You’ve worked hard and saved your entire life. Now, you’re ready for retirement and to live in the lap of luxury.
To reach the level of opulence in retirement worthy of the queen you are, you’ll likely need the $4.4 million in average wealth of the top 1% of American households. Financial experts advise withdrawing about 4% of your total nest egg each year to make it stretch over your lifetime—roughly $14,000 a month if you have those millions saved.
Maybe you acquired that money through inheritance, or you worked hard and invested smart and early. No matter how you did it—or even if you didn’t—it’s free (and fun!) to read this list of the top five most luxurious places to retire in 2022.
Best for Assisted Living: Watermark at Brooklyn Heights, New York
Price: Starting at $8,245 a month
Located in the Leverich Towers Hotel, a historic building with views over the Brooklyn Bridge and New York Harbor, the Watermark at Brooklyn Heights grants bragging rights of living in chic Brooklyn. With designer kitchens, housekeeping, a 24-hour concierge, an indoor pool, a private rooftop deck and perks such as regular workouts with a personal trainer, there is no shortage of luxury amenities. The property offers independent or assisted living and memory care facilities. Those in the assisted living apartments have full access to amenities, as well as world-class care from trained medical professionals. Apartments start at $8,245 per month and cap out at $17,000.
Best for Independent Living: Auriens Chelsea in London
Price: Starting at $18,496 a month
Have you always dreamed of living in London, where on a Friday afternoon you can hop on a train and have dinner in Paris? Then consider the Auriens Chelsea, a luxury retirement community in London’s Chelsea neighborhood. The staff hail from luxury hotel and hospitality backgrounds, including the Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts and Claridge’s. You can enjoy five-star service while living in one of the property’s 56 elegant apartments. Ask the on-site design team for help with the interior, then settle into a life filled with wine tastings, pampering trips to the sauna and quick jaunts around London with the property’s house driver.
Available for around $18,496 a month for one-bedroom apartments and around $22,184 for two bedrooms—visiting grandkids need to stay somewhere, right? Just don’t forget to check with an immigration lawyer for visa information before diving in.
Best for Community: The Palace at Coral Gables, Florida
Price: Starting at $5,500 a month
Recently visited by rap star 2 Chainz for his series The Most Expensivest, the Palace at Coral Gables is modeled after the Four Seasons George V Hotel in Paris and features more than 240 plush apartments that average $5,500 a month. Amenities include an English-style library, four-course dinners with wine paring at the in-house restaurant, a washer and dryer in every apartment and a theater with a dance floor for parties. It’s also steps away from the vibrant Miracle Mile shopping district. You’ll never get lonely with the hundreds of residents and 1,100 employees.
Best for Privacy: The Residences at Turner Hill in Ipswich, Massachusetts
Price: Residences starting at $899,000
Located on more than 300 acres of manicured land just 30 miles north of Boston, Turner Hill is a planned community of four distinct neighborhoods that features a world-class golf course, as well as a clubhouse, a state-of-the-art fitness center and tennis courts. Get the privacy you crave in one of the community’s newly built homes and spend your days outdoors keeping your body in great shape. The community caters to retirees but does not provide any extra benefits like medical care or memory facilities. Residences start at $899,000.
Best for Travel: The Utopia Residences Cruise Ship
Price: Residences start at $4.4 million
If you have the money to spare, why not retire on a cruise ship? Currently under construction with plans on launching in 2022, the Utopia is a luxury vessel with 190 suites that will serve as private residences. Starting at $4.4 million for one-bedroom apartments and reaching as high as $36 million for 6,200 square feet of private space, the ship—which plans on traveling to major sporting and cultural events including the Olympics and the Rio Carnival—also has a luxury 206-suite hotel on board for visiting family members. Amenities will include a putting green, an art gallery and a private, resident-only club.
Brienne Walsh is a writer based in Savannah, Georgia. She contributes to Forbes, Rangefinder and MarketWatch, among other publications.
LEARN MORE: Weighing the Pros and Cons of a Retirement Community