Austin, Tex.: A Great Large City for Retiring in Good Health
For retirees looking to relocate, Austin's low taxes could be a main attraction.
Population: 931,830
Cost of living: 96 (national median: 100)
Median home price: $209,000 (national median: $185,000)
From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance
Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from just $107.88 $24.99, plus get up to 4 Special Issues
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
Healthy highlight: A 10-mile hiking and biking trail that encircles Lady Bird Lake
The city where Whole Foods was founded takes its healthy living seriously. Residents of the Zilker neighborhood, for instance, are steps away from Zilker Park, a green space of more than 350 acres. Outdoorsy options include sand volleyball courts, disc golf, botanical gardens and Barton Springs Pool, a natural, spring-fed swimming hole that's open year-round. (Residents older than 62 pay only $1; once you hit 80, you get in free.) On Lady Bird Lake, a reservoir on the Colorado River, you can canoe, kayak or float on stand-up paddleboards. The park also hosts free Shakespeare productions, musical theater and concerts.
12 Great Places to Retire for Your Good Health
- Naples, Fla.
- Lynchburg, Va.
- Billings, Mont.
- Greensboro, N.C.
- Omaha, Neb.
- Nashville, Tenn.
- Columbus, Ohio
- Seattle
- Austin, Tex.
- Philadelphia
- St. Petersburg, Fla.
- Augusta, Ga.
Beyond its outdoor amenities, "Zilker is almost two types of living," says longtime resident David Piper, 62, a novelist and painter. The tranquil interior is full of big, old trees, while the business strips of South Lamar Boulevard and Barton Springs Road are lined with shops, restaurants and bars, such as Uncle Billy's Brewery and Smokehouse. Piper can walk from his home to downtown Austin in less than 20 minutes. The peace is disturbed only during concerts or music festivals, such as Austin City Limits and SXSW, when performances take place in nearby parks. (On the bright side, you can sit on your porch and listen free, says Piper.)
As for the rest of Austin, its many attractions include film festivals, taco trucks, barbecue joints, live-music venues (even at Whole Foods) and—for a little something weird—the world's largest urban bat colony, under the Congress Avenue Bridge.
St. David's South Austin Medical Center, a few miles from Zilker, offers specialties including women’s health, heart and vascular care, and oncology, and it is home to Austin’s only bone-marrow transplant program. Seton Medical Center Austin is the only hospital in central Texas that performs heart transplants.
You'll pay for the proximity to downtown—and for the convenience of bypassing Austin's worsening traffic. Single-family homes start at $600,000, says Socar Chatmon-Thomas, former chair of the Austin Board of Realtors. Retirees tend to live in townhomes with small yards or condo townhouses, which go for $450,000 or more. Renting a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment can run $2,000 per month. But Texas has no state income tax, nor does it tax any retirement income.
-
Your Guide to Buying Art OnlineFrom virtual galleries to social media platforms, the internet offers plenty of places to shop for paintings, sculptures and other artwork without breaking the bank.
-
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra for $4.99 a Month: A Closer Look at Verizon’s DealVerizon’s aggressive pricing makes Samsung’s top-tier phone tempting, but the real cost depends on your plan and how long you stay.
-
I'm 59 with $1.7 million saved and lost my job. Should I retire?We asked professional wealth planners for advice.
-
457 Plan Contribution Limits for 2026Retirement plans There are higher 457 plan contribution limits in 2026. That's good news for state and local government employees.
-
Medicare Basics: 12 Things You Need to KnowMedicare There's Medicare Part A, Part B, Part D, Medigap plans, Medicare Advantage plans and so on. We sort out the confusion about signing up for Medicare — and much more.
-
The Seven Worst Assets to Leave Your Kids or Grandkidsinheritance Leaving these assets to your loved ones may be more trouble than it’s worth. Here's how to avoid adding to their grief after you're gone.
-
SEP IRA Contribution Limits for 2026SEP IRA A good option for small business owners, SEP IRAs allow individual annual contributions of as much as $70,000 in 2025, and up to $72,000 in 2026.
-
Roth IRA Contribution Limits for 2026Roth IRAs Roth IRAs allow you to save for retirement with after-tax dollars while you're working, and then withdraw those contributions and earnings tax-free when you retire. Here's a look at 2026 limits and income-based phaseouts.
-
SIMPLE IRA Contribution Limits for 2026simple IRA For 2026, the SIMPLE IRA contribution limit rises to $17,000, with a $4,000 catch-up for those 50 and over, totaling $21,000.
-
457 Contribution Limits for 2024retirement plans State and local government workers can contribute more to their 457 plans in 2024 than in 2023.
-
Roth 401(k) Contribution Limits for 2026retirement plans The Roth 401(k) contribution limit for 2026 has increased, and workers who are 50 and older can save even more.
