4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

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Beliavsky
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4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by Beliavsky »

4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year
By Catey Hill
MarketWatch
April 30, 2019

...

MarketWatch looked at beach towns across America, where the overall cost of living was significantly below average, housing was reasonably priced and where there are plenty of things to see and do. (Though we can’t promise that summers won’t be hot, and your hurricane risk is admittedly high.) We found four attractive beach towns where you could spend roughly $40,000 a year and live a decent lifestyle.

******************************************************************************************

The towns discussed are

Bay St. Louis, Mississippi
Pensacola, Florida
Fort Pierce, Florida
Corpus Christi, Texas
student
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by student »

Thanks. I will research them.
Iridium
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by Iridium »

Beliavsky wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 5:20 pm MarketWatch looked at beach towns across America, where the overall cost of living was significantly below average, housing was reasonably priced and where there are plenty of things to see and do. (Though we can’t promise that summers won’t be hot, and your hurricane risk is admittedly high.)
People always bring up hurricanes when talking about retiring on the gulf coast, but I have always thought them to be the most benign of natural disasters for retirees. Unlike wildfires and tornados, a hurricane is unlikely to destroy your house. Unlike a blizzard or an earthquake, hurricanes can be predicted several days in advance and avoided. Hurricanes are major pains in the rear for workers, because by the time employers close, they are faced with either severe traffic to evacuate or having to ride it out (and likely lose power for several days). For retirees? 3 days before the hurricane hits, go on an 8 day road trip. By the time you get back, things will be more or less back to normal.
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by jebmke »

My best friend from my youth lived right on the beach in Bay St. Louis (it is really just a hamlet). Katrina came ashore right where his house used to be. The house was on a concrete slab and they never found the slab, much less the house.
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by student »

Iridium wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 5:31 pm
Beliavsky wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 5:20 pm MarketWatch looked at beach towns across America, where the overall cost of living was significantly below average, housing was reasonably priced and where there are plenty of things to see and do. (Though we can’t promise that summers won’t be hot, and your hurricane risk is admittedly high.)
People always bring up hurricanes when talking about retiring on the gulf coast, but I have always thought them to be the most benign of natural disasters for retirees. Unlike wildfires and tornados, a hurricane is unlikely to destroy your house. Unlike a blizzard or an earthquake, hurricanes can be predicted several days in advance and avoided. Hurricanes are major pains in the rear for workers, because by the time employers close, they are faced with either severe traffic to evacuate or having to ride it out (and likely lose power for several days). For retirees? 3 days before the hurricane hits, go on an 8 day road trip. By the time you get back, things will be more or less back to normal.
Good point. I grew up in a city with hurricanes but I lived in a high-rise, so the chance of damage to the building was very small.
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by Prahasaurus »

Iridium wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 5:31 pm
People always bring up hurricanes when talking about retiring on the gulf coast, but I have always thought them to be the most benign of natural disasters for retirees. Unlike wildfires and tornados, a hurricane is unlikely to destroy your house. Unlike a blizzard or an earthquake, hurricanes can be predicted several days in advance and avoided. Hurricanes are major pains in the rear for workers, because by the time employers close, they are faced with either severe traffic to evacuate or having to ride it out (and likely lose power for several days). For retirees? 3 days before the hurricane hits, go on an 8 day road trip. By the time you get back, things will be more or less back to normal.

Not just the Gulf. My parents planned to retire in North Carolina, not too far from the coast. They were evacuated 3x in one year, and one hurricane caused quite a bit of damage to their property. It was very stressful, returning to your home and having no idea what you will find... They moved about 3 hours from the beach soon afterwards.
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by randomguy »

Iridium wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 5:31 pm
Beliavsky wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 5:20 pm MarketWatch looked at beach towns across America, where the overall cost of living was significantly below average, housing was reasonably priced and where there are plenty of things to see and do. (Though we can’t promise that summers won’t be hot, and your hurricane risk is admittedly high.)
People always bring up hurricanes when talking about retiring on the gulf coast, but I have always thought them to be the most benign of natural disasters for retirees. Unlike wildfires and tornados, a hurricane is unlikely to destroy your house. Unlike a blizzard or an earthquake, hurricanes can be predicted several days in advance and avoided. Hurricanes are major pains in the rear for workers, because by the time employers close, they are faced with either severe traffic to evacuate or having to ride it out (and likely lose power for several days). For retirees? 3 days before the hurricane hits, go on an 8 day road trip. By the time you get back, things will be more or less back to normal.
Blizzards you can just sit at home through and earthquakes are incredibly rare(once in a life versus every couple of years). Hurricanes are a lot more disruptive. But they can definitely be delt with.

