Advantages & Disadvantages of Retiring in Los Angeles

You think about retiring in Los Angeles but want to get additional information about the city, overall quality of life, living costs, housing situation, public transport and many other important things before making your final decision in this regard?

Great! Stick with me since I will show you the pros and cons of retiring in Los Angeles in the following chapters.

Retire in Los Angeles – Overview

Reasons to Retire in Los Angeles

1. Many good doctors and hospitals in Los Angeles
2. Pensioners can rely on public transport to get around
3. You will find most things for daily life within walking distance
4. Many senior centers in Los Angeles
5. Easy to socialize in Los Angeles
6. Many entertainment options in L.A.
7. Los Angeles has many interesting bars
8. You can try really good restaurants
9. Pensioners can enjoy nice summers
10. Winters are relatively mild in Los Angeles
11. Retirees can spend lots of time outdoors
12. You can enjoy lots of beautiful nature
13. Excellent internet connection in Los Angeles
14. Your family and friends have an easy time visiting you in L.A.
15. People in Los Angeles live a pretty healthy lifestyle
16. You will never get bored in L.A.
17. Los Angeles will stay important for many decades
18. Your loved ones will envy and admire you for retiring in L.A.
19. Overall high quality of life

Many good doctors and hospitals in Los Angeles

One advantage of retiring in Los Angeles is that you will find more than enough excellent doctors and hospitals and in case you get sick, you can be sure that you will get the best medical treatment possible and this can be really important for pensioners since their risk of suffering from serious health conditions is far higher compared to the average person and having good medical support is crucial for this age group.

Pensioners can rely on public transport to get around

Since public transport is pretty decent close to the city center, you can also get around by bus or train in a pretty efficient manner and this can be great for you as a pensioner since you will not have to rely on your car to get around and this can also be pretty convenient in case your vision becomes worse and you are simply no longer able to drive a car in a safe manner.

You will find most things for daily life within walking distance

Thanks to excellent public infrastructure, pensioners in L.A. also find most things they need within walking distance and this can be great in case you are no longer mobile anymore and every step hurts so you can minimize walking distances and still get everything you need to live a decent life.

Many senior centers in Los Angeles

Another upside to retiring in Los Angeles is that there are many senior centers where you can hang out with other pensioners, play parlor games and do many other fun things so you will never feel lonely and can connect to many different people in a playful manner.

Easy to socialize in Los Angeles

In general, since most people in L.A. are open and friendly and other pensioners have lots of time to talk to you, you can make many new friends within a rather short period of time and can also socialize on various occasions of daily life in a rather easy and relaxed manner.

Many entertainment options in L.A.

L.A. is also a city where you will find more than enough entertainment.

Not only will you have many great sports teams, but you can also just hang out at the beach, go to the movies, have a night at the opera and do many other nice things you may be used to from other big cities and you will just never run out of ideas in this regard.

Los Angeles has many interesting bars

There are also more than enough great bars to hang out with your fellow pensioners so you will have a much easier time connecting to other people compared to people living in St. Louis or other smaller towns where the number of great bars is rather limited.

You can try really good restaurants

Since there are many different cultural influences in Los Angeles, you can also try many great restaurants and many delicious foods in this region and this can make your life as a retiree just much better since you can really enjoy all the little things in life and can have a great time.

Pensioners can enjoy nice summers

Another benefit of retiring in Los Angeles is that you will have pretty warm and sunny summers while many other people living in Chicago or in other colder regions will often envy you in this regard.

Winters are relatively mild in Los Angeles

Not only will you be able to enjoy great summers, but also winters are relatively mild in L.A. and this can be great for you as a pensioner since warm weather may be great for your spine and may lower your risk of suffering from physical health problems.

Retirees can spend lots of time outdoors

Thanks to the good weather you will experience all year long, you can also spend lots of time outdoors and can also get lots of fresh air which may keep you fit and vital in the long run.

You can enjoy lots of beautiful nature

Los Angeles does not only have beautiful beaches, but you will also find many nice national parks and nature reserves in this region and can therefore make many nice day trips to enjoy your leisure as best as possible.

Excellent internet connection in Los Angeles

Since people in Los Angeles have excellent internet connections, it will also be pretty easy for you to stay in touch with your loved ones since you can just make many video calls and also use social media to share your experiences so your family and friends will know that you are fine and can also help you in case you need assistance in various parts of life.

Your family and friends have an easy time visiting you in L.A.

Since Los Angeles has a big international airport, your loved ones will also have a pretty easy time visiting you in this region and chances are that you will never run out of guests and will never feel lonely.

People in Los Angeles live a pretty healthy lifestyle

Since people in Los Angeles live a pretty healthy lifestyle on average compared to the rest of the US, you will also find many grocery stores selling pretty healthy food and this can help you stay fit and full of energy in the long run.

You will never get bored in L.A.

Since there are so many things to do, chances are that you will also never get bored as a pensioner in Los Angeles and will have more than enough exciting stuff to do in your leisure so you can really enjoy the last years of your life in this beautiful region.

Los Angeles will stay important for many decades

Since Los Angeles is one of the biggest cities in the US and population has been growing significantly over the past decades, chances are that L.A. will stay an important place to live for many years to come and you will therefore find everything you need for many decades and don’t have to worry about public infrastructure becoming worse.

Your loved ones will envy and admire you for retiring in L.A.

When you tell your loved ones about your plans of retiring in Los Angeles, many of them will also really envy and admire you and may secretly want to change places with you which will give you a pretty high social standing among your peers.

Overall high quality of life

In general, L.A. can be a great place to retire since overall quality of life is pretty high and pensioners find everything they need to live a great and convenient life in this region and will often not miss anything to stay happy in the long run.

