Florida is America’s number one retirement destination for multiple reasons: Lovely subtropical weather all year long, beautiful scenery and extremely retirement-friendly tax code with no state, estate or inheritance taxes. Due to those perks and many others, thousands retire to the Sunshine State every year.
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Still, Florida is rather large, and knowing where to retire in the state is very important. That’s why GOBankingRates recently held a Florida livability study, in which all cities in the state with a population of at least 10,000 were analyzed in terms of their overall quality of life and income levels. On a scale of 0 to 100, with 0 being worst and 100 being best, the cities were then ranked based on their livability scores.
With those livability scores in hand, GOBankingRates then selected the 20 most livable Florida retirement towns. For those looking to settle down in the Sunshine State, one of these 20 cities may be the future home of your golden years.
1. Dunedin
- % of population 65+: 34.7%
- Livability: 84
2. Ormond Beach
- % of population 65+: 33.3%
- Livability: 83
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3. Sebastian
- % of population 65+: 35.6%
- Livability: 83
4. Gulfport
- % of population 65+: 35.6%
- Livability: 81
5. Estero
- % of population 65+: 50.7%
- Livability: 79
6. Naples
- % of population 65+: 56.2%
- Livability: 79
7. Venice
- % of population 65+: 59.9%
- Livability: 79
8. Tavares
- % of population 65+: 38.0%
- Livability: 76
9. Punta Gorda
- % of population 65+: 53.6%
- Livability: 76
10. Mount Dora
- % of population 65+: 33.1%
- Livability: 75
11. Cypress Lake
- % of population 65+: 43.1%
- Livability: 74
12. North Fort Myers
- % of population 65+: 47.2%
- Livability: 74
13. West Vero Corridor
- % of population 65+: 51.8%
- Livability: 74
14. Hudson
- % of population 65+: 48.1%
- Livability: 73
15. Fernandina Beach
- % of population 65+: 37.7%
- Livability: 72
16. Englewood
- % of population 65+: 59.4%
- Livability: 72
17. Cocoa Beach
- % of population 65+: 35.3%
- Livability: 71
18. Iona
- % of population 65+: 59.0%
- Livability: 71
19. New Smyrna Beach
- % of population 65+: 35.3%
- Livability: 70
20. Bonita Springs
- % of population 65+: 42.9%
- Livability: 70
For this study, GOBankingRates analyzed cities with at least 10,000 total population and a population percent for agest 65 and over of at least 33%, as sourced from US Census 2023 5-year American Community Survey. The total households and household median income was also sourced from the same source. Using AreaVibes.com, the livability index was sourced for each location in order to help determine the overall quality of life. The cities were sorted to show the highest livability index first representing the most livable retirement towns. All data was collected on and is up to date as of Jul. 29, 2025.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 20 Most Livable Florida Retirement Towns
