The BEST Places to Retire in Marin County in 2025

Marin County is consistently ranked one of the best places to live in all of California. Beautiful scenery, temperate weather, proximity to the water, some of the best hiking and biking in the entire state, and a great mix of vintage charm with modern amenities. With all of that, it's no wonder that it's also consistently ranked as one of the top places to retire in the entire country. But where specifically in Marin County are the best places to live out your golden years? This is Austin Klar, your lawyer turned real estate agent in San Francisco and Marin County. I've lived in the Bay Area for over a decade, and I've helped clients move to Marin County from all over the country, and in this video, I'm going to break down my top 5 places in Marin County for retirees. I'll go over what the lifestyle is like in each area, some of the best things to do, the best amenities, and of course, I'll tell you how much it costs to live in the area. So if you're nearing that stage and considering a move to the area, definitely stick around. And if you're interested in more videos about what it's like living in San Francisco and Marin County, definitely subscribe to my channel because I make videos about that stuff every single week. Now to my rankings, and we're going to kick it off with number 5 on the list, A place that's ranked in the top 10 for places to retire in the entire country, Mill Valley. Mill Valley is known for its great outdoor activities and beautiful scenery. It's close to Muir Woods National Monument, Tennessee Valley Trailhead, and the Richardson Bay, and the entire town is set among expansive redwood trees with access to hundreds of acres of parkland, giving residents a variety of things to do from like hiking and biking to birdwatching, to golf, tennis, and leisurely waterfront walks along the bay. And the area is great for those activities because the weather trends to the more temperate side compared to a lot of the hotter places north in Marin. Mill Valley's on the southern side of Marin, closer to San Francisco, closer to the Pacific Ocean. So you get more of those cold fronts coming in, not as much as you would if you were living like in San Francisco or a little bit further south in Sausalito, but you do get those cold and fog fronts, especially in the morning. Mm-hmm., so the weather tends to be a little bit cooler on average in Mill Valley, but it is usually pleasant most of the time, and that fog tends to burn off by the afternoon. Mill Valley also has one of the best downtowns in all of Marin County. It's pretty small, but the mix of good food and quality shopping make it one of the best areas to spend a day in the entire county. From a food standpoint, you have a solid mix of Italian food, Latin food, American cuisine. You got Corner Bar, which is a new restaurant they just opened downtown. You've got Paseo, you've got Playa, and that's just to name a few. There are a bunch more. You've also got a variety of shopping. My favorites: Prevalent Projects and Summer House. Both of them are like cute interior design home goods stores. There's also a farmer's market they have if you want fresh produce. And just down the road from downtown Mill Valley is the Mill Valley Lumberyard, which is one of my favorite places to shop in all of Marin. It's a more modern shopping venue. It actually used to be, you know, a real lumberyard when it was open, you know, 130 years ago, but it has since been converted into, you know, a modern shopping and dining experience with a lot of that vintage charm, those vintage lumberyard elements still very much present. It's a really pretty venue. You can dine outdoors, you know, amidst a grove of redwoods. Really pleasant, really serene. Mill Valley's also great because it is conveniently located Really close to San Francisco, very close to the 101 and Highway 1. So it's very easy to get north to other places in Marin or to go south into the city if you want to spend an afternoon or an evening in the city. Mill Valley's also one of the larger cities in Marin County, so there are a lot of different parts of Mill Valley that might fit different vibes. You can live near downtown in smaller vintage craftsman feeling homes with smaller lots, Or you can live in hillside homes with redwoods literally in your backyard with outdoor space set among that really peaceful forest scenery. Or you can live directly on the water in more modern builds, larger houses on larger lots, flatter land, a bit farther from downtown. So there's really a variety of potential lifestyles in Mill Valley. Now, it shouldn't be a surprise that with all these amenities and being close to the city and the water, Mill Valley's not a cheap place to live.. But compared to