50 places in the US where retirement is affordable, health care is excellent, and life is good

Flickr/Jerry Ferguson

Phoenix is one of several cities in Arizona that are ideal for retirement.

• Retirement is something to think about years before you get there - especially where you live.
• Choosing the best place to retire in the US means weighing affordability, quality of life, activities, and health care.
• WalletHub ranked the best US cities to live during retirement.
• Many of the top cities are in Florida, Arizona, and other states with warm weather.

Deciding where to live in retirement may be one of the last major financial decisions you'll make, and picking the right spot is important.

WalletHub set out to put worried minds at ease. The site used available data for the 150 largest cities - not metropolitan areas - to find the best and worst places to lay your hat. We already looked at the worst US cities for retirement, so let's take a look at the opposite: the best American urban areas to live in your post-working life.

How people spend time when they don't have to go to the office every after work tends to be a little different. Everyone dreams of hours full of painting and golf, but there are more practical considerations to keep in mind, too, like the accessibility of doctors and care. Along with the perhaps more obvious considerations - sun, museums, tennis courts - reliable health care and affordable housing are important benchmarks when determining where to live.

The cities below offer a great quality of life, good health care, and plentiful activities all for an affordable cost.

Taking that into account, WalletHub scored each city on its list based on affordability, activities, quality of life, and health care. The four categories were weighted equally, and each city was given a total score and then ranked, with the highest overall score designating the best city. WalletHub used data for the city only, not the surrounding metro area.

Florida is the best state for retirement, so it is no surprise that several Sunshine State cities find their way onto this list. The three cities that top the list of best places for retirement are all in Florida.

Other warm weather locations in Arizona and Nevada are also well represented. The five cities with the highest percentage of senior citizens fall in Arizona, Florida, and Hawaii, according to WalletHub.

Keep reading to see the best places to retire in the US, according to WalletHub. We've included the total score for each city, out of a possible 100, with a higher score denoting a better place to live. The rankings out of the 150 cities for each of the four categories is also included, with lower rankings being better for a city.