Most retirees would likely say yes to retiring in a desert city since these literal hotspots offer plenty of perks like year-round warm weather and resort-style living opportunities. But the biggest hurdle remains affordability especially if you’re on a fixed income. Luckily, an in-house GOBankingRates study has identified 21 desert cities worth exploring if you’re receiving Social Security benefits.
Read More: GOBankingRates Original Research Center
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To find these metros, GOBankingRates studied various existing rankings of the nation’s most affordable desert cities from media outlets like Travel + Leisure and NewsBreak. Key factors sourced for each city included the population ages 65 and over, average household income and livability along with the monthly cost of living before Social Security. Then, we subtracted the average monthly Social Security income for a retired worker ($2,075, according to the Social Security Administration) to determine the total monthly cost of living for retirees. The most to least affordable cities ranked accordingly. For the purposes of this piece, we only kept the desert cities with a monthly cost of living of $2,000 or less after Social Security.
Keep reading to see which 21 locales rank as the most affordable desert cities for retirees. Also, find where the 30 safest and wealthiest retirement towns are in the United States.
1. Ajo, Arizona
- Population 65+ (%): 43%
- Median household income: $53,958
- Cost of living monthly: $2,447
- Cost of living monthly after Social Security: $372
- Livability: 63
2. Truth or Consequences, New Mexico
- Population 65+ (%): 25.9%
- Median household income: $33,788
- Cost of living monthly: $2,480
- Cost of living monthly after Social Security: $405
- Livability: 70
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3. Silver City, New Mexico
- Population 65+ (%): 25.9%
- Median household income: $38,711
- Cost of living monthly: $2,808
- Cost of living monthly after Social Security: $733
- Livability: 76
4. Amarillo, Texas
- Population 65+ (%): 15.1%
- Median household income: $65,912
- Cost of living monthly: $2,910
- Cost of living monthly after Social Security: $835
- Livability: 66
5. Bisbee, Arizona
- Population 65+ (%): 35%
- Median household income: $47,613
- Cost of living monthly: $3,019
- Cost of living monthly after Social Security: $944
- Livability: 59
6. El Paso, Texas
- Population 65+ (%): 14.3%
- Median household income: $59,745
- Cost of living monthly: $3,037
- Cost of living monthly after Social Security: $963
- Livability: 81
7. Twentynine Palms, California
- Population 65+ (%): 7.7%
- Median household income: $62,554
- Cost of living monthly: $3,137
- Cost of living monthly after Social Security: $1,062
- Livability: 59
8. John Day, Oregon
- Population 65+ (%): 20.8%
- Median household income: $57,891
- Cost of living monthly: $3,191
- Cost of living monthly after Social Security: $1,117
- Livability: 80
9. Marfa, Texas
- Population 65+ (%): 27.8%
- Median household income: $44,306
- Cost of living monthly: $3,424
- Cost of living monthly after Social Security: $1,350
- Livability: 73
10. Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Population 65+ (%): 17.7%
- Median household income: $68,317
- Cost of living monthly: $3,537
- Cost of living monthly after Social Security: $1,462
- Livability: 72
11. Tucson, Arizona
- Population 65+ (%): 16.2%
- Median household income: $57,073
- Cost of living monthly: $3,546
- Cost of living monthly after Social Security: $1,472
- Livability: 73
12. Rock Springs, Wyoming
- Population 65+ (%): 12.8%
- Median household income: $69,168
- Cost of living monthly: $3,570
- Cost of living monthly after Social Security: $1,496
- Livability: 68
13. Joshua Tree, California
- Population 65+ (%): 19.8%
- Median household income: $66,291
- Cost of living monthly: $3,729
- Cost of living monthly after Social Security: $1,655
- Livability: 50
14. Elko, Nevada
- Population 65+ (%): 12.4%
- Median household income: $79,036
- Cost of living monthly: $3,861
- Cost of living monthly after Social Security: $1,787
- Livability: 75
15. Page, Arizona
- Population 65+ (%): 14%
- Median household income: $88,826
- Cost of living monthly: $3,921
- Cost of living monthly after Social Security: $1,847
- Livability: 65
16. Borrego Springs, California
- Population 65+ (%): 40.6%
- Median household income: $86,078
- Cost of living monthly: $3,962
- Cost of living monthly after Social Security: $1,888
- Livability: 57
17. Grand Junction, Colorado
- Population 65+ (%): 21%
- Median household income: $70,080
- Cost of living monthly: $4,000
- Cost of living monthly after Social Security: $1,925
- Livability: 79
18. Mesquite, Nevada
- Population 65+ (%): 46.8%
- Median household income: $75,227
- Cost of living monthly: $4,023
- Cost of living monthly after Social Security: $1,948
- Livability: 77
19. Desert Hot Springs, California
- Population 65+ (%): 13%
- Median household income: $52,761
- Cost of living monthly: $4,034
- Cost of living monthly after Social Security: $1,959
- Livability: 49
20. Kanab, Utah
- Population 65+ (%): 20.5%
- Median household income: $85,486
- Cost of living monthly: $4,058
- Cost of living monthly after Social Security: $1,983
- Livability: 69
21. Taos, New Mexico
- Population 65+ (%): 31.3%
- Median household income: $47,304
- Cost of living monthly: $4,066
- Cost of living monthly after Social Security: $1,992
- Livability: 65
View more original studies and surveys in the GOBankingRates original research center.
Methodology: For this study, GOBankingRates analyzed desert cities across the U.S. to find the most affordable places to retire. Desert cities were identified using TheMunselleGroup.com’s Desert Cities Map, USAWelcome.net’s Explore USA Desert Cities, TravelandLeisure.com’s Best Desert Towns Around in the US, BestLifeOnline.com’s Best Desert Towns, WorldAtlas.com’s 11 Most Charming Desert Towns in America, NewsBreak.com’s 20 Desert Towns in the US, TripAdvisor.com’s Small Desert Towns, and TheTravel.com’s Gorgeous Desert Towns in the US. For each location a number of factors were identified using the U.S. Census’s 2024 5-Year ACS including the total population, population ages 65 and over, total households and household median income. The cost of living indexes were sourced from Sperling’s BestPlaces and using the national average expenditure costs for retired households, as sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey for retired consumer units, the average expenditure cost can be calculated for each city. The average single family home value was sourced from Zillow Home Value Index for January 2026. Assuming a 10% down payment and using the national average 30-year fixed mortgage rate of 5.98%, as sourced from the Federal Reserve Economic Data on March 2nd, 2026, the average mortgage can be calculated for each city. With the average mortgage and expenditure costs, the total cost of living for retirees can be calculated for each city. The average monthly Social Security income was sourced from the Social Security Administration’s monthly statistical snapshot for January 2026 and using the average monthly cost of living, the total cost of living for retirees after Social Security income can be calculated for each city. The cities were sorted to show the most affordable desert cities for retirees first. All data is up to date as of Mar. 2, 2026.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: America’s 21 Most Affordable Desert Cities for Retirees
