35 Affordable Waterfront Retirement Towns

UPDATED in August, 2024, and five 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 reasonably priced place near the water. Here we have 35 U.S. towns (plus five 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 is close to the national average (some have costs slightly above the national average, but most have costs below it). We look at housing prices, population, median income, climate, percentage of residents age 45 or better, medical facilities, public transportation, political leanings and more. No place is perfect, however, so we also point out each town's potential drawbacks. Reviews are short and to the point for quick reading.