Affordable Places to Retire Near the Beach in the U.S.

Plenty of people picture retirement with sand close by. The catch is that the famous names — Naples, Sarasota, San Diego — tend to come with famous price tags. So we went looking for the places that don't.

HomeAfterWork tested the coastal destinations in our dataset against two simple questions: does the area's overall price level run below the national average, and is there a public beach within about 30 minutes' drive? Nine places cleared both: St. Simons Island and Savannah, Georgia; Beaufort, Hilton Head Island, and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Wilmington, North Carolina; and St. Augustine, Vero Beach, and Pensacola, Florida. We've also included two near-misses worth a look — Melbourne, Florida, and Sequim, Washington — and, for anyone open to freshwater, two Great Lakes options.*

Whether you're retiring solo or as a couple, on Social Security, a pension, savings, or some mix of all three, the same lesson applies: a lower price level near the water is not the same thing as affordable beach living. Regional prices, local home values, and storm exposure are three separate questions — and on the coast, they often point in different directions. Below, you'll see all three for every destination, side by side.

*Great Lakes beach (Lake Michigan), not an ocean beach.

Open to going abroad? See our Affordable Places to Retire Near the Beach Abroad.

How we picked these places

Affordability: a 2024 price level below the national average

The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) publishes Regional Price Parities (RPPs) every year. They compare an area's overall price level to the national average, which is set at 100. An RPP of 95 means prices for the goods and services measured run about 95% of the national level.

It's a useful, apples-to-apples starting point — but it's a broad regional measure, not your personal budget. It doesn't tell you what a particular home costs, what your insurance will run, or what property taxes look like. And it's measured for a whole metro area (or, for rural areas, for all the non-metro parts of a state), not for a single beach neighborhood. The figures here are 2024 values, the most recent BEA has published; BEA's next release is scheduled for December 2026.

"Near the beach": a public beach within about 30 minutes

We named a specific public beach for each place — a beach park, public access, or state park — and measured the drive from city hall using OpenStreetMap-based routing. Those drive times assume no traffic, so treat them as "about" figures. Summer weekends can add real time, especially on roads that lead to islands.

What we show you, but didn't use to cut anyone

Two things matter enormously on the coast, and we didn't use either one to exclude a destination:

• Storm exposure. For each county, we list FEMA's National Risk Index rating for hurricanes and for coastal flooding (based on expected annual losses).
• Housing. For each county, we list the U.S. Census Bureau's median home value and median rent (2020–2024) next to the national figures of $332,700 and $1,413.

These are county-wide numbers. Homes a few blocks from the beach usually cost more than the county median.

One more thing: this list covers the destinations HomeAfterWork tested, not every beach town in America. If a favorite of yours isn't here, it may simply not be in our dataset yet.

Quick comparison

Drive times assume no traffic. Price levels: BEA, 2024. Hazards: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025). Home values: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020–2024. *Great Lakes beach (Lake Michigan), not an ocean beach.

Georgia coast

St. Simons Island, Georgia

The price picture. St. Simons sits in the Brunswick, GA metro, which had a 2024 BEA price level of 87.708 — the lowest of any destination in this guide. One important caveat: that figure covers the whole metro (Glynn County), mainland Brunswick included. The island itself very likely runs pricier than the county average, and the BEA number doesn't isolate it.

The beach. It's right there. Glynn County maintains public beach access on the island at East Beach (by the Coast Guard station) and at Massengale Park, both with restrooms, public parking, and accessibility mats.

Housing and storms. Glynn County's median home value is $301,300 (about 9% below the U.S.), and median rent is $1,135. FEMA rates the county Relatively High for both hurricanes and coastal flooding.

Explore St. Simons Island, GA →

Savannah, Georgia

The price picture. The Savannah metro's 2024 price level was 95.206 — about 5% below the national average.

The beach. Savannah isn't a beach town, but Tybee Island is its beach: about 16.6 miles and roughly 28 minutes from City Hall to North Beach without traffic. That clears our 30-minute bar with a couple of minutes to spare — and US-80, the one road out to Tybee, is known for summer and weekend backups. Parking on Tybee is paid.

Housing and storms. Chatham County's median home value is $302,700 (about 9% below the U.S.); rent runs $1,471. Here's the big one: FEMA rates Chatham County Very High for both hurricanes and coastal flooding — the only destination in this guide rated Very High on both. That's worth weighing, and worth pricing out in insurance quotes, before you fall for the squares and the live oaks.

