Retiring in Florida? What It's Really Like to Live in Its Most Talked-About Retirement Spot
If you want to foster strong friendships while improving your golf handicap, Florida's mega retirement community, The Villages, could be the perfect place for you.
At around 57 square miles, The Villages is bigger than Disney World (39 square miles) and almost as big as Washington, D.C. (69 square miles). If you ask the locals, it packs just as much punch.
Located in Central Florida near Orlando and home to more than 150,000 residents (who call themselves "Villagers"), The Villages, a 55-plus community, bills itself as the number-one-rated master-planning community in the U.S..
"I work with many retirees who call The Villages home, and for a lot of them, making Florida their official residence just makes sense. You get the sunshine, the lifestyle and the tax breaks that come with it," says Rob Edwards, managing director at Edwards Asset Management in Naples, Florida.
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“People love to talk about the 183-day rule, but it’s not a magic number," Edwards says. "What really matters is showing that your life is based here. And for a lot of people in The Villages, that’s already the case — they’ve put down roots, made friends, started working with Florida-based professionals, and built a life that clearly says, 'This is my home now.'"
What's life like living in The Villages?
Carole Rader and friends at The Villages.
Residents agree, noting the many amenities and opportunities for social engagement with their peers.
“Weekends here are absolutely wonderful and always full of activities,” says Carole Rader, who’s lived in The Villages with her husband for the past 13 years. “We often start with potluck gatherings at our community pool or at one of our many friends' homes throughout the neighborhood.”
Of all the perks and amenities offered at The Villages, Rader's pick is the free live entertainment every night from 5 to 9 pm in one of three town squares: Spanish Springs, Lake Sumter Landing or Brownwood. "Each venue features different music styles and performers, so we can choose based on our mood for any given evening," she says.
Ask any Villager about the community’s lifestyle and you’ll hear a lot about jam-packed social calendars.
Take Karen and John Keeler, residents of the Village of Ashland, who like to start their weekends with Saturday morning golf at one of The Villages' executive courses.
"After golf, we always go to one of the Squares, where there are a variety of restaurants, and have lunch with our golf partners," Karen Keeler says. "After lunch, we come home and may take a dip in our pool, or read a book or do our Bible study."
If the Keelers aren’t golfing, they’ll hit the pickleball court at one of the recreation centers nearby.
"The Villages is known as the Pickleball Capital of the World because we have so many seniors playing on the hundreds of pickleball courts that are available in every village," she explains.
The Keelers say that because they have so many friends in the community, going to someone's house for cards and dinner, is a common occurrence. "The thing is," says Karen, "every day in The Villages seems like a weekend."
How do you buy a home in The Villages?
Farmers' market shops near Paddock Square in The Villages, Florida.
With more than 70,000 homes in The Villages, you have plenty of choices when it comes to buying a property.
"One of the great things about The Villages is that it has a variety of home price points," says Jennifer Beeston, executive vice president at mortgage lender Rate.com in Coral Springs, Florida. "Unlike a traditional neighborhood where most of the houses cost the same, in The Villages, you have homes ranging from $300,000 all the way above $1 million."
Beeston says she's worked with multiple clients who wanted to make the area their retirement destination. "Generally, they visited a friend there once, and once they did, they were hooked," she says. "I have yet to have a client who wants to move from The Villages. I think that for people who want some level of social activity and really want a community, it’s a tough place to beat."
In the past year, resale prices typically ranged from $250,000 to the low $600,000s, with newer builds commanding higher premiums.
"HOA-style fees, known as amenity fees, average around $189 per month,” says Leah Miller, a marketing strategist at Versys Media who regularly conducts studies on community-based living.
“Property taxes are modest compared to many coastal states," she notes, "but home insurance in Florida has become a major factor. Policies can run from $3,000 to $6,000 annually, especially with the increased hurricane risk and carrier exits.”
What taxes will you pay in The Villages?
A lighthouse and harbor in The Villages.
The Villages' combined home sales tax rate is 7% in 2025, including state, county and city taxes. The Villages itself has no sales tax. Median annual tax bills are higher than in most U.S. states, reflecting higher home values. Dollar-wise, the yearly median tax bill in Sumter County (where The Villages is located) was $3,834 in 2024.
