Genesee County, New York, United States. It is near the center of the county, surrounded by the Town of Batavia, which is a separate municipality. Its population as of the 2010 census was 15,465. The name Batavia is Latin for the Betuwe region of the Netherlands, and honors early Dutch land developers.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$866 median rent · $53,299 median income · #4 cheapest rent in New York
Located in
Chautauqua County, New York
Dunkirk is a city in Chautauqua County, New York, in the United States. It was officially incorporated in 1880, though it was first settled around 1805. The population was 12,563 as of the 2010 census, with an estimated population of 12,328 in 2013. Dunkirk is bordered on the north by Lake Erie. It shares a border with the village of Fredonia to the south, and with the town of Dunkirk to the east and west. Dunkirk is the westernmost city in the state of New York.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$897 median rent · $51,052 median income · #7 cheapest rent in New York
Located in
Cayuga County, New York
Auburn is a city in Cayuga County, New York, United States, located at the north end of Owasco Lake, one of the Finger Lakes, in Central New York. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 27,687. It is the county seat of Cayuga County, and the site of the maximum-security Auburn Correctional Facility, as well as the William H. Seward House Museum and the house of abolitionist Harriet Tubman.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$823 median rent · $49,101 median income · #3 cheapest rent in New York
Located in
Niagara County, New York
Niagara Falls is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 50,193, down from the 55,593 recorded in the 2000 census. It is adjacent to the Niagara River, across from the city of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and named after the famed Niagara Falls which they share. The city is within the Buffalo-Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Western New York region.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$903 median rent · $61,597 median income · #8 cheapest rent in New York
Located in
Madison County, New York
Oneida is a city in Madison County located west of Oneida Castle and east of Canastota, New York, United States. The population was 11,390 at the 2010 census. The city, like both Oneida County and the nearby silver and china maker, was named for the Oneida tribe, which had a large territory here around Oneida Lake during the colonial period.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$3,501 median rent · $239,815 median income · #45 cheapest rent in New York
Located in
Westchester County, New York
Rye is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is separate from the town of Rye, which has more land area than the city. Rye city, formerly the village of Rye, was part of the town until it received its charter as a city in 1942. The population was 15,720 at the 2010 census. Rye is the youngest city in New York state. No other city has been chartered anywhere in New York state since 1942.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$2,515 median rent · $140,739 median income · #44 cheapest rent in New York
Located in
Nassau County, New York
Long Beach is a city in Nassau County, New York, United States. Just south of Long Island, it is located on Long Beach Barrier Island, which is the westernmost of the outer barrier islands off Long Island’s South Shore. As of the United States 2010 Census, the city population was 33,275. It was incorporated in 1922, and is nicknamed The City By the Sea.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is New York’s statewide median.
New York statewide median: $85,974
New York statewide median: $507,794
On the map
Where to retire in New York
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Places To Retire In the Empire State for 2026
To create our ranking of the best places in New York to retire, we used Saturday Night Science. We analyzed Census data to find all places in the Empire State — 1186 cities and towns.
We then narrowed it down to places with at least 10,000 people that weren’t townships. This left us with 45 places from across the state.
For these 45, 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 45, with the lowest number being the best.
Finally, we took the average rank across these criteria. The place, in this case Canandaigua, 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 New York.
