Even if you're a long way out from thinking of retirement, it never hurts to dream about where you'll spend those years, right?

The stereotype is that once you retire from working, you'll pick up your life and move to somewhere warm like Florida. In many cases though, staying or moving to the Midwest could be a great option too!

A recent study found that one Eastern Iowa city was named one of the best places to retire to in the Midwest.

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Waterloo ended up on this interesting list. GoBanking Rates found that the city had the lowest rent on the list, "just $740, and a high livability score. Transportation is also affordable, at just $264.86 per month, or 35.7% lower than the national average.”

In the study, officials from AreaVibes determined a "livability score" based off of a few key factors such as health and safety, schools, housing, crime and safety, as well as commute time.

Waterloo's livability score came out to be 81. And Waterloo wasn't the only Iowa town on the list! Most of the spots were taken up by some of your favorite cities!

Here is the top ten list for the best towns in the Midwest for retired couples that are just living on social security:

  1. Ames, Iowa
  2. Dubuque, Iowa
  3. Fargo, North Dakota
  4. Grand Folks, North Dakota
  5. Ankeny, Iowa
  6. Waterloo, Iowa
  7. West Allis, Wisconsin
  8. Lawrence, Kansas
  9. Eau Claire, Wisconsin
  10. West Des Moines, Iowa

It's no surprise that Iowa swept up in this ranking!

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According to reports, the Hawkeye State's overall affordability is a great draw for many retirees. Iowa is the sixth cheapest state to live in, and in addition the lower housing costs also make it seem that much more appealing.

The national median for home prices comes to approximately $388,800.

Iowa's state median price for a home is approximately $239,400, which is well over $100,000 less than the national average. You can read more about that here!

Stay up to date with everything going on in Eastern Iowa by downloading the free station app from your app store. Also, do not forget to follow the station across all social media platforms so you can be in the know about other things in our neck of the woods.

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