18 Affordable Southwestern Retirement Towns

UPDATED July, 2024! With its abundant sunshine, striking natural landscapes and relaxed lifestyle, the Southwestern United States is a wonderful place to retire. Unfortunately, many towns in the Southwest are expensive. Places such as Flagstaff, Arizona and Georgetown, Texas are often hailed as great places to retire, but they have living costs well above the national average. Here, though, are 18 reasonably priced Southwestern towns with living costs close to the national average (some are slightly above the national average but most are below). Some of these towns are fairly well known, while others are still off the national radar. All of these places have safe neighborhoods, recreational and/or cultural amenities, a local or nearby public library and local or nearby accredited medical facilities. Each also has a welcoming quality that makes it a desirable place to live. No one place is perfect, however, so we take a look at each town's drawbacks as well. Reviews are short for quick reading.