11 Of The Best Affordable Towns To Retire In Arizona

Retiring well in Arizona often comes down to choosing a town that’s been built for comfortable and rewarding everyday living. The places that stay affordable tend to share one quiet advantage: they offer a full “retirement routine” without forcing big-city pricing. That can mean a strong supply of modest homes, active adult communities with ready-made social calendars, and local services that reduce the need for long drives and higher-cost errands.

In these towns, recreation is woven into normal life with golf courses, trail networks, arts venues, and neighborhood diners becoming weekly habits for residents. Add in proximity to major hospitals or airports when needed, and the right Arizona town starts functioning like a lifestyle upgrade that costs less, not more.

Sierra Vista

Sierra Vista is one of Arizona’s larger towns, making it perfect for an affordable retirement with plenty of outdoor adventures. Located at the foothills of the Huachuca Mountains, this town boasts some of the lowest real estate prices in the state, with an average home value currently around $295,000. On top of that, several unique attractions are in and around town, including the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, a picturesque natural spot featuring hundreds of bird species and other animals, along with trails for hiking and biking. Elsewhere, one will find Garden Canyon, a five-mile-long gorge on Fort Huachuca that is open to hikers, with views of diverse mountain plants, birds, and animals like white-tailed deer and pronghorns.

Perhaps even more exciting, Sierra Vista is home to the Ramsey Canyon Preserve, a lush preserve nicknamed the hummingbird capital of the US for its abundance of hummingbirds. Retirees will enjoy visiting this preserve and walking the two-mile Hamburg Trail, which winds through a canyon featuring waterfalls, lush trees, and plenty of birds and other animals. Beyond the outdoor draws, Sierra Vista’s local establishments help make retirement pleasant, from the Urban Axe Yard, where axe throwing meets live music and drinks, to the Pueblo Del Sol Country Club, which features an 18-hole championship course with incredible scenery and a bar & restaurant.

Green Valley

With a home value of around $277,275, Green Valley sits proudly among the most affordable places to retire in Arizona. Further increasing the town’s appeal is the fact that it is just 30 minutes from Tucson, Arizona’s second-largest city. This proximity gives residents easy access to big-city amenities, including the state’s second-busiest airport and the Northwest Medical Center Tucson, one of the highest-rated hospitals in Arizona, featuring a 24-hour emergency room, surgical care, and rehabilitation, among other services. Within the community itself, Desert Meadows Park stands as a major highlight, especially for nature lovers, as it boasts trails winding through beautiful native plants and wildlife, along with picnic chairs and tables for relaxation. For golf lovers especially, Green Valley is a paradise, with several well-maintained courses, including the nine-hole Haven Golf Course, which also boasts a full-service pro shop and restaurant. Additionally, the Community Performance & Art Center (CPAC) is in town to keep everyone entertained year-round with more than 100 concerts and live theater productions.

Rico Rico

Rico Rico is a charming small town near the border with Mexico, where it doesn’t cost a fortune to retire. With a median home value of $274,497, this town is easy on the wallet, leaving retirees with extra room in the budget to enjoy the area’s exciting features, including Patagonia Lake State Park. Located just 30 miles from town, this park is a recreation paradise, featuring a 250-acre lake, a beach, a campground, picnic areas, and boating facilities. Retirees will love visiting this park, as it offers a wide range of activities from hiking and camping to boating, fishing, and birdwatching. Additionally, Sonoita Creek State Natural Area, which is closer to the downtown area, provides even more outdoor adventures with 20 miles of hiking and horseback riding trails winding through remote areas full of birds and other wildlife. Notably, Tumacacori National Historic Park is nearby and represents one of the oldest national park sites in the country, established in 1908. The park preserves the ruins of three Spanish colonial missions, two of which were established in 1691, making them the oldest in Arizona. Retirees who love history are invited to tour these historic ruins and visit the Tumacacori Museum, which contains rare artifacts detailing the history of the missions and the Santa Cruz Valley.

