AARP's 10 Best Places to Live for Under $40,000 a Year

Duluth, Ga. 

Crime rates here are well below the national averages, and the city is committed to growing smarter and safer, with high-tech investments such as more use of license plate cameras that quickly spot stolen cars.

Duluth is focusing on increasing its walkability and has poured millions into multigenerational gathering places, including a new city hall, splash pad and town green, which features events such as Food Truck Friday and Flicks on the Bricks. And while the city works to attract millennials, it offers  plenty for older residents: Its Fifty and Beyond program provides tennis and a walking club, plus organized bridge, canasta and mah-jongg, for just $20 a year. 

Located in Gwinnett County, the most diverse county in the Southeast, Duluth is home to a growing mix of cultures and ethnicities. Roughly 10 percent of residents are Korean American. “When I’m outside gardening, so are my neighbors—African American, Caucasian, Asian,” says Joy Thompson, 64. The technology consultant moved here from Massachusetts with her three children.

Thompson also says it’s easy to get involved. Rainbow Village, with its unique approach to solving homelessness, has volunteering opportunities, as does a local arts center. But Duluth’s strongest appeal may be to music lovers. Acts at the 13,000-seat Infinite Energy Center range from Paul McCartney to Khalid. Eddie Owen Presents, based in the 260-seat Red Clay Music Foundry, hosts local artists and also a music school.

• Median housing price: $209,600
• Vibe: Down-home diversity
• Freebies that count: See the galleries at the Jacqueline Casey Hudgens Center for Art & Learning. The center also offers classes, including traditional Korean pottery, calligraphy and soapmaking, at reasonable prices.
• Best way to spend $10: Head to Crave Pie Studio for a serving of coconut cream or seasonal peach. 
• Urban getaway: Atlanta, 30 miles

Alamy

McMinnville, Ore. 

When John and Karen Vanderwall sold their Wisconsin home and took off in their Airstream to find the perfect retirement, Oregon won their hearts. Says Karen, 54, “It’s a hiker’s dream. Where else can you find beautiful coastline, epic farmland, the Cascades, old-growth forests and the Columbia River Gorge?” Ultimately, they rolled into McMinnville. “It has that welcoming, small-town feel,” she notes. The area wine industry hosts the International Pinot Noir Celebration. Third Street’s more than 50 one-of-a-kind eateries include Nick’s Italian Cafe, honored by the James Beard Foundation.

Fancy wineries aside, McMinnville has hung on to its quirky rural personality. That includes the two-day Turkey Rama, another festival celebrating car-cruising culture and the country’s largest UFO festival. The aquatics center and senior center serve as social hubs. Sunset magazine rated McMinnville’s walkable downtown  as  one of the best Main Streets in the U.S.

While housing here is the most expensive of any of our 10 cities, it’s still a steal relative to much of the West Coast. The Vanderwalls are building a 1,500-square-foot home near downtown, for about $325,000. Karen and John, 58, have been surprised by the area’s below average utility prices and homeowner insurance rates. 

• Median housing price: $290,200
• Vibe: Farm town for foodies
• Freebies that count: Picnic on the green at Linfield College and soak in the summer concerts. People 65-plus can audit classes for no charge.
• Best way to spend $10: Have a pint and some popcorn at the Bitter Monk. (For a $1 donation, compete in an adult spelling bee.)
• Urban getaway: Portland, 40 miles

Munhall, Pa.

This borough clawed its way into existence, thanks to Andrew Carnegie, as part of the growing residential area surrounding his company’s Homestead Steel Works. And the Carnegie Library of Homestead is still one of Munhall’s greatest assets, with an athletic club and a music hall that hosts a regular schedule of concerts. Residents love what they call downtown’s 1950s-Americana vibe, but Munhall also boasts The Waterfront, a development of apartments, shopping  and  restaurants along the Monongahela River.

Access to excellent health care is extraordinary, with 381 physicians per 100,000 people, compared with the U.S. average of 210. UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside, just five miles away, is rated one of the top 20 hospitals in the country.

• Median housing price: $81,300
• Vibe: American, circa 1950s
• Freebies that count: Pedal on to the Great Allegheny Passage, the 150-mile path connecting Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C.
• Best way to spend $10: Sample a slice at Di Sallis’ Pizza Parlor
• Urban getaway: Pittsburgh, 7 miles

Gulfport, Fla.

