Georgetown, Texas has quietly become one of the fastest-growing retirement destinations in the country. Located about 30 miles north of Austin, the city combines warm weather, an active retirement community, and access to multiple golf courses within the popular Sun City development. Add Texas’s lack of a state income tax and home prices that remain competitive compared to many coastal retirement markets, and it is easy to see why retirees continue to move there in large numbers. The real question, however, is whether Georgetown’s retirement appeal holds up when viewed through a financial lens. Can a typical retirement portfolio comfortably support the lifestyle the city promises?
Why Georgetown keeps showing up on the short list
Georgetown anchors Sun City Texas, a Del Webb 55+ community with three courses: Legacy Hills, White Wing, and Cowan Creek. Outside the gate, Cimarron Hills and Berry Creek offer private-club options. Texas has no state income tax and ranks 7th on the 2025 State Tax Competitiveness Index, with a per capita state and local tax burden of $5,897. Statewide cost of living lands at 97.057 on the BEA index, roughly 3% below the national average.
Single-story homes inside golf communities sell between the high $300s and mid $500s, in a town with a median home value around $449,000 and Williamson County effective property tax rate near 1.39%. That property tax rate is the number most newcomers underestimate.
The honest budget for a golf-centered couple
A comfortable two-person Sun City retirement in current dollars, assuming a paid-off $425,000 home:
- Property taxes, after over-65 homestead exemption and school tax freeze: about $4,800
- Homeowners insurance: $3,800
- Sun City HOA dues: $1,960 per household for 2026
- Home maintenance and replacement reserve: $4,500
- Golf for two players with resident annual pass: roughly $6,500 combined
- Utilities: $3,900
- Groceries on USDA Moderate-Cost plan for a couple 51-70: about $11,400
- Transportation, two vehicles: $7,200
- Healthcare for Medicare-age couple: two Part B premiums at $202.90 per month, Medigap, Part D, dental, vision, and out-of-pocket: roughly $13,500
- Travel, gifts, personal: $9,000
- Federal income tax on portfolio withdrawals: roughly $5,500
Total: about $72,000 a year for three or four rounds of golf weekly and regular dining out. Trim golf and travel to $60,000, but then you are buying a house in a golf community without using it as one.
The portfolio target, with Social Security doing its real share
A two-earner couple both claiming at full retirement age in 2026 should expect roughly the SSA’s average retired-worker benefit of $2,071 a month, or about $49,700 a year combined. Against a $72,000 budget, that leaves roughly $22,300 a year from the portfolio.
At a 4% withdrawal rate, that gap requires about $560,000 invested, on top of the paid-off house. Total assets needed: roughly $1 million, with the home representing close to half. If one spouse claims at 62 and takes the permanent reduction, the portfolio target moves to about $800,000. If you retire at 60 and bridge five years to Medicare and Social Security, add at least $150,000 for ACA-subsidized premiums and managed MAGI, drawing closer to 3.5% during bridge years.
The thing most Georgetown analyses miss
Most discussions of Georgetown focus on Texas’s lack of a state income tax. That benefit is real, but it is only part of the equation. Long-term retirement success in Central Texas depends just as much on property taxes, homeowners insurance costs, and the protections available to older homeowners.
One of the most valuable benefits for retirees in Williamson County begins at age 65. After filing the appropriate homestead exemption, homeowners can freeze the school-tax portion of their property tax bill. Future increases in home values will not increase that portion of the tax burden. Over a retirement that may last 20 to 30 years, that protection can save a substantial amount of money and is one of the primary reasons Georgetown remains financially attractive despite its relatively high property tax rates.
The protection is not absolute. The tax freeze applies only to school district taxes and does not affect city, county, or special district levies. It also does nothing to control homeowners insurance costs. Insurance has become one of the fastest-growing household expenses in Texas, driven in part by hail, wind, and severe storm activity across Central Texas. Retirees evaluating Georgetown should assume insurance costs will rise meaningfully over time and revisit coverage limits and deductibles on a regular basis.
Another advantage is the area’s housing market. Sun City continues to add new homes and attract retirees, helping maintain a steady flow of buyers and sellers. That matters because retirement planning is not only about moving in. For many retirees, the eventual plan includes downsizing again, moving closer to family, or transitioning to assisted living. Communities with active resale markets offer greater flexibility when those decisions arise.
What a Georgetown Golf Retirement Actually Costs
For a retired couple hoping to enjoy Georgetown’s golf-centered lifestyle, a reasonable target is approximately $1 million in total assets. That could consist of a paid-off home valued around $425,000 and an investment portfolio of roughly $560,000 to $600,000, supplemented by average Social Security benefits and a 4% withdrawal strategy.
Those planning to retire before age 65 should consider adding at least $150,000 to cover healthcare costs and other expenses before Medicare eligibility begins. Retirees should also account for homeowners association fees, golf memberships or annual play passes, and rising insurance costs when building their long-term budget.
Georgetown stands out because the lifestyle, tax structure, housing market, and retirement math tend to work together better than they do in many other golf-oriented retirement destinations.
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