Rethinking Retirement: 9 U.S. Places Where We Could Live Well Without Being Millionaires
- Leslie and Wolf
- Nov 9
- 11 min read
By Leslie & Wolf
Leaving the United States was, without a doubt, the best decision we ever made.
My husband, Alan, and I sold almost everything, packed the rest into a few suitcases, and moved to Portugal. We traded suburban commutes for mountain and ocean views with slow walks on cobblestone streets. From there, we started spending weeks at a time in Southern France, Italy, Sicily, Spain, and Greece.
What we discovered surprised us:
A good retirement has very little to do with being “rich.”It has everything to do with whether your life actually feels good to live.
Now, a few years and a lot of air miles later, the world looks very different than when we left. Costs are up. Housing is tight. Healthcare is more confusing than ever. And the question we keep hearing from people in our community isn’t, “How do I escape forever?”
It’s this:
“If I stay in the U.S. or go back…is there still a way to live really well without being a millionaire?”
I’m 62 now. Alan is 70. We have one Social Security check coming in, IRA savings we’d like to grow—not raid—and a deep, non-negotiable love of travel. Our son, Wolf, is 25, running his own online business and managing our investments. He’s the one with the spreadsheets and the charts; I’m the one who can tell you how the life actually feels.
Together, we decided to run a thought experiment:
If we moved back to America in 2026, starting fresh, where would we go?
Why We Even Considered the U.S. Again
When we first left, “The Escape Plan” lived in a folder on my desktop. That was literally the name of it. We were tired. We wanted out.
And it worked. Portugal gave us beauty and breathing room. But there’s a side of expat life people don’t see in the Instagram photos.
You’re not just picking a sunny spot on the map. You’re stepping into a brand-new bureaucracy with a new language, new rules, new tax system, new healthcare system, and a new risk: the value of your money now depends on an exchange rate you don’t control.
Our Social Security and our IRA are in U.S. dollars. Most of our expenses are in euros. When the dollar drops, I feel it in the grocery store and at the pharmacy. Add on the fact that, as Americans, we file a U.S. tax return every year no matter where we live. So we’re not just learning Portugal’s tax rules; we’re navigating both at the same time.
The point was never to make life more complicated.
Wolf has watched all of this up close while building his own business. He’s seen the hours lost to paperwork, the mental load of “Am I doing this right?” in two systems, and the stress of getting one more visa appointment or document wrong.
One day he said to us, very calmly:“Mom, you know, if you moved back to the U.S., your income and your expenses would be in the same currency. Your taxes would be simpler. And you could still travel as much as you wanted.”
It was annoyingly logical.
As U.S. citizens, we also have something many people in the world would do anything for: we can live in any of the 50 states with no visa, no minimum income test, no permission slip.
Somewhere between all of this, a new idea started to take shape:
What if we didn’t give up on the U.S. entirely?What if we treated it as a home base—and kept the slow-travel life on top?
The Money Reality (Without Shame)
This is the part that stops most of us before we even start.
You’ve probably heard the usual line:
“You’ll need at least a couple million to retire comfortably.”
For some people in very high-cost cities, that might be true. But for many of us, that number is so big it’s paralyzing. It doesn’t create a plan—it just creates anxiety.
Wolf has been managing our investments for years now, and he reframed it in a way I really like.
Instead of asking “Do we have enough to be rich?” he asked:
What does our real life cost each month?
Not the fantasy version. The real one. The one with groceries and electricity and boring things like dental visits, plus the fun things: eating out, coffee with friends, shows, memberships, travel, and a buffer for when the world gets weird.
What happens if we get our fixed costs down?
That means no giant mortgage, no unnecessary car payments, and no massive HOA for amenities we don’t actually use.
How much of that monthly number could be covered by reliable income?
Social Security. A small pension if you have one. Maybe some part-time work or an online business you enjoy. Then investments become something you use thoughtfully—not an ATM you panic-withdraw from.
When we ran the numbers for a moderate-cost part of the U.S. with a paid-off home, we came to a surprisingly grounded figure:
For many couples, a very good retirement—eating out a couple of times a week, traveling some, going to events, and not counting every penny—lands somewhere around:
$5,000 to $7,000 a month or $60,000 to $84,000 a year in today’s dollars.
That’s not “bare minimum survival.
”That’s living—just not trying to impress anyone.
We used that range as our benchmark, then went hunting for the places in the U.S. where that kind of life was not only possible, but enjoyable.
Our Criteria for a U.S. Retirement Base
We started with a simple question:
“If we were living in America again, and we wanted the best quality of life for the money, where would we go?”
