I plan to retire in Montreal. It's gorgeous, cheap, good public transit, and there are some really great bagels.

If it's good enough for Leonard Cohen, it's good enough for me.

@Lauchlin: That's a good plan!

Retire? What is that?

We're originally from PA. My parents retired to Tucson and love it here. I've been here for almost five years, and although I'd live in San Diego if it were cheaper, I think Tucson is a great place to live. It's remarkably inexpensive (which I can't say about San Diego), but you can still find good-paying jobs. The U of A brings in a diverse element as well. If you can handle the heat - it was 101 yesterday - it's a great place to live.

Northeastern Florida (Jacksonville, etc) is extremely inexpensive to live in. The surrounding rural areas are even more so, especially inland, in places like Palatka, Green Cove Springs, or Crescent City. Property on water is obviously much more than it should be, but right now even those properties are easier to come by with the down economy.

@MostlyHarmless: it's something I'm expecting to get to around... 90ish.
If I live that long. >_<

Michigan is a lovely place with very friendly people. Hard to go wrong retiring in Michigan, I think.

@twophrasebark: Unless you don't like snow or cold weather.

@MostlyHarmless: It's what they call it when you get laid off and nobody will hire you because you are too old.

@nbs2: You mean unplanned obsolescence?

Ann Arbor's taxes are ridiculous. I should know, I just bought a house there.

How does one retire cheaply here, with upwards of $6,000 in property taxes/yr in addition to utilities, possible mortgage, and other living expenses?

I'm surprised to see Asheville on this list. It's a beautiful city, but I understood that the cost of living has skyrocketed over the last 10 years or so. My wife grew up near there, and her parents told us about friends who are doctors and lawyers that have moved away because it was too expensive for them live there.

@RandomHookup: +1

Or any hick-related sports.

@zigziggityzoo: I was wondering the same thing, until I realized that there are a number of retirement communities out there.

@RandomHookup: From the article: "When you're retired, if the weather's bad, you're not compelled to go anywhere," Couture says. "You just stay in the house."

@bornonbord: What you say is true: Like...what? All of your major sports are played in Michigan, and it boasts a very good Hockey team and some very good college football teams. Is it just that you hate sports in general?

Yeah, I live in Columbus, OH. Other than the absurd city income tax (which they just raised this year in a special "election!") and propety taxes (I am not 100% certain about Columbus proper, but my parents live in a suburb and the property taxes are double what they paid for a comparable house in RI), I could definitely see it being a great place to retire. The cost of living is pretty low.

@rewind: But then you have to live in Florida until you croak!

@zigziggityzoo: Some municipalities reduce/exempt property taxes for the elderly, so it could still be an affordable option.

@nbs2: "We only hire senior citizens. Its part of our 'enslave the elderly' program."

(I loved The Critic)

Missing: The coasts.

@twophrasebark:

Doesn't Michigan have the highest unemployment rate in the country? Or maybe that's Nevada now. I know this is about retirees, but a healthy state budget depends on wage-earning citizens IMO.

Asheville NC has a VERY, VERY high cost of living and zero public transportation. Don't know where they got that. Asheville is bisected by two interstates and getting from one end of town (where you live) to the other (your doctor) on public transportation would be an interesting exercise to see if you could do it the same day.

@pecan 3.14159265:

Hear Hear, Ms. Pie. Hockey = LIFE, so get on board, geezers! (I'm serious. And *college* hockey is life writ large, and is also widely available in Michigan.)

I live in New England and won't consider retiring anywhere that doesn't have a decent college hockey team for us to watch in person. Chacun a son gout.

@linkura:

Hey, RI-OH connection! Our oldest son (23) moved to Columbus from Rhode Island in July after struggling to find fulltime employment here for several years. He is living with a friend and likes the area a lot, although so far the job opps aren't much better than home. He does have good part-time work, though.

@pecan 3.14159265: Heh, you haven't exactly hung out in the backwoods of MI lately, have you?

Ann Arbor has a sweet movie theater, though.

@tbax929 is back from the beach:

Everyone I know who relocates to Tucson just loves it. That includes my best friend from h.s. who taught school in MA most of her life; a family in the tech biz that has lived in some interesting places including Colorado and Texas before Tucson; my husband's first wife and her family; friends from college. They never leave! I'd like to visit some day.

It might not be a good idea to retire to Columbia, SC if you're counting on public transportation. Right now, various county and city councils are fighting over who has to fund it and there's some discussion of getting rid of it altogether. And this is after SCANA ran the bus system into the ground because they hoped that if they did a terrible job running it they wouldn't be required to do it anymore.

