Best state to live/retire ?

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wgd said:
I'm retired in California and they don't tax my SS, my property taxes on a $2m home are $4k per year, my utilities are high per KWH and therm but I don't use much of either due to the climate (solar is a big help), and the income taxes they do take really don't accelerate until past my income strata. Healthcare for those on Medicare is insanely cheap and very good. I'll never move, CA watches out for their seniors.
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If you're only paying $4,000 on a 2 Mil home, then you likely purchased 30-plus some years ago. The property tax rate on a $2m home in Laguna Niguel, purchased today is $15,800 per year. You are likely benefiting from CA Prop13, which the S#!t-heads in Sacramento are working to eliminate. Like I said "if you've lived in CA 30yrs and have owned the same home for that time, you're "golden"."

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"California fully taxes income from retirement accounts and pensions at some of the highest state income tax rates in the country. Social Security retirement benefits are exempt, but California has some of the highest sales taxes in the U.S."

Wouldn't make a difference if I wanted to leave CA. The State law makers are planning on passing legislation that will require people who leave the state to pay CA taxes on unrealized retirement income "earned in CA"...essentially an exit tax..LOL. Like that's fair.
 
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lbc_PSI said:
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California Property Tax Calculator - SmartAsset

Calculate how much you'll pay in property taxes on your home, given your location and assessed home value. Compare your rate to the California and U.S. average.
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If you're only paying $4,000 on a 2 Mil home, then you likely purchased 30-plus some years ago. The property tax rate on a $2m home in Laguna Niguel, purchased today is $15,800 per year. You are likely benefiting from CA Prop13, which the S#!t-heads in Sacramento are working to eliminate. Like I said "if you've lived in CA 30yrs and have owned the same home for that time, you're "golden"."

smartasset.com

California Retirement Tax Friendliness - SmartAsset

Our California retirement tax friendliness calculator can help you estimate your tax burden in retirement using your Social Security, 401(k) and IRA income.
smartasset.com smartasset.com
"California fully taxes income from retirement accounts and pensions at some of the highest state income tax rates in the country. Social Security retirement benefits are exempt, but California has some of the highest sales taxes in the U.S."

Wouldn't make a difference if I wanted to leave CA. The State law makers are planning on passing legislation that will require people who leave the state to pay CA taxes on unrealized retirement income "earned in CA"...essentially an exit tax..LOL. Like that's fair.
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Sounds like sour grapes ... so the states not for you ... BYE !!!
Funny thing living in CA my entire life ... so many have played the game of "FLIPPING" real estate looking to gain more on the backs of others also playing the game of buying lower & selling higher. Each time capitol gains taxes or requirement to reinvest, most instances a new tax bracket established. One of the only ways to mitigate is keep doing so hoping to stay ahead of the market peaking at last purchase with enough room to absorb a market cool off :cry:

Enter the realistic home buyers realm .... you buy a home, raise a family and set your goals of employment to follow the commitment to it's end requirements, DON'T refinance late into your notes maturity, DON'T take out equity loans .. LIVE WITHIN YOUR MIENS !!!!!!!!!!! Pay off the note and structure or continue part time working to find equilibrium in your senior years.

Keeping up with the Jones as they say is a frugal exercise that by in large likely 1/2 are successful is doing if among the Blue Collar folks who don't have Retirement plans, Pensions or fortunate enough to have been quite successful in there working years.

Honestly Don't think it matters WHERE you live .. if you in a sense have done similar you can live your days where you are, with friends you have made & environment your familiar with.
 
