AARP’s Great Places to Live: Savannah, Georgia

Feel the warmth of this coastal community

Jessica Farthing,

AARP

Published November 19, 2025

AARP’s Great Places to Live is a list of 10 communities that have many of the qualities older people value: good health care, social opportunities, a nice climate, ease in getting around, a thriving job market and rank highly on AARP's Livability Index (learn more about the Livability Index here, including how your community ranks). One city that made the list: Savannah, Georgia. To see more Great Places to Live, click here.

Population: 147,583
AARP Livability Index score: 55
Average monthly housing cost: $1,250
Perfect-weather days*: 167 per year

It’s easy to experience the beauty of Savannah, Georgia, just by walking in the green spaces and along the waterways that seem to be around every corner. Or wander through the network of 22 historic squares crossing streets studded with cobblestones, eventually reaching the city’s expansive Forsyth Park, with its Instagram-worthy fountain. Here, locals gather for family photos and even wedding proposals. After the park, take a trip to the Savannah River, making your way down River Street along the water to shop, eat or view the big ships traveling to and from the busy Port of Savannah, the country’s single largest container terminal.

Savannah is a welcoming community. The 2024 Conde Nast Traveler Reader’s Choice Awards voted it the sixth-friendliest city in the U.S. “I moved to Savannah in search of a slower pace and a deeper sense of beauty,” says Erica Backus, 50, director of communications and social inclusion for the Savannah Chamber and Visit Savannah. “For me, Savannah has always felt like home — not as a place on the map, but a feeling. It’s in the warmth of its people, the richness of its natural surroundings and the tradition of comforting food that connects generations.”

Backus spends time on the weekends enjoying some of the city’s waterfront restaurants. “Exploring Savannah’s restaurants and bars is a passion of mine,” she says. “With so many new spots opening, the city’s dining scene continues to grow in exciting ways.”

Affordability

Despite being a coastal city, Savannah’s cost of living is lower than the national average, according to the Council for Community and Economic Research’s (C2ER) 2024 data. The median price of a new home is about 14 percent lower than the national average. Rental prices are about 6 percent lower than the national average.

Health care

Savannah’s Memorial Health hospital is highly rated in many areas by U.S. News & World Report. The city has another hospital system, St. Joseph’s/Candler, and plenty of rehabilitation and specialty physicians.

“As I turn 51 this year and spend more time with my aging parents, I’ve gained a deeper appreciation for the access to care that we enjoy in Savannah,” Backus says.

Culture

Take a 30-minute drive to Tybee Island, with picturesque beaches where Hollywood movies have been filmed. Eat shrimp pulled fresh from the coastal waters by trawling boats, then work off the meal with a walk on the pier.

The ride out to the beach is also a treat. The roadway goes past a network of salt marshes; Fort Pulaski National Monument, a masonry fort built in the 1800s; and the Cockspur Island Lighthouse.

Sports fans are probably already aware of the Savannah Bananas, a professional team that plays a revved-up, comic version of baseball (think Harlem Globetrotters on the diamond). While the Bananas are based in Savannah, they are immensely popular and tour the country, making tickets to their local games (at least one per month during the season) difficult to get. A ticket lottery closes every October.

The Plant Riverside District hosts concerts, festivals and markets, and the city’s newest venue, the Enmarket Arena, is home to the Ghost Pirates, a minor league hockey team.

For history lovers, the city is full of museums, monuments and more than a few ghosts. Savannah’s Bonaventure Cemetery is the site of lyricist Johnny Mercer’s grave and once housed the famous statue from the cover of John Berendt’s best-selling book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, later adapted into a film. The Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum exhibits maritime history from the 18th and 19th centuries in a nod to Savannah’s nautical roots. If you time your visit right, you can follow the museum with a stop at The Pirates’ House restaurant and ask about the underground networks of tunnels that lead to the river, where legend says unsuspecting bar patrons were kidnapped, often waking up to their indentured situation at sea.

The Savannah area is also rich with continuing-education opportunities. There are specialized offerings at the Learning Center of Senior Citizens Inc., a nonprofit focused on healthy aging. Classes range from field trips to the Cathedral Basilica to a course on “Curious Deaths and Burials in Early Georgia.”

Getting around

As a historic city, Savannah presents some accessibility challenges, but it has recently taken steps to inform visitors through a partnership with Wheel the World, an online vacation platform that caters to people with mobility needs and other disabilities.

In the downtown area, activities are clustered together, making sightseeing, restaurants and events easily reachable for pedestrians. The gridded layout of the city’s squares makes it easy to travel on foot. Savannah is considered walkable, but trolley tours and public transportation are also available.

Climate

“There is a tremendous emphasis here on the outdoors, probably because the weather is ideal most of the year,” says Joseph Marinelli, president and CEO of Visit Savannah, the destination marketing group for the Savannah Chamber of Commerce. “I’ve always said that the amount of sunshine we get in this area directly impacts folks generally always being in a good mood.”

Savannah’s weather is fairly mild through most of the year. January’s average highs are 61 degrees. In July, expect high temps around 90.

Job market

Savannah has a thriving port, a robust tourism and hospitality sector, multiple hospital systems and many manufacturing facilities that produce heavy machinery and electric vehicles.

According to the chamber’s 2025 economic outlook, the area’s employment is poised for growth, though tariffs, prices for fuel and global politics can affect the shipping and manufacturing industries.

Going-out Guide

Sunny-day location: Tybee Island. There’s a beach just 30 minutes from downtown!

Weekday evening hangout: River Street. Walk along the water from the Eastern Wharf to the bustling Plant Riverside District, with many shops and restaurants in between.

Where to take visitors first: Forsyth Park. It’s beautiful anytime, but go on weekends for the large Forsyth Farmers’ Market and brunch at Collins Quarter at Forsyth.

AARP initiatives

From disaster preparation to Social Security celebrations, learn more about AARP initiatives, volunteer opportunities and news from the AARP Georgia office.

*High temperature between 60 and 85 degrees, with less than 1 millimeter of rain. Source: Yahoo News analysis of federal data

Jessica Farthing is an award-winning writer with work published by BBC Travel, Southern Living, Fodor’s and other outlets. She lives in Savannah.

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