Advantages & Disadvantages of Retiring in San Antonio

You think about retiring in San Antonio but want to get additional information about the city, entertainment options, housing situation, living costs, overall quality of life and much more before making your final decision in this regard?

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

Retire in San Antonio – Overview

Reasons to Retire in San Antonio

1. Great weather in San Antonio
2. Pensioners can spend lots of time outdoors
3. You can spend lots of time in nature
4. San Antonio is not the most hectic city
5. Retirees find many recreational spaces to relax
6. Retirees find most things they need within walking distance
7. Good medical infrastructure in San Antonio
8. San Antonio will likely have a bright future
9. Enough senior centers in San Antonio
10. Many nice bars to hang out with other people of your age
11. You will find many decent restaurants in San Antonio
12. Many sports teams in the San Antonio region
13. You will have more than enough things to do as a retiree in San Antonio
14. Living costs in San Antonio are relatively low
15. Relatively easy to find a decent place to stay as a retiree
16. Pensioners often don’t have to spend lots of money on housing
17. San Antonio has solid air quality
18. Good internet connection in San Antonio
19. Easy to get to San Antonio

Great weather in San Antonio

One upside to retiring in San Antonio is that you can experience really great weather for the majority of the year and this gives you the opportunity to enjoy many hours of sun and if you are a sun lover, chances are that you will be far better off retiring in San Diego compared to retiring in Chicago or other colder places.

Pensioners can spend lots of time outdoors

Thanks to the good weather, retirees also have the opportunity to spend lots of time outdoors and this can not only be great for your mood but you will also be able to get lots of fresh air and can also stay fit in the long run.

You can spend lots of time in nature

Since there are many lakes and forests surrounding San Diego, you can also go fishing and do many other things in nature and you can therefore spend many hours in natural environments which helps you reload your batteries and also makes it more likely that you stay fit and vital.

San Antonio is not the most hectic city

Compared to NYC or L.A., San Antonio is also not the most hectic city and you can meet many laid-back people and can spend your retirement in a more relaxed atmosphere in general compared to cities where people are often in a rush and are more career-focused.

Retirees find many recreational spaces to relax

You will also find more than enough green spaces, parks and other recreational areas where you can have a nice time and relax as a retiree.

For instance, you can just sit down on a bench in a park and watch squirrels, pigeons and other animals around you and this can be quite interesting and also a lot of fun for retirees who don’t have many other things to do or don’t have the money to spend on leisure activities.

Retirees find most things they need within walking distance

Another advantage of retiring in San Antonio is that you will find most things you need for daily life within walking distance around your home and this can be great for retirees since many of them can’t walk long distances anymore and need to have everything they need close to their homes in case of emergency.

Good medical infrastructure in San Antonio

Also doctors and hospitals are pretty decent in the San Antonio region and in case you get sick, you can be sure to find proper medical treatment and doctors who will often be able to cure your health condition in an efficient manner so you can recover as quickly as possible.

San Antonio will likely have a bright future

Since San Antonio is one of the biggest cities in Texas, it is also pretty important for the state and chances are that lots of money will be invested in public infrastructure projects which is great news for you as a retiree since you can significantly benefit from those developments.

Enough senior centers in San Antonio

There are also more than enough senior centers and other locations where you can meet up with other pensioners and can play parlor games and also discuss many things that are going on in the world right now and this can be great since you will never get bored in this regard and can have a great time with other like-minded people of your age.

Many nice bars to hang out with other people of your age

You will also have many bars to hang out with your fellow pensioners and can have nice drinks while socializing with your peers at the same time so you can maintain your social contacts and don’t become socially isolated in the long run.

You will find many decent restaurants in San Antonio

There are also many nice restaurants where you can enjoy delicious meals in San Antonio and this is really important for pensioners since eating out is often one of their highlights of the day since they are often no longer fit enough to do sports or other nice things and at least want to have delicious meals to stay motivated.

Many sports teams in the San Antonio region

Retiring in San Antonio can also make sense in case you are a sports fan since you can watch many games in person and have also many sports to choose from so you will never get bored in this regard.

You will have more than enough things to do as a retiree in San Antonio

In general, you will have more than enough entertainment and things to do in San Antonio as a retiree and chances are that you will be able to spend your time in a pretty interesting manner and will never get bored with your life in San Antonio.

Living costs in San Antonio are relatively low

Compared to other major cities in the US, living costs in San Antonio are also moderately low and this allows many retirees to afford a decent lifestyle while people living in Los Angeles or other more expensive regions often struggle much more in this regard.

Relatively easy to find a decent place to stay as a retiree

Another benefit of retiring in San Antonio is that housing shortage is not a big problem yet and this means that most pensioners find a decent place to stay rather soon and don’t have to search for many months as is often the case for people moving to more popular regions where housing shortage is a much bigger issue.

Pensioners often don’t have to spend lots of money on housing

Since demand for housing in San Antonio is not as high as in many other metropolitan regions, rents are also relatively low and pensioners in San Antonio don’t have to spend lots of money on housing and have more money left to spend on other nice things.