For my husband and me, that meant:
A modest 2 to 3 -bedroom, 2-bath home or condo
Ideally in a community where there’s a shared pool and some amenities so we don’t pay to maintain everything ourselves
Some gardening space
Walkable or short-drive access to cafés, theaters, gardens, hiking, and community activities
Good healthcare within reach
Low or no state income tax if possible
And a cost of living that doesn’t force us to rip huge chunks out of our investments every year
For Wolf, there was one more layer:
“It has to be somewhere I could realistically build a life, a family, and a business nearby.”
In other words, not a remote outpost with nothing for a 25-year-old entrepreneur to do but stare at the horizon and wait to inherit the garden tools.
With all of that in mind, we created our own shortlist of nine U.S. places where we could imagine coming “home”—not as an admission of defeat, but as a strategy.
The Shortlist: 9 U.S. Havens for a Not-Rich, Very Rich Life
Rather than drown you in charts, I’ll walk you through how each place feels and what kind of life we could see ourselves living there—plus the rough price range for that 2-bed, 2-bath “nice but not flashy” home or condo.
You’ll see the same pattern repeat:
if the house is paid off, that $5,000–$7,000 a month range can buy a very good life in all of these places.
Wyoming – Big Sky, Big Quiet
Wyoming is the wild card on our list. I see it for the person who loves big landscapes and doesn’t mind being a little remote.
Think Cheyenne or Cody: Western towns, real winters, and a sky that feels almost too large.
It’s a state with no income tax, reasonable housing, and access to some of the most spectacular nature in North America.
A comfortable retirement here—with a paid-off home—might come in around the lower end of our range. A simple 2 to 3 -bed, 2-bath house in a city like Cheyenne can often be had in the upper $300Ks to low $500Ks, with condos less.
It’s not where we’d go for theater seasons and wine bars, but as a “quiet base plus travel” strategy? It works.
Alabama – Soft Southern Edges
Alabama surprised us. Low property taxes, very friendly rules around Social Security and many pensions, and genuinely beautiful areas along the Gulf and in small cities.
Huntsville, Fairhope, and Gulf Shores came up again and again in our research. I picture tree-lined streets, front porches, and neighbors you actually know. A couple with a paid-off home could live comfortably on something like $4,500 to $5,500 a month here, and a 2-bed, 2-bath house in a nice area might run from the low $300Ks to the mid $400Ks.
For someone craving warmth, affordability, and a slower rhythm, it’s quietly compelling.
Southern Ohio – Green, Quiet, and Surprisingly Interesting
Southern Ohio isn’t sexy—and I mean that as a compliment. It’s green, grounded, and easy to underestimate.
College towns like Athens and Yellow Springs, and the Hocking Hills region, offer four real seasons, local culture, and more trails and parks than you’d expect. It’s the kind of place where a café, a library, and a community theater can carry a lot of happiness.
Housing is often in the $275K–$350K range for a solid 2-bed, 2-bath house near town, less for condos. With no mortgage, it’s very realistic to live a comfortable life in the $4,000–$5,000 a month range, even with some travel built in.
This would be our “garden and quiet base” scenario.
Idaho – Clean Air and River Trails
Idaho, especially around Boise, Eagle, and Meridian, has this polished small-city energy that’s hard to describe until you see it. Clean streets, mountain views, a riverfront trail system, and a downtown that actually has a pulse.
It feels like a place where people go to live healthy, active lives—not just to retire and sit down.
A 2 to 3 bed, 2-bath home in a good neighborhood might be in the $375K–$475K range, with condos or townhomes a bit less.
With the house paid for, a couple can live a strong, outdoorsy life on $5,000–$6,000 a month, including a little travel.
I imagine mornings on the Greenbelt, afternoons in a small backyard garden, and evenings at local shows or restaurants.
Arizona – Dry Heat, Big Horizons
If you love the desert, Arizona is probably already on your radar.
Towns like Green Valley (with its many active communities) or Prescott (with a historic downtown and milder summers) offer good healthcare, sunshine, and a manageable cost of living if you’re not chasing the hottest zip codes.
A 2 to 3 bed, 2-bath home could range from the low $300Ks up into the $600Ks depending on how fancy and where.
A realistic monthly budget for a good life: roughly $4,500–$6,000, especially if you don’t need to commute and can time your errands for cooler hours.
For someone whose bones love dry heat and sunsets, it’s an easy yes.
Texas Hill Country – Space and Community in One Place
The Texas Hill Country is the part of Texas that makes me think, “Oh… I could live here.”
Rolling hills, little rivers, wildflowers in spring, and towns like Fredericksburg, Kerrville, and Wimberley that are packed with personality. Retirees, artists, small business owners, and remote workers all mixed together.
Texas has no state income tax, which is a big plus for retirees. Yes, property taxes can be higher, but if your house is paid off, the overall picture still looks pretty good.