Sun City

A suburb of Phoenix located 23 miles northwest, Sun City West is a special place worth retiring to in Arizona. Despite its premium location, the town’s home value is significantly below the state average at $296,965. Moreover, everything here is tailored to make retirement pleasant, from the Palm Brook Golf Club with its challenging 18-hole course, beautiful scenery, and full-service restaurant, to the JiMichael’s Diner, which serves delicious seafood, steaks, and breakfast options all day. Additionally, the Bell Recreation Center in town will be a mainstay for retirees here, as it boasts a fitness center, a lap pool, and a spa, among other fun facilities. And just outside the town’s borders, more attractions await to delight seniors, including the Arizona Broadway Theatre, which offers a diverse array of live shows and concerts year-round, along with delicious appetizers and dessert options.

Coolidge

Coolidge is one of the most affordable and well-located places to retire in Arizona. With a housing market priced at $263,432, homes here are among the country’s cheapest, and the town is just 55 miles from downtown Phoenix, placing the state’s most sought-after attractions within a 55-minute drive. The town further appeals with a couple of special draws, starting with the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument. Between 1150 CE and 1450 CE, this site was home to the ancestral Sonoran Desert people, who built multiple structures, including a four-story house known as Casa Grande. Retirees are always welcome to explore the ruins and learn about the Sonoran Desert people, who also developed advanced irrigation farming systems and extensive trade connections. For fitness enthusiasts, the town is notable for having multiple gyms, including 24/7 Fitness, which offers affordable rates, a wide range of modern equipment, and access to fitness professionals. Similarly, Robles Boxing & Fitness is in town to delight active seniors who love boxing and quality workouts. Additionally, Coolidge is the proud home to Sun Life Health, a highly rated medical provider offering pharmacy services, comprehensive primary care, and diagnostics, among others.

Cottonwood

Retirement in Cottonwood is a rewarding experience, thanks in part to the town’s natural scenery from its location on the Verde River and its relatively affordable housing market, currently priced at $390,213. These incredible features come alongside a long list of attractions, which include The Blazin' M Ranch, a unique establishment that offers an authentic Old West experience. The ranch features live country music, western-themed stores, cowboy shows, and a BBQ diner. For outdoor adventures, the Dead Horse Ranch State Park is in town, featuring 10 miles of hiking trails, more than a hundred campsites, picnic areas, and opportunities to fish and paddle on the Verde River. Notably, Cottonwood is at the heart of Arizona’s Verde Wine Country and boasts several tasting rooms, one of which is the Merkin Vineyards Tasting Room & Osteria. Located on the main street, this establishment will be a regular hangout spot for retirees here, as it offers high-quality wines, alongside delicious Italian country food, vineyard tours, and impressive scenery.

Eloy

Eloy is, without doubt, one of the best places to retire in Arizona, particularly because of its affordability, with an average home value of around $268,730. But perhaps even more exciting is the fact that the town is just 64 miles from Phoenix, where some of Arizona’s most sought-after attractions are located. So while retiring in Eloy, one will be within an hour’s drive from the remarkable Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, and attractions like the Phoenix Art Museum, which contains over 21,000 objects. Meanwhile, Eloy itself is loaded with exciting things, one of which is Skydive Arizona. The country’s largest skydiving facility, this attraction will delight retirees as it offers safe skydiving experiences in the air and indoors. Notably, Eloy is home to the Robson Ranch, a retirement community with majestic homes and upscale amenities, including the 18-hole Robson Ranch Golf, which serves food. Speaking of food, there are plenty of great establishments in town to choose from, including the La Paloma Family Restaurant, where authentic Mexican food meets friendly, welcoming customer service.

Kingman

This small town on Route 66 combines a rich history with abundant recreational opportunities and affordability to make it one of the best towns for retirement in Arizona. With a housing market priced at a modest $266,522, retirees can become homeowners here without breaking the bank. This becomes even more appealing when considering the town’s status as a gateway to the Grand Canyon West, a less-visited part of the canyon, featuring a glass bridge 4,000 feet above the canyon floor known as Skywalk. In downtown Kingman, retirees will have plenty of things to explore, including highly-rated local establishments like Mr. D’z Route 66 Diner, which serves delicious pizza, burgers, root beer, and fries, among other food, in a vintage atmosphere. The Powerhouse Visitor Center will also delight retirees with its gift shops, visitor center, and the Route 66 Museum, which features electric cars and materials about the historic road that was once the primary route for Westward migration. Outside the downtown area, golf enthusiasts have the 18-hole Cerbat Cliffs Golf Course to enjoy, with gorgeous sights of green fields and rock formations.

