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Retirement can be a time when you live in luxury and comfort. High-end retirement communities throughout the country require a healthy monthly budget. Americans should start saving for retirement early. Retirement comes before you know it, and if you’ve prepared yourself to live luxuriously, there are hundreds of options out there. Most require an entrance fee or an initial purchase fee along with a monthly fee for amenities and care.
Communities can be great places for retirees to get away from the busyness of life and still enjoy basic comfort and extravagance. We’ve put together a list of not only the top luxurious communities but also the most expensive ones we could find. We searched Reddit threads, senior blogs, and each residence’s website to find information about what the community offers, and we’ve listed them here in no particular order.
Why Do We Care About This?
At 24/7 Wall Street, we’re focused on the best ways to increase personal wealth. Retirement savings are one of the most important plans you can have, and many of those funds are tied up in the stock market. As you prepare to retire, we want you to know how much money you need to live luxuriously after working hard your whole life.
1. Del Webb
Entrance Fee: Starts at low $400,000
Monthly Fees: Not listed
Location: Greensboro, Georgia
Del Webb is one of the only properties we reviewed that offers financing options for those who want to move in. The facility has properties throughout the country, but we focused on the one located in Greensboro, Georgia. One benefit of choosing this retirement center is that resale values on homes remain high, so you can sell your home if you choose to relocate.
Although there’s a hefty price tag on a home in the Del Webb community, residents enjoy a more peaceful living experience because the facility requires that residents be at least 55. Homes start at 1,400 square feet and can be as big as 3,000 square feet. Amenities include a full-time lifestyle director, a large clubhouse, a fitness facility, and large lap pools.
2. Sarasota Bay Club
Entrance Fee: Not listed
Monthly Fees: Start at $8,600
Location: Sarasota, Florida
Marketed as a full-service retirement community located right on Sarasota Bay, the Sarasota Bay Club offers one to three-bedroom condominiums. The facility also offers purchase and refund plans to protect your investment. With the initial investment, the community offers secure assisted living, skilled nursing, home health and in-home care, a wellness center, and outpatient rehab.
Your monthly fee includes amenities like a library, concierge, valet parking, a nurse on site, a 24-hour EMT service, fine dining rooms, fitness rooms, hot tubs, and pools. While the direct fee isn’t listed on the facility’s main site, we searched other senior websites to find the average monthly price starts at $8,300 and can be as high as $20,000. The entrance fee is not listed on the website.
3. The Variel
Entrance Fee: Not listed
Monthly Fees: Start at $7,500
Location: Woodland Hills, California
If you’re wondering what you get with the high monthly fee associated with The Variel, the facility offers a tour to anyone who’s considering it. There are apartments with one bedroom and one bath, two bedrooms and two baths, or studio options. If you’ve got the cash for it, you can even live in the penthouse, with views of the residence’s courtyard.
The Variel’s website doesn’t offer exact pricing and only asks interested parties to contact them for a quote. So we checked senior review sites and discovered that pricing starts at $7,500 a month. The Variel offers independent living, memory care, and assisted living. Health care services include assistance with dressing and bathing, assistance with daily living, 24-hour supervision, medication management, and mild cognitive impairment. Any of these could affect your overall price.
4. The Watermark
Entrance Fee: Not listed
Monthly Fees: Start at $6,795
Location: Beverly Hills, California
California is home to 18 different Watermark communities, so you have your choice of locations throughout the state. For the purpose of this article, we focused on the Beverly Hills location. The facility only offers alcove apartments and one-bedroom floor plans but was recently renovated and updated to improve the living experience. You’ll need at least $7,000 a month to take advantage of either the short-term stays or long-term living options.
The Watermark doesn’t have an entrance fee listed, so you’ll have to contact them for a customized plan based on your needs. The good news is that the facility focuses on beauty, safety, and freedom to provide joy to retirees, and living choices include rehabilitation and skilled nursing, short-term stays, assisted living, independent living, and active adult living.
5. Sunrise at East 56th
Entrance Fee: Not listed
Monthly Fees: Start at $13,732
Location: New York City, New York
Sunrise at East 56th is an upscale retirement community located in the heart of Manhattan. The facility offers a dedicated care team so you receive Individualized Service Plans and customized care rates based on your specific needs. You can choose from an assisted living studio, a one-bedroom assisted living apartment, a two-bedroom assisted living apartment, a studio memory care, or a two-bedroom memory care apartment. The assisted living monthly rates are higher because they are for residents who need additional medical care.
Because the facility is essentially an apartment building, there is no entrance fee listed on the website, but the monthly rates are considerably higher than other facilities. We believe this is because the monthly fees cover rent and additional care.
These communities provide not only luxury and comfort but also a sense of security and peace of mind for retirees. With various options for amenities, healthcare services, and living arrangements, each community ensures that residents can enjoy their golden years to the fullest.
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