Advantages & Disadvantages of Retiring in Tucson

You think about retiring in Tucson but want to get additional information on senior life, living costs, housing situation, safety, entertainment, public transport, medical infrastructure and much more?

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

Retire in Tucson – Overview

Reasons to Retire in Tucson

1. Living costs in Tucson are moderately low
2. Rents are still affordable for many retirees in Tucson
3. Housing shortage is not a big problem for pensioners in Tucson yet
4. Rather low overall financial pressure for people who retire in Tucson
5. People in Tucson can enjoy great summers
6. Mild winters are attractive to many pensioners in Tucson
7. Retirees in Tucson can spend lots of time outdoors
8. Pensioners in Tucson can stay fit
9. Decent bars in Tucson
10. You will find many solid restaurants
11. Tucson is a bicycle-friendly place
12. Tucson is a rather relaxed city
13. Traffic is not a big problem in Tucson yet
14. Many recreational spaces in Tucson
15. Tucson is well-connected to the world
16. Decent internet connection in Tucson
17. Tucson has decent air quality
18. You can make nice day trips to Mexico
19. Solid doctors and hospitals in the Tucson region

Living costs in Tucson are moderately low

One advantage of retiring in Tucson is that living costs are pretty low compared to most other big cities in the US and while people who retire in San José or other more expensive places have to spend lots of money on drinks and many other things of daily life, you will have a rather relaxed time as a retiree in Tucson in this regard.

Rents are still affordable for many retirees in Tucson

Not only living costs are fairly low, but also rents are still affordable for most retirees in Tucson while retirees in San Francisco and many other more expensive places really struggle to find a decent and affordable place to stay.

Housing shortage is not a big problem for pensioners in Tucson yet

Also overall demand for housing is rather low and you will therefore find a decent place to stay as a pensioner in Tucson rather quickly while this might be much harder for retirees in Seattle or other more popular regions.

Rather low overall financial pressure for people who retire in Tucson

Thanks to rather low living and housing costs, retirees in Tucson also don’t have to deal with high financial pressure in general and can rather spend their lives in a pretty relaxed manner since they don’t have to worry much about money or financial problems related to high costs in this region.

People in Tucson can enjoy great summers

Tucson is also a pretty sunny place and retiring in Tucson can therefore make quite a lot of sense in case you love the heat and can’t stand retiring in Chicago or other colder places.

Mild winters are attractive to many pensioners in Tucson

Not only summers are great, but also winters are pretty mild in the Tucson region.

In fact, on many winter days, you will be able to spend time outdoors with just a shirt while people retiring in Milwaukee or other colder regions often have to wear heavy coats.

Retirees in Tucson can spend lots of time outdoors

Thanks to good weather, you will also have an incentive to spend lots of time outdoors in the Tucson region and this enables you to get lots of fresh air which may increase your chances of staying healthy in the long run.

Pensioners in Tucson can stay fit

Since you can spend so much time outdoors, chances are that you will also stay fit and in shape as a retiree in Tucson and may also be able to increase your life expectancy due to that.

Decent bars in Tucson

Another upside to retiring in Tucson is that you will also find decent bars and other places where you can socialize with other people of your age and can discuss what’s going on in the world right now and can adjust important decisions accordingly.

You will find many solid restaurants

Not only will you find solid bars, but you will also have a number of good restaurants in the Tucson region where you can try many delicious foods, at least if you have enough money to do so.

Tucson is a bicycle-friendly place

You should also know that Tucson is a pretty bicycle-friendly place and you can therefore use your bike for many short distances which can be great since you can do good for our environment and can also save lots of money on gas in the long run.

Tucson is a rather relaxed city

Another benefit of retiring in Tucson is that it is a pretty relaxed city where people are not as career-focused and busy as in many other bigger cities and will therefore be more likely to help you out in case you need assistance in various parts of life.

Traffic is not a big problem in Tucson yet

Since Tucson is not the most crowded city, you will also not have to deal with traffic jams as often as people who retire in Denver or other big metropolitan regions where you will get stuck and lose lots of time in traffic jams on a regular basis.

Many recreational spaces in Tucson

There are also many parks and other recreational spaces in Tucson and this enables you to spend many nice hours in quiet environments without getting distracted by annoying people or loud noises.

Tucson is well-connected to the world

Since Tucson has a big airport, the city is also well-connected to the world and your loved ones will have a pretty easy time visiting you and chances are that you will have many guests and will never feel lonely.

Decent internet connection in Tucson

Thanks to the good internet connection you will have in Tucson, you can also make many video calls or use social media to stay connected to your family and friends and can also get the latest news in real-time so you will always know what’s going on in the world.

