The Best Cities to Retire in Texas
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Whether it’s the picturesque Rolling Plains in the north or the myriad of beaches along the Gulf Coast, Texas offers a wide range of options for any retiree looking to find a forever home with relaxing scenery. And it’s not just seniors — Texas is seeing the biggest net migration of new residents across the nation.
Ready to jump on the trend but not sure where to start? The Retirement Living Research Team identified the best cities to retire in in Texas by analyzing metrics related to affordability, safety, livability and health care access. Keep reading to see which cities made the top of the list.
Key Insights
Wichita Falls is the best place to retire in Texas. The city shines in affordability, with the lowest percentage of cost-burdened senior households.
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Plano offers the highest quality of life for retirees in Texas, with a large senior population, great park access and strong walkability.
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Carrollton is ideal for safety-minded retirees, with low violent and property crime rate
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The worst city in Texas for retirees? Houston. While its big-city amenities offer a good quality of life, it suffers from unaffordability and high crime rates.
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The Five Best Cities for Retirees in Texas
From health care access to cost of living, seniors have a wide range of factors to consider when making the decision of where to retire. The top five cities on our list each excel in one or more of our ranking factors; however, one trend we noticed was the proximity to larger cities that ranked lower on our list. Four out of the five top cities are close to either Dallas or Houston, suggesting that seniors may benefit in cities that offer easy access to bigger hubs — without big city prices.
1. Wichita Falls
Retirees looking to make the most of their savings should head to Wichita Falls, located close to the Oklahoma-Texas border, which ranks No. 1 for affordability in our analysis. With the lowest percentage of cost-burdened senior households in the country (16.3% compared with the state figure of 19%) and a median rent of only $1,185 — that’s more than $500 lower than the state median of $1,728 — retirees will be able to save plenty of their hard-earned cash.
Looking to stay active with all your newfound free time? Wichita Falls is home to the Hotter’N Hell Hundred, one of the largest one-day 100-mile bicycle rides in the world, which was created as a way to celebrate the city’s 1982 centennial.
2. Carrollton
Seniors worried about security should look no further than Carrollton, which ranks high on our list for safety. The city, situated just 20 miles north of Dallas, has some of the lowest property crime and violent crime rates per capita in the state.
It also has a high percentage of senior citizens — 16.9% of the population is 65 and older, compared with the state average of 14% — making it a great place to form new friendships with other retirees. Not sure where to start making connections? Carrollton boasts a senior center that offers fitness and creative arts opportunities, educational programs and social gatherings — most of which are free!
3. Pasadena
Taking care of one’s health can be stressful for seniors. Or ranking shows that Pasadena has the best health care access for seniors throughout the state. Harris County, where it’s located, has 281.1 primary care physicians per 1,000 seniors — that’s almost 50-fold the statewide ratio of 5.9 per 1,000.
4. Plano
Located just north of Dallas, Plano stands out for its livability, a major drawing factor for seniors looking to make the most of their golden years. Along with the city’s large population of residents 65 and older (16.9%, Plano also boasts one of the highest walkability scores in our ranking. Additionally, 42.8% of the Plano residents live within a 10-minute walk of a green space — over 10% more than the state-wide average, compared with the 32% statewide.
Seniors looking to take advantage of Plano’s proximity to nature should check out some of the city’s most popular green spaces, including Arbor Hills Nature Preserve and Oak Point Park and Nature Preserve.
5. Garland
Our top five rounds out with Garland, located northeast of Dallas, which stands out for its affordability. Its percentage of cost-burdened senior households, median rent and senior poverty rate all fall below statewide levels.
Want to save even more money in Garland? Check out some of the city’s (free!) public art, including beautiful murals and a newly installed, 20-foot-long cowboy hat sculpture downtown.
How Do Texas Cities Compare for Retirement?
While we’ve highlighted five standout cities, it’s important to remember that finding the best place to retire is a personal decision. Consider what factors matter most to you, and then check out our full set of data to find the perfect Texas city for you to spend your golden years in.
Methodology
The Retirement Living Research Team identified the best cities to retire in in Texas by evaluating cities with populations of at least 90,000. In each category metric, the top-performing city received the highest possible score, while the remaining cities received relative scores. We then combined category scores to calculate an overall score out of 100 points.
- Affordability (40 points): This category includes median rent for each city (15 points), the share of cost-burdened senior households (spending 30% or more of income on housing) (15 points) and the senior poverty rate (10 points). Data came from the U.S. Census Bureau (2024) and Zillow (2025).
- Safety (25 points): This score is based on violent crime (10 points) and property crime (10 points) rates per 1,000 residents, along with each county’s National Risk Index score for 18 natural hazards (5 points). Data came from NeighborhoodScout (2023) and FEMA (2025).
- Livability (25 points): This category includes the share of residents 65 or older (10 points), walkability (7.5 points) and the share of the population living within a 10-minute walk of a green space (7.5 points). Data came from the U.S. Census Bureau (2024) and NYU Langone Health (2024).
- Health care access (10 points): This category includes the number of primary care physicians per 1,000 seniors at the county level (5 points) and the number of inpatient hospitals per 100,000 seniors (5 points). Data came from the Texas Department of State Health Services (2024 and 2025).
Reference policy
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Article Sources
Retirement Living writers primarily rely on government data, industry experts and original research from other reputable publications to inform their work. Specific sources for this article include:
- U.S. Census Bureau, “Explore Census Data.” Accessed Jan. 19, 2026.
- Zillow, “Housing Data.” Accessed Jan. 19, 2026.
- NeighborhoodScout, “NeighborhoodScout.” Accessed Jan. 19, 2026.
- Federal Emergency Management Agency, “National Risk Index Data.” Accessed Jan. 19, 2026.
- NYU Langone Health, “City Health Dashboard.” Accessed Jan. 19, 2026.
- Texas Department of State Health Services, “Health Profession Supply.” Accessed Jan. 19, 2026.
- Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, “Texas Ecoregions.” Accessed Jan. 19, 2026.
- Hotter’N Hell, “History.” Accessed Jan. 19, 2026.
- City of Carrollton, TX, “Senior Center.” Accessed Jan. 19, 2026.
- Plano, TX, “Arbor Hills Nature Preserve.” Accessed Jan. 19, 2026.
- Plano, TX, “Oak Point Park and Nature Preserve.” Accessed Jan. 19, 2026.
- Downtown Garland Development Office, “Public Art.” Accessed Jan. 19, 2026.
- Garland, TX, “Hats Off to Garland’s Big Hat.” Accessed Jan. 19, 2026.