If brightly painted beach houses, walkability and watching dolphins, manatees and seabirds are on your wish list, Gulfport wants to meet you. The small town has spruced up its neglected areas and thrown open its arms to newcomers, including artists, artisans, the gay and lesbian community and, especially, retirees. For a little beach town, it’s got a big heart. Gulfport Neighbors is a volunteer force of some 500 people who clean the beach twice a month (and get a free lunch for their effort) but are also quick to fix a fallen fence or stock the area’s Little Free Pantry kiosks with donated food. The Gulfport GetGO transportation service, also operated by volunteers, offers free rides daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

• Median housing price: $191,300
• Vibe: Key West vibe at a Costco price
• Freebies that count: The Gulfport GetGO, operated by volunteers, offer free rides daily until 10 p.m.
• Best way to spend $10: Find the nun-clad windows at Stella’s and settle in for breakfast and bloodiesUrban getaway: Tampa/St. Petersburg, both 25 miles away

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Guthrie, Okla.

Most people have never heard of Guthrie. But because it was Oklahoma’s state capital from 1907 until 1910, and once an enormous tent city because of the land rush, this small town has plenty of history. And it carefully nurtures that heritage, from cowboy culture to its well-restored Victorian architecture (many buildings were constructed between 1889 and 1910), with a trolley car and regular period reenactments. Guthrie also fosters a busy arts scene, including the state’s oldest professional theater company, live music venues and four museums. The Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival draws 15,000 visitors annually.

The trolley transports older adults to shopping and medical appointments, all on a donation basis. The local senior center, which provides affordable lunches and activities such as weekly line dancing classes, is set within a park where walking trails are well-lit for early bird and late-night exercise. The city is committed to looking at aging in a new way, too: It’s gotten lots of attention for placing a public prekindergarten class on site at the Willow Creek nursing home to support intergenerational education.

• Median housing price: $129,700
• Vibe: Postcards from the Wild West
• Freebies that count: Watch reenactors stage regular shoot-outs on South Second Street
• Best way to spend $10: Grab a latte at Hoboken Coffee Roasters, voted a national beauty by Architectural Digest
• Urban getaway: Oklahoma City, 33 miles

Coralville, Iowa 

Bordered on the east and south by the Iowa River, Iowa City and the massive University of Iowa, Coralville is wooing affluent academics and medical professionals by giving them plenty to do, eat and buy. There’s a new performing arts center, an outdoor aquatic center and a renovated public library. But the town’s showcase is the Iowa River Landing, a 180-acre mixed-use development, which includes residential space, shopping and restaurants that appeal to retirees. From here, simply take the connected skywalk to arrive at a branch of the University of Iowa hospitals. A larger facility is just two miles away. 

There’s also a permanent Sculpture Walk, with each piece from an Iowa artist inspired by works from the nationally renowned Iowa Writers’ Workshop. And for a town its size, it’s served by unexpectedly big-name brands, including Trader Joe’s, Hilton and Marriott. Plentiful buses, free for older adults, are available throughout the area. 

• Median housing price: $177,300
• Vibe: College meets cornfield
• Freebies that count: Cycling on the Iowa River Corridor Trail, Iowa’s busiest   
• Best way to spend $10: Scratch Bakery’s famous cupcakes cost $2, and the menu changes daily   
• Urban getaway: Iowa City, 3 miles

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Coeur d’Alene, Idaho 

Residents of California and Washington, fed up with coastal housing prices, are streaming into this pretty resort town. An enormous outdoor playground, the town is anchored by Lake Coeur d’Alene, considered one of the most beautiful alpine lakes in the world. Coeur d’Alene itself is small and quaint, yet there’s a Costco. And in between the almost dizzying options of outdoor pursuits that make the town so popular, and numerous festivals meant to amuse the tourists, a solid year-round community hums along, with varied civic organizations and plenty of ways to volunteer. These include opportunities at the well-regarded Kootenai Health–Coeur d’Alene facility and the Lake City Center, which provides hot lunches for older adults for $4, plus numerous social events.

• Median housing price: $247,700
• Vibe: Vast outdoor playground
• Freebies that count: Walk the world’s longest floating boardwalk   
• Best way to spend $10: Ride on the city’s recently resurrected 1940s-era Carousel
• Urban getaway: Spokane, Washington, 33 miles