In a number of corners of America, the idea of four seasons is something of a stretch. Whole swathes of California, Florida, Hawaii and Texas, for instance, have relatively mild climate shifts throughout the year — staying mostly temperate throughout. While such stability in weather might be attractive to some retirees looking for peace and quiet in their golden years, many others might enjoy the changing seasons — blooming springs, warm summers, cool and multicolored falls and snowy winters — for their splendor and variety.
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With that in mind, GOBankingRates recently sought to locate the most affordable cities in America to both retire in and enjoy all four seasons. To do so, GOBankingRates first sourced a large list of cities that experience all four seasons, utilizing information from Country Living, Finance Buzz, Islands and many others.
From that list, GOBankingRates then analyzed each city’s retirement-age population, median household income, and more. Via that matrix, GOBankingRates was then able to craft a list of the 50 most affordable places to retire and enjoy all four seasons in America, ranked from cheapest to most expensive in terms of annual cost of living for retirees.
If you’re planning a retirement in which you can bask the four seasonal changes per year, and wish to do so affordably and comfortably, the cities listed below might just be for you.
Also see how much a comfortable retirement will cost you in each state.
Key Findings
- Michigan and Missouri keep it affordable: These two states are the only ones that appear more than once in the 10 most affordable locations in this list.
- Retirees flock to the Green Mountain State: Stowe, Vermont, has the largest 65+ population on the list by far –74% of residents there are of retirement age. No other city listed comes close (Harbor Springs, Michigan, comes in second place with 49.9%).
- California will cost you: Unsurprisingly, the city with the highest cost of living on list (Mammoth Lakes) is located in the pricey state of California. Additionally, the third-costliest city on the list is also in the Golden State: Calistoga. Both cities have a cost of living over $95,000 annually.
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1. Youngstown, Ohio
- % population of 65+: 17.8%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $24,533
- Median household income: $34,746
- Livability: 81
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2. Harrison, Michigan
- % population of 65+: 26.3%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $29,791
- Median household income: $40,888
- Livability: 65
3. St. Louis
- % population of 65+: 14.9%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $33,655
- Median household income: $55,279
- Livability: 74
4. Mount Airy, North Carolina
- % population of 65+: 26.9%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $35,525
- Median household income: $39,873
- Livability: 60
5. Fayetteville, West Virginia
- % population of 65+: 26.6%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $35,545
- Median household income: $59,659
- Livability: 59
6. Damascus, Virginia
- % population of 65+: 34.5%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $35,966
- Median household income: $33,173
- Livability: 65
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7. Indianapolis
- % population of 65+: 12.9%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $37,246
- Median household income: $62,995
- Livability: 76
8. Springfield, Missouri
- % population of 65+: 15.8%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $37,406
- Median household income: $45,984
- Livability: 74
9. Oakland, Maryland
- % population of 65+: 29.8%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $37,624
- Median household income: $59,904
- Livability: 71
10. Munising, Michigan
- % population of 65+: 29.1%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $37,690
- Median household income: $54,375
- Livability: 69
11. Cincinnati
- % population of 65+: 13.2%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $38,382
- Median household income: $51,707
- Livability: 80
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12. Wellsboro, Pennsylvania
- % population of 65+: 22.8%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $38,432
- Median household income: $64,297
- Livability: 75
13. Milton, West Virginia
- % population of 65+: 22.1%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $38,614
- Median household income: $54,135
- Livability: 60
14. Klamath Falls, Oregon
- % population of 65+: 15.5%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $41,338
- Median household income: $47,268
- Livability: 77
15. Galena, Illinois
- % population of 65+: 39.6%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $43,664
- Median household income: $55,765
- Livability: 80
16. Biglerville, Pennsylvania
- % population of 65+: 17.1%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $44,741
- Median household income: $51,000
- Livability: 64
17. Minneapolis
- % population of 65+: 10.8%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $44,938
- Median household income: $80,269
- Livability: 78
18. Belfast, Maine
- % population of 65+: 36.0%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $48,374
- Median household income: $61,322
- Livability: 79
19. New Haven, Connecticut
- % population of 65+: 11.7%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $49,463
- Median household income: $53,771
- Livability: 78
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20. Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
- % population of 65+: 16.2%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $49,558
- Median household income: $53,839
- Livability: 72
21. Gatlinburg, Tennessee
- % population of 65+: 23.3%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $49,595
- Median household income: $57,760
- Livability: 75
22. Taos, New Mexico
- % population of 65+: 32.9%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $50,623
- Median household income: $46,579
- Livability: 65
23. Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
- % population of 65+: 21.5%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $51,181
- Median household income: $73,199
- Livability: 71
24. Nashville, Tennessee
- % population of 65+: 12.5%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $52,669
- Median household income: $75,197
- Livability: 78
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25. Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
- % population of 65+: 31.0%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $52,718
- Median household income: $111,600
- Livability: 72
26. Eugene, Oregon
- % population of 65+: 17.7%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $53,024
- Median household income: $63,836
- Livability: 79
27. Williamsburg, Virginia
- % population of 65+: 17.1%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $53,530
- Median household income: $70,206
- Livability: 83
28. Troutdale, Oregon
- % population of 65+: 13.3%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $55,492
- Median household income: $84,339
- Livability: 85
29. Asheville, North Carolina
- % population of 65+: 19.2%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $55,664
- Median household income: $67,221
- Livability: 72
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30. Corvallis, Oregon
- % population of 65+: 13.8%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $58,269
- Median household income: $63,807
- Livability: 81
31. Ann Arbor, Michigan
- % population of 65+: 12.7%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $58,712
- Median household income: $81,089
- Livability: 89
32. Harbor Springs, Michigan
- % population of 65+: 49.9%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $59,017
- Median household income: $60,556
- Livability: 74
33. Portland, Oregon
- % population of 65+: 14.2%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $59,564
- Median household income: $88,792
- Livability: 78
34. Litchfield, Connecticut
- % population of 65+: 30.0%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $59,986
- Median household income: $107,024
- Livability: 70
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35. Moab, Utah
- % population of 65+: 19.8%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $60,004
- Median household income: $55,333
- Livability: 70
36. Portland, Maine
- % population of 65+: 17.0%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $60,109
- Median household income: $76,174
- Livability: 85
37. Fort Collins, Colorado
- % population of 65+: 12.2%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $60,110
- Median household income: $83,598
- Livability: 81
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38. Parkville, Missouri
- % population of 65+: 12.7%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $61,683
- Median household income: $170,794
- Livability: 76
39. Camden, Maine
- % population of 65+: 37.6%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $64,602
- Median household income: $80,897
- Livability: 77
40. Saratoga Springs, New York
- % population of 65+: 21.7%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $65,566
- Median household income: $100,485
- Livability: 81
41. Leavenworth, Washington
- % population of 65+: 18.3%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $67,975
- Median household income: $74,653
- Livability: 84
42. Bar Harbor, Maine
- % population of 65+: 24.0%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $69,601
- Median household income: $72,750
- Livability: 77
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43. Durango, Colorado
- % population of 65+: 16.1%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $74,129
- Median household income: $79,545
- Livability: 67
44. Portsmouth, New Hampshire
- % population of 65+: 21.0%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $77,754
- Median household income: $105,756
- Livability: 85
45. Boston
- % population of 65+: 12.7%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $82,025
- Median household income: $94,755
- Livability: 77
46. New York City
- % population of 65+: 16.0%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $88,938
- Median household income: $79,713
- Livability: 75
47. Hanover, New Hampshire
- % population of 65+: 16.8%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $93,897
- Median household income: $135,250
- Livability: 81
48. Calistoga, California
- % population of 65+: 24.6%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $96,006
- Median household income: $84,892
- Livability: 63
49. Stowe, Vermont
- % population of 65+: 74.2%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $97,562
- Median household income: $84,429
- Livability: 64
50. Mammoth Lake, California
- % population of 65+: 11.7%
- Annual cost of living for retired people: $102,826
- Median household income: $87,121
- Livability: 74
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Editor’s note: Photos are for representational purposes only and might not reflect the exact locations listed.
Methodology: GOBankingRates identified cities with all four seasons using data from Islands.com’s “”Affordable Retirement Cities to See All Four Seasons,” CountryLiving.com’s “Best Leaf Peeping in America,” AHS.com’s “19 Best Places to Live If You Love Fall Weather,” Uhaul.com’s “5 Cities to Watch the Seasons Change,” FinanceBuzz.com’s “Retirement Cities with Four Seasons,” and GlobalGrassHopper.com’s “20 Best Places to Visit in Decemeber in the USA.” Population and median household income data were sourced from the U.S. Census American Community Survey. The cost-of-living indexes were sourced from Sperling’s BestPlaces. Cost of living was determined by combining expenditures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey and housing costs from Zillow Home Value Index and the Federal Reserve Economic Data. The livability index was sourced from AreaVibes. All data was collected on Nov. 10, 2025.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: America’s 50 Most Affordable Places To Retire and Enjoy All Four Seasons
