The Sunshine State continues to shine brightly as the top place to retire in WalletHub's annual Best and Worst Places to Retire report.
Cities in Florida swept the top three spots in the budgeting tools platform's 2026 survey. Orlando topped the list, followed by Miami and then Tampa after considering 45 key measures, from the cost of living and tax laws to the availability of activities and the quality of health care. WalletHub compared the retiree-friendliness of more than 180 U.S. cities across 45 key metrics for its report.
With retirees on a fixed income still grappling with elevated inflation, it's important Americans land somehwere affordable with enough perks that they can enjoy their golden years and relax, WalletHub said.
"The best cities
for retired people are those that minimize taxes and expenses, as well as have good opportunities for retirees to continue paid work for extra income, if they choose to do so," said Chip Lupo, WalletHub analyst. "In addition, the top cities provide high-quality health care and offer plenty of enjoyable activities for retirees.”
What makes each Florida city so great for retirees?
Low taxes is a common thread between top-rated Orlando, Miami and Tampa, according to WalletHub. They all benefit from Florida's lack of estate or inheritance tax, or even income tax.
But there's more to these cities than tax-friendliness, WalletHub said.
- Orlando: While the city's cost of living isn't particularly low, it's the 15th-cheapest city for homemaker services and the 20th-cheapest for adult day health care and the second-best city for recreation, with an especially high number of music venues, fishing facilities, art galleries and adult volunteer activities. It also ranks 21st for gerontologists and eighth-highest for home health care facilities per capita. It has the fourth-best hospitals for geriatrics, allowing elderly residents to receive quality care, WalletHub said.
- Miami: Miami ranks at the top of the country when it comes to adult volunteer activities, art galleries and fishing facilities per capita, and it has the 17th-most museums and 11th-most recreation and senior centers. It's also the sixth-most walkable city in the country, and most residents live within walking distance to quality public transportation, the report said.
- Tampa: Safety is tops in Tampa, with the 19th-lowest property crime rate among cities examined by WalletHub. Activities are also in abundance, ranking fifth for recreation in the nation and is particularly attractive to bingo players. It has the ninth-most bingo halls per capita. In addition, Tampa has the 11th-highest rate of adult volunteer activities, giving retirees plenty of opportunities to stay active, social and engaged in their communities, WalletHub said.
What if I don't want to live in Florida?
Even though Florida has ranked as the top state to retire in every year but two since 2016, when WalletHub's launched its top states to retire in survey, not everyone may want to move to the Sunshine State.
In 2023, Florida slipped to second best, partly due to high health care costs, behind Virginia. This year, Wyoming overtook Florida for No. 1, partly because Florida's overall cost of living was higher.
So the next cities, fourth and fifth, on this year's list are Scottsdale, Arizona, and Casper, Wyoming, respectively.
Scottsdale ranked on the lower side for affordability but took first for quality of life. Casper, on the other hand, ranked third overall for affordability, which gave it a boost.
Where are the worst cities to retire?
Of the bottom five cities to retire in, four are in California, WalletHub said.
From the bottom, they are:
- Stockton, California: Ranked dead last in activities and in the bottom third for affordablity, quality of life and healthcare.
- San Bernardino, California: Ranked 171 of 182 for health care, 166 for quality of life and 140 for activities.
- Newark, New Jersey: Took 168th for quality of life but managed to crack the top half for activities at 86 of 182.
- Fresno, California: Weighed down by lack of activities with a 176 ranking of 182.
- Rancho Cucamonga, California: Ranked 171for activities and 163 for affordability.
What should people consider when looking at where to retire?
Activities are just as important as financial considerations when considering where to retire, some experts said.
"Planning should include considering lifestyle as well as financial issues," said Phyllis Moen, professor emeritus at University of Minnesota and Cornell University. "People are living longer, and need to think about how they want to spend these bonus years, including the possibility of another, often part-time, job, involving either paid work or unpaid volunteering."
Politics could also be important to pay attention to because Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are all at risk of being cut soon, they said.
"Pay attention to politics because the near future is going to be critical for Social Security and Medicare, which older people have worked for their entire lives but may be cut," said Joanna Lahey, professor at the Bush School of Government and Public Service - Texas A&M University. "Similarly, Medicaid, which provides services to older people that they may not be aware of, has already been cut. State and local programs that affect older people will also be important going forward."
Medora Lee is a money, markets and personal finance reporter at USA TODAY. You can reach her at mjlee@usatoday.com and subscribe to our free Daily Money newsletter for personal finance tips and business news every Monday through Friday morning.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Florida cities sweep top 3 places for retirees in 2026
