Population: 257,083
Cost of living: 91.6 (national median: 100)
Median home price: $140,000 (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: the Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail for walking, jogging, skating and biking.
North East Park, Old Northeast and the rest of the inner northeast side of St. Petersburg offer a mix of bungalows, Craftsman-style cottages, large ranchers and enough Spanish-influenced design to suggest you’re in Pasadena or Santa Monica instead of Florida. You can easily bike or walk to neighborhood bars and restaurants and to St. Pete’s artsy downtown, anchored by the marvelous Dali Museum and the antique district on Central Avenue.
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.
St. Pete and Tampa—the area's other, higher-rising central city—include an array of theaters, concert halls, stadiums, colleges (the University of South Florida has campuses in both cities) and hospitals, but without the density and congestion of Miami or the inflated real estate costs of Palm Beach and Boca Raton. Average temperatures in January through March range from the low 60s to the high 60s, but they can also can drop into the 50s or climb into the mid-70s (all temperatures are in Fahrenheit). Generally, the hurricane risk on Florida's west coast is less than on the east coast.
The city of St. Pete extends 10 miles west to the Gulf of Mexico, where you can follow a 20-mile beachfront road north to Clearwater, home of the giant Morton Plant Hospital complex and the area’s best-known beaches, most of which are free or nearly free. You can also explore the area via the Pinellas Trail, one of America’s best recreational trails. It starts in downtown St. Pete by the Tampa Bay Rays' ballpark and links a variety of commercial and suburban neighborhoods. The jewels are the string of beachside towns north of Clearwater, starting with Dunedin, whose compact center has some of the area’s best restaurants. Top refreshments: Strachan's ice cream and Dunedin Brewery's microbrews.
Keep following the Pinellas through quiet and quaint areas such as Ozona, Crystal Beach, Palm Harbor and finally Tarpon Springs, a town founded by Greeks and famous for Greek restaurants and bakeries and a landmark Orthodox cathedral. Many residents of the trailside towns tear down clapped-out small houses and build anew. And a bonus for the grandkids: It's just 90 minutes up I-4 to Disney World.
-
Being an Executor is a Thankless Job: Do It Well AnywayYou can be a "good" executor of an estate, even though carrying out someone's final wishes can be challenging.
-
Question: Are You Planning for a 20- or 30-Year Retirement?You probably should be planning for a much longer retirement than you are. To avoid running out of retirement savings, you really need to make a plan.
-
How to Steer Clear of the Medicare Tax TorpedoBetter beware, because if you go even $1 over an important income threshold, your Medicare premiums could rise exponentially due to IRMAA surcharges.
-
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.
