Ranked list · 2026
Best places to retire in BC: five towns retirees already picked
Retirement lists usually rank the places the writer likes. We ranked the places retirees have already chosen, then checked each one for what matters after 65: a 24-hour emergency department within half an hour, winters you can drive in, a house you can afford without selling the one you have, somewhere to golf, and a town that isn’t shrinking. Seventeen towns, six tests each. Here’s how it came out.
By Justin Gaspari, REALTOR®, CIR Realty · October 2026
The short answer
The best places to retire in BC, scored
- 1Osoyoos, South Okanagan. 46% over 65, 24-hour ER oliver, 21 min, January -1.0°, typical house $718,400.
- 2Blind Bay and the South Shuswap, Shuswap Lake. 34% over 65, 24-hour ER salmon arm, 25 min, January -2.6°, typical house $747,500.
- 3Powell River, Sunshine Coast. 31% over 65, 24-hour ER in town, January 3.6°, typical house $579,600.
- 4Salmon Arm, Shuswap Lake. 30% over 65, 24-hour ER in town, January -2.6°, typical house $747,500.
- 5Penticton, South Okanagan. 30% over 65, 24-hour ER in town, January -0.8°, typical house $718,400.
All five pass every test. What separates them is how many retirees already live there: 46 percent of Osoyoos is over 65, against 34 percent in the South Shuswap and about 30 in the other three. BC as a whole is 20. Where are the famous names? Parksville and Qualicum Beach have the most retirees in the province and the mildest winters, and they drop out on hospital access and price. Kelowna has the hospital and the golf, and a typical house costs over a million dollars. Weigh it how you like. Full card’s below, and so are we, most Fridays through Sundays at the sales centre.
The scorecard
Seventeen towns, six tests
| Town | 30%+ over 65 | 24-h ER in 30 min | Jan above -4° | House under $800K | 18-hole golf | Still growing | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. OsoyoosSouth Okanagan · 46% over 65 · $718,400 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6/6 |
| 2. Blind Bay and the South ShuswapShuswap Lake · 34% over 65 · $747,500 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6/6 |
| 3. Powell RiverSunshine Coast · 31% over 65 · $579,600 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6/6 |
| 4. Salmon ArmShuswap Lake · 30% over 65 · $747,500 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6/6 |
| 5. PentictonSouth Okanagan · 30% over 65 · $718,400 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6/6 |
| SecheltSunshine Coast · 37% over 65 · unverified | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | 5/6 |
| SummerlandSouth Okanagan · 32% over 65 · $718,400 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 5/6 |
| VernonNorth Okanagan · 28% over 65 · $793,000 | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 5/6 |
| NelsonKootenay Lake · 21% over 65 · $638,300 | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 5/6 |
| ParksvilleVancouver Island · 44% over 65 · $896,200 | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | 4/6 |
| PeachlandCentral Okanagan · 38% over 65 · $1,057,200 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | 4/6 |
| ComoxVancouver Island · 32% over 65 · $848,900 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | 4/6 |
| CourtenayVancouver Island · 28% over 65 · $848,900 | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | 4/6 |
| KimberleyEast Kootenay · 24% over 65 · $540,300 | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 4/6 |
| KelownaCentral Okanagan · 21% over 65 · $1,057,200 | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | 4/6 |
| Qualicum BeachVancouver Island · 56% over 65 · $896,200 | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | 3/6 |
| Lake CountryCentral Okanagan · 19% over 65 · $1,057,200 | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | 3/6 |
One point per test. Over 65: Statistics Canada 2021 census, share of residents aged 65 and over, 30 percent or more (BC 20.3 percent). ER: a 24-hour emergency department in town or within about 30 minutes by road. January: Environment Canada climate normals, January mean above minus 4°C. House: the regional MLS single-family benchmark under $800,000, September 2026 (July for the Shuswap). Golf: an 18-hole course in town open to public play. Growing: BC Stats population estimate rose from July 2024 to July 2025. Sechelt’s benchmark is scored No because two reads of the same board report gave different figures. Ties go to the higher share of seniors.