The full plate
Best Places To Retire In New York
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Retire Score | Population | Median Income | Average Home Prices | Median Rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canandaigua | 13.80 | 10,514 | $64,929 | $274,506 | $1,095 |
| 2 | Beacon | 14.30 | 14,834 | $107,859 | $538,601 | $1,658 |
| 3 | North Tonawanda | 14.50 | 30,198 | $66,961 | $273,946 | $934 |
| 4 | Batavia | 16.00 | 15,097 | $59,446 | $197,340 | $925 |
| 5 | Dunkirk | 17.90 | 12,549 | $53,299 | $128,151 | $866 |
| 6 | Auburn | 18.00 | 26,285 | $51,052 | $214,996 | $897 |
| 7 | Niagara Falls | 18.10 | 47,987 | $49,101 | $166,405 | $823 |
| 8 | Oneida | 18.20 | 10,171 | $61,597 | $209,146 | $903 |
| 9 | Rye | 18.50 | 16,428 | $239,815 | $2,180,592 | $3,501 |
| 10 | Long Beach | 19.10 | 34,756 | $140,739 | $805,359 | $2,515 |
| 11 | Glen Cove | 19.20 | 28,112 | $92,064 | $810,612 | $2,398 |
| 12 | Poughkeepsie | 20.00 | 31,958 | $60,741 | $339,927 | $1,400 |
| 13 | Jamestown | 20.20 | 28,188 | $43,523 | $117,914 | $759 |
| 14 | Lackawanna | 20.40 | 19,753 | $52,110 | $168,586 | $872 |
| 15 | Saratoga Springs | 20.70 | 28,631 | $105,944 | $633,902 | $1,470 |
| 16 | Peekskill | 20.80 | 25,625 | $85,954 | $500,840 | $2,036 |
| 17 | Watervliet | 21.40 | 10,287 | $57,919 | $308,697 | $1,083 |
| 18 | Cohoes | 21.50 | 18,159 | $61,145 | $330,326 | $1,251 |
| 19 | Port Washington | 21.80 | 18,004 | $170,127 | $1,253,634 | $2,184 |
| 20 | Gloversville | 22.10 | 14,962 | $51,556 | $170,948 | $903 |
| 21 | Watertown | 23.10 | 24,375 | $51,753 | $195,771 | $967 |
| 22 | Corning | 23.40 | 10,643 | $61,760 | $189,794 | $1,014 |
| 23 | New Rochelle | 23.50 | 82,769 | $109,167 | $917,531 | $1,917 |
| 24 | Schenectady | 23.70 | 68,847 | $58,399 | $318,449 | $1,145 |
| 25 | Newburgh | 23.70 | 28,519 | $56,960 | $392,141 | $1,454 |
| 26 | Glens Falls | 23.90 | 14,609 | $67,788 | $264,460 | $1,077 |
| 27 | Albany | 24.10 | 100,492 | $61,986 | $320,506 | $1,216 |
| 28 | Olean | 24.50 | 13,738 | $51,261 | $103,164 | $794 |
| 29 | Troy | 24.80 | 51,033 | $58,477 | $286,799 | $1,175 |
| 30 | Kingston | 24.80 | 23,911 | $68,186 | $378,030 | $1,469 |
| 31 | Geneva | 24.90 | 12,512 | $79,435 | $218,802 | $972 |
| 32 | Rochester | 25.90 | 208,772 | $47,213 | $235,784 | $1,081 |
| 33 | Cortland | 26.20 | 17,450 | $59,482 | $197,781 | $975 |
| 34 | Yonkers | 26.50 | 209,978 | $83,549 | $680,218 | $1,784 |
| 35 | Elmira | 26.50 | 26,257 | $43,120 | $122,491 | $909 |
| 36 | Syracuse | 26.90 | 146,384 | $47,819 | $210,251 | $1,039 |
| 37 | Buffalo | 27.10 | 276,854 | $50,041 | $238,089 | $1,046 |
| 38 | Mount Vernon | 27.60 | 72,427 | $78,779 | $568,431 | $1,629 |
| 39 | Binghamton | 28.20 | 47,151 | $45,578 | $181,130 | $870 |
| 40 | Rome | 28.40 | 31,795 | $59,925 | $202,147 | $909 |
| 41 | White Plains | 29.00 | 60,666 | $110,763 | $770,309 | $2,269 |
| 42 | New York | 29.60 | 8,483,844 | $80,483 | $812,861 | $1,821 |
| 43 | Utica | 30.50 | 64,217 | $52,484 | $202,754 | $951 |
| 44 | Middletown | 30.50 | 30,289 | $79,346 | $402,620 | $1,661 |
| 45 | Ithaca | 31.20 | 32,814 | $48,784 | $410,621 | $1,447 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024, FBI UCR, OpenFlights. 45 cities with more than 10,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Maybe You’re Not Ready To Retire In New York Yet…
So there you have it, the best place to retire in New York goes to Canandaigua.
The best places to retire in New York are Canandaigua, Beacon, North Tonawanda, Batavia, Dunkirk, Auburn, Niagara Falls, Oneida, Rye, and Long Beach.
If you’re not ready to hang up your office apparel yet, then these places might be up your alley.