It’s generally beneficial for retirees to establish Florida residency. “Florida has no state income tax, no estate or inheritance taxes, and homestead protections,” Miller says.
“For retirees drawing from 401(k)s, pensions or Social Security, it can mean significant savings. That said, some may choose to retain primary residency in their home state for proximity to family, voting access, or tax reasons specific to their retirement income sources.”
The homestead tax exemption, only allowable for residents who declare Florida homes as a permanent residence, can reduce a property’s taxable value by up to $50,722 for the 2025 tax year, but the exemption will be recalculated each year based on the Consumer Price Index.
Some specific homestead exemptions for residents age 65 and older, with specific annual income limits, can also be granted in the state of Florida.
What health care is available in The Villages?
Residents have easy access to medical care, with primary, specialty care and care centers only a golf cart away. The community also offers high-end care at its UF Health Spanish Plaines Hospital. Urgent care and telehealth services are also available through The Villages’ EZ-Care Services.
All the area’s health centers accept most private health care, along with Medicare and Medicaid. Same-day appointments are easy to get, according to The Villages' website.
What are the pros and cons of living in The Villages?
A gathering at The Villages.
Before deciding to buy a place in The Villages, it’s advisable to visit first and explore the different properties and neighborhoods, which all have their own identities and vibes.
“We built a brand-new home in the Pine Hills neighborhood, and it's been the perfect place for this chapter of our lives,” said Paul Piubeni, resident of the Village of Pine Hills, The Villages, Florida. “The Villages has grown tremendously over the years and now spans three counties, but Pine Hills maintains that close-knit community feel that we were looking for.”
Rader says The Villages might actually be underrated by people who haven't experienced it firsthand. “I often describe it as 'Disneyland for Adults,' and I mean that in the most positive way possible,” she explains.
During the day, Rader and her husband make use of the numerous golf courses and pickleball courts distributed throughout the community.
“There are over 100 pickleball courts … 40-plus executive [golf courses] and about 13 to 14 championship golf courses, so there's never a shortage of places to play,” she says. “Sundays always include church services, which are an important part of our weekly routine and another way to connect with our neighbors.”
Beth Jones and her husband, Jeff, have owned three homes in The Villages since 2004 and currently split their time between the community and their Michigan residence.
“My mother lived here in The Villages in the early 2000s — and these days, not only do we live here, but my three sisters and their husbands also have homes in The Villages, and we all go back-and-forth to Michigan throughout the year,” she says.
Jones describes the experience as a continual “recess” or a giant college campus for retirees.
“It’s fun, keeps us active, and there is so much to do on any given day and any given hour. In our case, we love to golf and we dabble at pickleball,” she says. “We love music and dancing to live music on any of the town squares any day of the week, year-round. We love to socialize and enjoy all the options, clubs, classes and driveway parties in the Villages.”
At $300 each month, the Joneses’ amenity fee covers the following:
- All the basics (water, sewer, trash)
- Regular entertainment throughout The Villages
- Hundreds of pickleball courts and softball fields, plus thousands of niche clubs
- Access to all the pools and dozens of recreation centers
- Free golf on all the executive golf courses and the opportunity to play at the championship courses (for a surcharge)
As Jones sees it, a rare downside of The Villages is the massive size of the community.
“The con for some people would be that it’s too big, and during peak season, when all the snowbirds are here, the traffic and the wait time at restaurants can be a little longer than usual, but never so much that you wouldn’t still go out and enjoy everything,” she says. "You just have to have a little more patience.”
That’s a sentiment shared by other Villages residents, some of whom span two generations.
“My mother lives in an assisted living facility in The Villages, which makes it very convenient to live here and watch over her,” says Lori Duffy, a resident of Sabal Chase in The Villages. "On Saturdays, I work around the house and then pick up my mom and take her to church in the late afternoon, and usually, we enjoy going out to a nice restaurant for dinner.”
Duffy says retiring in The Villages offers a genuine quality of life: “There are so many activities to choose from that could keep you busy from morning until night.”
She also appreciates the family-friendly atmosphere in The Villages, which isn’t always the case with many retirement communities.
“One of the things I love about the town squares is that it is open to the public, which means we see young children and families,” she says. "Plus, medical clinics and our own hospital are within a golf cart ride, as well as shopping, groceries and churches. In fact, you can go most everywhere throughout the entire length of The Villages in a golf cart.”
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