Realistically snowy areas (not blizzards as much as driving/walking on icey roads) are far more dangerous than hurricanes. They aren't as scary cause you deal constantly with them and the deaths/damage is in a lot of small doses instead of 1 big one.

The big thing for retirees is that you don't need a job. Getting rid of that constraint opens up tons of areas. Figure out the 3 or 4 things that matter to you and find an area that has them and the disadvantageous that you can live with. For a lot of people the constraint of being close to family tends to dominate.
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by Toons »

Find A
Lake

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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by livesoft »

I am amused.

I have vacationed near Corpus Christi for 40 years. There is no way to describe it as "Gorgeous." However, it is probably true that you can retire there on $40K a year if you have health insurance (Medicare) covered.
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by smitcat »

Use the SLOSH map 2 for data on what places in any state will be affected by Hurricanes and to what extent.
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by Clever_Username »

I don't get the obsession with beach towns. There are so many parts of the greater Phoenix area that one can live comfortably in retirement on $40,000/year and the weather is perfect 365 days a year. I can live without going in the water -- and when I'm golfing, I prefer to stay out of it anyway.
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by stoptothink »

livesoft wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 5:57 pm I am amused.

I have vacationed near Corpus Christi for 40 years. There is no way to describe it as "Gorgeous." However, it is probably true that you can retire there on $40K a year if you have health insurance (Medicare) covered.
No Kidding. "Gorgeous" in reference to CC has never been used by anybody who has actually been there.
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by finite_difference »

Clever_Username wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 6:43 pm I don't get the obsession with beach towns. There are so many parts of the greater Phoenix area that one can live comfortably in retirement on $40,000/year and the weather is perfect 365 days a year. I can live without going in the water -- and when I'm golfing, I prefer to stay out of it anyway.
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by rj342 »

LOL
Truth in advertising. At least 3 of the 4 are not beach towns in any sense, even though they have some coastal waterfront (which is never cheap anywhere).
Pensacola the city has no beach. You have to cross the long bridge across Pcola Bay to Gulf Breeze, then take another bridge to get to town of Pensacola Beach, which is on the barrier island. Bay St Louis has no proper beach, with closest thing to one being further East on I10 to Gulfport. And those beaches on the Mississipi Sound are sad, duller sand and muddy ocean water, w few waves, being 7n elbow of Gulf near Louisiana and Pontcharyrain and Miss river outlets.
I know this, being in Mobile, which also has no beach. Dauphin Island is due South, to east in AL you have Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. In FL you have Perdido Key, then Pcola Beach further East. All 4 of those are nice. A bit further East you get Ft Walton and Destin which are wonderful.
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by unclescrooge »

Clever_Username wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 6:43 pm I don't get the obsession with beach towns. There are so many parts of the greater Phoenix area that one can live comfortably in retirement on $40,000/year and the weather is perfect 365 days a year. I can live without going in the water -- and when I'm golfing, I prefer to stay out of it anyway.
Not sure I call 120 degree summers "perfect", but to each his own. :mrgreen:

I spent a summer there and I had a terrible allergy related cough the entire summer.
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by Dottie57 »

unclescrooge wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 9:05 pm
Clever_Username wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 6:43 pm I don't get the obsession with beach towns. There are so many parts of the greater Phoenix area that one can live comfortably in retirement on $40,000/year and the weather is perfect 365 days a year. I can live without going in the water -- and when I'm golfing, I prefer to stay out of it anyway.
Not sure I call 120 degree summers "perfect", but to each his own. :mrgreen:

I spent a summer there and I had a terrible allergy related cough the entire summer.
Phoenix doesn’t sound great to me either. 85 and dry is great summer weather.
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by unclescrooge »

