America's 15 Most Expensive Desert Cities for Retirees
The nation's most desirable desert cities are, not surprisingly, quite expensive if you're considering them for retirement. According to an in-house MoneyLion study, it costs $2,500 or more per month after Social Security to live in Palm Springs, Scottsdale and 13 more senior-friendly enclaves.
For this study, we analyzed existing rankings of America's most expensive desert cities from media outlets including "Travel + Leisure" and "NewsBreak." Key factors sourced included the population ages 65 and over, average household income and livability along with the monthly cost of living before Social Security.
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We then subtracted the average monthly Social Security income for a retired worker ($2,075, according to the Social Security Administration) to determine the total monthly cost of living for retirees. The most to least expensive cities are ranked accordingly. For the purposes of this piece, we only kept the desert cities with a monthly cost of living of $2,500 or greater after Social Security.
See which desert cities rank among the most expensive for retirees.
1. Indian Wells, California
Population 65+ (%): 56.6%
Median household income: $162,990
Cost of living monthly: $11,625
Cost of living monthly after Social Security: $9,550
Livability: 52
2. Rancho Mirage, California
Population 65+ (%): 52.6%
Median household income: $107,364
Cost of living monthly: $7,605
Cost of living monthly after Social Security: $5,531
Livability: 49
3. Palm Springs, California
Population 65+ (%): 35.3%
Median household income: $73,119
Cost of living monthly: $7,155
Cost of living monthly after Social Security: $5,081
Livability: 65
4. Sedona, Arizona
Population 65+ (%): 35.5%
Median household income: $73,738
Cost of living monthly: $7,032
Cost of living monthly after Social Security: $4,958
Livability: 66
5. Scottsdale, Arizona
Population 65+ (%): 26.4%
Median household income: $110,886
Cost of living monthly: $7,029
Cost of living monthly after Social Security: $4,955
Livability: 82
6. La Quinta, California
Population 65+ (%): 31.6%
Median household income: $99,250
Cost of living monthly: $6,092
Cost of living monthly after Social Security: $4,018
Livability: 57
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7. Bend, Oregon
Population 65+ (%): 18.1%
Median household income: $96,394
Cost of living monthly: $5,745
Cost of living monthly after Social Security: $3,670
Livability: 84
8. Bishop, California
Population 65+ (%): 28.1%
Median household income: $83,686
Cost of living monthly: $5,272
Cost of living monthly after Social Security: $3,197
Livability: 71
9. Santa Fe, New Mexico
Population 65+ (%): 26.2%
Median household income: $73,482
Cost of living monthly: $4,892
Cost of living monthly after Social Security: $2,818
Livability: 74
10. Moab, Utah
Population 65+ (%): 17.7%
Median household income: $61,667
Cost of living monthly: $4,784
Cost of living monthly after Social Security: $2,710
Livability: 70
11. Missoula, Montana
Population 65+ (%): 15%
Median household income: $70,392
Cost of living monthly: $4,782
Cost of living monthly after Social Security: $2,707
Livability: 80
12. Palisade, Colorado
Population 65+ (%): 26.5%
Median household income: $80,587
Cost of living monthly: $4,744
Cost of living monthly after Social Security: $2,669
Livability: 72
13. Saint George, Utah
Population 65+ (%): 21.8%
Median household income: $76,508
Cost of living monthly: $4,689
Cost of living monthly after Social Security: $2,615
Livability: 79
14. Cathedral City, California
Population 65+ (%): 19%
Median household income: $73,572
Cost of living monthly: $4,684
Cost of living monthly after Social Security: $2,610
Livability: 62
15. Indio, California
Population 65+ (%): 18.6%
Median household income: $77,167
Cost of living monthly: $4,647
Cost of living monthly after Social Security: $2,573
Livability: 57
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Methodology: For this study, we analyzed desert cities across the U.S. to find the most expensive places to retire. Desert cities were identified using TheMunselleGroup.com's Desert Cities Map, USAWelcome.net's Explore USA Desert Cities, TravelandLeisure.com's Best Desert Towns Around in the US, BestLifeOnline.com's Best Desert Towns, WorldAtlas.com's 11 Most Charming Desert Towns in America, NewsBreak.com's 20 Desert Towns in the US, TripAdvisor.com's Small Desert Towns, and TheTravel.com's Gorgeous Desert Towns in the US. For each location a number of factors were identified using the U.S. Census's 2024 5-Year ACS including the total population, population ages 65 and over, total households and household median income. The cost of living indexes were sourced from Sperling's BestPlaces and using the national average expenditure costs for retired households, as sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey for retired consumer units, the average expenditure cost can be calculated for each city. The average single family home value was sourced from Zillow Home Value Index for January 2026. Assuming a 10% down payment and using the national average 30-year fixed mortgage rate of 5.98%, as sourced from the Federal Reserve Economic Data on March 2nd, 2026, the average mortgage can be calculated for each city. With the average mortgage and expenditure costs, the total cost of living for retirees can be calculated for each city. The average monthly Social Security income was sourced from the Social Security Administration's monthly statistical snapshot for January 2026 and using the average monthly cost of living, the total cost of living for retirees after Social Security income can be calculated for each city. The cities were sorted to show the most expensive desert cities for retirees first. All data is up to date as of March 2nd, 2026.
This article was provided by MoneyLion.com for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal or tax advice.
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