9 Cost-Effective Towns In Southern California For Retirees
If you are contemplating retiring in Southern California, you are on the right track. This is especially true for those who put a premium on the outdoors. You can be outside virtually all year round — paddleboarding, swimming, hiking, biking, and beach-combing. The truth is that this part of California is packed with outdoor recreational venues, whether white-sand beaches or rugged mountains. An empty nester can spend the weekend in Los Angeles, visit the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and then head two hours back home to a pretty beach — or a landscape defined by incredible desert beauty. Don’t worry about traffic; if anything, you have all the time in the world. Worried about costs? Hold your horses. Discover below nine cost-effective towns in Southern California for retirees.
Seal Beach
The median listing home price in Seal Beach was $432,800 in October 2024, a price point that earns this seaside town a spot among the most cost-effective Southern California towns for retirees. Seal Beach is in Orange County — just 30 miles from downtown Los Angeles. You will enjoy awesome access to big-city amenities while enjoying the pace and ease of a small town. Moreover, an empty nester here has access to 3 libraries, including the deceivingly small Leisure World Library, a pretty beach, including the aptly named Sunset Beach, the trail-laden Gum Grove Park, a nice pier for evening walks, and several award-winning hospitals in Long Beach — which is a blink away. The most exciting part is that Seal Beach is like a retirees’ get-together. Consider that 52% of residents are aged 60 and above.
Laguna Woods
Retiring in Laguna Woods means you have the Crystal Cove State Park and its soft sands all to yourself, plus the scenic wilderness that defines the nearby Limestone Canyon Nature Preserve. If you like mingling with mountain lions, the Ronald W. Caspers Wilderness Park is a short drive away. In October 2024, the median listing home price in Laguna Woods was $429,000, a price point that comes with doorstep access to the MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, recognized for America's 250 Best Hospitals Award, Patient Safety Excellence Award, and more. Do not even think of being out of place. Everyone here is a retiree, especially because an unbelievable 92% of residents are at least 60 years old.
Palm Springs
Palm Springs is in Southern California’s Riverside County. It lies in the celebrity-loving Coachella Valley at the foot of Mount San Jacinto. You will fall in love with the area’s desert beauty — and be close to Indio, which hosts one of the nation's largest, most famous, and most profitable music festivals. Palm Springs has about 45,000 residents; hence, it is noticeably zesty and vibrant. You have a museum dedicated to combat aircraft, a high-end, members-only club with three golf courses, a classic theater with old-school charm, a public golf course with awesome greens (Escena Golf Club), and several outdoor venues, including Tahquitz Canyon.
And if recent data is anything to go by, homes in Palm Springs fetch a median price of $779,900, which is modest, especially by California standards. Plus, you have Desert Regional Medical Center, which is recognized for the Joint Replacement Excellence Award. Better still, since Rancho Mirage is only 11 miles down the road, the highly-ranked Eisenhower Medical Center can be an option. Here comes the most exciting part: 44% of Palm Springs residents are retirees aged 60 and above.
Port Hueneme
With the City of Oxnard just down the road — and homes going for a median listing price of $598,000, Port Hueneme should catch the attention of any retiree. One can walk down to the beach, study navy airplanes at the nearby Point Mugu Missile Park, learn more about the attack on Pearl Harbor at the US Navy Seabee Museum — or mingle with ducks and seagulls at the centrally located Walter B. Moranda Park, a clam, beautiful place to spend a slow-paced afternoon. Since you will be close to Oxnard and Ventura, your health options are enviable. For instance, the Oxnard-based St. John's Regional Medical Center won the 2024 America's 100 Best Hospitals Award. Finally, 19% of Port Hueneme residents are aged 60 and above.