Dottie57 wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 9:12 pm
unclescrooge wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 9:05 pm
Clever_Username wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 6:43 pm I don't get the obsession with beach towns. There are so many parts of the greater Phoenix area that one can live comfortably in retirement on $40,000/year and the weather is perfect 365 days a year. I can live without going in the water -- and when I'm golfing, I prefer to stay out of it anyway.
Not sure I call 120 degree summers "perfect", but to each his own. :mrgreen:

I spent a summer there and I had a terrible allergy related cough the entire summer.
Phoenix doesn’t sound great to me either. 85 and dry is great summer weather.
On the other hand, you don't know dry until you've been to Phoenix.

90 degrees in Phoenix didn't seem that bad.
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by cheese_breath »

jebmke wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 5:34 pm My best friend from my youth lived right on the beach in Bay St. Louis (it is really just a hamlet). Katrina came ashore right where his house used to be. The house was on a concrete slab and they never found the slab, much less the house.
After my retirement in the 90's I read a lot about Bay St. Louis and Pass Christian, and they looked like my idea of the perfect place to live out our lives. But DW would have no part of it. She didn't want to leave her friends and move where she didn't know anybody. She wouldn't even go down there to look at it. Some years later we went to San Antonio for grandson's wedding. We always drove everywhere because her allergies prevented her from flying, and I finally convinced her to take a side trip through there on our way home. This was a couple years after Katrina, and when I saw it was I glad she wouldn't move there.
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by rich126 »

unclescrooge wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 9:05 pm
Clever_Username wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 6:43 pm I don't get the obsession with beach towns. There are so many parts of the greater Phoenix area that one can live comfortably in retirement on $40,000/year and the weather is perfect 365 days a year. I can live without going in the water -- and when I'm golfing, I prefer to stay out of it anyway.
Not sure I call 120 degree summers "perfect", but to each his own. :mrgreen:

I spent a summer there and I had a terrible allergy related cough the entire summer.
That’s the bad way to think about it. Instead you have a few months of very hot weather but most of the rest of the year is great.
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by surfstar »

Hurricanes, humidity, heat, and no surf (unless hurricane).

I guess there's a reason it is cheap to live there and it is expensive to live here.

Another click-bait, no new, news article.

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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by HomerJ »

rich126 wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 9:58 pm
unclescrooge wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 9:05 pm
Clever_Username wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 6:43 pm I don't get the obsession with beach towns. There are so many parts of the greater Phoenix area that one can live comfortably in retirement on $40,000/year and the weather is perfect 365 days a year. I can live without going in the water -- and when I'm golfing, I prefer to stay out of it anyway.
Not sure I call 120 degree summers "perfect", but to each his own. :mrgreen:

I spent a summer there and I had a terrible allergy related cough the entire summer.
That’s the bad way to think about it. Instead you have a few months of very hot weather but most of the rest of the year is great.
Sure, but those few months aren't "perfect weather". That's the point.

I plan to retire in Phoenix. I also plan to travel during the summer away from Phoenix. Still cheaper than living in CA. :)
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by TravelGeek »

Iridium wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 5:31 pm People always bring up hurricanes when talking about retiring on the gulf coast, but I have always thought them to be the most benign of natural disasters for retirees. Unlike wildfires and tornados, a hurricane is unlikely to destroy your house. Unlike a blizzard or an earthquake, hurricanes can be predicted several days in advance and avoided. Hurricanes are major pains in the rear for workers, because by the time employers close, they are faced with either severe traffic to evacuate or having to ride it out (and likely lose power for several days). For retirees? 3 days before the hurricane hits, go on an 8 day road trip. By the time you get back, things will be more or less back to normal.
I think many of the residents or home owners (many vacation homes, I think) of Mexico Beach, FL might disagree with this. I drove through what’s left of this town about three months after Hurricane Michael hit it. It was a pretty devastating sight. There weren’t many homes not damaged beyond what I consider repairable state. A few newer and larger condo/apartment buildings seemed to be doing alright on the outside.

