This Bustling California College Town Is One Of The Best Places For Retirees
If you were to use research to determine the best college towns to retire in based solely on the cost of living, Claremont, California isn't going to be on the top of your list. According to the Economic Research Institute (ERI), the median household income in Claremont is $122,127, with a median home price of $870,800. That means it's not one of the cities that allow retirees to live on Social Security alone. However, if you can afford it, Claremont offers retirement ready Americans all the benefits of California sunshine and the amenities of city life, all within a backdrop of treelined suburbia and stunning views of the San Gabriel Mountains.
Extra-curricular and educational, Claremont College's assortment of schools including Claremont McKenna College, Pomona, and Harvey Mudd Colleges, offer retirees the opportunity to keep their minds engaged. The Claremont Avenues for Lifelong Learning (CALL) program allows seniors 60 years old and above to take courses for free. The city also offers a few senior's initiatives like the Claremont Senior's Program, which offers group activities like biking or running, games, movie matinees every two weeks, tech help, and a daily hot lunch service. They even offer special seminars to help seniors avoid scams or to assist them with their taxes. Other programs like AgingNext and the Service Center for Independent Living help to ensure no senior in the community is left under-stimulated, underfed, or underhoused.
Buying or renting a home is relatively affordable
With California being known as a state with some of the most expensive cities to buy a home in the U.S., you could be forgiven for wondering if retirement there is worth it. They say everything is relative, and where Claremont is concerned, this saying is true. As of 2025, according to the Legislative Analyst's Office for the California Legislature's Nonpartisan Fiscal and Policy Advisor, the average monthly payment for a mid-tier California home rose as high as $6,045 before dipping to $5,861, leaving the monthly average at just under $5,900. As a suburb of Los Angeles, where the average monthly cost of housing is $4,957, the U.S. Census Bureau shows a substantial discount based on its most recent stat of $3,451 with a mortgage. So while the national median mortgage in the U.S. is $2,173 as of March 2025, relatively speaking, the housing costs in Claremont should be considered a deal in the Californian market.
Where renting is concerned, median gross rents are around $2,125 per month. Again, that could be considered steep when compared to the national median, which Zillow places at $1,850 as of May 2025. But as per a Place for Mom, apartments for seniors, which are specially designed with older populations in mind, average around $1,299 per month. Far cheaper than independent living, and lower than the U.S. national median of $1,344 per month.
This is what independent and assisted living costs here
Maybe you want to live in a community with other seniors and have close access to amenities like meals and activities without needing to plan or travel too far. Perhaps, due to age-related mobility issues or a chronic illness, you need a little more assistance than others when it comes to your living arrangements. Where independent living in Claremont is concerned, you should expect to pay a slightly higher rate than the national average, which a Place for Mom puts at $4,107 per month. California state's average is $4,625 per month. Meanwhile Claremont's average monthly cost for independent living is $3,634. So while it adheres to the pattern of higher costs in comparison to the national average, by Californian standards, it's relatively cheap, accounting for an almost $1,000 discount per month. Considering that you might not be able to get a mortgage in this state in the next 10 years, and the median cost of housing with a mortgage in Claremont is almost on par with the average cost of independent living — but without a mortgage — independent living might be a more affordable option for some retirees.
Assisted living options, as per Caring.com, average $5,250 per month. This is on par with the state average, but $750 more than the national average. However, there's financial assistance available through California's Medicaid system Medi-Cal, which provides assistance for low income seniors like assisted living waivers, free used medical equipment, and food assistance programs.