Advantages & Disadvantages of Retiring in Albuquerque

You think about retiring in Albuquerque but want to get additional information about the city, senior life, living costs, housing situation, safety, public infrastructure and much more before making your final decision in this regard?

Great! This article is exactly for you since I will show you the pros and cons of retiring in Albuquerque in the following chapters.

Retire in Albuquerque – Overview

Reasons to Retire in Albuquerque

1. Pensioners in Albuquerque can enjoy nice weather
2. You can experience different seasons in Albuquerque
3. Many nice forests and nature reserves around Albuquerque
4. Retirees in Albuquerque can spend lots of time outdoors
5. You can stay fit as a retiree in Albuquerque
6. Albuquerque is a rather relaxed city
7. People in Albuquerque are usually tolerant and friendly
8. People who retire in Albuquerque find a decent place to stay rather quickly
9. Rents are still affordable for many pensioners in Albuquerque
10. Living costs in Albuquerque are fairly low
11. Overall financial pressure in Albuquerque is rather low
12. Decent medical infrastructure in Albuquerque
13. Albuquerque is an important city in New Mexico
14. Albuquerque is connected to the world via a big airport
15. Most people in Albuquerque have decent internet connection
16. Traffic is not a big problem in Albuquerque
17. Albuquerque is a multicultural city
18. Albuquerque may still be underrated

Pensioners in Albuquerque can enjoy nice weather

One advantage of retiring in Albuquerque is that you can enjoy nice weather and many hours of sun in this region and this may get you in a much better mood compared to retirees in Chicago or other rainier or colder places.

You can experience different seasons in Albuquerque

While you will be able to enjoy nice and warm summers as a pensioner in Albuquerque, you will also have rather cold winters and this enables you to go skiing or doing other winter sports and may make your retirement life quite interesting since it gives you many options regarding how to spend your leisure.

Many nice forests and nature reserves around Albuquerque

Since you will have many nice forests, lakes and nature reserves around Albuquerque, you can go fishing, hiking and do many other things in nature which are often rather cheap or even for free so you will also be able to do many nice things in the Albuquerque region even if you don’t receive a pretty high pension.

Retirees in Albuquerque can spend lots of time outdoors

Since there are so many things to do in nature, retirees in Albuquerque can also spend lots of time outdoors and get lots of fresh air so they can increase their chances of staying healthy and in shape in the long run.

You can stay fit as a retiree in Albuquerque

Since you will get lots of exercise by spending lots of time outdoors, you can also stay fit as a pensioner in Albuquerque compared to people who just retire in regions where weather is pretty poor and people often spend lots of time indoors.

Albuquerque is a rather relaxed city

Compared to other major cities in the US, Albuquerque is also a rather relaxed place where people are not heavily career-focused but rather want to socialize and meet up with other people so you will have a rather easy time making really good friends in this region.

People in Albuquerque are usually tolerant and friendly

You should also know that Albuquerque is a pretty laid-back city where people are usually friendly and tolerant and you will therefore be welcome as long as you are friendly and tolerant yourself and also willing to adapt to local customs and traditions at least a little bit.

People who retire in Albuquerque find a decent place to stay rather quickly

Another upside to retiring in Albuquerque is that you will also find a solid place to stay rather quickly since housing shortage is not a big problem in Albuquerque yet while people who retire in San Francisco or other more popular places often have a much harder time in this regard.

Rents are still affordable for many pensioners in Albuquerque

Since demand for housing in the Albuquerque region is not as high as in many other big cities, rents are also still affordable for many retirees in Albuquerque and while retirees in Los Angeles and other expensive places often have to spend a big fraction of their pension on housing, you will have much more money left to spend on other things in the Albuquerque region.

Living costs in Albuquerque are fairly low

Compared to other big cities, living costs in Albuquerque are also relatively low and this means that you don’t need a really high pension to be able to afford a decent lifestyle.