Tucson has decent air quality

Since Tucson also has pretty good air quality, you will be at lower risk of suffering from serious pulmonary problems compared to people who retire in more polluted areas on average.

You can make nice day trips to Mexico

Since Tucson is not far away from the Mexican border, you can also make nice day trips to Mexico if you want to experience different cultures which an make your senior life in Tucson much more interesting.

Solid doctors and hospitals in the Tucson region

You will also find decent medical infrastructure in the Tucson region and in case you get sick, you will find someone who will be able to treat your health condition in a proper manner rather quickly.

Now that you know the reasons for retiring in Tucson, we also have to talk about the drawbacks of retiring in Tucson in the following so you will get a more realistic picture of reality and can better decide whether you still want to retire in Tucson or other places instead.

Disadvantages of Retiring in Tucson

1. Tucson may be too hot for many retirees
2. Lack of real seasons may become annoying
3. Many retirees in Tucson no longer feel safe
4. You may end up in a rather dodgy neighborhood
5. Tucson is not located at the coast
6. Water scarcity may become a serious problem in Tucson
7. Social inequality in Tucson is about to get worse
8. Tucson is a landlord-friendly city
9. Natural disasters may destroy your home
10. Tucson is not the most popular city
11. Your loved ones may worry about your well-being in Tucson
12. Public transport in Tucson is not great
13. Pensioners in Tucson may need a car to get around

Tucson may be too hot for many retirees

One problem with retiring in Tucson is that it is a pretty hot place and if you can’t stand the heat, you may be far better off retiring in Detroit or other places where it is far colder on average.

Lack of real seasons may become annoying

Since it is pretty warm in Tucson all year long, you may also get bored with the lack of real seasons and may secretly envy people who retire in Philadelphia or other cooler places where you can have nice summers and pretty cold winters with lots of snow which gives you the opportunity to do many winter sports.

Many retirees in Tucson no longer feel safe

Since crime rates are pretty high in the Tucson region, many pensioners in Tucson no longer feel safe in certain parts of the city and may become increasingly hesitant to leave their homes during nighttime.

You may end up in a rather dodgy neighborhood

If you are not careful, you may also end up in one of the many rather dodgy districts of Tucson and may not feel welcome at all which may greatly lower your overall quality of life in the long run.

Tucson is not located at the coast

Another downside to retiring in Tucson is that the city is not located at the coast and while people living in Long Beach or other places located at the coast are able to enjoy many nice hours at the beach, people retiring in Tucson will just not have this luxury.

Water scarcity may become a serious problem in Tucson

You should also know that Tucson may also run out of water sooner or later and climate change may even speed up this process. Consequently, once Tucson runs out of drinking water, public infrastructure may collapse and many people may leave this region.

Social inequality in Tucson is about to get worse

Another disadvantage of retiring in Tucson is that you will also have to deal with poverty on a daily basis and this is not only not a nice picture but may also lead to all sorts of social problems and may further increase crime rates in the long run.

Tucson is a landlord-friendly city

You should also keep in mind that Tucson is a rather landlord-friendly city where landlords can increase rents significantly within a rather short period of time and you may therefore no longer be able to pay rent and may get evicted sooner or later.

Natural disasters may destroy your home

As a retiree in Tucson, you also have to worry about wildfires, storms and other natural disasters that may destroy your home and you may even lose your life if you are unlucky and not careful enough.

Tucson is not the most popular city

Tucson also doesn’t have the highest reputation and many of your friends will therefore not understand your decision of retiring in Tucson and you may have to explain yourself quite a lot which may become really annoying sooner or later.

Your loved ones may worry about your well-being in Tucson

Since Tucson is not the safest city, your loved ones may also worry about your well-being quite a lot and by moving to Virginia Beach or other safer places instead of retiring in Tucson, you might be able to take away this emotional burden from your family and friends.

Public transport in Tucson is not great

You should also know that public transport in Tucson is not great, especially outside the city center and this can become a real issue since you will be less mobile compared to people who retire in regions with better public infrastructure.

Pensioners in Tucson may need a car to get around

Since public transport is pretty poor, you may also urgently need a car to get around in Tucson in a proper manner and this may become a real issue once you get older and are no longer able to drive in a safe manner anymore.

Top 10 Retiring in Tucson Pros & Cons – Summary List

Is Tucson A Good Place To Retire?

While retiring in Tucson can make a lot of sense since living and housing costs are still rather low and retirees in Tucson find most things they need close to their homes, you should also know that Tucson is not the safest city, public transport is not great and Tucson may also simply be too hot for you.

Alternative Cities To Retire

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

Advantages and disadvantages of retiring in Albuquerque

Advantages and disadvantages of retiring in Baltimore

Advantages and disadvantages of retiring in Memphis

Sources

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

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.