Advantages & Disadvantages of Retiring in Virginia Beach

You think about where you want to retire and consider retiring in Virginia Beach?

Great! Stick with me since I will show you the pros and cons of retiring in Virginia Beach in the following chapters so you will get lots of information about the city and pensioner life so you will be much better able to decide for yourself whether Virginia Beach may be a great place to retire for you or not.

Retire in Virginia Beach – Overview

Reasons to Retire in Virginia Beach

1. Housing is still relatively affordable in many parts of Virginia Beach
2. Competition in the housing market is not as high as in many other places
3. Virginia Beach is a pretty tolerant place
4. You will be able to meet many other pensioners in Virginia Beach
5. Many free things to do in Virginia Beach
6. Retirees can enjoy lots of time at the beach
7. Pensioners can spend lots of time outdoors
8. Retirees can spend their lives in a pretty relaxed environment
9. Virginia Beach is a pretty safe place
10. Decent public transport near the city center of Virginia Beach
11. Decent medical infrastructure in Virginia Beach
12. You don’t have to worry about running out of important material goods
13. Many parks and other recreational spaces in Virginia Beach
14. You can get around by bicycle in Virginia Beach in a proper manner
15. Virginia Beach is not the most crowded place
16. Rather easy to get to and from Virginia Beach
17. Decent internet connection helps retirees stay in touch with their loved ones
18. Decent future outlook for Virginia Beach
19. Virginia Beach becomes increasingly popular as retirement destination
20. Decent air quality in Virginia Beach
21. You can enjoy real seasons as a retiree in Virginia Beach

Housing is still relatively affordable in many parts of Virginia Beach

One upside to retiring in Virginia Beach is that property prices and rents are still rather affordable in many districts of Virginia Beach so retirees often don’t have to spend a high fraction of their pension on housing but will have more money left to spend on other things compared to people retiring in Los Angeles or other much more expensive places where housing is much more costly.

Competition in the housing market is not as high as in many other places

Not only housing prices are still reasonable but also overall competition in the Virginia Beach housing market is lower than in many other more popular regions and this means that retirees also often find a decent place rather quickly while retirees in NYC or other more crowded places may have to search much longer in this regard.

Virginia Beach is a pretty tolerant place

You should also know that Virginia Beach is a pretty tolerant city where you will be welcome no matter where you come from and can just have a great time among many other like-minded pensioners.

You will be able to meet many other pensioners in Virginia Beach

Since Virginia Beach is pretty popular among retirees, you will also be able to hang out with many people of your age and will be able to get in touch with many interesting people so you can have profound discussions and conversations from which you may be able to learn quite a lot.

Many free things to do in Virginia Beach

Another advantage of retiring in Virginia Beach is that you will find many free things to do.

For instance, you can just hang out in nature without having to pay anything for it so you may be able to save lots of money in the long run to get some relief for your budget.

Retirees can enjoy lots of time at the beach

You can also just hang out at the beach on a regular basis and this may not only be great to relax but it may also help your body to recover from certain health conditions while people retiring in Memphis or other regions not located at the coast just don’t have this luxury.

Pensioners can spend lots of time outdoors

In general, there are just many things to do outdoors for pensioners in Virginia Beach and this can be great since it will keep you fit to a certain extent since you will exercise in a natural and playful manner.

Retirees can spend their lives in a pretty relaxed environment

Since Virginia Beach is a pretty laid-back place, you don’t have to worry about spending your time in a stressful atmosphere.

Instead, most people are pretty relaxed and friendly and you will therefore be able to really enjoy your retirement life in Virginia Beach with many great and like-minded people.

Virginia Beach is a pretty safe place

Another benefit of retiring in Virginia Beach is that it is also a pretty safe region.

In fact, Virginia Beach is often ranked among the safest big cities in the US and you may therefore be at lower risk of getting involved in serious incidents compared to people retiring in Detroit or other regions with much higher crime rates.

Decent public transport near the city center of Virginia Beach

As long as you live close enough to the city center of Virginia Beach, you will also find decent public transport and in case you are no longer able to operate a car in a safe manner once you get older, this can be great for you since you will still be mobile and may be able to get from A to B in an efficient manner.

Decent medical infrastructure in Virginia Beach

Retirees in Virginia Beach also find solid medical infrastructure and as long as you have enough money, you will find many good experts who will be able to treat your health condition in the best possible manner so you may be able to recover as quickly as possible.

You don’t have to worry about running out of important material goods

Thanks to decent public infrastructure, you also don’t have to worry about running out of important things of daily life and will find most things you need pretty close to your home so you don’t have to walk long distances as a retiree in Virginia Beach most of the time.

Many parks and other recreational spaces in Virginia Beach

Virginia Beach may also be a great place to retire since you will find many green spaces and other locations where you can just sit down on a bench and enjoy the atmosphere in a quiet and yet interesting manner so you can hang out in many different places and will always see something new.

You can get around by bicycle in Virginia Beach in a proper manner

Virginia Beach is also a solid place to get around by bicycle and this can be great for you as a retiree in case you are no longer able to drive a car due to various possible reasons and still need a way to get around in a proper manner.

Virginia Beach is not the most crowded place

While Virginia Beach has become pretty popular over the recent past, it is still not the most crowded place yet and you will therefore have more public space for yourself compared to people retiring in Washington D.C. or other much more crowded regions.

Rather easy to get to and from Virginia Beach

Since there are big airports nearby, you will also have a rather easy time getting to Virginia Beach and this can not only be great for you but also for your loved ones from different parts of the country since they will be able to visit you in a pretty easy manner and you may therefore have more company compared to people retiring in smaller places with worse public infrastructure that are harder to reach.