Overall financial pressure in Albuquerque is rather low

Thanks to rather low housing and living costs, also overall financial pressure is pretty low in the Albuquerque region and while retirees in Seattle and other more expensive places often have to worry about money, you will have a rather relaxed time from a financial standpoint when retiring in Albuquerque.

Decent medical infrastructure in Albuquerque

Thanks to solid medical infrastructure, you will also find many decent doctors and hospitals in the Albuquerque region and this is really important for you as a retiree since the older you get, the more likely you will be to suffer from serious health conditions that need to be treated in a proper manner so you can stay fit and vital in the long run.

Albuquerque is an important city in New Mexico

Since Albuquerque is the biggest city in New Mexico, it is also a pretty important economic region and will therefore be an important place to work, live and retire for many decades and you therefore don’t have to worry about public infrastructure becoming worse anytime soon.

Albuquerque is connected to the world via a big airport

Another benefit of retiring in Albuquerque is that you will also have a pretty big airport from which it is rather easy to visit your friends in different parts of the US and even if you are no longer able to travel due to several possible health conditions, your loved ones will still have a rather easy time visiting you.

Most people in Albuquerque have decent internet connection

You will also have a pretty decent internet connection in the Albuquerque region and this enables you to stay up-to-date with latest developments as a retiree in Albuquerque and you will also be able to make nice video calls with your family and friends so they will know how you are and this will also help you stay connected to them on an emotional level.

Traffic is not a big problem in Albuquerque

Since Albuquerque is not the most crowded city, traffic is not a big problem yet and it is therefore pretty easy to get from A to B by car in an efficient manner and you will therefore not lose as much time in traffic jams as people who retire in NYC or other more crowded places.

Albuquerque is a multicultural city

Albuquerque is also a pretty multicultural city and people from many different nationalities live together in this interesting place and this also enables you to have many interesting discussions and conversations and can learn a lot about life in general.

Albuquerque may still be underrated

Since Albuquerque has many nice things to offer and is also still a rather cheap place, it may still be underrated and retiring in Albuquerque may therefore make quite a lot of sense for you since you, especially if you don’t receive a really good pension but still want to live a decent lifestyle.

As you can see, there are many reasons for retiring in Albuquerque.

Yet, there are also some drawbacks of retiring in Albuquerque which I want to address for you in the following so you will be better able to decide whether you still want to retire in Albuquerque or rather want to move to a different place instead.

Disadvantages of Retiring in Albuquerque

1. Not many great senior centers in Albuquerque
2. Limited entertainment options in Albuquerque
3. Not many great restaurants in Albuquerque
4. Albuquerque may be too hot for you in summer
5. Albuquerque is a rather landlord-friendly city
6. Many retirees in Albuquerque no longer feel safe
7. Air quality in Albuquerque is not great
8. Social problems are about to get worse in Albuquerque
9. Public transport is not great in Albuquerque
10. Albuquerque is not the most bicycle-friendly city
11. Retirement life may not be great in the suburbs of Albuquerque
12. Many dodgy neighborhoods in the Albuquerque region
13. Water scarcity may become a serious issue
14. Natural disasters may wipe out your home
15. Albuquerque is not the most popular city

Not many great senior centers in Albuquerque

One downside to retiring in Albuquerque is that there are not many great senior centers or other locations where you can socialize in Albuquerque and this may lead to a state where you might get socially isolated, especially if you are an introvert who doesn’t like to start conversations and you may therefore feel pretty lonely in the long run.

Limited entertainment options in Albuquerque

You should also know that Albuquerque is not the most exciting city.

In fact, there are not many great sports teams, prestigious museums or other things you may be used to from other big cities and compared to people retiring in Phoenix or other more exciting places, you may get bored as a retiree in Albuquerque rather soon.

Not many great restaurants in Albuquerque

While you will find some decent restaurants in the Albuquerque region, there are still not as many great culinary locations in Albuquerque compared to many other bigger cities and you may therefore run out of ideas in this regard rather quickly.