some of the other areas that I'm about to talk to on my list, it's actually one of the relatively less expensive areas. The average home in Mill Valley over the past year was about $2.6 million, about $1,100 a foot. So, you know, even a smaller 2,000-square-foot house, for example, could cost well north of $2, potentially even $3 million, especially if it's renovated. Now, Mill Valley sounds awesome, so why do I rank it as number 5 on my list? Well, a lot of parts of Mill Valley can actually be pretty difficult to navigate, very narrow. Windy roads make it difficult to drive around, makes the area a little bit less walkable. And because a lot of the area is actually built into hillsides, you have a lot of hillside lots. So you have vertical living, which isn't always great for retirees. You have a lot of stairs, not always ideal. People want single-level living, especially who are older. You can get that in Mill Valley, but not in all parts of Mill Valley. That's also going to be true in a lot of different parts of Marin. There are going to be flat parts as well as hillside parts with smaller lots, things like that. So it's not necessarily a knock strictly against Mill Valley, but I think there's more of it in Mill Valley than there is in some other parts of Marin. By the way, if you want to learn more about what it's like to live in Mill Valley or how it stacks up against other neighborhoods in Marin, it fits different lifestyles, what might be the right one for you, definitely reach out to me. Like I said, I've helped people move to Marin County from San Francisco and from all over the country. I'd be happy to be a resource for you. I'll leave my contact information in the description below, as well as a link that you can click to directly book a call with me. And if you like videos about coming soon events, new developments, day-to-day life in San Francisco and Marin, I make videos about that stuff every single week. So subscribe to my channel for more content just like this. Now back to my rankings, and this next one is one of my favorites in all of Marin County, both for retirees and non-retirees, Larkspur. I think of all the cities in Marin, Larkspur most resembles and embodies what living in Marin County is all about. You have the beautiful redwood backdrop similar to parts of Mill Valley, but Larkspur is much smaller. It's a lot more charming. It's got a little bit more of a vintage feeling community than does Mill Valley. Larkspur is also centrally located within Marin itself, so really easy to get to anywhere you could possibly want to go in other parts of Marin. But you also don't really need to leave Larkspur because it has, I think, the best shopping and dining scenes in the entire county. Mm-hmm. Downtown Larkspur is actually a nationally registered historic place. When you imagine vintage California, the image that you're probably imagining resembles downtown Larkspur. There's an old-school theater there, there are a bunch of vintage stores there, all lining a beautiful stretch of Magnolia Avenue. And the downtown area is where the city does their Fourth of July parade every year, where people from all over Marin and even the city join to celebrate. It's a really, really fun event and very much, you know, shows how much of like a small town feel this place has. For more modern high-end shopping, you have the Marin Country Mart, also in Larkspur. They have like super high-end home goods stores there, like DWR, Amber Interiors, Hudson Grace, Jenny Kane. There's a Goop there. They've also got great food like Levski Deli, Souvla, Rustic Bakery. There's a Farm Shop, Shake Shack. They've got a ton of stuff there. So there are really a ton of options of all kinds throughout different parts of Larkspur. Something for everybody, something for every mood. So you really don't need to leave Larkspur all that often. If you wanted to go to San Francisco for an evening or an afternoon, it's less than 30 minutes without traffic. Very easy to get there. There's also a ferry terminal in Larkspur. So if you didn't want to drive to the city, you could take the ferry, save money on the bridge toll, save money on parking in the city, and take a beautiful boat ride across the San Francisco Bay to get to the city. Aside from those more modern amenities, Larkspur's also really close to a lot of great parks. Hiking trails, biking trails. You know, you can see waterfalls, go through like wooded hillside areas and have a nice jog or walk. Really peaceful setting. Day to day, if you're just walking around, you will see other people running, hiking, biking, kids with pets, super family friendly. The Larkspur Loop is a pretty popular trail along with Madrone Canyon where you can take in like century-old redwoods with beautiful vintage