A new study from 'Retirement Living' finds some states stretch retirement savings much further than others.
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The study ranked all 50 states on housing costs, taxes and overall cost of living. One of the more popular vacation and retirement destinations, Florida didn't even crack the top 10.
According to the study, Iowa is the best state to retire in 2026, performing consistently well across affordability, quality of life, and economic strength.
Popular retirement destinations don’t always translate into the strongest retirement outcomes. This was seen as California and New Mexico were among the lowest ranked places.
Florida remains one of the country’s most recognizable retirement destinations, but they landed right in the middle of the rankings, at 22.
New Mexico was listed as one of the worst places to retire, with bad quality-of-life indicators including high property and violent crime rates.
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They found that the most affordable states weren't just strong in one category, they consistently had lower costs across the board.
Experts say affordability matters, but retirees should also consider health care access and services they'll need as they age.
