Editor's note: As the housing market continues to be competitive, older Americans approaching retirement as well as millennials just starting out want to get the most (or best) house for their money. Although these figures are from last fall, they still offer a starting point for further research:
Retirees hoping for a slice of the good life when they retire might want to keep in mind that they'll have more of a good life if they manage to hang onto some of that retirement money instead of blowing it all on the "ideal" retirement home.
In fact, 24/7 Wall St. has very kindly analyzed a bunch of data from the National Association of Realtors and the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey, figuring out which housing markets in the country present the most—and least—bang for the buck.
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Bear in mind that median home prices in a U.S. metro area have topped the $1 million mark—which is one reason 24/7 Wall St. decided to crunch the numbers.
Would-be retirees need to remember that their sources of income during retirement will likely be a lot more finite than they are during their working years, and keep that in mind when they start looking around for a place to retire.
Still, there are loads of other considerations besides price. What do you want to do during retirement? Whether you crave the hustle and bustle of a busy city or the peace and quiet near the seaside or a small town for your eventual retirement home, here are some places to dream about.
This is assuming you've done way better at saving for retirement than most Americans.
Here are the 10 most expensive housing markets:
10. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Massachusetts-New Hampshire
2016 Q2 median sale price: $435,800
Qualifying income w. 20% down: $79,671
Median household income: $75,667
Monthly payment: $1,644
9. Nassau County-Suffolk County, New York
2016 Q2 median sale price: $442,800
Qualifying income w. 20% down: $80,951
Median household income: N/A
Monthly payment: $1,671
8. Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, Florida
2016 Q2 median sale price: $449,500
Qualifying income w. 20% down: $82,176
Median household income: $58,026
Monthly payment: $1,696
7. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, California
2016 Q2 median sale price: $480,000
Qualifying income w. 20% down: $87,752
Median household income: N/A
Monthly payment: $1,811
6. Boulder, Colorado
6. Boulder, Colorado
2016 Q2 median sale price: $549,600
Qualifying income w. 20% down: $100,476
Median household income: $71,540
Monthly payment: $2,074
5. San Diego-Carlsbad, California
2016 Q2 median sale price: $589,900
Qualifying income w. 20% down: $107,843
Median household income: $66,192
Monthly payment: $2,226
4. Urban Honolulu, Hawaii
2016 Q2 median sale price: $725,200
Qualifying income w. 20% down: $132,578
Median household income: $74,634
Monthly payment: $2,736
3. Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine, California
2016 Q2 median sale price: $742,200
Qualifying income w. 20% down: $135,686
Median household income: N/A
Monthly payment: $2,801
2. San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, California
2016 Q2 median sale price: $885,600
Qualifying income w. 20% down: $161,902
Median household income: $83,222
Monthly payment: $3,342
1. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California
2016 Q2 median sale price: $1,085,000
Qualifying income w. 20% down: $198,355
Median household income: $96,481
Monthly payment: $4,094
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