Sahuarita

Sahuarita is a beautiful little town and an incredibly appealing place for retirement in Arizona. For starters, the town is an affordable place to acquire homes, with median prices currently sitting at $349,553. On top of that, the town boasts some of the state’s lowest crime rates, and even more exciting, it is just 26 minutes from Tucson, Arizona’s second-largest city. This places retirees here within easy reach of highly sought-after attractions such as the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, which is made up of a zoo, an aquarium, a botanical garden, a natural history museum, and an art gallery, all offering insights into the Sonoran Desert ecosystem. Meanwhile, Tucson International Airport is even closer, placing major cities in the US within easy reach, including Atlanta and Chicago.

Sahuarita also boasts a long list of things to keep retirees excited, and the Sahuarita Lake Park is just one of them. This park is a serene place to hang out, fish for trout, or just enjoy a lakeside stroll. Those who love history have the Titan Missile Museum to explore and learn about one of the world’s revolutionary weapons. The museum was once an active intercontinental ballistic missile site, and visitors are now invited to tour the missile complex, visit the launch control center, and safely see an actual ICBM in its silo, an experience offered nowhere else in the country. In addition to the attractions, the town is the proud home of the Northwest Medical Center Sahuarita, one of the highest-rated hospitals in Arizona, offering a wide range of services from surgery and emergency care to laboratory, diagnostic, orthopedic, and cardiology services.

Florence

Situated on the Gila River and 62 miles from Phoenix, Florence is an adorable town where retirees will enjoy peace and low living costs. The town’s average home value is around $329,321, significantly lower than the state average, plus it is populated by approximately 27,000 people, giving it a relaxing appeal. Moreover, retirees will find plenty of things to enjoy here, including the Windmill Winery, where delicious wine and beer blend with live music. For retiring couples, this establishment is an amazing place to renew vows and celebrate enduring love. Notably, Florence is home to the St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Monastery, a remarkably designed establishment and the largest of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. Retirees seeking peace and connection to the divine will appreciate living close to this monastery, which includes several chapels, a bookstore with a gift shop, gardens, a beautiful courtyard, and a guest house. Those who love history are always welcome at the McFarland State Historic Park for a glimpse into frontier life and to explore the first Pinal County Courthouse, the oldest in Arizona, built in 1878.

El Mirage

El Mirage sits pretty in the Phoenix metropolitan area, where it stands as one of the most affordable towns for retirement in Arizona. Despite being just 25 minutes from downtown Phoenix, this town’s average home value is $337,090, meaning a low cost of living, alongside easy access to the best of Arizona. Within the town itself, retirees will have plenty to enjoy, including the 18-hole Pueblo El Mirage Golf Course, featuring gorgeous rolling fairways and a restaurant. This resort is located within Pueblo El Mirage RV and Golf Resort, a gated community for adults aged 55 and above, featuring additional facilities such as dozens of pickleball courts, a fitness center, pool, and creative studio spaces. At the heart of town, retirees will find a considerable number of attractive establishments, including Rio Mirage Cafe-El Mirage Location, where traditional Mexican dishes like burritos and tacos are served all day. Just a short walk south of this restaurant is Gateway Park, which is a great place to hang out, stroll, or participate in sports activities. Moreover, just around the immediate town, retirees will have even more to enjoy, including Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park, located just a short 18-minute drive away in Litchfield Park. Encompassing over 200 acres, this establishment features Arizona’s largest collection of exotic animals, and offers daily shows, animal petting and feeding opportunities, and rides, among other exciting activities.

Retirement is a major endeavor, but it does not always have to be expensive. That is best proven in these Arizona towns, most of which boast home values significantly lower than the state average. That, in addition to the state’s tax-friendly policies, is reassuring proof reinforcing these towns as havens for low-cost retirement. With their location in one of the most naturally beautiful and adventurous states in the country, living in these towns also promises to be exciting, with some located close to the state’s largest cities, where some of the most sought-after attractions in the country can be found.