Best Retirement State on A Budget - Lowest Cost of Living? (pensions, communities)
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"Also where can I get the information about sales tax rates, property tax rates, etc?"
the internet?
utah has state income tax
utah has sales tax on almost everything, including groceries
utah has a fair amount of corrupt politicians/fraud/graft.
your choices to be close to VA or clinic can be found on the VA website. i think utah is in VISN 19
the only thing i found cheaper here is property taxes but i'm not on the wasatch front.
nevada?
Yes, the internet is great. I always enjoyed asking real people too.
Thanks very much for your response, and to all who responded!
My wife and I are planning to retire, on a budget, and we are looking for the state with:
1) No state income Tax
2) Lowest Sales Tax
3) Lowest Property Tax
Or the best combination of the three.
We plan to buy a few acres and raise chickens, maybe a goat or two, and have have a garden and try to live a quiet life, minding our own business. We would love to find a house/manufactured home in good condition and 3 acres for not more than $75K. My wife would like to locate near but not in a small city maybe 25K in population with a full service hospital. I am a veteran and would like to be withen 40 miles or so of a VA medical center or clinic.
We don't have strong preferences about weather except we do not want humid hot summers such as Florida or the Gulf Coast states.
The weather here is California where we live is great, but its way too expensive here and taxes keep going up, plus the state is going the wrong direction culture-wise, with all the liberals and the crooked politicians. We would live Oregon and/or Washington, but prices are high in those areas and the liberals are ruining those states as well.
Some states we have looked at are Arkansas and Tennessee, Wyoming, Utah.
Can anyone suggest any good low cost states to retire?
Also where can I get the information about sales tax rates, property tax rates, etc?
Thank you for any help and/or advice.
Tennessee probably wins on your categories. I would also suggest Arizona and Idaho if you want to stay in the west and can deal with a little heat and cold respectively.
generally speaking,when there is no state income tax you will pay more in property tax or sales tax or both.
There is no free lunch. States need to pay for services as well as payrolls.
I suspect political leaning plays a role in where you look as well. I've noticed that conservatives don't seem to mind paying for toll roads since they view it as paying for what they use. I suspect most of the lower tax or no tax states also lean to the right.
Even though you don't pay a state tax in texas, they've got all kinds of fees and property taxes and tools and parking fees so you'll pay one way or another.
It's much better to just look for a place you think you might like living in and then see what the cost of living is. I just noticed this article today from usatoday, it should give you an idea of what's cheaper even if you don't have a million dollars: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money...ent/585695001/
I doubt Tennessee ticks all of your boxes. The only house that was for sale on my very rural farm road had one acre, 850 SqFt, and sold for $115,000. Our road has ZERO winter maintenance and believe me, if you don't have four wheel drive when this road ices over, you had better know how negotiate the steep hills and hair pin curves, or you'll end up DOWN in a big cow pasture
The weather pattern is changing. We have been here 14 years and the Louisiana style humiidty wasn't near as bad 14 years ago as it is now. We had sweat-worthy humidity today, if you're an outdoor person. I have horses and I was dripping sweat before I got the first stall cleaned.
The nearest VA hospital in my area is ~40 miles away and fraught with scandal the last few years. Things have been quiet this year but a few years back they were on the news a lot.
The only way you will find 3A and a home for 75K anywhere, is going to be an area that is not safe to live in or its in a serious flood zone area. You're old enough to know that "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is".
You really need to "get your head out of the sixties" as my husband frequently tells me and be realistic about your retirement. Figure out what you absolutely have to have and work from that.
I've recently added the criteria of: Top non-heroin addict states.
Also, Liberals have chewed through Florida and North Carolina and now going to Tennessee - if you're considering it you better act quickly! I see Illinois residents defecting to Indiana, too.
Before you know it, they'll be everywhere and keep their same policies and belief systems, no doubt.
IMO your number ONE priority should be yes, VA care but also your wife's ongoing needs such as Assisted Living, Memory Care and Skilled Nursing.
They are not always as available or affordable. I live in FLORIDA and you'd think they'd be great here (even private) but not in MY county and I bet not in others, either. So far it seems the ones I gravitate toward in my research are non-profits which have been established for decades. There are a few around.
