The best place to retire isn't florida

[azriverfan.]

It's because the cost of living is cheap in Phoenix. Florida is expensive overall. There are a lot of rich people from the East Coast, Europe and Latin America that retire there and can afford much more. And by rich in Florida, we are talking Rolls Royce and Bentley rich. I've never seen those even the swankiest areas of Scottsdale and Paradise Valley (or Los Angeles for that matter). For those who are car dumb, your average new Rolls Royce costs over 300K; most Bentleys are over 200 K and those are relatively common here. Your average American can't retire in South Florida any longer; you have to be very rich. The West coast of Florida (Tampa/Naples) side is more affordable and a hidden gem to be honest with you. Naples area is really cheap.

In my opinion, the healthcare in the Phoenix area is by far better than any place in Florida. I know people who left here for Phoenix just for the healthcare; they don't really like Phoenix but the healthcare is so vastly superior that they had no choice. The healthcare in Florida is horrible. Many hospitals still use paper charts. The hospitals seem to be old. It's difficult to find doctors using cutting edge technology. There is a huge shortage of specialists per the population. There is a lot of Medicare fraud and unscrupulous docs pulling all types of shady actions. The waits are unnecessarily long because there are not enough specialists and they are not that great to begin with. A lot of the doctors are not even up to date on the latest medications. If you have health issues, I would not even think twice about choosing Phoenix over any city in Florida. And the health care system is only getting better in the Valley. So that is one big reason to retire in the Valley.

I can understand how Phoenix overall ranks as the best because of the cost of living, healthcare, weather and amenities.