Saving for retirement is a crucial aspect of preparing for your golden years, but that’s only one part of the planning — you have to know where you’ll be spending that nest egg, and which cities will be most affordable for you. Let’s say you save $500,000 for your retirement — what are the best cities to retire in with that amount?
To answer that question, GOBankingRates located the best cities in every state for retirees with $500,000 in savings. To do so, we utilized the U.S. Census Bureau’s 5-year American Community Survey to determine retirement populations and household median incomes for various cities. Cost of living indexes were taken from Sperling’s BestPlaces in order to determine what each city would cost over a 20-year retirement, as well as monthly and yearly costs of living. Finally, all data was organized by state, including the very retirement-friendly state of Arizona, which boasts warm, lovely weather and no taxes on Social Security income.
Ranked from highest to lowest in terms of their overall livability, below are the 11 best Arizona cities to retire in if you’ve amassed $500,000 in savings.
1. Kingman
- Livability score: 80
- Cost of living for 20 years for a single person (with Social Security): $372,234
- Annual cost of living: $42,640
- Monthly cost of living: $3,553
- Average monthly mortgage: $1,579
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2. Benson
- Livability score: 70
- Cost of living for 20 years for a single person (with Social Security): $319,732
- Annual cost of living: $40,015
- Monthly cost of living: $3,335
- Average monthly mortgage: $1,460
Read More: How Long $2 Million in Retirement Will Last in Every State
3. Wellton
- Livability score: 68
- Cost of living for 20 years for a single person (with Social Security): $365,888
- Annual cost of living: $42,323
- Monthly cost of living: $3,527
- Average monthly mortgage: $1,461
4. Apache Junction
- Livability score: 67
- Cost of living for 20 years for a single person (with Social Security): $474,778
- Annual cost of living: $47,768
- Monthly cost of living: $3,981
- Average monthly mortgage: $2,190
5. Eager
- Livability score: 66
- Cost of living for 20 years for a single person (with Social Security): $429,674
- Annual cost of living: $45,512
- Monthly cost of living: $3,793
- Average monthly mortgage: $1,749
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6. Bullhead City
- Livability score: 64
- Cost of living for 20 years for a single person (with Social Security): $427,184
- Annual cost of living: $45,388
- Monthly cost of living: $3,782
- Average monthly mortgage: $1,799
7. Quartzsite
- Livability score: 62
- Cost of living for 20 years for a single person (with Social Security): $277,166
- Annual cost of living: $37,887
- Monthly cost of living: $3,157
- Average monthly mortgage: $1,181
8. Bisbee
- Livability score: 59
- Cost of living for 20 years for a single person (with Social Security): $282,281
- Annual cost of living: $38,143
- Monthly cost of living: $3,179
- Average monthly mortgage: $1,338
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9. Meadview
- Livability score: 58
- Cost of living for 20 years for a single person (with Social Security): $270,306
- Annual cost of living: $37,544
- Monthly cost of living: $3,129
- Average monthly mortgage: $1,140
10. Green Valley
- Livability score: 58
- Cost of living for 20 years for a single person (with Social Security): $384,053
- Annual cost of living: $43,231
- Monthly cost of living: $3,603
- Average monthly mortgage: $1,834
11. Golden Valley
- Livability score: 56
- Cost of living for 20 years for a single person (with Social Security): $343,136
- Annual cost of living: $41,185
- Monthly cost of living: $3,432
- Average monthly mortgage: $1,400
Editor’s note: Photos are for illustrative purposes only. In many cases, the closest major city outside of the city/county mentioned in the article was used.
Methodology: Data was sourced from the 2023 5-Year United States Census American Community Survey, Sperling’s BestPlaces, the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey, Zillow Home Value Index for June 2025, Federal Reserve Economic Data and the Social Security Administration’s Monthly Statistical Snapshot. All data was collected on and is up to date Aug. 7, 2025.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 11 Best Arizona Cities To Retire With $500K in Savings
