Los Angeles, California: Too Familiar, Too WatchedNew York City, New York: Glamour With a Crushing Price TagSan Francisco, California: Beautiful, Expensive, and Getting HarderHonolulu, Hawaii: Paradise With a Hidden Tax TrapNewark, New Jersey: Cost Without the UpsideMiami, Florida: Fame Magnet in DisguiseChicago, Illinois: Cold Winters, High Taxes, and Fading Appeal
Some cities that seem like natural fits for the famous and wealthy turn out to be the places they run from the moment the spotlight dims. Here are seven cities that routinely land on that quiet, unspoken avoid list – and the very real reasons why.
Los Angeles, California: Too Familiar, Too Watched
It seems counterintuitive. LA is where careers are made, where mansions fill the hillsides, where the industry lives. Yet many retiring celebrities quietly put distance between themselves and the city the moment they step back from full-time work. The reason is straightforward: there are plenty of celebrities who thrive off the bright flashes from paparazzi cameras, stepping out of their lavish homes in popular A-list cities knowing photographers will be waiting – and for those who want peace, that’s exactly the problem.
Los Angeles continues to face substantial public-safety challenges even as the city invests in policing reforms, with over 27,000 violent crimes recorded in 2024, producing a violent-crime rate well above the national average. Property crime layers on top of that. Los Angeles as a whole maintains a crime rate roughly thirty percent higher than the national average, though geographic disparities are significant, with affluent western neighborhoods experiencing far lower rates.
New York City, New York: Glamour With a Crushing Price Tag
New York carries undeniable cultural weight. For a retired celebrity who wants world-class healthcare, museums, and dining, it checks a lot of boxes. The problem is the cost. New York City’s cost of living is more than twice the national average, and in some boroughs like Manhattan, costs climb even higher. For someone trying to live quietly on a managed estate rather than a full working income, that gap stings…