San Antonio has solid air quality

Compared to other major cities, air quality in San Antonio is pretty decent and this can be great for you as a retiree in case you already suffer from pulmonary problems and search for a place where you can recover and also don’t want to make things even worse.

Good internet connection in San Antonio

Since most people in San Antonio have a pretty good internet connection, you can stay connected to the world and can get the latest news in real-time.

Moreover, a good internet connection also allows you to make video calls with your loved ones and to stay in touch with your family and friends.

Easy to get to San Antonio

Since San Antonio has a big airport, people from all over the world have an easy time visiting you and chances are that you will have many guests and will never feel lonely due to that as a retiree in San Antonio.

Now that you know the reasons for moving to San Antonio, we also have to talk about the drawbacks of retiring in San Antonio so you will be better able to decide whether you still want to retire in San Antonio or rather want to retire in a different place instead.

Disadvantages of Retiring in San Antonio

1. San Antonio may be too hot for many retirees
2. Lack of real seasons may become annoying
3. San Antonio is not located at the coast
4. Crime rates in San Antonio are above national average
5. You may not feel safe in some parts of the city
6. Rather poor public transport in San Antonio
7. San Antonio is not the most bicycle-friendly city
8. You may need to rely on your car to get around in San Antonio
9. San Antonio is not the most exciting city
10. Increasing level of inequality in San Antonio
11. Traffic is a big problem in San Antonio
12. San Antonio is a landlord-friendly place

San Antonio may be too hot for many retirees

One problem with retiring in San Antonio is that this place may simply be too hot for you.

In fact, while summers are great and sunny, you should know that temperatures may exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit and if you already suffer from health conditions, chances are that you may not be able to deal well with the heat and that you may even faint sooner or later.

Lack of real seasons may become annoying

Since it is pretty warm in San Antonio all year long, you may also get bored and annoyed with the weather in San Antonio sooner or later and may envy people living in Milwaukee or other places where it can get pretty cold in winter while summers are still warm.

San Antonio is not located at the coast

Since San Antonio is not located at the coast, you will also not have the same opportunities to go swimming or relax at the beach compared to people moving to Long Beach or other cities near the coast and this may greatly lower your overall quality of life as a pensioner in the long run.

Crime rates in San Antonio are above national average

Another downside to retiring in San Antonio is that it is not the safest city and crime rates in San Antonio are significantly above national average.

In fact, there had been many unpleasant incidents in the past and your loved ones may therefore not understand your decision of retiring in San Antonio.

You may not feel safe in some parts of the city

Many retirees also no longer feel safe in certain parts of the city and may also rather stay at home at night instead of going out which may lead to some sort of social isolation in the long run.

Rather poor public transport in San Antonio

You should also know that public transport in San Antonio is pretty poor compared to other major cities and this is bad news for you as a retiree since it makes it much harder to get around in an efficient manner.

San Antonio is not the most bicycle-friendly city

San Antonio is also not a bicycle-friendly city and this means that you will often not be able to get around by bicycle in an efficient manner.

In turn, chances are that you will also not stay as fit as people living in San Francisco or other regions where getting around by bike is much easier.

You may need to rely on your car to get around in San Antonio

Since you will have problems getting around by bicycle and public transport, especially if you don’t live close to the city center, you may need a car to get around which is bad news for you as a pensioner since many old people are no longer able to operate a car in a safe manner and rather want to rely on alternative means of transport due to that.

San Antonio is not the most exciting city

While there are many things to do in San Antonio, you will still not get the same feeling of big city life as in NYC or other more vibrant places and if you are a retiree who is still fit and wants to have action all day and night long, chances are that you will be better off moving other cities instead.

Increasing level of inequality in San Antonio

Another disadvantage of retiring in San Antonio is that you will also experience an increasing level of inequality.

In fact, many people in San Antonio live below the poverty line and this may lead to all sorts of social problems in the long run and is also just not a nice picture.

Traffic is a big problem in San Antonio

Like in many other big cities, traffic is a big problem in San Antonio and traffic jams are quite common.

Consequently, you may lose lots of time when going by car while people living in St. Louis or other smaller towns don’t have to worry in this regard much.

San Antonio is a landlord-friendly place

You should also keep in mind that San Antonio is a rather landlord-friendly place and that your rights as a tenant are rather limited and you may therefore always have to worry about losing your home and may also have to deal with significant rent hikes.

Top 10 Retiring in San Antonio Pros & Cons – Summary List

Is San Antonio A Good Place To Retire?

Retiring in San Antonio can be great since you can enjoy nice weather, good medical infrastructure and you will just find most things you need to live a happy life in this region while housing and living costs are still affordable for the average pensioner. However, you should also know that San Antonio is not the safest city and that it may simply be too hot for you.

Alternative Cities To Retire

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

Advantages and disadvantages of retiring in Houston

Advantages and disadvantages of retiring in Phoenix

Advantages and disadvantages of retiring in Philadelphia

Sources

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/sanantoniocitytexas/POP060210

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.