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Beer Nap said:
Can anyone talk me out of rural Tennessee? I know to stay a hundred miles away from the Oak Ridge nuclear facility and not even living down river from it. I guess that sever weather in the summer and having a tornado blowing down my house is my biggest concern.
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Tennessee is ok but stay away from Nashville...South central below Columbia is good almost too far out....California and New York are moving into Tenn...I know I sold property to both, and talked to many families, and I move to Florida (north Fla.)....Seems like the entire country is moving to Florida now...Polk County between Tampa and Orlando gained 32000 people last year alone....the "EXODUS" story is being... understated....I see the license plates and talk to the people EVERY SINGLE DAY....they are looking for houses, I won't say it's too late for the average family but cash buyers from certain areas of the country are just completely priceing out locals....contractors are swamped too....even in out of the was places. I don't care where anyone chooses to lives I'm just stating what I've seen/seeing as a witness.......I would consider VERY CAREFULLY where I would want to live with my family in the years just ahead. (You should see the RV parks even in the summer here......PACKED!)
 
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I’m 67 and I now have a 2 bedroom 2 bath 2 car garage in both Mesa, AZ and Elkhorn, WI. As everyone suspects, AZ in winter and WI in summer. No stairs, no acreage, no lawn mower, no snow shovel, sold that in IL, and I don’t have to care for any landscaping, exteriors, and I sold 75% of our stuff, the kids are ecstatic. If you love to shoot more than perform maintenance both places have great facilities and opportunities. Phoenix Airgun Club, Rio Salado and Arizona Airgunners, Ben Avery in AZ and I enjoy shooting with the BAGA, Badgerland Air Gun Association in Bristol, WI. I love to shoot shotguns as well and both places are great. We are AZ residents and between both places my real estate taxes are less than IL on one place. I have kids and gkids in both locations so it is darn near perfect. Great folks to shoot with in both locations.
 
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Well, Northern Manatee County Florida used to be great, I could leave the house and go on a nice 30 mile in the country motorcycle ride for mental health rejuvenation, now, mostly due to county comissioner complacency my entire country road route is becoming a giant mega housing development. Riding down the road last year and seeing all the big oak trees lying along the roadside was heartbreaking.
If I had more years ahead I would be asking where can I move to.
 
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RM100GUY said:
Tennessee is ok but stay away from Nashville...South central below Columbia is good almost too far out....California and New York are moving into Tenn...I know I sold property to both, and talked to many families, and I move to Florida (north Fla.)....Seems like the entire country is moving to Florida now...Polk County between Tampa and Orlando gained 32000 people last year alone....the "EXODUS" story is being... understated....I see the license plates and talk to the people EVERY SINGLE DAY....they are looking for houses, I won't say it's too late for the average family but cash buyers from certain areas of the country are just completely priceing out locals....contractors are swamped too....even in out of the was places. I don't care where anyone chooses to lives I'm just stating what I've seen/seeing as a witness.......I would consider VERY CAREFULLY where I would want to live with my family in the years just ahead. (You should see the RV parks even in the summer here......PACKED!)
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People from other states are selling out at ridiculously high prices and ruining the real estate market for people here in rural Georgia too. My son and his wife have been trying to buy for over a year with excellent credit and a household income of over 150k and have been out bid buy cash offers well above asking price multiple times.
 
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Tough to hit all the check boxes. You are likely going to end up prioritizing some.

California, Central Coast. Best weather in the world, year round. I was born and raised here. Though for my early career, I moved to the SF Bay Area/Silicon Valley and spent about 11 years there and then moved back to SLO county in 1992.

Regardless of the political climate, if you’ve got a foothold (own real estate) here, it’s a good place to live and retire. Fairly expensive to get into the desirable areas these days.

It’s a big State with good and bad areas.

I live 12 minutes away from the local Sportsman’s Association complex. Our club controls the back silhouette range which I have regular access to. Great for practicing with my higher power 50fpe+ airguns and powder burners. I used to shoot low powered airguns in my back yard (in an unincorporated town), but don’t anymore.

I must add that where you live/retire might be greatly influenced by where your extended family lives. I’m fortunate that most of mine (brothers and sister, mother, and my son and two grandsons) live in the same county. My family roots go back almost 100 years in this area. So I never seriously considered retiring anywhere else. And I’d probably feel the same no matter where it was.
 
