Safe Money Radio

Retirement Real Estate: What Your Zip Code Costs You

The state you retire in sets more of your paycheck than most people expect. Same nest egg, same monthly budget, two very different outcomes. The difference often comes down to a zip code.

by, Brett Blake
Sep 22, 2026

About This Blog

The state you retire in sets more of your paycheck than most people expect. Same nest egg, same monthly budget, two very different outcomes. The difference often comes down to a zip code.

Every state raises money in its own mix. Some tax income and go easy on property. Some skip income tax and lean on property or sales. Some tax retirement withdrawals, some do not. Cost of living moves the number again. So do healthcare, mobility, family nearby, and the people you talk to every day. None of that shows up on a rate card. All of it shows up in your income and your health.

On this episode of Safe Money Radio, Brett Blake talks with Brady Blake, a Realtor with Keller Williams Realty, LLC. Brady works with clients relocating to the Bentonville and Northwest Arkansas area. Before real estate, he spent 25 years in corporate roles at Walmart, Red Bull, Ford, and Electronic Arts. He is also Brett's brother, a tie Brett names on air. Their conversation surfaces six questions worth answering before you move in retirement.

1. Are you retiring to a state or to a community?

Brady's opening thesis is that state-level rankings hide where you actually live. Bentonville is not the rest of Arkansas. The Villages is not South Beach. State names are a starting point, not the answer. When Brady sits with a couple, he pushes the conversation past the state line and into the neighborhood, the church group, the medical center, the grocery store, and the front-porch culture that will shape the daily life your money has to support.

2. What does the full tax picture look like?

Not just income tax. Property tax, sales tax, estate and inheritance tax, and how the state treats Social Security and retirement withdrawals. Wyoming stays low across the board, with no state income tax and a combined average sales tax near 5.56 percent, per Kiplinger. Texas has no state income tax, but property tax averages about 1.40 percent and combined sales tax can reach 8.25 percent, per Kiplinger's retirement tax guide. Arkansas keeps its top income tax rate at 3.9 percent and its average effective property tax rate at 0.56 percent, and it does not tax Social Security benefits, per Kiplinger. The trade is a combined state and local sales tax that averages about 9.48 percent, on the high side nationally. A headline like no income tax means little until you add up the full bill.

3. What does the cost of living actually look like there?

Housing, groceries, insurance, utilities, transportation. Northwest Arkansas has held a top-10 spot on the U.S. News best places to live list for eight years in a row, coming in at No. 10 for 2023-24, per the NWA Democrat-Gazette. The Milken Institute ranked the metro No. 1 on its 2026 Best-Performing Cities list, per Axios. Florida stays popular, but the number swings by region. The Miami market runs well above inland places like Ocala and Gainesville, and the statewide median sales price for single-family existing homes ran near $415,000 in early 2025, per 55places. The state cost of living is an average. Your address is the number that actually shows up on the bill.

4. What does healthcare look like where you're going?

Brady notes that Northwest Arkansas has poured money into healthcare over the past decade. A new heart institute, a new medical school, and a children's hospital have opened in the region. As you age, proximity to strong care matters more, not less. That question belongs on the checklist next to the tax math, especially for anyone weighing a rural address or a place where the nearest specialist is a long drive away.

5. Are your people going to be there?

Brady does not stop at the spreadsheet. He pushes clients to weigh community next to cost, and the research backs him. A 2010 meta-analysis by Julianne Holt-Lunstad and colleagues in PLoS Medicine pooled 148 studies with more than 300,000 participants and found a 50 percent higher likelihood of survival for participants with stronger social relationships, per PLoS Medicine. The Harvard Study of Adult Development, running since 1938 under director Robert Waldinger, points the same way. Close relationships predict long-term health, per the Harvard Gazette. Move somewhere cheap and lonely, and the savings can cost you.

6. Are you and your spouse on the same page?

Brady closes with a practical tool. He gives couples a 10-question checklist and asks each spouse to fill it out on their own before comparing. The questions cover monthly spend, healthcare, closeness to children and grandchildren, weather, weekly activities, taxes, home size and setting, airport access, social network, and mobility if driving becomes hard. The list is free at MakeItBlake.com. The value is in the conversation the ranking forces.

FAQ

Should I retire to a state that has no income tax? It can help, but only after you look at the full picture. States without income tax often raise revenue through property or sales tax. Wyoming stays low across the board. Texas trades income tax for higher property tax. Arkansas keeps income tax modest and property tax low, but sales tax runs higher. Run the numbers on the mix, not the headline.

Is Northwest Arkansas really a good place to retire? It has drawn steady recognition. U.S. News has placed the metro in its top 10 best places to live for eight years in a row, and the Milken Institute ranked it No. 1 on its 2026 Best-Performing Cities list. Cost of living is affordable, healthcare has grown, and the regional airport now runs more national flights than it once did.

Do I need to downsize when I retire? It depends on how you want to live and who visits. Some people downsize and use short-term rentals when family comes into town. Others keep a larger home so family can gather. There is no one right answer, only the one that fits your budget and your life.

Does moving away from family really matter for my health? Yes, per the research. A 2010 meta-analysis in PLoS Medicine linked stronger social ties to a 50 percent higher likelihood of survival. The long-running Harvard Study of Adult Development finds close relationships are among the best predictors of long-term health.

Where To Start

Start with your own numbers. Run the free WIYN calculator at brettblake.annuity.com. It takes about three minutes and shows the gap between the income you want and the income you have. When you are ready to talk it through, book a Retirement Clarity Session with Brett. No obligation, no pressure. Brett is a licensed insurance agent and may recommend an annuity if it fits.

Worry Less. Live Longer.

About the host

Brett A. Blake is the CEO of Annuity.com, Inc. and host of Safe Money Radio. He built a nearly $1B business, starting near $50M, before stepping into retirement income education full-time. Brett is a licensed insurance agent, not a CPA or tax attorney. He lives in Gilbert, Arizona with his wife Erin and their five children and three grandchildren.

About the guest

Brady Blake is a Realtor with Keller Williams Realty, LLC. He works with clients relocating to the Bentonville and Northwest Arkansas area. Before real estate, he spent 25 years in corporate roles at Walmart, Red Bull, Ford, and Electronic Arts. Brady is the brother of host Brett A. Blake, a tie disclosed on air. Brady is not a CPA or tax attorney.

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Website: MakeItBlake.com | LinkedIn: @bblake23

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DISCLAIMER:

Safe Money Radio is for educational purposes only and does not constitute investment, tax, or legal advice. Products discussed may or may not be suitable for your situation and are subject to state availability and individual suitability.

Any guarantees discussed are backed by the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company. Guarantees are not government-backed or provided by Annuity.com, Inc.

By submitting your information through any Safe Money Radio call to action, you consent to be contacted by a licensed insurance agent about products and services that may include annuities.

Annuity.com, Inc. and Brett A. Blake are compensated through commissions and other consideration paid by insurance carriers on policies sold. Neither is a fee-only advisor. Brett is a licensed insurance agent, not a CPA or tax attorney.

Annuity.com, Inc. is a licensed insurance agency. National Producer Number (NPN): 21086345. Doing business in Florida and California as Annuity.com Insurance Marketing, CA License No. 6013124. In New York, licensed as Annuity.com Insurance Solutions, License No. LA-1860109.

GUEST DISCLOSURE:

Brady Blake is a podcast guest appearing in his individual professional capacity. Views expressed on this episode are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Safe Money Radio, Brett A. Blake, or Annuity.com, Inc. Brady is the brother of host Brett A. Blake, a relationship disclosed on air.

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