Ridgecrest
Ridgecrest is in Kern County and hosts the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, where the Navy has developed or tested nearly every significant airborne weapon system in the past 50 years. The median listing home price in Ridgecrest, CA was $280,000 in October 2024, which is a steal by all accounts, especially considering this is California. It can get hot in the summer, but the reward is its quiet life of joy and peace. Still, you have a Walmart, Home Depot, Marshalls, Joanna, and Famous Footwear, just in case brand-name shoes are up your alley. Moreover, you have a museum that showcases exhibits on the Mojave Desert and conducts tours of Little Petroglyph Canyon, home to one of the most outstanding and best-preserved displays of Native American rock art in the Western Hemisphere. You can kill time at Petroglyph Park, the dog-friendly Pearson Park — or the nearby Red Rock Canyon State Park. Ridgecrest Regional Hospital is right in town and has been providing medical services in the area since the 1940s. Finally, 18% of Ridgecrest residents are empty nesters aged 60 and above.
Taft
You will find homeless people — as you will in most places in California — but Taft is enticingly small and welcoming, you will quickly start to relate with people on a first-name basis. Several events and festivals brighten the town every year, including the Christmas Parade, Fourth of July fireworks, the fun-filled car shows, and, best of all — Oildorado, which brings the whole town together for a full month. You can enjoy nature’s grandeur and serenity at places such as Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge, Los Padres National Forest, and Soda Lake Trail, a heartwarming destination, especially when wildflowers are in full bloom. In October 2024, the median listing home price in Taft, CA was $258,800. There are several hospitals in Bakersfield, about half an hour’s drive. On the social side, about 1 in 5 residents here are empty nesters aged 60 and above, which implies a modest social support network.
Calimesa
If you want a beautiful retirement venue that is also away from all the chaos, pay attention to Calimesa, a quiet, clean town with a close-knit community and lots of parks. You can easily run into people you know at the restaurant or local store, and catch up on local news and happenings. In October 2024, the median listing home price in Calimesa was $592,500. One can go hiking at the Wildwood Canyon State Park, mountain biking at the El Dorado Ranch Park, or camping at San Bernardino National Forest. Moreover, The Redlands Community Hospital is less than 10 minutes away in Redlands. It is a three-time, back-to-back winner of the America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Joint Replacement Award. For even more options, San Bernardino is a blink away. Finally, 31% of Calimesa residents are empty nesters aged 60 and above.
Wildomar
Canyon Lake. Lake Elsinore. The well-maintained Cross Creek Golf Club. The Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Preserve. Bear Creek Golf Club. A convenient location just off Interstate 15. It is hard to find fault with Wildomar, once a dusty stop on the Southern California Railroad. In October 2024, the median listing home price in Wildomar was $690,000. Add to its relative affordability, a retiree here does not have to make a long, back-breaking trip to get to a hospital. Southwest Healthcare Inland Valley Hospital, which won the 2024 Patient Safety Excellence Award, is right in town. 21% of Wildomar residents are aged 60 and above, meaning a pensioner will find a crowd he or she can roll with.
Idyllwild
Retiring in Idyllwild, one of the most memorable small towns in Southern California, means you will be an hour from San Bernardino, long regarded as the gateway to Southern California. Idyllwild is a serene, charming spot with unmatched access to the outdoors. It is framed by the trail-laden San Jacinto Mountains and boasts several outdoor venues such as Idyllwild Regional Park, Idyllwild Nature Center (its small museum has lots of interesting stuff), and Deer Springs Trailhead. The median listing home price in Idyllwild was $525,000 in October 2024, which is an unbeatable price point, especially considering the kind of life in this area. For example, several award-winning hospitals are close to town, including San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital in Banning, feted with the 2024 Patient Safety Excellence Award. In the Idyllwild-Pine Cove area, about 1 in 3 residents are empty nesters aged 60 and above. Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage, and Hemet — are all an hour from town or less.
The Takeaway
Yes — California has a lot of issues, from traffic nightmares to expensive housing. However, it is far from the crime-ridden hellhole that it is sometimes portrayed to be. If anything, we are talking about the most beautiful state in the country by far. If you love the outdoors, it will feel like you have won the lottery. Moreover, although California’s median home listing price is $759,500, you can find several options — even in Southern California — that are significantly below that price point. For example, the median listing home price in Laguna Woods was just $429,000 in October 2024.