We saw plenty of 2 to 3 bed, 2-bath homes in the $400K–$550K range and condos or patio homes in the $350K–$450K band.
To live well here with travel, I’d expect us to be in the $5,000–$6,500 a month range.
This is where I picture long dinners on a porch, live music on weeknights, and quick trips into Austin or San Antonio when we want city energy or specialist care.
North Carolina Foothills – The Soft Edge of the Mountains
The Foothills of North Carolina—around Hendersonville, Lake Lure, and the outskirts of Asheville—feel almost custom-built for retirees who love beauty, art, and gardening.
You get cooler summers than the lowlands, blazing autumn colors, and a mild winter in most years. There are galleries, festivals, small theaters, and a constant rotation of things to do that don’t require a massive city.
A 2 to 3 bed, 2-bath home with a pretty view or wooded lot might sit in the $375K–$500K space; condos with shared pools and clubhouses in the $325K–$425K zone.
With healthcare access and community life, this is one of the places where I can absolutely see us: modest home, balcony or deck, potted herbs and flowers, and a calendar full of small but meaningful events.
Florida – Sunshine Done Intentionally
Florida is the cliché for a reason, but it can also be done very badly if you don’t pay attention.
We wouldn’t go near the highest-priced beachfront districts. We’d look at places like Ocala, Venice, or Mount Dora: towns that have their own identity outside of tourism, with real communities and more moderate housing costs.
Here, no state income tax is a huge plus, especially if you have Social Security and IRA withdrawals.
Insurance and HOA fees can be larger, so you have to budget with eyes wide open. But a 2-bed, 2-bath villa or condo in a good community can often be found in the $300K–$475K range.
With a paid-off place and a thoughtful budget, I think we could live very well on $5,500–$7,000 a month here, including travel, assuming we’re not trying to live oceanfront.
Florida, to me, is about movement and connection—walking, swimming, meeting people, and having an easy flight to Europe or the Caribbean when wanderlust hits.
Tennessee – Our Number One
If we had to pick one U.S. state where we’d build a home base in 2026, as people who want to live well, travel a lot, and not pretend we’ll never need to watch the budget, it would be Tennessee.
Tennessee has a way of balancing it all:
No state income tax on wages or retirement income
A cost of living below the national average
Real cities—Knoxville, Chattanooga, Nashville—with music, theater, and culture
Smaller towns like Maryville and lake communities that feel cozy and grounded
Proximity to mountains, lakes, and a lot of green
A modest 2 to 3 bed, 2-bath home might cost us between $350K and $475K. A condo or townhome in a community with shared amenities might be $300K–$425K.
With that paid off, I can see us living very comfortably on $5,000–$6,250 a month, keeping space in the budget for trips back to Europe or adventures in Asia.
Emotionally, too, Tennessee feels closest to what we’ve loved about living abroad: people who actually talk to each other, smaller shops, local music, and nature that’s always right there when you need to breathe.
The Strategy That Changed Everything
Somewhere in the middle of all this, Wolf summed it up perfectly:
“You don’t have to choose between being an expat and being stuck. You can be a world traveler with a smart U.S. home base.”
The strategy looks something like this:
Sell or downsize from a high-cost, high-tax state or oversized family home.
Buy a smaller, paid-off 2-bed, 2-bath home or condo in one of these more affordable areas.
Use the freed-up equity and lower monthly expenses to fund 2–3 months of slow travel each year.
From there, the pieces start to fall into place:
Your income and expenses are in the same currency.
Your taxes get simpler.
Your healthcare is familiar and accessible.
And you’re still close enough to family and friends to show up when it matters.
The travel doesn’t go away. It just becomes something you do from a stable base, not as a condition for your survival.
So… Do You Need to Be a Millionaire?
At 62, here’s where I’ve landed:
No, you don’t need to be a millionaire to have a beautiful retirement.
You need:
A realistic understanding of what your life actually costs
A willingness to live in a place that respects your money instead of devouring it
A home you can truly afford, even if the market gets weird
And a plan that keeps you connected to the people and experiences that matter
Wolf, at 25, sees it from the other end:
“You don’t have to wait until you’re ‘done’ to live slower,” he keeps telling me. “You can design for freedom at any age—if you’re honest about your numbers and brave enough to move.”
I agree. Whether you’re 25, 62, or somewhere in between, the same principle applies:
Design the life you want first. Then arrange the money and the geography to support it.
For us, that means Portugal now.
It might mean Tennessee or one of these other places later. It will almost certainly mean more train rides in Europe, more sea air in Asia, and more coffee with people we love, wherever we are.
We should have done this sooner.
But the good news is: If you want to, you still can.
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