I do agree that hurricanes have the advantage of early warning. Still, I prefer a well constructed home (*) in an earthquake zone over the risk of a hurricane. I did buy earthquake insurance when I lived in the Bay Area.

(*) there is one famous beachfront home in Mexico Beach that survived with barely a scratch. I saw it with my own eyes. It was surreal. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/14/us/h ... house.html
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by JBTX »

livesoft wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 5:57 pm I am amused.

I have vacationed near Corpus Christi for 40 years. There is no way to describe it as "Gorgeous." However, it is probably true that you can retire there on $40K a year if you have health insurance (Medicare) covered.
Agree. Compared to FL TX beaches aren't that nice. Some parts of Corpus Beaches are awful. Litter everywhere. I almost stepped on a broken glass jar at waters edge. We went to one beach where there was wall to wall trucks/SUVs parked almost at waters edge. It was terrible.

Corpus can be comfortable, but not gorgeous.

My recollection of Fort Pierce wasn't gorgeous either, but not bad. Pensacola seems pretty nice, low key but relaxed with nice beaches. I'm thinking those modest home prices aren't anywhere near the beach.
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by EddyB »

rich126 wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 9:58 pm
unclescrooge wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 9:05 pm
Clever_Username wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 6:43 pm I don't get the obsession with beach towns. There are so many parts of the greater Phoenix area that one can live comfortably in retirement on $40,000/year and the weather is perfect 365 days a year. I can live without going in the water -- and when I'm golfing, I prefer to stay out of it anyway.
Not sure I call 120 degree summers "perfect", but to each his own. :mrgreen:

I spent a summer there and I had a terrible allergy related cough the entire summer.
That’s the bad way to think about it. Instead you have a few months of very hot weather but most of the rest of the year is great.
How many days do they have in the years in Phoenix?
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by randomguy »

unclescrooge wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 9:31 pm
On the other hand, you don't know dry until you've been to Phoenix.

90 degrees in Phoenix didn't seem that bad.
90 is great. It is the 100+ days when the temperature is over 100 that are tough. And the 14 days when it hits 110 are really bad🤣. Most places have good weather if you are willing to ignore 1/3rd of the worst weather. In most cheap places you are choosing between roasting for or freezing.
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by littlebird »

Iridium wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 5:31 pm People always bring up hurricanes when talking about retiring on the gulf coast, but I have always thought them to be the most benign of natural disasters for retirees. Unlike wildfires and tornados, a hurricane is unlikely to destroy your house. Unlike a blizzard or an earthquake, hurricanes can be predicted several days in advance and avoided. Hurricanes are major pains in the rear for workers, because by the time employers close, they are faced with either severe traffic to evacuate or having to ride it out (and likely lose power for several days). For retirees? 3 days before the hurricane hits, go on an 8 day road trip. By the time you get back, things will be more or less back to normal.
For retiree couples in the later stages of retirement, it’s very likely that at least one will be unable, for any one of a large number of reasons, to go on an 8 day road trip.
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by IMO »

rj342 wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 7:14 pm LOL
Truth in advertising. At least 3 of the 4 are not beach towns in any sense, even though they have some coastal waterfront (which is never cheap anywhere).
Pensacola the city has no beach. You have to cross the long bridge across Pcola Bay to Gulf Breeze, then take another bridge to get to town of Pensacola Beach, which is on the barrier island. Bay St Louis has no proper beach, with closest thing to one being further East on I10 to Gulfport. And those beaches on the Mississipi Sound are sad, duller sand and muddy ocean water, w few waves, being 7n elbow of Gulf near Louisiana and Pontcharyrain and Miss river outlets.
I know this, being in Mobile, which also has no beach. Dauphin Island is due South, to east in AL you have Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. In FL you have Perdido Key, then Pcola Beach further East. All 4 of those are nice. A bit further East you get Ft Walton and Destin which are wonderful.
Been awhile since I spend a short time since in Pensocola and it was in the winter so wasn't thinking about the beach. I do remember it being colder than I had expected. But was curious to see what's shown on-line. My search found the following:

https://www.visitpensacola.com/things-to-do/beaches/

Honestly, the beach in the photos looks pretty decent to me.