architecture on your walk or hike. . There's a great mix of vintage craftsmen's as well as more modern homes in the area. It's also a popular place for development because the market in the area has been so competitive over the past several years, and there really aren't a lot of houses that actually trade in Larkspur, making it really competitive every single year. The average price of a home in Larkspur over the past year was just shy of $3 million, about $1,200 a foot. So a little bit more expensive than Mill Valley. But when you think about living among the best dining, the best shopping, the really warm weather and the great amenities here, you start to understand why. Next up at number 3 on my list is Tiburon. Tiburon has a stunning mix of ultra-luxury homes with some of the best views of the water that you can find in Marin County. One of the main reasons I love Tiburon and why I think a lot of retirees love Tiburon as well is that the downtown is incredibly cute, incredibly charming. It has the quaintness of downtown Larkspur, but I think the food in downtown Tiburon is a lot more high-end. It's a lot better. Places like Michael Mina's Bungalow Kitchen offer very high-end food, unbeatable setting directly overlooking the water across the Bay to San Francisco. When you're dining there at night, you can see the city lights if it isn't foggy outside. Immediately next door to that, there's Malibu Farm, which is a great brunch spot. Similarly amazing views. You can dine on a deck overlooking the water. And then down the street from there is Sam's, which has awesome brunch, great cocktails, again, all of these directly on the water. Tiburon is on a peninsula, so water surrounding 3 sides of it, which means that either waterfront living or at a minimum water views are very common in Tiburon. You're also only about 6 miles from San Francisco, and Tiburon also has its own ferry stop. You can take it to Angel Island, you can take it to San Francisco, you can take it to other parts of Marin. Really convenient. The views and the convenience that I just talked about, definitely high on the list of reasons why retirees love the place., but it's also just a really friendly community. Residents there routinely gather for social events. There's an international film festival there. There's a wine festival there. A lot of great events year round. A lot of Tiburon is built into hillsides, so not exactly the most walkable up in the hills, but a good portion of Tiburon is built close to that waterfront in relatively flat areas, and there are actually sidewalks, so you can go for a jog, you can go for a walk, you can walk around with your pets. When I'm touring places in the area, I see people walking the bayfront trails all the time. It really is a peaceful retreat from the city without giving up easy access to the city or really great amenities. One of my clients moved from San Francisco to Tiburon because she wanted that break, but she still worked in the city, didn't want to lose convenient access to the city. Got her a great spot with a huge wraparound deck, incredible views, really peaceful setting. [FOREIGN LANGUAGE] She could take the ferry to work, then walk 10 minutes to get to her office. Super easy, easier than driving. She absolutely loves it, and she's definitely not alone. People who love Tiburon— another potential plus at Tiburon, depending on what exactly you're looking for, is that houses in Tiburon tend to be more modern and a lot larger than a lot of the houses that you're going to find in Mill Valley and Larkspur. Homes in Tiburon were built much more recently than the housing stock in Mill Valley and Larkspur. You can find homes in those areas that were built in the late 1800s, early 1900s. Most of Tiburon was built, you know, after the mid-20th century, sometimes even, you know, late '90s, early 2000s. So it is a much more modern housing stock. And as I mentioned, the homes are also a lot larger in Tiburon on average. There are those smaller, like 1,600 to 2,200 square foot homes, but it also has its fair share of 5,000, 6,000+ square foot homes as well. On much larger lots, half acre plus. So there is a really good variety there to fit whatever your lifestyle is or your needs, whether you want to upsize, downsize, whatever it is. Another client I had, I helped move from Woodside in the South Bay to Tiburon. They lived on over an acre and a half, over 5,000 square foot house, and it was just too much for them to manage. They wanted to downsize, they wanted those water views, got 'em a perfect place in Tiburon, a little over 3,000 square feet. On about a third of an acre. Still a good size lot, but much easier to maintain than an acre and a half. They love it there. Home prices in Tiburon are going to vary