35 Affordable Waterfront Retirement Towns

UPDATED September, 2021, plus seven bonus towns added! Living near the water is a lifelong dream for many people. So when retirement time arrives, moving to a lakeside town, riverfront hamlet or seaside community is a natural inclination. The trick is to find a place to retire near the water that is reasonably priced.

Here we have 35 towns (plus seven bonus towns) that sit next to a lake, have a lake within their boundaries or are along a river or a seacoast. They have a cost of living that meets the national average or is below the national average as determined primarily by housing costs.

No place is perfect, however, so we point out each town's potential drawbacks. We also look at population, climate, home prices, percentage of residents age 45 or better, medical facilities, public transportation, crime rates, political leanings and more! Reviews are short and to the point for quick reading.