But isn't the point of the article to show spots where one can live near a beach still for $40K / year?
I didn't read the article, but even it means living within a short drive to the beach, that seems reasonable to me. There would be some argument to not be right on the beach due to possible hurricane related storm surge anyway.

I bet there are a great number on this site that live "near" a beach, but hardly leave on the beach. Pretty much can be said of most people living in San Diego all the way north to San Francisco. The water even in San Diego is pretty much wet-suit cold even in the middle of summer. I'd bet Pensocola water is nicer for water sports other than surfing (for which there would be essentially none, unless I'm wrong).
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by Jazztonight »

Toons wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 5:53 pm Find A Lake
:happy
Toons, you seem to have a talent for solving a long, complicated discussion in the fewest possible words! There have been many studies about how bodies of water draw humans to them. Here's an article I easily found that gives some background about the psychology of "blue" and "happiness":
https://www.cntraveler.com/story/why-be ... us-happier

But the search for the nicest possible beachfront property at the lowest cost can be anti-productive.

I grew up on the south shore of Long Island, NY, a 15 minute drive to the beach, and have lived on the right and left coasts my entire life. Today, I live near the SF Bay, although I can't currently see it. I do, however, wake up each day to see an inner city body of water, Lake Merritt. It's 3 miles in circumference, and is a wildlife/aquatic waterfowl refuge. (disclosure: Living here comes at a price.)

But yeah. Lakes.
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by Clever_Username »

HomerJ wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 10:03 pm
rich126 wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 9:58 pm
unclescrooge wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 9:05 pm
Clever_Username wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 6:43 pm I don't get the obsession with beach towns. There are so many parts of the greater Phoenix area that one can live comfortably in retirement on $40,000/year and the weather is perfect 365 days a year. I can live without going in the water -- and when I'm golfing, I prefer to stay out of it anyway.
Not sure I call 120 degree summers "perfect", but to each his own. :mrgreen:

I spent a summer there and I had a terrible allergy related cough the entire summer.
That’s the bad way to think about it. Instead you have a few months of very hot weather but most of the rest of the year is great.
Sure, but those few months aren't "perfect weather". That's the point.

I plan to retire in Phoenix. I also plan to travel during the summer away from Phoenix. Still cheaper than living in CA. :)
Same here, but I plan to spend the summer there, playing golf. The courses are empty and inexpensive.
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by Starfish »

Clever_Username wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 6:43 pm I don't get the obsession with beach towns. There are so many parts of the greater Phoenix area that one can live comfortably in retirement on $40,000/year and the weather is perfect 365 days a year. I can live without going in the water -- and when I'm golfing, I prefer to stay out of it anyway.
I've been to Arizona couple of times. I get that is a matter of personal taste but if I am constantly at 30 hours from death if I get lost it's pretty far from perfect in my book. Even in the Arctic I have a better life expectancy.
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by Toons »

Jazztonight wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 11:37 pm
Toons wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 5:53 pm Find A Lake
:happy
Toons, you seem to have a talent for solving a long, complicated discussion in the fewest possible words! There have been many studies about how bodies of water draw humans to them. Here's an article I easily found that gives some background about the psychology of "blue" and "happiness":
https://www.cntraveler.com/story/why-be ... us-happier

But the search for the nicest possible beachfront property at the lowest cost can be anti-productive.

I grew up on the south shore of Long Island, NY, a 15 minute drive to the beach, and have lived on the right and left coasts my entire life. Today, I live near the SF Bay, although I can't currently see it. I do, however, wake up each day to see an inner city body of water, Lake Merritt. It's 3 miles in circumference, and is a wildlife/aquatic waterfowl refuge. (disclosure: Living here comes at a price.)

But yeah. Lakes.
"Toons, you seem to have a talent for solving a long, complicated discussion in the fewest possible words! "
Thanks,
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Keep It Simple.
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by btenny »

Phoenix weather. I am setting in my family room right now with the back door open and AC/heat turned off. It is wonderful outside on my back porch. I spend many mornings setting out there. The AC was turned off until last week when it first got above 100 for two days. I will keep it mostly turned off until mid May. It will get to 87 this afternoon but it was 63 last night and this AM. We will close the doors at lunch so the house will stay cool. We will open up again around 7 PM.