There is a TON of affordable senior housing in many states and good locations and alot of very NEW and nice, even luxurious. Some even have services on site or at least a social worker to help residents obtain connections and help. (obviously I'm not talking about CCRC which is always my FIRST choice). I assume a CCRC is out of reach?
Problem is, you've decided to go the opposite direction of those retirees and live in a rural bubble so get it out of your system, I guess. And obviously there are income restrictions so if your income is more than the threshold you pay market rates (versus say, 30% of your income).
Does your wife have a long term care insurance policy? While everything is VA for YOU what about her? Regular insurance doesn't pay for anything but Skilled - and for a limited period of time. THEN you go the MEDICAID route and the taxpayer pays while you get to live on spousal allocations.
Last edited by runswithscissors; 10-15-2017 at 05:30 AM..
I grew up in the Tidewater area of Virginia, and it was plenty humid and hot there, but bearable. I don't think I ever experienced unbearable humidity until I visited Houston TX in summer--never would I ever willingly move there! I hope Arkansas wouldn't be any worse than Virginia.
The difference is Arkansas being land locked, there's no relief from the ocean breeze. (I grew up in Gloucester) But the Ozarks and Hot Springs is some of the prettiest places ever. Cooler there than the Delta area for sure. (I lived in Memphis for decades)
I've recently added the criteria of: Top non-heroin addict states.
Also, Liberals have chewed through Florida and North Carolina and now going to Tennessee - if you're considering it you better act quickly! I see Illinois residents defecting to Indiana, too.
Before you know it, they'll be everywhere and keep their same policies and belief systems, no doubt.
IMO your number ONE priority should be yes, VA care but also your wife's ongoing needs such as Assisted Living, Memory Care and Skilled Nursing.
They are not always as available or affordable. I live in FLORIDA and you'd think they'd be great here (even private) but not in MY county and I bet not in others, either. So far it seems the ones I gravitate toward in my research are non-profits which have been established for decades. There are a few around.
There is a TON of affordable senior housing in many states and good locations and alot of very NEW and nice, even luxurious. Some even have services on site or at least a social worker to help residents obtain connections and help. (obviously I'm not talking about CCRC which is always my FIRST choice). I assume a CCRC is out of reach?
Problem is, you've decided to go the opposite direction of those retirees and live in a rural bubble so get it out of your system, I guess. And obviously there are income restrictions so if your income is more than the threshold you pay market rates (versus say, 30% of your income).
Does your wife have a long term care insurance policy? While everything is VA for YOU what about her? Regular insurance doesn't pay for anything but Skilled - and for a limited period of time. THEN you go the MEDICAID route and the taxpayer pays while you get to live on spousal allocations.
Yep, that's the plan. Once Tennessee is taken over, Kentucky is next on the list and then maybe they will be heading out to Oklahoma or Kansas. You never know when they might be coming to your town. Resistance is futile!.
How old are y'all and have y'all ever gardened or farmed or raised animals?
I've done all that and at my age (50s) am happy to give it all up. Why get into doing so much work?
But then I am always surprised when I run into another former older city person that has moved out here to the sticks. But they usually have plenty of pocket lettuce and build pretty nice houses and have all the latest and greatest.
I've recently added the criteria of: Top non-heroin addict states.
Also, Liberals have chewed through Florida and North Carolina and now going to Tennessee - if you're considering it you better act quickly! I see Illinois residents defecting to Indiana, too.
Before you know it, they'll be everywhere and keep their same policies and belief systems, no doubt.
Really? Turning this into a liberal bashing discussion? Taxes maybe higher in liberal areas, but they also have higher quality of living. You get what you pay for. Kansas conservative policies have destroyed the state economy, so conservative policies don't work out better.
Don't know about the tax burdens overall but Pennsylvania is definitely not liberal. I disagree with a previous poster on that. Only certain urban areas are liberal. There are large chunks of rural area throughout central PA that are conservative. People have homes on 3 acres with chickens and horses and whatnot and raise vegetables and do quilting, church activities, etc. I know many people who are thinking of retiring to central PA. Harrisburg and Carlisle are very close. Harrisburg has an airport and you aren't too far from the Philadelphia airport. There are topnotch medical centers in Harrisburg and Hershey area. Carlisle has lots of shopping centers and some cultural events.
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