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Motorhead said:
Sounds like sour grapes ... so the states not for you ... BYE !!!
Funny thing living in CA my entire life ... so many have played the game of "FLIPPING" real estate looking to gain more on the backs of others also playing the game of buying lower & selling higher. Each time capitol gains taxes or requirement to reinvest, most instances a new tax bracket established. One of the only ways to mitigate is keep doing so hoping to stay ahead of the market peaking at last purchase with enough room to absorb a market cool off :cry:

Enter the realistic home buyers realm .... you buy a home, raise a family and set your goals of employment to follow the commitment to it's end requirements, DON'T refinance late into your notes maturity, DON'T take out equity loans .. LIVE WITHIN YOUR MIENS !!!!!!!!!!! Pay off the note and structure or continue part time working to find equilibrium in your senior years.

Keeping up with the Jones as they say is a frugal exercise that by in large likely 1/2 are successful is doing if among the Blue Collar folks who don't have Retirement plans, Pensions or fortunate enough to have been quite successful in there working years.

Honestly Don't think it matters WHERE you live .. if you in a sense have done similar you can live your days where you are, with friends you have made & environment your familiar with.
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Motorhead,

Born, worked, and lived in CA my entire life..check. Lived in the same house for 31yrs..check. Only bought one rental house (not to flip)..really, really hard lesson learned with that..check. Lots of friends and fam nearby..check. Love CA, but I HATE what has happened TO it. Hmmm. Sour Grapes? IDK..yeah..maybe..sour grapes. But, that does not make the "sour grapes" feel any less factual..

Some professions preclude living where you actually want to. Yes, I'm envious of the pics you showed. I pretty much needed to work near an urban area or city being a software engineer. Silicon Valley..San Diego..both required a big investment to get into real estate. So much so, we never purchased in Silicon Valley..just rented. The crowds and congestion followed us to SoCal. :-(


So the OP's question was retiring TO a state..not retiring IN a state.


Fun Facts For People Retiring TO California..

CA has the second-highest cost of living in the United States.

CA accounted for 30% of the country's homeless population in 2022, despite making up less than 12% of the total population, according to federal data. Make sure you don't retire next to, or plan on visiting a large city nearby..be ready for tents and feces on the sidewalks.

Nearly a quarter of the nation's undocumented immigrants reside in CA, where they constitute more than 6% of the state's population.

State tax collections in 2021 totaled $6,325 per capita in CA, the second highest among states.

If you look at all the regulations, taxes, and fees associated with gas in CA, we pay $1.27 more per gallon than every other state in the nation. Don’t worry about the gas taxes, though. CA is abolishing gas powered vehicles, so be prepared to purchase a new EV.

Premiums for CA health insurance sold through the state marketplace will increase by nearly 10% next year, the highest rate hike since 2018.

CA has the third-worst state business tax climate in the United States.

At the state level, CA levies a 7.25 percent general sales and use tax, the highest statewide rate in the nation. The total sales tax rate can be as high as 10.75 percent in some areas of the state, while the most populous city, Los Angeles, has a total rate of 9.5 percent (as of April 1, 2023). If you live in CA close to the OR border, you can always drive to Oregon and pay no sales tax.

Earthquake Insurance?? If you live near the San Andreas Fault, it's recommended.

Fire Insurance?? Good luck with that, if the latest satellite photos show brush or trees near you place. Lots of insurance companies are leaving the state for the "fire danger" excuse.

Auto Insurance?? You're going to pay for all the crappy drivers and car thieves in the big cities. Use to be, it depended on how you drove or the zip code where you lived. Not any more. You're lumped in with all the bad drivers, speeders, and uninsured and under insured motorists. Hint: make sure you buy the "uninsured motorist" policy add-on, you'll need it. There lots of scofflaws that don't bother with insurance or get the least amount of coverage just to comply with the law and get registration.

Auto Registration. Don't drive a new car in CA. The registration fees will shock you because they're based on the $$ value of your ride. Trailers..yep. Boats..yep. Motorhome..OMG..yep.


Fun Facts On Shooting Areas..

