AI-assisted summary According to Money Digest, Sunset Beach offers a strong sense of community, affordable living, and proximity to beaches and outdoor activities. Retirees can enjoy amenities like Sunset Beach Pier, Fibber McGees restaurant, and Bird Island Nature Preserve. The median home listing price in Sunset Beach is $339,900, with a recommended yearly income of […]
- According to Money Digest, Sunset Beach offers a strong sense of community, affordable living, and proximity to beaches and outdoor activities.
- Retirees can enjoy amenities like Sunset Beach Pier, Fibber McGees restaurant, and Bird Island Nature Preserve.
- The median home listing price in Sunset Beach is $339,900, with a recommended yearly income of $37,200 for retirees.
A Brunswick County beach town has once again been recognized as one of the best places for retirees.
According to Money Digest, Sunset Beach is “a cute town in North Carolina with a boardwalk and beaches” that is “one of the best places for retirees.”
Here’s why.
Community feeling
Sunset Beach is much smaller than nearby Wilmington, with a community feeling at a price point within reach of many retirees. Sunset Beach offers a beautiful beachfront living experience. Because Sunset Beach is small town, amenities are generally close by, saving the need and time for long commutes.
Sunset Beach Pier, a 900-foot-long pier, provides an excellent place for fishing and taking in the sunset views, boasting a restaurant, convenience store, and game room.
The story states “For those who love the idea of an Irish pub doubling as a fish shack there is Fibber McGees.” Fibber McGees is located near Ingram Planetarium at 1780 Queen Anne. The outdoor patio spills out from their corner lot, outlined with trees and plants and dotted with blue umbrella-shaded tables.
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Retirees that love walking or boating, expeditions from Sunset Island to nearby Bird Island provides a natural retreat. The protected nature preserve island offers the chance to see many kinds of birds that inhabit the marshes, wetlands, and dunes. Loggerhead turtles nest and lay their eggs from May to August.
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Cost of living
The cost of living in Sunset Beach is surprisingly affordable for many retirees’ budgets, according to Money Digest, because at first glance Sunset Beach seems like it might be an expensive place to live.
With a population of more than 4,500 residents, the median home listing price is $339,900. Retirees can live in Sunset Beach with a recommended yearly income (that includes housing) of $37,200 for an individual, Best Places reports.
Money Digest says the cost equates to $3,100 per month for a single individual, 35% less than the national average. The total cost of housing, utilities, food, transportation, taxes and healthcare ranks as 11.4% more than the North Carolina average, but far less than more expensive locales like California or New York.
Cheryl M. Whitaker covers community news for the StarNews. Reach her at cheryl.whitaker@starnewsonline.com.
