Metro population: 698,030

Retiree cost-of-living index: 90.1

Average taxes per capita: $1,657

Income-tax exemptions: No state income tax

Residents over 65: 14%

Lipitor score: -1.0%

Few cities can stretch fixed-income budgets as far as Knoxville, where living costs for retirees are the lowest among our top ten. If that isn’t enough, note that the state has no income tax, and taxes per capita fall more than $700 below the national average. While hardly a booming metropolis, Knoxville is home to a thriving American music scene, a symphony orchestra, an annual opera festival and 13 golf courses. The city’s proximity to the Blue Ridge Mountains and Great Smoky Mountains National Park also makes it ideal for fishing, hiking and other outdoorsy activities.

Top selling point: Superb scenery and music for a song
Biggest drawback: More Appalachian than urban