Moving Away in Retirement

Your lifestyle changes in retirement. One way is that you no longer need to commute to work, this. This means you may not need to live in a place that’s conveniently located near your former workplace.

You may also not need as large of a home anymore. If you have children, they’ve likely moved out into homes of their own a while ago. They might even have their own children now. Since they’re established in their lives, you may feel like you don’t need to live in such a large home anymore. Taking care of a larger home is expensive and time-consuming. 

At the same time, family homes with multiple bedrooms that are conveniently located are often worth a decent amount of money. You could use that money to fund your retirement lifestyle. 

For all these reasons, many people decide to sell their homes in retirement. A lot of the time, this change involves moving to a different city or town. Sometimes that’s due to the cost of living, other times it’s to move to a more walkable area, or you might want to live closer to healthcare as you age. Whatever the reason, moving away from your lifelong hometown in retirement is common. While it can be a great way to save money and live a more comfortable retirement lifestyle, you may also experience challenges. 

What Moving Away in Retirement Can Be Like

There are a lot of good reasons for moving away in retirement, but it can also be an emotional experience. Understanding the potential emotional impact before you decide to move is important. Each person is different, so all these emotional impacts may not apply to you, but it’s worth considering them.

Moving Away from Friends and Family

For a lot of people, moving to a different town also means leaving friends and family members behind. Yes, we live in an age where technology allows us to easily see and talk to people no matter where you are, but there is something to be said for the closeness of living physically near someone. 

It can be emotionally difficult to move far away from your loved ones, even if you’ll stay in close contact following the move. 

Feeling Otherwise Alone

Not only will you be leaving people behind, but there’s also the fact that familiar settings can help you feel comfortable and welcome. Even if you’re don’t know anyone at the local stores, coffee shops, and parks, there’s something about going to the same places you grew up with that helps you feel comforted. Moving away to a new town can leave you feeling lost and alone. You’ll be away from friends and family, but you’ll also be away from your routines. This can cause deep feelings of loneliness.  

Loss of Identity 

If you’ve lived in the same town or the same home for decades, you start to make it a part of your identity. This doesn’t usually happen by a conscious decision. Instead, it builds up over years of experiencing life in that location.

Your home and your town are likely where you’ve gone through many milestones and even endured challenges. These experiences become a part of you. Leaving them can cause you to feel empty.

Changes in Routines

It can be hard to adapt to a new place at any age, but this is especially true when you’re a retiree who has lived in and around the same place for your entire life. You know how things work in your town. Even simple things like knowing which stores sell the foods you like or understanding how to easily navigate around without a map or GPS can become meaningful when you no longer have them.

Recognizing this Grief

You may have a long list of positive reasons for moving away from your lifelong hometown. That said, real grief may occur when you do. These feelings are legitimate and should be respected and considered. Yes, it may feel weird to get emotional over the restaurants, stores, parks, and landmarks of your hometown, but these feelings are real and valid. 

If you accept that these emotions are natural and common, you’ll be better able to cope with them. 

Of course, you never really know how you’re going to react to a situation until you experience it. However, thinking about how you may handle them can be a really meaningful exercise. Even if you still decide that moving away from your hometown makes sense, you’ll be better able to cope with the changes once you identify them and think about how you’ll handle them.