No. 1 · 6 of 6
Osoyoos
Nearly half of Osoyoos, 46 percent, is already over 65, the highest share of any Interior town, and that’s what puts it on top. It sits on Osoyoos Lake at the US border with July afternoons that average 31.6°C at the Environment Canada station, the hottest on this list, and a January that averages minus one with about 44 centimetres of snow. The 36-hole Osoyoos Golf Club is open to the public seven days a week. The South Okanagan benchmark was $718,400 in September 2026, down 6.2 percent on the year. One thing before you pack: the 24-hour emergency department is in Oliver, 21 minutes north, and the regional hospital with full trauma services is in Penticton, about 45 minutes. Osoyoos is outside the speculation tax, which matters if you buy before you move.
No. 2 · 6 of 6 · our place
Blind Bay and the South Shuswap
The south shore of Shuswap Lake, Blind Bay, Sorrento and Eagle Bay, is where the Shuswap retires, and where we work. 34 percent of the South Shuswap’s 8,919 residents were over 65 in the 2021 census and the median age was 58.8, the oldest community in the Interior top five. It’s also the fastest-growing of them: up 12.6 percent between the 2016 and 2021 censuses, against 7.6 for BC.
The practical tests all pass. Shuswap Lake General Hospital in Salmon Arm has a 24-hour emergency department 25 minutes east. The 18-hole Shuswap Lake Golf Course sits at the bottom of the hill, reached by an underpass so you never cross the highway. The Shuswap and Revelstoke single-family benchmark was $747,500 in July 2026, and because the South Shuswap is a regional district electoral area rather than a city, it’s outside the speculation tax that covers Salmon Arm and the Okanagan.
The downside is winter. January averages minus 2.6 at the Salmon Arm station, mild for the Interior, but about 200 centimetres of snow falls over the season, more than anywhere else in this top five. You’ll own a snowblower. In exchange you get a lake view instead of a lake-town strip: The Highlands at Blind Bay has serviced lake-view lots from $197,000 on the rim above the course, sized for a single-level home with the view out the front and the marina five minutes down the road.
No. 3 · 6 of 6
Powell River
Powell River is the surprise here. It’s the cheapest town that passes every test: the single-family benchmark was $579,600 in September 2026, January averages 3.6 above zero with 46 centimetres of snow, qathet General Hospital has a 24-hour emergency department in town, Myrtle Point is an 18-hole public course, 31 percent of residents are over 65 and the population is still edging up. What the scorecard misses: you can’t drive there. Two ferries from Vancouver, one from Comox. If you want the coast and don’t plan on many trips back, that ferry ride is the trade that keeps prices down. If your family’s going to visit often, think hard about it first.
No. 4 · 6 of 6
Salmon Arm
The Shuswap’s town, 20,000 people, with 30 percent over 65 and the hospital, the college, the Saturday market and the big errands all inside city limits. Shuswap Lake General is a 24-hour emergency department in town. Salmon Arm Golf Club’s Champions Course is 18 holes and public. The benchmark is the same $747,500 as Blind Bay, and the population has grown every year on record.
Want to walk to things and be minutes from the hospital instead of 25? Salmon Arm. Want the lake in the window, the course next door and no speculation tax? The South Shuswap, with Salmon Arm for errands. A lot of people end up with both: the house at Blind Bay, the doctor and the dentist in town.
No. 5 · 6 of 6
Penticton
Penticton is the biggest town in the five at 37,000 people, between two lakes, with a regional hospital (24-hour emergency and trauma, per Interior Health) in town, an 18-hole club that welcomes public play, and a January that averages minus 0.8 with 62 centimetres of snow. Thirty percent of residents are over 65 and it grew 1.2 percent in the latest year. It shares the South Okanagan benchmark of $718,400 with Osoyoos and Summerland, the lowest in the Okanagan. The things to weigh are the ones the card can’t score: it’s inside the speculation tax area, and the regional district ordered evacuations in small areas near the city during the August 2026 Bald Range fire. Want Okanagan city life? Penticton’s your town.
From the hill, October 2026
What it actually looks like
Scorecards are numbers. This is the place. Three frames from the October shoot, captioned by zone, not lot.