Explore Savannah, GA →

South Carolina coast

Beaufort, South Carolina

The price picture. Beaufort shares a metro area with Hilton Head, which had a 2024 price level of 98.017. That's one number for both towns, not two separate measurements.

The beach. Hunting Island State Park — about 17.4 miles and 27 minutes from City Hall to the park entrance, with five miles of beach inside. State park admission applies ($8 per adult; $5 for South Carolina seniors).

Housing and storms. Beaufort County's median home value is $455,600 — about 37% above the U.S. median — and median rent is $1,653. This is one of the clearest examples of a below-average price level sitting next to above-average housing. FEMA rates the county Very High for hurricanes and Relatively High for coastal flooding.

Explore Beaufort, SC →

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

The price picture. Same metro as Beaufort: a 2024 price level of 98.017.

The beach. The town lists seven public beach parks and accesses, including Coligny Beach Park, which has free parking. In the town's own words: "All of the beach is public, from the ocean to the high water mark. Access to the beach, however, is often private." In other words, the sand is public, but getting to it is easiest from the designated parks.

Housing and storms. Same county as Beaufort: a median home value of $455,600 (about 37% above the U.S.) and median rent of $1,653. Very High for hurricanes, Relatively High for coastal flooding. Hilton Head's everyday price level looks friendly; its housing costs are a different story.

Explore Hilton Head Island, SC →

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

The price picture. The Myrtle Beach metro's 2024 price level was 93.642, about 6% below the national average. (Myrtle Beach also appears in our Affordable Places to Retire With Mild Weather guide.)

The beach. In town — the city lists 143 public beach access points, from street ends to parks.

Housing and storms. Horry County's median home value is $287,700 (about 14% below the U.S.), with median rent of $1,255. FEMA rates the county Very High for hurricanes and Relatively High for coastal flooding.

Explore Myrtle Beach, SC →

North Carolina coast

Wilmington, North Carolina

The price picture. The Wilmington metro's 2024 price level was 96.422.

The beach. Wrightsville Beach is about 11.5 miles and 20 minutes from City Hall. The town maintains 44 designated public beach access locations.

Housing and storms. New Hanover County's median home value is $387,800 — about 17% above the U.S. — while median rent ($1,417) is right at the national figure. FEMA rates the county Very High for hurricanes and Relatively High for coastal flooding.

Explore Wilmington, NC →

Florida

St. Augustine, Florida

The price picture. St. Augustine is measured as part of the Jacksonville metro, which had a 2024 price level of 99.484. That's a pass by about half a point — the narrowest of the nine.

The beach. Close: the St. Johns County Ocean Pier & Park on St. Augustine Beach is about 4.9 miles and 11 minutes from City Hall, with free parking.

Housing and storms. This is the place where the numbers pull hardest in opposite directions. St. Johns County's median home value is $489,200 — about 47% above the U.S. and the highest in this guide — and median rent is $1,922, also the highest here. The metro's everyday prices are about average; the county's housing is not. FEMA rates the county Relatively High for both hurricanes and coastal flooding.

Explore St. Augustine, FL →

Vero Beach, Florida

The price picture. The Sebastian–Vero Beach metro's 2024 price level was 98.308. (Vero Beach also appears in our Affordable Places to Retire With Good Healthcare guide.)

The beach. Humiston Beach Park is about 3.6 miles and 8 minutes from City Hall, with lifeguards on site and accessible facilities.

Housing and storms. Indian River County's median home value is $351,500 (about 6% above the U.S.); median rent is $1,357. FEMA rates the county Very High for hurricanes and Relatively Moderate for coastal flooding.

Explore Vero Beach, FL →

Pensacola, Florida

The price picture. The Pensacola metro's 2024 price level was 97.717. (Pensacola also appears in our good-healthcare guide.)

The beach. Pensacola Beach on Santa Rosa Island is about 9.1 miles and 19 minutes from City Hall. Escambia County says 60% of Pensacola Beach is public use or public service land. Getting there means crossing the Bob Sikes Bridge, which has a $1 toll — electronic payment only, no cash.

Housing and storms. Escambia County has the lowest median home value in this guide: $257,200, about 23% below the U.S. Median rent is $1,321. FEMA rates the county Very High for hurricanes and Relatively Moderate for coastal flooding.