We actually use more energy for heating than cooling since we are snow birds and turn up the AC in summer to 85. In the winter we run our heat pump heater into March to offset the cool nights. We also have electric water heating that is expensive. Our electric energy bill in April was $72, $135 for March, $146 in February and $226 in January. We spend $60 or less for the summer months.

As far as golf, everyone plays a lot in the fall, winter and spring. And some people try to play in the summer but it is hard. You have to tee off at 5-6 AM to play 18 holes before it gets too hot. Everyone is off the course by 11 AM. I am not a golfer but my son plays a lot. He leaves at 5 AM when he visits. Then he napes in the afternoon when it is hot. That is called a siesta down here.

Likewise anyone who works outdoors starts at 5-6 AM in the summer. So we hear those lawn blowers at 6 AM in the summer.

Enjoy and Good Luck.
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by il0kin »

I can’t see the benefit of living full time on an ocean. Hurricanes, flooding, salt ruins everything, tourists. Some great views, though.
I’d rather live on a large interior lake and not have the problems that come with oceans. Plenty of lakes in most states where $40k would be just fine if the house was paid for, too.
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by radiowave »

The "sweet spot" may be living close enough to the beach but outside the initial storm surge, say an hour or two. My spouse and I lived in Chapel Hill, NC for many years and the beach was about 2 hrs and the mountains 2+ hours the other direction so lots of options. BTW, I highly recommend NC beaches.
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TheTimeLord
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by TheTimeLord »

radiowave wrote: Wed May 01, 2019 5:24 pm The "sweet spot" may be living close enough to the beach but outside the initial storm surge, say an hour or two. My spouse and I lived in Chapel Hill, NC for many years and the beach was about 2 hrs and the mountains 2+ hours the other direction so lots of options. BTW, I highly recommend NC beaches.
What do you think of the Greenville/Asheville area?
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by rgramma »

Ha! I live in Corpus Christi right now. Not sure I would place it in the category of a "Gorgeous Beach Town."
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by Glockenspiel »

Or one of a thousand lakes in Minnesota with a beach, gorgeous sunsets, great fishing, and the sounds of loons calling with the water as calm as glass.
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by YeahBuddy »

$40k a year? So much for needing >$2M to retire!
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by radiowave »

TheTimeLord wrote: Wed May 01, 2019 5:31 pm
radiowave wrote: Wed May 01, 2019 5:24 pm The "sweet spot" may be living close enough to the beach but outside the initial storm surge, say an hour or two. My spouse and I lived in Chapel Hill, NC for many years and the beach was about 2 hrs and the mountains 2+ hours the other direction so lots of options. BTW, I highly recommend NC beaches.
What do you think of the Greenville/Asheville area?
Both are good places to retire. It's getting a bit crowded there with "halfbacks" that is the folks from up north retiring to FL but not liking it and getting half way back to the NE :) Personally I would chose Asheville over GVL, cooler in the summer, mountains right there and a livable place with decent healthcare. University level hospitals are Charleston or Winston-Salem if that's a factor. I spent several years in Charlotte and liked it some, it was a small Atlanta when I was there in late 80's early 90's. Asheville does get cold and can have snow.
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by fru-gal »

Iridium wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 5:31 pm .Unlike wildfires and tornados, a hurricane is unlikely to destroy your house.
Where did you get this totally erroneous idea?
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by Teague »

EddyB wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 10:33 pm
rich126 wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 9:58 pm
unclescrooge wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 9:05 pm
Clever_Username wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 6:43 pm I don't get the obsession with beach towns. There are so many parts of the greater Phoenix area that one can live comfortably in retirement on $40,000/year and the weather is perfect 365 days a year. I can live without going in the water -- and when I'm golfing, I prefer to stay out of it anyway.
Not sure I call 120 degree summers "perfect", but to each his own. :mrgreen:

I spent a summer there and I had a terrible allergy related cough the entire summer.
That’s the bad way to think about it. Instead you have a few months of very hot weather but most of the rest of the year is great.
How many days do they have in the years in Phoenix?
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by neilpilot »