The rest of the card
Where the other twelve fall short
Sechelt would be a six if we could pin down its price: two reads of the same Greater Vancouver REALTORS report gave $853,300 and $743,600 for September 2026, so it scores five with an asterisk. Mildest winter on the list, 5.4 in January, a hospital in town and 37 percent over 65. Summerland is a five that lost 0.2 percent of its people last year and was evacuated wholesale in August 2026. Vernon and Nelson have hospitals, golf and sub-$800,000 houses, and too few retirees to pass the first test.
On the Island, Parksville, Qualicum Beach, Comox and Courtenay have the retirees and the weather. Parksville and Qualicum have no 24-hour emergency department, and the whole Island group sits at $849,000 to $896,000 for a house. Kelowna, Lake Country and Peachland share a $1,057,200 benchmark, and two of the three have no 18-hole course in town. Kimberley is cheap at $540,300, but minus 6.8 in January and 148 centimetres of snow will remind you why, and the emergency department is half an hour away in Cranbrook.
Come and see it
Retire to the view, not the strip
Most retirement listings are somebody else’s old house, stairs included. The Highlands at Blind Bay is 60 serviced lake-view lots from Blind Bay Developments Ltd., from $197,000, on the rim above the golf course, sized for the single-level home most people want after 65. Hospital 25 minutes, marina five, course ten. Buy the lot now and build when the current house sells, or pair it with a move-in-ready plan.
Start with the lots for sale, each with its own price, view and survey plan, and read about living in Blind Bay and Salmon Arm. Or register and we’ll send new releases and pricing as they come. The sales centre is open Friday to Sunday, 11 to 2, and we’re happy to meet you on site any other day. Come for a visit.
Keep reading
Related guides and places
- Best lake towns in BCThe five people are actually moving to, by BC Stats.
- Best places for a summer home in BCSeventeen lakes scored on tax, rental rules, July heat, drive times, price and fire record.
- Buying land vs. a house in BCDown payments, construction mortgages and the property transfer tax break on a new build.
- Cost to build a house on the ShuswapReal BC Interior ranges, by size.
- Life on Shuswap LakeBoating, fishing, golf and beaches, season by season.
- Living in SorrentoThe next community west along the south shore.
- Living in SicamousThe houseboat end of the lake.
- Living in ChaseThe village at the west end, closest to Kamloops.
- Homes and build plansSingle-level plans for the lots.
- Shuswap buyer FAQServicing, drive times, taxes and the rest.
Retiring in BC FAQ
Questions we get asked
What is the best place to retire in BC?
Osoyoos, on our six-point card: 46 percent of its residents are already 65 or over, the South Okanagan single-family benchmark was $718,400 in September 2026, January averages about minus one, there is a 36-hole golf club in town and a 24-hour emergency department 21 minutes away in Oliver. Blind Bay and the South Shuswap are second, Powell River third, Salmon Arm fourth and Penticton fifth. All five clear every test; the order comes from how many retirees already live there.
How did you rank the retirement towns?
Six public tests, one point each, for 17 BC towns outside Metro Vancouver and Greater Victoria. Retirees already there: 30 percent or more of residents aged 65 and over in the 2021 census, against 20.3 percent for BC. Hospital: a 24-hour emergency department in town or within about 30 minutes. Winter: a January mean above minus four from Environment Canada normals. Price: a regional MLS single-family benchmark under $800,000. Golf: an 18-hole course in town open to public play. Growth: population still rising between July 2024 and July 2025 on BC Stats estimates. Ties go to the town with the higher share of seniors. No opinion scores.
Is the Shuswap a good place to retire?
Yes, by these tests, and twice over. Blind Bay and the South Shuswap score six of six with 34 percent of residents over 65, Shuswap Lake General Hospital 25 minutes away in Salmon Arm, an 18-hole public course you reach without crossing the highway, a regional single-family benchmark of $747,500 and a population still rising. Salmon Arm itself also scores six, with the hospital in town. The honest trade-off is winter: about 200 centimetres of snow a year at the Salmon Arm station, more than any Okanagan town on the list, though January still averages only minus 2.6.
What is the cheapest place to retire in BC on this list?
Kimberley, with a single-family benchmark of $540,300 in September 2026, then Powell River at $579,600 and Nelson at $638,300. Kimberley fails the winter test (minus 6.8 in January, 148 centimetres of snow) and Nelson has too few retirees to pass the first test, so Powell River ends up the cheapest town that clears all six. In the Interior top five, Osoyoos and Penticton share the $718,400 South Okanagan benchmark and the Shuswap sits at $747,500.