substantially depending on the level of water views, how close you are to the water, whether you're on a hillside lot versus a flat lot or in a hillside area versus a flat area, how close you are to downtown. A ton of different factors are going to influence the price. But on average, homes in Tiburon over the past year have cost about $3.9 million at about $1,300 a foot. so it is definitely more expensive than both Mill Valley and Larkspur, but you do get water views as a result. Number 2 on my list is right next to Tiburon. It's the city of Belvedere. Belvedere is one of the richest cities in Marin County. It's where billionaires, CEOs, athletes, they all have stunning homes, and it's probably because it offers the best views in all of Marin County for water, making it one of the best places, in my opinion, to retire. The Belvedere Lagoon, for example, is one of the most serene environments in all of Marin County. Mm-hmm. Wide flat streets. Every single house is literally on the water, so you have decks and backyards immediately on the water. I've been showing houses in the lagoon before where the next door neighbor jumps into the water and just goes for a swim or pushes out a kayak or a stand-up paddleboard just to go on like morning exercise or afternoon exercise. It is a really, really awesome place to live. And the lagoon is man-made. It's not actually connected to the bay, so You know, the San Francisco Bay is really, really rough. The actual lagoon is not rough at all. The waters are much calmer, the waters are much cleaner 'cause it's not connected to the bay. So you can actually go in there, go for a swim and hang out and not, you know, fear any sort of injury or like health risk. And that's not the only part of Belvedere where you can have direct water access. You can live near the lagoon over on West Shore Road, have a private boat dock so you could actually take a boat you know, over to San Francisco, out into the bay. Like famously, Klay Thompson, who used to live on Westshore Road before he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks, took a kayak over to the Chase Center. Homes there are among the most expensive in all of Marin because you do have that direct water access, but the views are incredible and the lifestyle is pretty much unmatchable. And if you want those big expansive views of the city, of the Golden Gate Bridge, if you want private lots that feel, you know, remote and detached from your neighbors, than you can live on the actual island of Belvedere. Only downside is you're probably going to have to deal with stairs in your home because it's not that common to have single-level living on Belvedere Island. Even to get from your garage to the main house, a lot of times you need to take stairs. From an amenity standpoint, the offerings are very similar to Tiburon. There aren't really amenities within Belvedere itself. There are some walking trails, there's a little, you know, children's park, but for the most part, the amenities that you have are Tiburon's amenities. So if you want, you know, a night out locally at a, you know, restaurant or movie theater or whatever, you're going to go to Tiburon, which is a short walk away from pretty much wherever you live in Belvedere. The reason I rank Belvedere a little bit higher on my list than Tiburon, even though Tiburon has the actual amenities, is that Belvedere is just a little bit more private. It's a little bit more peaceful, more serene. So if you're prioritizing more privacy and you want bigger views, I think Belvedere offers that more than Tiburon does. Now, with the best views in Marin, it should be no surprise that homes in Belvedere are incredibly expensive. In fact, they're the most expensive homes in all of Marin. Average Belvedere home over the past year was a little over $6 million, about $1,900 a foot. And homes in Belvedere recently have sold for high $3,000s, low $4,000s per foot. So it can be incredibly expensive. You know, $15 million for a 3,000, 4,000 square foot home. That same home in Larkspur that costs $3 million, probably going to cost you $5 or $6 million in Belvedere. So it is incredibly expensive, but if you can afford it, it is worth it. So you might be wondering why such a place isn't number 1 on my list. Well, the main reason is that unless you live on the lagoon, you're probably living on a hillside. So you are going to have to deal with the stairs like I mentioned, uh, you're going to have multiple levels of living. It's not the easiest to navigate as well from a driving perspective, very narrow, very windy roads. Very narrow, very windy roads.. So it's not necessarily the best place for retirees on Belvedere Island, but West Shore Road and the lagoon are incredible. Also, I don't think at the ultra-luxury tier