The Cheapest City To Retire in Every West Coast State
The West Coast is understandably desirable for retirees (and, well, just about everybody else). It stuns with natural scenery and, with the exception of Alaska, boasts relatively mild weather. But the cost of living in all five West Coast states (Hawaii, California, Alaska, Oregon and Washington) is higher than the national average. As such, it can be really tough for retirees in any of these states to get by, particularly if they’re living on a fixed income.
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But fortunately, there are pretty affordable options, provided you’re OK with a small city life and livability grades under 70 out of 100. In an exclusive new study, GOBankingRates analyzed the West Coast states of Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington to find the cheapest city to retire in each state. Below are the five cheapest places in terms of annual cost of living. What are these cities like?
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5. Mountain View, Hawaii
Total population: 3,627
Population ages 65 and older: 527
Average value of a single-family home: $339,573
Total cost of living annually: $54,314
Livability: 53
Mountain View provides the idyllic Hawaiian lifestyle without the exorbitant Hawaiian price tag. Though the average single-family home here is $339,573, there are currently listings on Zillow for homes in the $200,000 ballpark — although they might need some work. This city, with a population of under 4,000, is known to be friendly and offers tons of recreational water fun including snorkeling.
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4. Willow, Alaska
Total population: 1,952
Population ages 65 and older: 441
Average value of a single-family home: $226,844
Total cost of living annually: $45,150
Livability: 58
About an hour-and-a-half drive from Anchorage is the little city of Willow. There are a few homes for sale in or near Willow, Alaska for under $160,000 — but the average home value is $226,844. Willow boasts a quiet community and has plenty of outdoor activities to enjoy, including fishing and dog sledding.
3. Pomeroy, Washington
Total population: 1,397
Population ages 65 and older: 416
Average value of a single-family home: $236,356
Total cost of living annually: $37,104
Livability: 69
Currently on Zillow there are 12 homes for sale in the Pomeroy area. This small city, which is home to just 416 seniors, is very slowly growing, at an annual rate of 0.77%. Pomeroy is the only city in Garfield County and is reputed to be a welcoming rural town.
2. Boron, California
Total population: 2,469
Population ages 65 and older: 350
Average value of a single-family home: $168,063
Total cost of living annually: $35,186
Livability: 53
Boron, California, is a pretty small city, but there are more than a few homes for sale there in December — 16, according to Zillow (the cheapest is a modest three-bedroom priced at $160,000). Boron is in Kern County and is home to the U.S. Borax Boron Mine California’s largest open-pit mine and the biggest borax mine in the world.
1. Burns, Oregon
Total population: 2,735
Population ages 65 and older: 575
Average value of a single-family home: $173,523
Total cost of living annually: $33,609
Livability: 66
Burns is another very small city, but there are an abundance of homes for sale there — 22, according to Zillow. Burns could be a great place to live if you’re looking for a cheaper alternative to Boise, Idaho, which is about a three-hour drive away.
Methodology: For this study, GOBankingRates analyzed the West Coast states including; Washington, California, Alaska, Hawaii and Oregon to find the cheapest city to retire in each state. First, GOBankingRates analyzed all the cities in the West Coast states. For each location a number of factors were found including; total population, population ages 65 and over, total households, and household median income all sourced from the U.S. Census American Community Survey. Using this data the percentage of the population ages 65 and over can be calculated. The cost of living indexes were sourced from Sperling’s BestPlaces and include the grocery, healthcare, housing, utilities, transportation and miscellaneous cost of living indexes. Using the cost of living indexes for groceries, healthcare, utilities, transportation and miscellaneous, as well as the national average expenditure costs, as sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey, the average expenditure cost for each location can be calculated. The livability index was sourced from AreaVibes for each location and included as supplemental information. The average single-amily home value was sourced from Zillow Home Value Index for September 2024. Using the average single-family home value, assuming a 10% down payment, and using the most recent national average 30-year fixed mortgage rate, as sourced from the Federal Reserve Economic Data, the average mortgage can be calculated. Using the average mortgage and average expenditure costs, the average total monthly and annual cost of living can be calculated. The cheapest total cost of living, cheapest expenditure cost, highest cost of living, and highest expenditure cost cities were kept for this study. To qualify for this study the city had to have all data points available as well as have a population of at least 1,000 total residents. The cheapest city in each state was recorded for ranking to find the cheapest places to retire on the West Coast in each state. All data was collected on Nov. 4, 2024.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: The Cheapest City To Retire in Every West Coast State
