This Is America's Most Expensive Place To Retire In 2025 (And It's Not Even A Beach City)

After toughing it out decade after decade, enduring endless bills, errands, chores, taxes, and all the other brutalities (and yes, joys) of life, everyone wants to spend their final years in a peaceful, happy way. Unfortunately, retirement has to be more than comfortable — it must be affordable and allow for more than simply scraping by. Maybe you want to see an opera now and then, or dote on a little terrier, or endlessly lounge in the sun on the beach. If you're in Saratoga, California, maybe you want to shell out over $280,000 per year on living expenses in a city with an average home value of $4.1 million (per Go Banking Rates)

That's right: Saratoga, along San Jose's southwestern edge on the south side of San Francisco Bay, is 2025's most expensive place to retire in the United States. You might assume that the title would go to a Floridian beach town like Palm Beach or a less-crowded alternative like Flagler Beach, or maybe even a Californian beach town like the quiet, Sicilian-inspired Palos Verdes west of Long Beach. Judging by Saratoga's 26% 65-and-older population (out of a total of about 30,000 people), a decent number of folks prefer the inland, hilly town and have the finances to make it work. 

Those (presumably) happy few get to spend their days poking around a town that at times seems oddly New England in street-and-building composition, but still looks obviously Californian once you gaze out at its forested hills. There are loads of outdoor, walkable activities like hiking the Skyline to the Sea trail or visiting the Hakone Estate and Gardens, a Japanese garden presumably named after the hot springs hotspot southwest of Tokyo. There are also quite a few vineyards around Saratoga that are perfect for sitting, sipping, and reminiscing.

It's not entirely clear why Saratoga in the Golden State sits at the top of Go Banking Rates' list of the most expensive places to retire in the United States. It might have something to do with its 15-minute drive proximity to Silicon Valley, plus extremely limited new housing availability, plus a contained remoteness that feels separate from what's around it. Perhaps it's the dramatic, awesome locales like the Mountain Winery's ancient Greek-style amphitheater, mixed with die-cast American conveniences like the WestGate Center mall, less than 20 minutes away (which are admittedly super convenient for elderly people). Whatever it is, it's enough to make Saratoga much more expensive than two beachy places we already mentioned: Palos Verdes (second in the list) and Palm Springs (fifth).

Since we're talking about California, it's not as if Saratoga residents can't easily hit the beach if they want, and the same goes for visitors. Santa Cruz (and its bombastic Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk amusement park) is a mere 30 minutes away by car. That entire beach strip goes all the way from Wilder Ranch State Park in the west through the Seymore Marine Discovery Center, the stony arches of Natural Bridges State Beach, Pyramid Park's cliffs by the sea, Cliffdrive Tide Pools, the rugged Mitchell's Cove Beach, and the broad and sandy Seabright Beach all the way to the next town, Twin Lakes. These beachside locales, plus Saratoga's New England-like walkable parts, its outdoor activities and wineries, and its mall-side conveniences, mean that there's something for everyone, retirees included. Maybe it's not too hard to see why it's the nation's most expensive place to retire, after all.