If you prefer hiking the Appalachian Mountains over lounging on coastal beaches, this year’s least-expensive state to retire may be a good fit for you.
For the second year in a row, West Virginia is the most affordable state for retirement in the U.S., according to financial services company Bankrate’s best and worst states for retirement report, which published last month.
The state’s affordability ranking comes from “a low cost of living, low property taxes and affordable homeowners insurance,” the report said. West Virginia is followed by Mississippi and Indiana, rounding out the top three.
Here are the 10 most affordable states in the U.S. for retirement, according to Bankrate:
The report’s data came from a variety of sources, including the Tax Foundation and the Council for Community and Economic Research.
Pros and cons of retiring in the No. 1 most affordable state
On average, West Virginia’s cost of living is 9% lower than the rest of the country, according to RentCafe. Its housing costs are 20% lower than the national average and its effective property tax rate of 0.49% ranks among the lowest in the U.S., according to Bankrate.
The state will phase out state-level taxes on income from Social Security benefits by 2026, following a bill signed into law in March. Withdrawals from retirement accounts such as 401(k)s, IRAs or government pensions will still be taxable, but residents 65 and older can claim deductions up to $8,000 per person.
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But West Virginia ranks middle-of-the-pack in Bankrate’s wellness scores, and dead last in quality and cost of health care. Residents face the second-highest average private health insurance premiums in the country, personal finance website MoneyGeek found last year.
Factors retirees should consider beyond affordability
It’s important to note that “most affordable” doesn’t necessarily equate to “best.” While a potential retirement destination’s affordability can be an important consideration, it shouldn’t be the only one.
For instance, you should consider what else a potential retirement location may have to offer, such as the availability of entertainment and community activities and accessibility of hospitals or other services you may need when you’re older.
“You might live somewhere that is beautiful, but maybe it’s very remote and the nearest hospital is an hour away,” Kerry Hannon, a retirement expert and author of “In Control at 50+: How to Succeed in the New World of Work,” told Bankrate.
“You’re going to have to be helicoptered or transported to get to a medical center, so that should be an important consideration,” she added.
Before you decide where you’d like to spend your post-work years, its helpful to get an idea of how much money you’ll have by the time you retire. Once you have your retirement savings goal in mind, you can determine how far those dollars can stretch in different locations.
CNBC Make It’s retirement calculator can help you estimate how much you’ll need to retire comfortably based on factors like your age, how much you already have saved for retirement, your income and the age you wish to retire.
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