Even if you're decades away from leaving work, it's natural to dream about the best places to retire. How do you picture retirement? Whether it’s slowing down and indulging in wholesome pastimes or spending savings on bucket list adventures, one thing is for sure – our priorities change in later life.
Once the out-of-office becomes a permanent fixture, many take on new opportunities and embrace the freedom that comes with little reason to stay in familiar pastures that a career once required.
Research conducted by Legal & General Retail Retirement in 2021 discovered that 12 per cent of those aged 50 planned to relocate in retirement following the Covid pandemic. Key reasons for moving included proximity to family and friends and the pursuit of a better quality of life – something many find unattainable in larger cities and metropolitan areas.
Following these insights, Legal & General has revealed its latest guide to the best places to retire in the UK.
The comprehensive study ranked every British constituency against six core pillars to assess which areas offer a good quality of later life: housing, health, community, finances, nature, and access to amenities.
Individual factors under each pillar (which total 27) include the availability of senior housing, the cost of living, reported levels of happiness and the ease of access to supermarkets, post offices and banks.
Managing Director at Legal & General’s Retail Retirement, Lorna Shah, said, “This research gives us a more complete picture of what shapes a happy later life. It’s not just about one factor - it’s the combination of health, social connections, environment, and financial security that all play a part in retirement wellbeing.”
Some areas performed notably well in some pillars, with Winchester in Hampshire and Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire scoring high under health.
It’s the latter constituency that claims silver in the complete rankings, scoring better than the number one spot in the financial and housing pillars.
Also in the top five spots are two of Surrey’s green pastures – Dorking and Horley (third) and Godalming and Ash (fourth), each with an index score of 71 out of 100.
However, it’s Chesham and Amersham that claim the title as the best place to retire in the UK in 2025. The constituency took the top spot with 74 points out of 100, performing exceptionally well under the pillar of health (93) and scoring well across financial security, access to nature and housing.
The best places in the UK to retire
1. Chesham and Amersham, Buckinghamshire
2. Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire
3. Dorking and Horley, Surrey
4. Godalming and Ash, Surrey
5. Mid Sussex, West Sussex
6. Woking, Surrey
7. Farnham and Bordon, Surrey
8. Esher and Walton, Surrey
9. Suffolk Coastal, Suffolk
10. East Grinstead and Uckfield, Sussex