Why are Parksville and Qualicum Beach not in the top five?
They have the highest share of retirees in the province, 44 and 56 percent, and the mildest winters on the list. They lose points on hospital and price. Parksville’s Oceanside Health Centre is urgent care, open 7:30 am to 9:30 pm, not a 24-hour emergency department; the nearest is in Nanaimo, 30 to 35 minutes away, and further from Qualicum Beach. The Parksville and Qualicum single-family benchmark was $896,200 in September 2026, and Qualicum Beach’s 18-hole course is being cut to nine holes after the Town bought it in 2025.
Which BC retirement towns have the mildest winters?
The coast, by a wide margin. January averages 5.4 degrees at Sechelt, 3.9 at Comox and Courtenay, 3.6 at Powell River and 2.8 at Parksville, with 23 to 51 centimetres of snow a year. In the Interior, Peachland (minus 0.2), Penticton (minus 0.8), Osoyoos (minus 1.0) and Summerland (minus 1.5) are the mildest, with 44 to 84 centimetres of snow. Salmon Arm and the Shuswap average minus 2.6 with about 203 centimetres. Kimberley, at minus 6.8 and 148 centimetres, is the only town on the list that fails the winter test.
Are these retirement communities, or regular towns?
They’re regular towns, not retirement communities. Most searches for retirement communities in BC bring up assisted-living and care-home operators, which is a different decision for a different stage. This list is for people retiring in BC who want an ordinary house or lot in a town where plenty of other retirees already live, with a hospital, a course and a lake within reach. Every town on it has independent-living and care options too; we did not score them.
How far is Blind Bay from a hospital?
Shuswap Lake General Hospital in Salmon Arm, with a 24-hour emergency department, is about 29 kilometres and 25 minutes from Blind Bay by road. Kelowna General, the Interior’s tertiary referral hospital, is under two hours. Sorrento is about 32 minutes from Salmon Arm. For comparison, Parksville and Qualicum Beach are 30 to 45 minutes from the nearest 24-hour emergency department in Nanaimo or Port Alberni.
Does the BC speculation and vacancy tax affect retirees?
Not if the home is your principal residence, which is exempt wherever it is. It matters if you keep a second home or buy ahead of moving: Salmon Arm, Kelowna, Lake Country, Peachland, Penticton, Summerland, Vernon, Courtenay, Comox, Parksville and Qualicum Beach are all inside the taxable area, at 1 percent of assessed value a year for Canadian owners in 2026. Blind Bay and the South Shuswap, Osoyoos, Nelson, Kimberley, Sechelt and Powell River are outside it. We did not score it, because for a full-time retiree it does not apply.
Sources
Where the numbers come from
- Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population: age profiles for each municipality and for Columbia-Shuswap electoral area C (South Shuswap), as republished by citypopulation.de and municipal sites; 2016 to 2021 change and median age for area C from the Census Profile and the Vernon Morning Star, February 10, 2022; BC share of residents 65 and over (20.3 percent).
- Interior Health, Island Health and Vancouver Coastal Health location pages for each hospital and its emergency department hours (Penticton Regional Hospital: 24-hour emergency and trauma; Kelowna General Hospital: the Interior’s tertiary referral hospital); drive times from road-distance aggregators, town centre to hospital.
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals (1981 to 2010 or 1991 to 2020 depending on the station), as republished for each town, including the Osoyoos CS July mean daily maximum; the Salmon Arm station stands in for the South Shuswap.
- Association of Interior REALTORS, Vancouver Island Real Estate Board, Greater Vancouver REALTORS and the Powell River Sunshine Coast Real Estate Board, MLS Home Price Index single-family benchmarks, September 2026 (July 2026 for the Shuswap and Revelstoke region).
- BC Stats, municipal population estimates, July 2024 to July 2025; Province of BC, speculation and vacancy tax taxable areas. Wildfire: CBC News and Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen notices, August 2026; EmergencyInfoBC. Golf course and marina status from each course or municipality’s own site.
Census figures date from 2021 and benchmark prices change monthly. If a number here matters to your decision, check it with the hospital, the municipality or your own adviser. This page isn’t medical, tax or financial advice.