Albuquerque may be too hot for you in summer

While many people like the heat, others can’t stand it and if you belong to the second group of people, you may not want to retire in Albuquerque due to hot summers and may be better off retiring in Milwaukee or other cooler regions.

Albuquerque is a rather landlord-friendly city

You should also know that Albuquerque is a rather landlord-friendly place and this means that your rights as a tenant will be rather limited and your landlord may also increase rent significantly within a rather short period of time and you will often not have many options to reject those things.

Many retirees in Albuquerque no longer feel safe

Since crime rates are pretty high in the Albuquerque region, many people who retire in Albuquerque also no longer feel safe in this region and this may also greatly lower overall quality of life in the long run.

Air quality in Albuquerque is not great

You should also know that Albuquerque is a city with pretty poor air quality and by retiring in Albuquerque, you will be at higher risk of suffering from serious pulmonary problems compared to people living in Virginia Beach or other regions with better air quality.

Social problems are about to get worse in Albuquerque

The city of Albuquerque also has to deal with many social problems and the gap between the poor and the rich is about to increase significantly.

Consequently, you may be confronted with poverty on a regular basis and this is not a nice picture at all and may also lead to even higher crime rates in the long run.

Public transport is not great in Albuquerque

Another downside to retiring in Albuquerque is that public transport is not great in this city and you may therefore need a car to get around in an efficient manner which is not only a problem for our environment but may also become a serious problem once you get older and are no longer able to drive a car in a safe manner.

Albuquerque is not the most bicycle-friendly city

You should also know that Albuquerque is not a very bicycle-friendly city and distances are also pretty long outside the city center so you may not be able to solely rely on your car and may rather need a car to get from A to B in an efficient manner.

Retirement life may not be great in the suburbs of Albuquerque

Since public infrastructure gets worse in the outskirts of Albuquerque, also overall senior life gets much more exhausting since with worse public infrastructure, everything gets much more exhausting and you may also be less mobile if you are not able to afford a decent place to stay near the center of Albuquerque.

Many dodgy neighborhoods in the Albuquerque region

Another disadvantage of retiring in Albuquerque is that you may also end up in a pretty dodgy neighborhood and may just not feel welcome and safe which may really lower your overall quality of life as a retiree in Albuquerque.

Water scarcity may become a serious issue

Since Albuquerque is a pretty hot place, water scarcity may become a serious problem due to climate change and in case the city runs out of drinking water, overall quality of life would drop significantly and many people would leave the Albuquerque region.

Natural disasters may wipe out your home

Albuquerque may also be vulnerable to wildfires or other natural disasters and if you are not careful, you may not only lose your home but even your life to those unpleasant events.

Albuquerque is not the most popular city

You should also keep in mind that Albuquerque is not the most popular city and many of your loved ones may not understand your decision of retiring in Albuquerque and you may have to spend lots of time convincing your family and friends in this regard.

Top 10 Retiring in Albuquerque Pros & Cons – Summary List

Is Albuquerque A Good Place To Retire?

While retiring in Albuquerque can be a great idea since living and housing costs are fairly low and you will have decent medical infrastructure and solid supply of material goods, you should also know that Albuquerque is not the safest city and many retirees also get bored in this region sooner or later.

Alternative Cities To Retire

If you don’t want to retire in Albuquerque, you should also have a look at the following articles:

Advantages and disadvantages of retiring in Las Vegas

Advantages and disadvantages of retiring in Baltimore

Advantages and disadvantages of retiring in Memphis

Sources

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/albuquerquecitynewmexico

Own research.

About the author

This site is about living, moving and traveling to various parts of our fascinating planet.

My name is Andreas and when I was younger, I traveled the world and learned a lot about different cultures and countries.

Thus, I want to share my experiences with you so you can benefit from them and avoid common mistakes in this regard.

In my articles, you will find everything you need to find the best location for a happy and successful life.