Best Places to Retire in Florida

Cities where retirees are the majority

Where many residents are 65 and older, services, clubs, medical offices and the pace of daily life follow. The four standouts:

• The Villages: 85.2% age 65+. Typical home $392,424, condo $367,342. A very large age-restricted community spread across Sumter, Lake and Marion counties, with golf, recreation centers and town squares. Many homes carry CDD assessments and an amenity fee on top of property tax.
• Venice: 61.4% age 65+, typical home $380,378, condo $246,225. A Gulf Coast town in Sarasota County.
• Naples: 55.8% age 65+, typical home $545,587, condo $378,644. The highest prices of the four.
• Punta Gorda: 53.6% age 65+, typical home $334,685, condo $235,089. Known for its canal-front neighborhoods.

All four are on or near the Gulf, so insurance, flood zones and hurricane plans belong on your list from the start.

Retiring in Florida on a budget

Lower prices are mostly inland and in North and Central Florida. Zillow values:

• Ocala: typical home $263,895, condo $120,270, with 19.8% of residents 65+. Marion County, around it, is $267,911.
• Daytona Beach: $251,316 overall, $153,811 for condos, 22.5% age 65+.
• Citrus County: $268,688.
• Highlands County: $231,284.
• Fort Myers: $304,566, condos $216,573.

Condos in older buildings can look inexpensive in coastal cities too, such as Delray Beach at $169,347 or Bradenton at $190,967. Read the reserve study and milestone inspection reports first. Under the current condo rules, buildings three or more stories must fund structural reserves, and owners can no longer vote to skip that funding for budgets adopted on or after December 31, 2024. A low purchase price can come with high monthly fees or a large special assessment.

Close to a big city, family or an airport

Many retirees want grandchildren and a major airport within an easy drive. Options with a sizable older population near larger metros:

• Sarasota: 29.2% age 65+, typical home $410,998.
• Vero Beach: 28.9% age 65+, $361,764.
• Winter Park: 24.8% age 65+, $466,389, next to Orlando.
• Clearwater: 24.1% age 65+, $340,654, in the Tampa Bay area.
• Boca Raton: 24.6% age 65+, $580,267 overall but $285,174 for condos.

Drive the route to the airport and the nearest hospital at the time of day you would need it. That tells you more about daily life than a ranking.

Choosing a 55+ community

A 55+ community, under the federal Housing for Older Persons Act, must have at least 80% of occupied units with at least one resident 55 or older. Within that rule, the formats differ a lot:

• Manufactured-home communities on leased land: the lowest purchase prices, with a monthly lot rent that can rise. You own the home, not the ground.
• Manufactured or site-built homes on owned lots: you own both, and pay an HOA fee.
• Condo communities: the association maintains the buildings; the same reserve and inspection rules apply as any condo.
• Single-family active-adult communities: newer homes, clubhouses and amenities, with HOA fees and sometimes CDD assessments.

Well-known examples include The Villages, On Top of the World in Ocala, Solivita near Kissimmee, and Kings Point communities in Sun City Center and Delray Beach. Ask each one for the full fee schedule: HOA, CDD, amenity or club fees, golf membership costs and any transfer fees charged at purchase.

Florida tax rules that matter in retirement

• No state income tax, including on Social Security, pensions and retirement account withdrawals.
• Homestead exemption: up to $51,411 off assessed value in 2026 for your permanent residence, and Save Our Homes caps yearly assessment increases at 3% or CPI, whichever is lower.
• Portability: if you already have a Florida homestead and move, you can transfer up to $500,000 of the Save Our Homes benefit to the new homestead, if you meet the filing deadlines.
• Local senior exemptions: many counties and cities offer an additional exemption for residents 65 and older under an income limit.
• Purchase reset: the assessment moves to market value when you buy.
• Amendment 3 on the November 3, 2026 ballot would change homestead and non-homestead rules if it reaches 60%; the result is unknown at writing.

If you will keep a home in another state or country and winter here, homestead will not apply to the Florida home. Canadians should check the visitor stay limit, the IRS substantial presence test and provincial health coverage rules with a cross-border advisor. This isn't legal or tax advice.

Testing a place before you commit

Florida towns change a lot between seasons. A place that feels calm in a February visit can feel very different in August, and the reverse is true for traffic. Before buying, I suggest retirees:

• Visit twice, once in peak winter season and once in late summer, when heat, humidity and afternoon storms set the daily routine.
• Drive the errands: grocery store, pharmacy, your likely doctors, church or club, and the nearest emergency room.
• Check the specialists you see now and whether their equivalents near the town accept your coverage, including Medicare plan networks.
• Look at the flood map and evacuation zone for the streets you like, since coastal evacuation orders are issued by zone.
• Talk to owners in the community about fee increases over the past few years and how the association handled the last storm.
• Price a single-story home, since steps and second floors matter more with each passing decade.

A few days of this usually rules out more places than any amount of reading.

Insurance and storms in retirement planning

On a fixed income, insurance is the cost most likely to change. Before choosing a city, get quotes on two or three actual addresses. Newer homes with hip roofs, impact windows or shutters and a recent roof usually price better, and a wind mitigation inspection documents those features. Older homes need a 4-point inspection. Hurricane deductibles are a percentage of dwelling coverage, often 2% or 5%, and apply once per calendar year, so keep that amount in savings. Flood insurance is separate; lenders require it in FEMA A and V zones, and Citizens policyholders need it on a phased schedule that covers all of them by January 1, 2027.

When I help retirees compare places, the shortlist usually narrows quickly once insurance quotes, HOA fees and the drive to family are side by side.