But if you love driving and hate walking, South Carolina is a great place to retire.

I've been living in Michigan for 2 years and I feel like I'm living in some kind of hell. A cold hell. The people are not as friendly as they think they are. They will smile at you, but not actually help you with anything. There are not enough sidewalks and people never ever stop for pedestrians. I hear Ann Arbor is better though.

@MostlyHarmless:

Oh boy, I think you nailed this one. Why am I even discussing retirement?

@ElizabethD: Is it that things get more expensive the closer to the coasts you are?

@ElizabethD: You need to divide that salutation by e.

I'm guessing there was a size minimum to get listed.

@Magspie: Michigan as a state is not a pedestrian town. This is where your auto industry boomed, so cars are life there. I have friends from MI who say that it's pretty common practice to drive down the street to visit people instead of walking there.

This is the same mag that declared Boston an "underpriced college town".

Suuuuurrrre.

Thailand or Philippines provinces. Best, cheap place in the world to live are those two places. Live-in maid cost me $74 USD a month in Manila.
Heck in Chiang Rai (northern Thailand) nice motel costs only $9 USD a day. Apt rent is even cheaper.
Hospitals are high-tech, staffed with western trained doctors and are 1/10th the cost as the USA. [www.bangkokhospital.com]
Good bye, USA. Asia here I come!

@bornonbord: What you say is true: What sports (and what places) are you talking about?

@Magspie: You must live in Detroit or something. The rest of Michigan is nothing like that. What do you mean not stopping for pedestrians? Are you talking about people who just walk out into the street or walk against the lights or what? A2 isn't that much better. Very crowded, poor traffic control, very, very expensive. It's nice to visit though.

@squinko: I mean at crosswalks where there is no light, or walking across business entrance driveways. Or even at controlled intersections if the car is turning right.

Also I've found that people from here get very upset if one says anything negative about the place. When someone asks me, "So how do you like Michigan?" I tread lightly and say something along the lines of there being good and bad things. Sometimes they will then reveal that they are not from here and we can both talk openly about how much it sucks.

@squinko: Dirt Biking, Quad running, Snowmobiling, Whose-Snow-Plow-Is-Bigger-ing, Group Coyote Hunting (pronounce Kie-oat), Electric Fishing, etc etc...

(in every town in MI - eastern to western. You'll see more of 'em in the UP)

I'm not saying I don't like them. I'm saying MI is best avoided if you don't.

@Magspie: Kalamazoo has lots of hipsters and decent pot.

@Alys Brangwin can't stop the beat: Ribbit!

@rewind: This is really comforting to hear. My father has always wanted to retire to Florida and got hit with a major financial bombshell recently. Maybe he won't have to give up his dream after all.

@linkura: I'm in Columbus as well. There are definitely tons of things to keep seniors occupied here, as long as they don't get hit by idiots who can't drive in the rain.

@MostlyHarmless:

It's what people used to do when they could afford to stop working. See "job security."

According to AARP, the Asheville-Hendersonville, NC retirement dollar is $1.14-to-$1.00. Why not go to the second fastest growing retirement area in the U.S., ~ Pickens County in SC. Only one hour away from Asheville and the Blue Ridge National Parkway, beautiful access to almost year around golfing & fishing, retirement homes to fill your needs from 900-to-10,000 sq. ft., access to diverse programs at both Clemson & Furman Univeristy, medical access in all directions, low no near nothing taxes (the locals have no idea how lucky they are),and the best part is the retirement dollar is 93 cents-to-$1.00. We have just retired here and will not budge. Our children in NY state and Boston will just have to do a bit of traveling if they want to catch us. Wonderful museums, Greenville Symphony with their Russian State conductor is impressive, theater from the community venue to professional productions. Toooooo much to do here. O.K., you want to know one negative aspect of this area, ~ haven't found any exceptional vineyards yet, but there are options to this problem.

@twophrasebark: What I do find funny is that Michiganders would never describe Ann Arbor as "cheap." It's one of the most expensive housing markets in the whole state.

@Magspie: I find that's true in most places. I can't think of anywhere I've lived where locals took kindly to outsiders coming in and telling them what's wrong with where they live. The reaction tends to be, "well, if you don't like it, go back home."

@bornonbord: What you say is true: Well, it's not like upon seeing the "Welcome to Michigan" sign, people hold you at gunpoint until you join them in their Coyote hunting.

And why the heck do people pronounce it Kie-oat?

@Magspie: Michigan isn't nearly as bad about it as West Virginia. Imagine being considered the armpit of America, knowing that some things are actually true, and having to defend your home state.

/not from West Virginia.