Phoenix makes top 10 for nation’s best places to retire
Nov 20, 2017, 10:41 AM
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PHOENIX — The Valley of the Sun boasts a large retirement community and apparently for good reason: Phoenix was ranked Monday among the best cities for people who have called it a career.
“It’s definitely a destination retirees should consider,” Taylor Tepper, a spokesman for BankRate.com — the website that compiled the rankings — said.
Phoenix came in at eighth on the website’s list, primarily because of its low tax rates, cost of living and crime rates.
Tepper said Phoenix also fared well because it received a good rating on senior health levels from the Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index.
“People are relatively healthy living there so people sort of have a good quality of life,” Tepper said.
Phoenix took a few hits on the list, primarily for its health care costs. Tepper said the average couple aged 64 or older should expect to spend about $294,000 on their health.
In other cities, that number averaged about $275,000.
Pittsburgh was at the top of the BankRate list, primarily because of its health care coverage and large population aged 65 or older. It also earned nods for having low crime rates and low cost of living.
The Valley also finished behind Boston, Los Angeles, Denver, Providence, Minneapolis and Tampa.
KTAR News’ Jeremy Foster contributed to this report.