Many places in the National Forest close to urban areas are "closed to shooting". There used to be two spots that I could drive to under 15 minutes. Closed. Taken over by organizations like the "Coast to Crest Conservancy..NF property, but no shooting allowed. Sucks.

Don't forget your National Forest Parking Pass. You can buy them daily or annually. You'll get a ticket if you park on NF land without one. Oh, and don't forget the hunting license..you need that even if you're just shooting ground squirrels or other varmints.


Funnest Fact If You Retire FROM California TO Another State..

LOL..the Franchise Tax Board will track you to your new state and make you pay CA tax on your retirement savings earned but not realized in CA. This will be on top of the CA taxes you'll also pay in your "new" state.

"Welcome to the Hotel California..such a lovely place..you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave." Eagles (paraphrased)

And yes, I have been accused of being somewhat of a cynic when it comes to my home state. ;-)
 
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Scotchmo said:
Tough to hit all the check boxes. You are likely going to end up prioritizing some.

California, Central Coast. Best weather in the world, year round. I was born and raised here. Though for my early career, I moved to the SF Bay Area/Silicon Valley and spent about 11 years there and then moved back to SLO county in 1992.

Regardless of the political climate, if you’ve got a foothold (own real estate) here, it’s a good place to live and retire. Fairly expensive to get into the desirable areas these days.

It’s a big State with good and bad areas.

I live 12 minutes away from the local Sportsman’s Association complex. Our club controls the back silhouette range which I have regular access to. Great for practicing with my higher power 50fpe+ airguns and powder burners. I used to shoot low powered airguns in my back yard (in an unincorporated town), but don’t anymore.

I must add that where you live/retire might be greatly influenced by where your extended family lives. I’m fortunate that most of mine (brothers and sister, mother, and my son and two grandsons) live in the same county. My family roots go back almost 100 years in this area. So I never seriously considered retiring anywhere else. And I’d probably feel the same no matter where it was.
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Totally agree on the Central Coast. My oldest went to college at CalPoly. Just a downright beautiful area.
 
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Probably being Captain Obvious with this post. It is a lot easier for many coming from California, New York and other expensive states to retire in cheaper states like Florida, Texas, Georgia, Alabama etc. Much more difficult retiring the other way. My pension was based on my earnings in Georgia and so I am restricted to retiring to areas with the same or cheaper cost of living unless I cut my needs and wants or blow my retirement savings.

My daughters live in Oregon and New Jersey and we are all engineers. However my daughters in their mid 30s were making more than 50% than me at the same time I was retiring at 60. We all had the same level of education. They will need every penny in those expensive places. My daughter in Oregon has the same size house that I have in a moderately expensive part of Metro Atlanta and her house cost 80% more than my house's inflated present worth in this high cost real estate market. However her neighborhood looks more run down, less safe and less ammenities. They had to fight the investment firms for many months just to get it and now have to spend another $200K to remodel it. I guess that is how professional people can afford to live in an expensive state like California; equivalent jobs have much higher salaries. However very sad for the modest income and poor people in those expensive states. See why there is so much homelessness. Working remote would be a nice way to get out of an expensive state but keep your high paying job. Eyeing Portugal presently but would probably have to get a divorce to move.
 
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Dasgreif said:
Florida panhandle and Levy county
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I live in Levy county....My inlaws lived here since the 1980's and we choose to retire here in 2020. Difficult area to fine a job or place to live...but not impossible. Light traffic very laid back peaceful area....talk to folk every day wanting to move here. Do not go much farther south and stay away from the Interstates...Tampa Orlando south coast areas...NIGHTMARES.
 
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After living in Port Charlotte, Florida for two years, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone thinking of moving here. I don't have anywhere to shoot my pellet rifles and the traffic is horrible. The water out of the tap is gross and there are nearly 1000 new homes being built around me. The Winter is nice and I do swim, but the record heat this year has me wondering if the wife and I should move again at some point. If I meet some people to shoot with, it might be worth dealing with the Summer heat waves, but most of the people I know down here are retired from the North and don't shoot.
 
