Options for lower cost early retirement cities? (55, weather, communities)

[jack1231]

I may need to retire prematurely if I am unable to recovery properly from a current injury or I may choose to even if I do recover so the injury doesn't return.

I will sell my home an I expect to have at least $150K clear after sale that I can use to buy a small house, condo or single-level townhome for cash in a lower cost area so I can eliminate mortgage payments.
Then I will need to keep monthly/yearly costs of property taxes, insurance, utilities, maintenance/repairs/ HOA fees etc as low as possible.
I'm interested in low cost areas outside of tornado and hurricane zones and with mild winters (so no Florida, Kansas, Indiana etc).
Other things I would like would to be in a walkable neighborhood so I don't need to drive to everything. I'd like to be able to walk to a local strip mall with grocery store, drugs store (Target/Walmart etc), fast food and so on. I plan to keep my car or replace it with a cheaper vehicle so I can get to places only accessible by car, but I don't want to have to use it much).

Cities I'm considering are Las Vegas, Colorado Springs, Prescott etc, but will consider other cities and states.
I prefer quiet suburban areas with low crime, but there needs to be enough population in the area so that easy access to medical/dental care will not be an issue.

I would also be willing to live in an age restricted community where the minimum age is lower than the typical 55. I have seen a few where the minimum age is 50 or even 40.

I'd like to hear some recommendations or cities and even specific neighborhoods in cities.

[Heidi60]

Medford, OR has a lot of retired folks but it is still growing. There is one regional hospital as well as Providence Hospital so medical care is close. The S.E. side of town is quieter and more settled than the other areas and there is also all the major big box stores. Twice last winter there was about an inch of snow. The hardest part about Medford is finding qualified tradesmen who will actually return your requests for service.

HOA fees are not a good idea in retirement as if you reach a point where you can't pay, they will toss you out faster than a bank can. When we moved into a HOA the monthly dues were $148/mo but ten years on were nearly $400/mo so that will always be something to consider.

[jack1231]

I will look at some cities like Medford also.
I do like HOA communities if they are well run because the properties within the HOA are generally better kept up than if you rely on individual owners to all maintain their own exteriors and landscaping. Then you have a HOA board and property management company to see that CC&Rs are enforced.
As long as the community doesn't have too many expensive to maintain amenities (pools, tennis courts, rec rooms etc.) sometimes the fees can be low and stay low.
If I go with a condo, a HOA will be required anyway.

[jack1231]

Doesn't Oregon have high property tax rates? In Medford, I might end up with high annual tax bills even with a paid off condo or house.

[jack1231]

I just took 5 minutes on Realtor.com to see what $150K would buy in Medford and it looked pretty rough. Old fixer-uppers in bad neighborhoods and mobile homes mostly. Median price seems closer to $300K.
I will need to stay with cities with lower housing costs where I can get into move-in ready small home in a safe and clean neighborhood for well under $150K.

[Vision67]

I think Tucson might work for you.

In Colorado Springs, that $150K is not enough to buy a property.

At what age would you be retiring? If prior to 65, how do you get health insurance?

[jack1231]

I am under 55. That's why I can't choose from all age restricted communities since most have a minimum age of 55.
Health insurance is covered up to a monthly premium limit. If I choose the lowest cost plans, my portion of the insurance premiums for medical and dental will be be around $100 per month plus I have to pay $500 yearly deductible plus $3000 max out of pocket copayments yearly if I only use participating PPO providers.
There is an HMO available that covers much more with much smaller copayments, but I would restricted to living in cities with Kaiser medical offices available to take advantage of that.

Is Tuscon less expensive than Las Vegas suburbs?

[NewToCA]

Places such as Lynchburg, VA or Greensboro, NC could have some choices you may find interesting.

Tornado and Hurricane risk is very low, cost of living is pretty low, housing is pretty decent at the $150 K level, and crime rates are pretty decent too.

Weather may be a little colder in the winter than you may prefer, but it generally hits the low 50's to 60 degrees many winter days. They get some snow, but generally only a few inches perhaps 5-10 days a year. So the weather is a lot more moderate than you'd find in the East or Midwest.

[yellowsnow]

Come visit Vegas. It's very affordable and the taxes are low. I can walk to almost anything I need. I own a small home in a middle class working neighborhood with no HOA. I didn't want one because I wanted my house to be truly PAID for. No monthly dues. My house is 1500SF 2 bed, 2 bath, 2 car garage, and a swimming pool. My property taxes run about $700 per year. It is not age restricted. I prefer to live with people of all ages. I even play hopscotch with the kids in the street once in a while.

And Las Vegas has to stay cheap. Here's why. There are not many good jobs here. Most pay nothing, are part time, and have no benefits. Regular working people suffer here. Many try to cobble out a living working multiple part time jobs and probably put in 60plus hours a week just to make ends meet. And as long as the employers won't pay, it has to stay cheap or they will lose their workforce.

Las Vegas is very diverse. We have people from all over the world here and we are accepting of everyone. There isn't discrimination based on skin color, religion, or sexual orientation. No one cares. People live wherever they can afford to live. In my little cul de sac there are Whites, Blacks, Asians, Hispanics, and a couple from Germany. All the discrimination we have here seems to be haves VS have nots.

It is too hot to walk much here in the summer. But it's pretty perfect the rest of the year. The bus system is good and the major routes have reliable service. It rains about 10 days a year and we do have some flash flooding. But all that means is you need to wait 20 minutes before you go out. And if you are retired that's not an issue. Many places are open 24x7. There is always something to do here and many senior discounts.

You would want to have a car here. But with no wet or winter driving the car you buy will last longer. You just need to count on replacing your tires every 4 years or so because of dry rot from the heat and low humidity.

We have a world class international airport and it's easy to get anywhere!

[jack1231]

I'd rather not deal with snow at all, but if I had to live someplace that gets snow in order to meet the other requirements and stay within cost, I would want to live in a condo or townhouse so the snow clearing is taken care of automatically by the HOA.