Belvedere offers the best value. I think the best value is in the number 1 spot on my list, and that's the town of Ross. Out of anywhere in Marin, I think Ross is the best place for retirees. If your house vibe is like Hamptons, the shingles, the sprawling estates, huge lots, a ton of privacy, big hedges, a really quaint downtown, then Ross is your neighborhood. If I had unlimited budget and could buy anywhere, Ross is probably where I'd choose because that is 100% my vibe. Ross has had extremely strict building codes since inception. So your house-to-lot ratio, it's really, really small. So most of the properties here, they have a ton of land compared to the size of the house that actually sits on that land. Also, as a result of that, there's not a lot of housing here. It's not very dense, so it's very private. You're not in Mill Valley or Belvedere, for example, where homes are a little bit more stacked on top of each other. The lots are a little bit smaller. You just have massive estates here. The houses can be really big. The lots are crazy. Well north of an acre is very common in Ross. And a lot of the homes, just like in the Hamptons, they're not really visible from the streets. There's a ton of privacy here. You have these massive hedges. So it is a great place if you want a private retreat. And the homes themselves, they are insane. Not really hypermodern. You get much more traditional historic homes that have been modernized on the inside, which is the combination that I personally gravitate toward. Now you don't get water views in Ross, but you do get incredible views of Mount Tam. They are absolutely gorgeous. Totally worthy substitute of water views. Ross also has incredible weather. It's warmer than Mill Valley and Sausalito,, but it's less hot than places further north in Marin, like Novato, for example. And that's great because I think Ross is one of the most walkable towns in the entire county. There are some hillside parts of Ross where it is a little bit more difficult to walk around, but a lot of Ross is in completely flat territory and within walking distance of an awesome downtown, very similar vibe to downtown Larkspur, downtown Mill Valley, just a very small, very quaint, very charming downtown. Not a whole lot of frills, just small cafes, little boutiques, little art shops, things like that. And beyond the outdoor space you have in Ross, you're super close to, you know, some of the best outdoor destinations in Marin. You're close to Mount Tam and all the hiking and biking trails there. You're close to Phoenix Lake. You're close to Baltimore Canyon. Just a ton of great outdoor amenities in and around Ross. So very charming, peaceful, walkable setting, incredible weather.. It's easy to get around and you have some of the largest, most private homes you can find in Marin. Now with those larger homes, those larger lots, the privacy, the amenities, the weather, no surprise Ross is also super expensive. In fact, it routinely trades places with Belvedere as one of the most expensive places to live in Marin County. The average home in Ross over the past year was about $5 million or about $1,500 a foot. So even a small house is going to cost you a pretty penny.. But I think the value proposition here compared to a place like Belvedere, there's substantially more value here. Lot sizes here tend to be 3 to 5 times as large. So when you consider how much extra space you get to have that indoor-outdoor lifestyle, I think there's just way better value in Ross. And that's the main reason why I put it as number 1 on my list for places for retirees. Well, there you have it. Those are the top 5 places for retirees in Marin County. Obviously, there are other options as well. There are a ton of great places to retire in Marin County. So if you're thinking about relocating to the area, maybe you're not sure about the ones that I just talked about, or you maybe you want something a little bit less expensive. There are a ton of other places to explore worth checking out for sure. And if that's you, I'd be happy to be a resource for you. I've helped numerous clients move from all over the country to many different parts of Marin County. I'd love the opportunity to help you as well.. So I'll leave my contact in the description below. Definitely reach out to me. And if you want to learn more about these neighborhoods and other neighborhoods in Marin and how they rank against each other, I've made a whole separate video about that, ranking in tiers the best places to live in Marin County. I'll link that video at the top of the description below. Definitely worth checking out as well. And make sure to subscribe to my channel if you want more videos just like this. I hope you enjoyed the video and I'll see you in the next one.