Explore Pensacola, FL →

Worth a look, with a catch

Melbourne, Florida — a near-miss on price

Melbourne's metro price level in 2024 was 100.005. That technically misses our below-100 screen — by five-thousandths of a point — which puts it essentially at the national average rather than below it. We didn't think that hairline should keep it off your radar.

The beach is about as close as it gets: the Indialantic Boardwalk, at the ocean end of US-192, is roughly 2.7 miles and 6 minutes from City Hall. Brevard County's median home value is $339,600 (about 2% above the U.S.) and median rent is $1,556. FEMA rates the county Very High for hurricanes and Relatively High for coastal flooding.

Explore Melbourne, FL →

Sequim, Washington — a different kind of beach

Sequim is the one Pacific Northwest option here, and the only coastal destination in this guide without hurricane exposure: FEMA lists hurricane risk as Not Applicable for Clallam County and coastal flooding as Relatively Low.

Two catches. First, Sequim isn't in a BEA metro area, so its price figure — 97.377 — is for rural Washington as a whole, not Sequim itself. Second, the nearest beach is Dungeness Spit in the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge, about 8 miles and 15 minutes from City Hall to the recreation area, then down a steep trail. It's a public saltwater shoreline — think long, rugged beach walks, not swimming — and the refuge charges a daily use fee. Clallam County's median home value is $421,800 (about 27% above the U.S.), though median rent is lower than the national figure at $1,152.

Explore Sequim, WA →

*Prefer a Great Lakes beach?

*Great Lakes beach (Lake Michigan), not an ocean beach. If what you really want is water, sand, and summers outside — with far less storm exposure — these two are worth a look. Both appear in our lower natural-disaster-risk guide. Neither sits in a BEA metro area, so their price figures cover their state's rural areas as a whole, not the towns themselves.

Traverse City, Michigan*

Rural Michigan's 2024 price level was 88.972. Traverse City is the region's hub and likely runs above that rural average. The beach is downtown: Clinch Park sits along more than two miles of public land on West Grand Traverse Bay, with a swimming beach. Grand Traverse County's median home value is $339,400 (about 2% above the U.S.), median rent $1,288, and FEMA rates the county Very Low for both hurricanes and coastal flooding.

Explore Traverse City, MI →

Door County (Sturgeon Bay), Wisconsin*

Rural Wisconsin's 2024 price level was 89.577. Whitefish Dunes State Park, on the Lake Michigan shore, is about 12.8 miles and 24 minutes from Sturgeon Bay's City Hall; a Wisconsin state park vehicle admission sticker is required. Door County's median home value is $342,600 (about 3% above the U.S.), and its median rent — $1,086 — is the lowest in this guide. FEMA shows no expected annual hurricane losses for the county and rates coastal flooding Very Low.

Explore Door County, WI →

*Great Lakes beach (Lake Michigan), not an ocean beach.

Why isn't Charleston, Naples, or Sarasota on this list?

They're in our dataset — they just didn't clear the price screen. Their metro areas' 2024 BEA price levels were at or above the national average:

That doesn't make them wrong for you. St. Petersburg and Charleston, for example, sit within about one point of the line. It just means they don't fit this guide's specific "below-average price level" test. If they're on your list, take the quiz to see how they stack up on the things that matter to you.

The storm and housing question

Look down the comparison table and a pattern jumps out. Eight of the eleven ocean destinations sit in counties FEMA rates Very High for hurricanes; St. Simons Island and St. Augustine are rated Relatively High. Sequim and the two Great Lakes* options are the low-hazard exceptions.

That matters for affordability in a way a price index doesn't capture. On the coast, homeowners insurance, flood coverage, and how a home is built and elevated can change the real monthly cost of living there. We didn't put a number on that — it varies too much house by house — but it's the first thing we'd check. Before you get attached to a place, get actual insurance quotes on the kind of home you'd buy.

Housing is the other half. Several of the places with the most appealing price levels — Hilton Head, Beaufort, St. Augustine, Wilmington — sit in counties where median home values run well above the national median. Others, like Pensacola, Myrtle Beach, St. Simons (by county), and Savannah, run below it. Which matters more depends on whether you're buying, renting, or already own a home you plan to sell.

Every place on this list is a starting point for a conversation, not a final answer. Your own mix of income, savings, health, family, and the home you have now will shape which of these — if any — makes sense.