Glockenspiel wrote: Wed May 01, 2019 6:20 pm Or one of a thousand lakes in Minnesota with a beach, gorgeous sunsets, great fishing, and the sounds of loons calling with the water as calm as glass.
A frozen lake is calm even when the wind blows?
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by randomguy »

Glockenspiel wrote: Wed May 01, 2019 6:20 pm Or one of a thousand lakes in Minnesota with a beach, gorgeous sunsets, great fishing, and the sounds of loons calling with the water as calm as glass.
Notice how you didn't mention the 10' of snow and 90 days of 0 degree weather😀 There are plenty of cheap areas which are nice 6 month of the year. You have to decide if you can deal with the other 6😁
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by cheese_breath »

neilpilot wrote: Wed May 01, 2019 7:00 pm
Glockenspiel wrote: Wed May 01, 2019 6:20 pm Or one of a thousand lakes in Minnesota with a beach, gorgeous sunsets, great fishing, and the sounds of loons calling with the water as calm as glass.
A frozen lake is calm even when the wind blows?
Ah, the calming sounds of snowmobiles on the lake.
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by HomerJ »

il0kin wrote: Wed May 01, 2019 3:21 pm I can’t see the benefit of living full time on an ocean. Hurricanes, flooding, salt ruins everything, tourists. Some great views, though.
I’d rather live on a large interior lake and not have the problems that come with oceans. Plenty of lakes in most states where $40k would be just fine if the house was paid for, too.
Yep. Lakes are the sweet spot.

Fresh water is much nicer than salt water too. Easier on your jet ski, and you feel refreshed as you dry instead of all sticky from salt water.
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by dustinst22 »

Clever_Username wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 6:43 pm I don't get the obsession with beach towns. There are so many parts of the greater Phoenix area that one can live comfortably in retirement on $40,000/year and the weather is perfect 365 days a year. I can live without going in the water -- and when I'm golfing, I prefer to stay out of it anyway.
Perfect weather? 110+ degrees for 6 months of the year is nowhere close to what I'd consider "perfect" weather. And of course there's the scorpions, black widows, etc etc. I lived there for a bit, that was too long.
Last edited by dustinst22 on Wed May 01, 2019 8:52 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by UpperNwGuy »

I would never retire to a beach town along the Gulf Coast or the Southeast Atlantic coast. I don't like heat, humidity, or hurricanes. My 90+ year old father has had to evacuate his retirement community in South Carolina three of the last three years because of hurricanes.
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by 22twain »

TheTimeLord wrote: Wed May 01, 2019 5:31 pmWhat do you think of the Greenville/Asheville area?
Greenville is at least 3 hours driving time (plus rest stops) from the beach (Charleston area) and Asheville is another hour. I visit Greenville regularly and like it, but I wouldn't choose it for quick access to the beach.
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by Glockenspiel »

randomguy wrote: Wed May 01, 2019 7:02 pm
Glockenspiel wrote: Wed May 01, 2019 6:20 pm Or one of a thousand lakes in Minnesota with a beach, gorgeous sunsets, great fishing, and the sounds of loons calling with the water as calm as glass.
Notice how you didn't mention the 10' of snow and 90 days of 0 degree weather😀 There are plenty of cheap areas which are nice 6 month of the year. You have to decide if you can deal with the other 6😁
10 feet? 90 days of zero degrees? An average winter here has 20 days where the overnight low is zero or below. Also, we average 54 inches of snow per winter. The majority of winter (end of November to mid-March), there isn't more than a couple inches of snow on the ground. May through October are pretty much glorious here. That's 6 months.
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Re: 4 Gorgeous Beach Towns Where You Can Comfortably Retire on $40,000 a Year

Post by Glockenspiel »

Iridium wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 5:31 pm .Unlike wildfires and tornados, a hurricane is unlikely to destroy your house.
I always find it amusing on this board how people who've never lived in the middle of the USA have this terrible fear of tornadoes. You could live 5 lifetimes in the middle of Kansas and live to never experience a tornado. Tornadoes impact an incredibly small area for an incredibly short period of time, and the vast majority of the time, the only impact of a tornado will be a few rows of corn or wheat getting flattened.
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