Retiring in Florida – why do people love it so much?

You may have noticed that many retirees seem to be settling down in Florida. Why is that so many elderly people decide to spend their seniorhood in the Sunshine State? It’s definitely not a coincidence, as there are some very good reasons why both the seniors and younger folks alike love Florida. Read on to learn what is so appealing about retiring in Florida.

Warm weather

To start off with an obvious reason – the climate. The warm weather feels good to most people, especially if they’re well into their seniorhood. However, some people might complain that it is too hot in Florida. While the Sun can indeed be scorching in the Sunshine State, the average temperature during the summer there actually isn’t that high – 81 degrees Fahrenheit, which amounts to 27 Celsius.
Still, subjectively it feels like the temperature there is a lot higher during the summer. That’s why the folks who live in Florida tend to organize their lives according to the weather. In other words, they try to do as much as they can during the morning or evening hours. This might feel like a big compromise that one sometimes needs to make in order to enjoy the generally pleasant weather in Florida. However, it is the same in many other states, only the people there need to adapt to cold, rather than warm weather. If you live in Canada and you’d rather adjust to warm than to cold weather, then check out our guide on moving from Canada to Florida.

A cartoon Sun. It is one of the reasons why people love retiring in Florida.
The Sun is powerful in Florida.

Still, if you’re thinking about retiring in Florida, you should know that the warm weather can affect your health if you’re too physically active. That’s why you should definitely get help from the right moving company (the one we recommend is called Orange Movers Miami).

Plenty of fun activities

However, being physically active during the better part of the year can do wonders for your health. There are plenty of fun and engaging activities that you can occupy yourself with in Florida. You can enjoy the sunshine while you’re fishing, biking, walking or running. You can go boating or play golf at one of the 1,300 golf courses in Florida (that’s a lot of golf courses for one state only). Generally speaking, there are a lot of opportunities to relax and enjoy your retirement in the Sunshine State. While we’re at it, it is especially important to relax while moving (even more so if you’re an elderly person). If you don’t believe me, check out this article on why relaxing during moving is very important.

Great health care

One thing that could be very useful to elderly people is the fact that Florida provides great health care. What’s more, many of these health care options and services are primarily aimed at seniors. That’s not surprising, as medical professionals are keenly aware of the fact that so many retirees chose to settle down in Florida.

A picture of a hospital room with some hospital beds.
Retirees in Florida can be confident that there’s great medical care nearby.

Apart from the always reliable hospital chains such as the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville and the Cleveland Clinic in Weston, Florida is also home to many high-quality hospitals that are not part of a brand. These include the Florida Hospital in Orlando, Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Sarasota Memorial Hospital, and many more. If you have decided that retiring in Florida is the right thing for you, read our guide on moving home. It will help you to reduce stress and, thusly, have a better chance of avoiding these hospitals.

No income tax is one of the main reasons why people are retiring in Florida

Another thing that makes Florida great is the fact that, in the Sunshine State, there is no income tax! This makes Florida one of the seven states in the USA where folks can save a lot of money by not having to pay income tax. You’re retired but still healthy, and you don’t intend to stop working? Then living in Florida is just what you need.
There not being any income tax in Florida also means that you’re exempt from having to pay the taxes on any kind of retirement income. That means that there’s no tax on social security benefits, no tax on any pensions (whether private or public), and no tax on money that you get from Individual Retirement Accounts. Therefore, life in Florida is not only interesting and healthy for retirees, but it can also do wonders for your financial stability.

Average cost of living

No income tax is just one of the things that retiring in Florida provides when it comes to your finances. Namely, Florida can boast with a lower cost of living than some other states. Financial experts have determined that the cost of living in Florida is about average. Not counting Miami, life in Florida is not too expensive. Coupled with no income tax, this will leave many people with money to spend on whatever they like. You could save enough money for that trip around the globe that you always wanted, or maybe finally buy that beautiful yacht? The options are limitless.

A photo of a lot of one-dollar bills stacked together.
Living in Florida can be great for your finances.

This kind of financial stability also means that you can safely spend money on a moving company. We’ve already said that hiring a moving company when retiring in Florida is important because of the hot weather, but there are a lot of other advantages for retirees (less stress and more time to spend on yourself being the main ones). Because the Sunshine State is so great for your finances, you can always hire professional movers in Florida to assist you while you’re moving.

And that’s not all

And in case that wasn’t enough, here are some other reasons why people love retiring in Florida so much:

  • If you like water, you’ll have a great time in Florida. That is because the Sunshine State is surrounded by this precious liquid. The Gulf of Mexico is on one side of Florida, and the Atlantic Ocean on the other one. Between them, you’ll find all the lakes and canals that you could wish for.
  • Florida is a great place for a vacation. That means that your grandchildren will love visiting you there!
  • Being the favorite state of many retirees, Florida is filled with many high-quality Active Adult Communities. What’s more, an active adult community called The Villages is the largest of its kind in all of USA. Guess in which state it’s located?
  • Museums, operas, theatres, symphonies… You name it, Florida has it! If you’re a retired fan of the arts, you’ll love it in Sunshine State.
  • Lots of airports and plenty of direct flights make Florida a great state for traveling by air. So, if you’re looking to spend some of that money that you saved by not having to pay taxes, you can do it by traveling, visiting friends or seeing the world.