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Southwest Florida Cities Among Most Expensive Places To Retire

Author Gina Birch

It might not come as a surprise to you, however, the way these are ranked might cause an eyebrow raise or two. Several Southwest Florida cities rank among the most expensive places to retire in the United States.

The latest stats come from GoBankingRates. Almost half of the cities appearing in the top 50 are in Florida. Of those, here the ones appearing in the top 20.

  • #12 Aventura
  • #14 Beach Gardens
  • #15 Boca Raton
  • #17 Palm City
  • #18 Bonita Springs
  • #20 Estero

Sarasota came in at #28. There were a couple of big surprises. At least for me. First, Naples did not make the list. Apparently it might be expensive to work and live, but not retire. Next, North Fort Myers came in at #33. It has a reputation of being more rural, not particulary expensive.

White convertible Rolls-Royce parked on a street
Photo: Gina Birch
Cars like this gorgeous white Rolls-Royce are everywhere in Naples. Most people know there is a lot of disposable income here and it’s not an inexpensive place to live. However, it did not make the list of Most Expensive Places To Retire.

Most Expensive Places To Retire

Florida may have a lot of locations on the list, but none are in the top ten. The state getting the honor of having the highest ranking cities on the list is California. Here is how the top five most expensive places to retire shakes out.

  • #1 Rancho Palos Verdes, California
  • #2 Walnut Creek, California
  • #3 Seal Beach, California
  • #4 Novato, California
  • #5 Mililani, Hawaii

To come up with the rankings, GoBankRates isolated cities with a total population of more than 25,000. In addition, the retirement age population had to be above 25% of that number. That retirement age, by the way, is 65 and above.

From here, a variety of factors were taken into consideration. They looked at Zillow for stats on rental prices and home values. Then expenses such as groceries, healthcare, utilities and more. Click here for a complete breakdown.

Gina Birch brings the sunshine to Sunny 106.3 every weekday morning from 6-10. She has worked in radio, television and print in Southwest Florida for nearly 30 years. During that time, she has become an advocate for numerous charities including those that support animals, children, women and wellness. In addition, she has written for numerous local, regional and national publications about food, wine and travel. Those are her longtime passions...along with shoes.

Underrated Florida Beaches That Are Filled with Beauty

Florida is known for its beautiful beaches and resorts. After all, Florida is the Sunshine State. But, if you’re looking for some more underrated, and less busy, Florida beaches, then you also have some options. The major beaches are often filled with tourists, so finding some of the more underrated Florida beaches may be just what you need for a quiet getaway.

Most Underrated Florida Beaches to Visit

Before we get to the most underrated Florida beaches to visit, let’s talk about the amazing water areas that Florida has to offer. Florida is one of the boating and fishing capitals of the world. As VisitFlorida.com points out, the state has more than 7,700 lakes, 11,000 miles of rivers, 2,276 miles of tidal shoreline and has been home to more than 900 world fishing records. That tops any other state or even country. How wild is to to think that Florida has created more fishing records than even any other country? It shows just how rich the state is when it comes to our water.

Florida also has more than 700 freshwater springs, and 27 are classified as first-magnitude springs, which is more than any other state. A few other special things about Florida is that John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park on Key Largo was America’s very first underwater state park. Also, the fishing village of Cedar Key is known for having the best clam chowder in America. So, if you have a craving for clam chowder, that’s the place to go.

A separate article from VisitFlorida.com notes that Florida beaches are known for being very clear, but “it varies from week to week, and even from day to day depending on the amount of sunlight, the temperature, the amount of rainfall, the wind speed and direction, water currents and surf.” They add that Florida has some very clear and beautiful beaches on the Gulf of Mexico and on the Atlantic Ocean. For clear water ost days, try “northwest Florida beaches in and around Panama City Beach, Destin, Fort Walton Beach, and Pensacola; southwest Florida beaches on Anna Maria Island, Longboat Key and Siesta Key.”

I love that fact that you can enjoy Florida beaches any time of the year. I mean, contrary to what people outside of the state think, it can get cold here in the winter. But, it’s rarely too cold to sit on the beach with a sweatshirt on and watch the sunset. Read on for underrated Florida beaches to get on your radar.

  • Fort Myers Beach

    Fort Myers Beach still has a good amount of damage from the hurricane, but Margaritaville is open, so you’ll find plenty to do there. Situated on Estero Island, Fort Myers Beach is one of the state’s most underrated beaches. At Fort Myers Beach, you’ll find beautiful, white-sand beaches and gorgeous sunsets.

    Fort Myers beach.

    Getty Images / benkrut

  • Sarasota

    Make sure to visit Siesta Key here, as well as Sarasota Gay Beach and Crescent Beach. Just south of Tampa Bay, Sarasota is a lovely beach town that is especially popular during the holidays. You’ll find lots of local shopping opportunities here.

    Sarasota

    Getty Images / Sean Pavone

  • St. George Island State Park

    St. George Island State Park is located on a barrier island fronting the legendary Apalachicola Bay. It’s a great place to gaze at the stars. Note that starting March 1, 2025, the campground at Dr. Julian G. Bruce St. George Island State Park will be closed for an expansion project.

    St. George Island State Park

    Getty Images / Liene-Helmig

  • Santa Rosa Beach

    If you head to Santa Rosa Beach and want to find some really special, and secret, beaches, try Blue Mountain Beach and Grayton Beach State Park. This beach town is less crowded than most, which makes it a low-key getaway.

    Santa Rosa Beach

    Getty Images / krblokhin

  • Pensacola Beach

    Pensacola Beach is located on a 40-mile barrier island, Pensacola Beach, and has beautiful, translucent waters. It’s a really small town, so it’s much less crowded than other beaches. It’s a hidden gem.

    Pensacola Beach

    Getty Images / Ben Oldaker

  • Discover Your Own New Favorite

    If you don’t want to go too far, do some digging and visit one of the closest beaches to you, that you haven’t visited yet. This is one of my favorite things to do. Maybe you’ll find a new favorite beach super close to home.

    Discover Your Own New Favorite

    Getty Images / Sergey Dementyev

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