Los Angeles

California One Of The Worst Places To Retire In The US

December 2, 2021 / 2:51 PM PST / KCAL News

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LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — The Golden State is probably not the best place to spend one's golden years.

An elderly man hits a golf ball at the Presidio Golf Course in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Thursday, June 21, 2018. The Labor Department rule, aka the fiduciary rule conceived by the Obama administration, was meant to ensure that advisers put their clients' financial interests ahead of their own when recommending retirement investments has been killed by the Trump administration. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images

While California boasts bustling cities, beautiful beaches, majestic mountains and excellent health care, it also comes at a high price. California is one of the most expensive places to live in the country, second only to Hawaii.

Retirees on a fixed income should also be aware that California fully taxes most forms of retirement income at high rates. Additionally, retirees might find California's sales taxes too steep.

California's high cost of housing is also a concern, for workers and retirees alike. The "Retirement Living Guide" says both independent housing and senior care facilities are very expensive in California.

And then there's climate change. California is experiencing more frequent droughts that lead to dry conditions and high fire danger all year round.

So where can a retiree on a budget go, if not California? According to GoBankingRates, the top three states where one can retire for less than $45,000 a year are Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.