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lbc_PSI said:
Motorhead,

Born, worked, and lived in CA my entire life..check. Lived in the same house for 31yrs..check. Only bought one rental house (not to flip)..really, really hard lesson learned with that..check. Lots of friends and fam nearby..check. Love CA, but I HATE what has happened TO it. Hmmm. Sour Grapes? IDK..yeah..maybe..sour grapes. But, that does not make the "sour grapes" feel any less factual..

Some professions preclude living where you actually want to. Yes, I'm envious of the pics you showed. I pretty much needed to work near an urban area or city being a software engineer. Silicon Valley..San Diego..both required a big investment to get into real estate. So much so, we never purchased in Silicon Valley..just rented. The crowds and congestion followed us to SoCal. :-(


So the OP's question was retiring TO a state..not retiring IN a state.


Fun Facts For People Retiring TO California..

CA has the second-highest cost of living in the United States.

CA accounted for 30% of the country's homeless population in 2022, despite making up less than 12% of the total population, according to federal data. Make sure you don't retire next to, or plan on visiting a large city nearby..be ready for tents and feces on the sidewalks.

Nearly a quarter of the nation's undocumented immigrants reside in CA, where they constitute more than 6% of the state's population.

State tax collections in 2021 totaled $6,325 per capita in CA, the second highest among states.

If you look at all the regulations, taxes, and fees associated with gas in CA, we pay $1.27 more per gallon than every other state in the nation. Don’t worry about the gas taxes, though. CA is abolishing gas powered vehicles, so be prepared to purchase a new EV.

Premiums for CA health insurance sold through the state marketplace will increase by nearly 10% next year, the highest rate hike since 2018.

CA has the third-worst state business tax climate in the United States.

At the state level, CA levies a 7.25 percent general sales and use tax, the highest statewide rate in the nation. The total sales tax rate can be as high as 10.75 percent in some areas of the state, while the most populous city, Los Angeles, has a total rate of 9.5 percent (as of April 1, 2023). If you live in CA close to the OR border, you can always drive to Oregon and pay no sales tax.

Earthquake Insurance?? If you live near the San Andreas Fault, it's recommended.

Fire Insurance?? Good luck with that, if the latest satellite photos show brush or trees near you place. Lots of insurance companies are leaving the state for the "fire danger" excuse.

Auto Insurance?? You're going to pay for all the crappy drivers and car thieves in the big cities. Use to be, it depended on how you drove or the zip code where you lived. Not any more. You're lumped in with all the bad drivers, speeders, and uninsured and under insured motorists. Hint: make sure you buy the "uninsured motorist" policy add-on, you'll need it. There lots of scofflaws that don't bother with insurance or get the least amount of coverage just to comply with the law and get registration.

Auto Registration. Don't drive a new car in CA. The registration fees will shock you because they're based on the $$ value of your ride. Trailers..yep. Boats..yep. Motorhome..OMG..yep.


Fun Facts On Shooting Areas..

Many places in the National Forest close to urban areas are "closed to shooting". There used to be two spots that I could drive to under 15 minutes. Closed. Taken over by organizations like the "Coast to Crest Conservancy..NF property, but no shooting allowed. Sucks.

Don't forget your National Forest Parking Pass. You can buy them daily or annually. You'll get a ticket if you park on NF land without one. Oh, and don't forget the hunting license..you need that even if you're just shooting ground squirrels or other varmints.


Funnest Fact If You Retire FROM California TO Another State..

LOL..the Franchise Tax Board will track you to your new state and make you pay CA tax on your retirement savings earned but not realized in CA. This will be on top of the CA taxes you'll also pay in your "new" state.

"Welcome to the Hotel California..such a lovely place..you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave." Eagles (paraphrased)

And yes, I have been accused of being somewhat of a cynic when it comes to my home state. ;-)
Click to expand...
With good reason. The California dream has turned into the California nightmare.
 
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