What are your thoughts on early retirement? Truth is, we are living in tough economic times with most people having to work well past their 60s to survive. However, there are those who, thanks to prior planning, are able to hang up their boots early and enter their golden age without having to deal with early mornings and late nights.

Most people are having to work well past their 60s to survive

The Importance of the Locale

One of the factors to consider when planning for retirement is where to settle down. The locale dictates how long your savings can last, with factors such as taxation and daily expenses coming into play. Availability of medical services is also a crucial factor, as we all know that past 50, your immunity is headed downstream.

Thankfully, SmartAsset has assessed these and many more factors, coming up with a list of 10 cities you should consider if you’re thinking about early retirement. In addition to those already mentioned, the company also had a look at affordable housing, unemployment rates, the state of security, and access to entertainment.

The one thing that SmartAsset didn’t consider in its assessment was the weather. Fortunately, most of the cities that made the list have favorable conditions all year round, so the omission didn’t seem to affect their study.

What’s more, they discovered that most of these urban centers are concentrated in the states of Arizona, Kentucky, and Nevada. They all sound like the perfect places to live out your golden years, don’t they?

Taking top spot was Henderson in Nevada, with a retiree tax rate of 9.42%, an annual insurance cost of $9,396, a housing cost of 21.72% per an individual’s percentage income, a mean effective property tax of .60%, and a state tax rate of 8.25%. Thinking about it, wouldn’t this be just the perfect getaway?

Chandler (Arizona), Plano (Texas), Las Vegas (Nevada), and Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) make up the rest of the top five. With all these, it seems as though Las Vegas is the most exciting city to retire to. Its reputation precedes it, but it doesn’t hurt delving into it a little, does it?

The city’s reputation precedes it

The Vegas Attraction

One of the fundamental reasons why one would be drawn to Vegas after retirement would be the need to maintain an active lifestyle. Thankfully, shortage of retiree activities is a foreign notion in The City of Lights, the most famous of which are golf and bowling. Some bowling centers are open 24/7, meaning that you can visit at your convenience.

Another reason why retirees prefer moving to Vegas is that the city allows them to easily keep in touch with their family. Flights to the city are abundant and available from most parts across the United States, and given the fact that it has that fun-filled vibe around it, your kids and grandkids will fancy visiting from time to time.

You must be wondering what cities make up the bottom five, right? They are Mesa (Arizona), Lexington (Kentucky), Louisville (Kentucky), Fort Wayne (Indiana), and St. Petersburg (Florida). To be honest, although being listed last, St. Petersburg might be the best of this lot.

St. Petersburg might be the best of this lot

Retirees favor the city thanks to its perfect blend of everything – perfect medical services, favorable temperatures throughout the year, the beaches, and great entertainment spots. Isn’t that what retirement is all about?