Now that you know the reasons for retiring in Los Angeles, we also have to talk about the drawbacks of retiring in L.A. so you can better decide whether you still want to retire in Los Angeles or rather want to spend the last years of your life in a different region instead.

Disadvantages of Retiring in Los Angeles

1. Many pensioners no longer feel safe in Los Angeles
2. Social problems are about to get worse
3. Rents and property prices have skyrocketed over the past decade
4. Living costs are pretty high in L.A.
5. Many pensioners really struggle to make a living in this region
6. High financial pressure may lead to mental problems
7. Medical treatment can be pretty expensive
8. Rather poor air quality in Los Angeles
9. Beaches become increasingly polluted
10. Retirees in L.A. often have to live in rather dodgy neighborhoods
11. Many pensioners have to deal with poverty in L.A.
12. Los Angeles can be a pretty hectic city
13. Traffic can be a nightmare in L.A.
14. Public transport gets worse outside the city center
15. Los Angeles is not the most bicycle-friendly city
16. L.A. may be too hot for many pensioners

Many pensioners no longer feel safe in Los Angeles

One downside to retiring in L.A. is that crime rates are pretty high in the Los Angeles metropolitan area and many people just no longer feel safe in this region which may greatly lower overall quality of life in the long run.

Social problems are about to get worse

You should also know that the gap between the poor and the rich is getting bigger every year and if this trend continues, this may lead to all sorts of social problems in the Los Angeles region and many retirees may no longer feel safe walking down the streets and social cohesion may deteriorate in general.

Rents and property prices have skyrocketed over the past decade

Since rents and property prices in Los Angeles have skyrocketed over the past decade, many pensioners really struggle to pay rent or mortgage rates on time and many of them really have to worry about getting evicted sooner or later and may end up homeless in the streets.

Living costs are pretty high in L.A.

Not only housing costs are enormous, but also living costs in Los Angeles are far higher than in most other regions of the US and this can really hurt your finances as a retiree in the long run.

Many pensioners really struggle to make a living in this region

Since everything is so expensive, pensioners in L.A. often really struggle to make a decent living in this region and some of them even have to work during retirement age to be able to cover even just basic expenses of daily life while people living in Louisville or other cheaper region don’t have to deal with the same high financial pressure.

High financial pressure may lead to mental problems

Due to high financial pressure many retirees experience in L.A., many pensioners also suffer from serious mental problems in the long run since they always have to worry about their financial future and are barely able to think about anything else so it is really hard to enjoy retirement for them.

Medical treatment can be pretty expensive

While you will have access to excellent medical infrastructure, you should also know that many doctors and hospitals are pretty expensive in the L.A. region and if you don’t have excellent health insurance or a high enough pension, you may just not be able to afford really good medical treatment in this region.

Rather poor air quality in Los Angeles

Another problem with retiring in Los Angeles is that you will have pretty poor air quality in this region and while this may not be a crucial factor for younger people, it can really become a problem for older people since they often have to deal with breathing issues and poor air quality may worsen their health conditions in the long run.

Beaches become increasingly polluted

You should also know that beaches in the L.A. region become increasingly polluted and while hanging out at the beach has been a major thing for pensioners just one decade ago, many retirees now avoid hanging out in those places since it is just no longer a nice picture.

Retirees in L.A. often have to live in rather dodgy neighborhoods

Since Los Angeles is pretty expensive, most retirees are also not able to afford to live in fancy neighborhoods and may end up in rather dodgy districts where they may not feel safe at night at all and may also not feel welcome in general.

Many pensioners have to deal with poverty in L.A.

Many pensioners in L.A. also live below the poverty line and since everything is so expensive, many retirees are just not able to afford any luxury and may have to think twice before spending just a few bucks on coffee or other rather basic things of daily life.

Los Angeles can be a pretty hectic city

Another disadvantage of retiring in Los Angeles is that it is also a pretty hectic city where many things are going on and if you don’t like big city life, you may be better off moving to Santa Ana or other smaller towns instead.

Traffic can be a nightmare in L.A.

You should also not forget that traffic is a big problem in Los Angeles and it is therefore pretty hard to get around by car in an efficient manner so you may lose lots of time in traffic and getting around by car in this region may also cost you lots of nerves in the long run.

Public transport gets worse outside the city center

While public transport is pretty decent close to the city center, it becomes worse in the outskirts of L.A. and if you don’t have the money or just don’t want to live close to the center, you may not be able to rely on public transport in an efficient manner and may have to use your car to get around which may cost you lots of money and is also pretty bad for our environment.

Los Angeles is not the most bicycle-friendly city

You should also keep in mind that L.A. is not the most bicycle-friendly city and many pensioners just don’t feel safe getting around by bike since they fear getting hit by other traffic participants and this may prevent you from staying fit once you get older and also makes it easier for you to get around in general.

L.A. may be too hot for many pensioners

While many people really love the heat, others just can’t stand it and the older you get, the more sensitive you will be to hot weather and once it gets too hot, your body may no longer work properly and you may even faint sooner or later.

Top 10 Retiring in Los Angeles Pros & Cons – Summary List

Is Los Angeles A Good Place To Retire?

While Los Angeles can be a great place to retire since you can hang out at beautiful beaches, will find most things you need within walking distance and can enjoy pretty high quality of life in general, you should also know that living and housing costs are pretty high and many pensioners really struggle to make a living in this region.

Alternative Cities To Retire

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

Advantages and disadvantages of retiring in New York City

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Pittsburgh

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Indianapolis

Sources

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

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.