Decent internet connection helps retirees stay in touch with their loved ones

You will also have a pretty good internet connection in Virginia Beach and this may help you stay connected with your loved ones and with your social contact and retirees can also stay up-to-date with latest developments so they will always know what is going on in the world.

Decent future outlook for Virginia Beach

Thanks to rather low crime rates and the many nice things you can do in Virginia Beach, this region will likely stay popular for many years or even decades and you therefore don’t have to worry about too many people leaving Virginia Beach anytime soon.

Virginia Beach becomes increasingly popular as retirement destination

Over the recent past, Virginia Beach has become increasingly popular, not only for retirees but also for the working population and you will therefore be able to meet many interesting people from all over the US and even the world and can just have a great time together.

Decent air quality in Virginia Beach

Compared to many other major cities in the US, Virginia Beach also has pretty decent air quality and this may be great for you as a retiree since air quality is often correlated with the risk of suffering from serious health conditions and the better air quality, the less likely it may be that you will suffer from those unpleasant things.

You can enjoy real seasons as a retiree in Virginia Beach

Since people in Virginia Beach can enjoy hot summers and rather cool winters, you can also experience real seasons as a retiree in Virginia Beach and this may make your life more interesting compared to people retiring in Dallas or other regions where it is just pretty warm all year long.

Now that you know the reasons for retiring in Virginia Beach, we also have to talk about the drawbacks of retirement life in Virginia Beach so you will be better able to decide for yourself whether Virginia Beach may be a great place to retire or if you rather want to retire in San Diego or other interesting places instead.

Disadvantages of Retiring in Virginia Beach

1. Nightlife in Virginia Beach is not as great as in many other big cities
2. Public transport gets worse outside the city center of Virginia Beach
3. High living costs are a problem for many retirees in Virginia Beach
4. Retirees often need a big budget to afford nice things in Virginia Beach
5. Virginia Beach becomes increasingly crowded
6. Property prices and rents are about to increase in Virginia Beach
7. Winters in Virginia Beach may be too cold for many retirees
8. Virginia Beach is not the most exciting place
9. You may get bored with retirement life in Virginia Beach in the long run
10. Beaches become increasingly polluted
11. Virginia Beach is no longer a secret tip for retirees

Nightlife in Virginia Beach is not as great as in many other big cities

One problem with retiring in Virginia Beach is that nightlife is just not as great as in many other big cities and while people retiring in Las Vegas may be able to party all day and night long on a daily basis, retirees in Virginia Beach may have far fewer opportunities in this regard.

Public transport gets worse outside the city center of Virginia Beach

While public transport is decent near the city center of Virginia Beach, it still becomes worse in the suburbs and if you can’t afford to live close to the city center, you may just not be mobile enough as a retiree to get around from A to B in an efficient manner.

High living costs are a problem for many retirees in Virginia Beach

Another downside to retiring in Virginia Beach is that living costs are pretty high and you will therefore have to spend lots of money on drinks and many other things and will be surprised how quickly your money will be gone if you are not careful.

Retirees often need a big budget to afford nice things in Virginia Beach

Due to high living costs, you may also need a pretty high pension to afford a decent lifestyle in the Virginia Beach region and if you don’t have enough money, you may just not be able to do many nice things and may even get socially isolated since you may not be able to catch up with your social contacts in the long run.

Virginia Beach becomes increasingly crowded

While Virginia Beach is not the most crowded place yet, it may still become increasingly popular and crowded in the future.

In fact, many people consider moving to Virginia Beach and while this may be great for the region overall, it may still lead to a state where the city gets more hectic and overall quality of life for retirees in Virginia Beach may drop due to that.

Property prices and rents are about to increase in Virginia Beach

While housing costs are still rather affordable, there is a trend of increasing property prices and rents in this region and in case this trend continues, many pensioners in Virginia Beach may no longer be able to afford a decent place to stay in this region and competition in the housing market may become fiercer in general.

Winters in Virginia Beach may be too cold for many retirees

Another disadvantage of retiring in Virginia Beach is that winters may just be too cold for you, especially if you are the type of person who loves warm weather all year long and if this is the case, you may be better off retiring in El Paso or other warmer regions.

Virginia Beach is not the most exciting place

While there are many nice things to do in Virginia Beach, it is still not the most exciting city and if you are the type of person who needs action and adrenaline even at an older age on a regular basis, you may not get happy with the Virginia Beach lifestyle in the long run.

You may get bored with retirement life in Virginia Beach in the long run

Since there are just not as many exciting things to do in Virginia Beach as in other big metropolitan regions, you may also just get bored as a retiree in Virginia Beach sooner or later and may move to a place that guarantees more action.

Beaches become increasingly polluted

You should also know that over the past decade, beaches in Virginia Beach have become increasingly polluted and in case this trend continues, overall quality of life may drop quite a lot since retirees may no longer be able to enjoy the beach as they have been able to do when the water and the beaches have been much cleaner.

Virginia Beach is no longer a secret tip for retirees

While Virginia Beach has been a secret tip to retire for many years, this is no longer the case since living costs have increased dramatically and also housing shortage may become a serious problem in the near future.

Top 10 Retiring in Virginia Beach Pros & Cons – Summary List

Is Virginia Beach A Good Place To Retire?

While retiring in Virginia Beach can be a great idea since you can enjoy nice beaches, spend lots of time outdoors, find decent medical infrastructure and can enjoy high overall quality of life, you should also know that living costs are pretty high and housing shortage may become a serious problem for many retirees in Virginia Beach in the future.

Alternative Cities To Retire

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

Advantages and disadvantages of retiring in Raleigh

Advantages and disadvantages of retiring in Oklahoma City

Advantages and disadvantages of retiring in Omaha

Sources

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/virginiabeachcityvirginia/PST045221

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.