PLYMOUTH THE BEST PLACE TO LIVE IN YOUR GOLDEN YEARS

• Study finds the South Western city is the best option for relaxation and entertainment at a reasonable price
• London fares poorly, found to be the worst option for retirement, followed by Milton Keynes and Doncaster
• Find out the locations with the most pubs and least crime, where you can go golfing and where offers the most cinemas

Choosing somewhere for the next stage of your life should be one of the easiest parts of your retirement. But with crowded cities and expensive homes, it can be hard to pick the right place to settle down.

To help pensioners find the best places to live to make the most out of their golden years, Profile Pensions created a guide to which areas in the UK offer the most in the way of entertainment options like pubs, cinemas, and sports clubs for the least cost.

Retirement Central

Although many will choose where to retire based on family or where they’ve lived previously, the locations with the most to offer pensioners include:

1. Plymouth – Plymouth’s top offering is its remarkably numerous 17 religious centres – but with a significant selection of 40 nearby parks, affordable homes (only £130,000 for a retirement home), and proximity to the sea, it has a lot to offer anyone.
2. Southampton – Despite a comparative lack of bingo halls, Southampton makes up for it with the highest density of cinemas and pubs throughout major cities in the UK. And local housing is only £208,160 on average – making it one of the cheaper options in the UK.
3. Nottingham – The average Nottingham retirement home costs only £159,950, and while Nottingham doesn’t quite have the highest density of golf courses in the UK (that title goes to Bristol), with 8 available it’s one of the best places to go if you’re likely to want to spend your time on the green.
4. Cardiff – Cardiff benefits from affordable homes, with the average house price only £212,508. But with a steady mix of golf courses, cinemas, and parks, the only thing lacking is a selection of lawn bowls courses, for which it fares poorly.
5. Derby – Derby has the most affordable retirement homes in major cities across the UK, with the median price only £72,475.

Keeping Clear of Costs

Picking a place to retire is an important step – so it’s vital to avoid picking the wrong place. If you want to skip out on high costs and few opportunities for entertainment, you should be aware of the worst places for retirement:

• London – While many will have worked in London at some point during their lives, the capital is far from the best place to retire. With the highest cost homes – both standard and retirement homes – it’s not a cheap investment.
• Milton Keynes – Despite being relatively affordable, Milton Keynes doesn’t actually have as much to offer as you might think, with some of the lowest densities of things to do across the UK.
• Doncaster – Like Milton Keynes, Doncaster’s main disadvantage is its lack of much to do compared with other places in the research. 

Michelle Gribbin, Profile Pensions’ Chief Financial Officer, said: “Retirement is a chance to really take care of yourself after years of work, and enjoy your family, pension, and life.

“We’ve created this study so existing pensioners and those coming up to pension age can choose somewhere to live that really suits their needs and their tastes – whether that’s places to go with friends and family like the cinema or a café, or somewhere to find some peace and quiet, like the golf course.

“Whatever you’re looking for in retirement, make sure you’re picking the right place for you when you look for a new home.”