Considering retirement in San Diego? The sunny beaches and laidback pace make San Diego one of California’s best retirement destinations. You can stay active and explore different interests in this city because of its warm year-round climate.
San Diego also offers affordable, accessible healthcare options and a wide range of living options. Here, retirees can choose from a vast array of new and established senior living communities.
Whether you’re a retiree looking for the perfect place to call your next home or someone who is helping a loved one find the best retirement living option for them, there are countless San Diego 55 communities that offer stress-free living in beautiful homes.
Our 12 best 55+ communities in San Diego are as follows:
- La Vida Real
- Canyon Villas
- Wesley Palms
- Grossmont Gardens
- Torrey Pines
- Atria Collwood
- Casa Aldea
- Ocean Hills Country Club
- Sunrise of Sabre Springs
- White Sands La Jolla
- Rancho Carlsbad
- Auberge at Del Sur
Discover the best retirement communities San Diego has to offer. Active adults can enjoy great weather and maintain a healthy lifestyle all year round.
12 Best 55+ Communities in San Diego
1. La Vida Real
La Vida Real is one of the most luxurious retirement communities in San Diego that features vibrant Spanish-village architecture and interior design. Enjoy the good life within the community through its:
- Beautifully landscaped courtyards
- Walking paths
- Gardening areas
- Outdoor covered seating areas
- Heating swimming pool and spa
- Club lounge and bistro
- Fully equipped fitness center
- Fixed seat movie theatre
- Library
- Billiard room
- Full-service beauty salon
- Barbershop
- Dine Your Way™ at the Del Oro Grille restaurant with VIP service
2. Canyon Villas
Canyon Villas is your “home away from home. Voted one of “San Diego’s Best” by the Union-Tribune Newspaper,” Canyon Villas is definitely one of the best San Diego retirement communities with a focus on care and compassion, providing a wide range of services and activities in a family atmosphere.
The community promotes an active lifestyle through various activities, such as daily exercise classes, social events, pet therapy, music therapy, holiday parties, and an annual luau.
3. Wesley Palms
What sets Wesley Palms apart from other retirement communities in San Diego county is its private patio homes, single-story residences in small, sociable neighborhoods that facilitate social interaction and mental stimulation among residents. Living in this front-porch community gives you breathtaking views of Mission Bay and the Pacific Ocean.
This pet-friendly retirement community features several services and amenities that keep seniors active and happy. They include:
- Exceptional dining options
- Car service
- Exercise classes
- Art gallery
- Monarch butterfly station
- Fitness center
- Activity center
- Swimming pool
- Shuffleboard
- Bocce ball courts
4. Grossmont Gardens
One of the best retirement communities San Diego CA has to offer is Grossmont Gardens. The community is conveniently near local dining venues, shopping centers, and entertainment spots. Within this pet-friendly community, residents live a stress-free and maintenance-free life thanks to Grossmont’s 24-hour resident care staff and an onsite healthcare center. Residents are also motivated to live a fun, active, and healthy lifestyle with a full calendar of classes, activities, and local outings.
5. Torrey Pines
Formerly Brookdale Carmel Valley, Torrey Pines is a three-story, 159-bed community that offers assisted living, independent living, memory care, and a nursing facility all under one roof.
The community offers many amenities, including all-day restaurant-style dining, private walking paths, salon, housekeeping, laundry services, and transportation. Residents look forward to fun daily activities, such as bingo, exercise classes, music classes, and movie nights.
6. Atria Collwood
Atria Collwood is located among the hills and canyons of the Mid-City region, offering its residents the perfect view of San Diego’s breathtaking scenery. Residents enjoy maintenance-free living as housekeeping services take care of cleaning and maintaining the apartments and community grounds.
Amenities include an outdoor grill, courtyard, walking paths, garden space, library, full-service salon and spa, and worship space.
7. Casa Aldea
Casa Aldea has two luxurious 55+ active adult communities conveniently located in central and northern San Diego County – University City and Carlsbad. Each of these retirement communities is uniquely designed, with its own distinct range of services and amenities.
At Casa Aldea University City, residence options include 1-bedroom/1-bath homes, and 2-bedroom/2-bath homes, with custom finishes and details in the kitchens and bathrooms. Most homes include large patios.
The community provides a resort-style ambiance, where residents can spend their afternoons sitting outside on the patio. They can read a good book by the cozy outdoor fireplace in the evenings, or keep fit working out at the state-of-the-art gym overlooking the heated saltwater hydrotherapy whirlpool and lounge area.
At Casa Aldea Carlsbad, home options include one-bedroom and two-bedroom independent apartments with custom home-style construction and high-end finishes so residents can continue living in style. Outside, the community features beautifully landscaped grounds and walking trails that lead to outdoor patio spaces, water features, bocce ball court, putting green, horseshoe pit, and views of the surrounding communities.
Amenities include:
- A bistro with outdoor café seating
- A fitness center
- An activity room with a demonstration kitchen for cooking classes
- A heated saltwater lap pool
- Poolside cabanas and lounge seating
- A hydrotherapy whirlpool tub
8. Ocean Hills Country Club
Ocean Hills Country Club is among the best over 55 communities San Diego has to offer. This premiere 350-acre community has 1,632 single-family homes and attached homes and is located just four miles from the beach. Residents enjoy exploring the community’s scenic grounds along walking and biking trails.
At the heart of the community is a 27,000 square-foot clubhouse, which houses a top-notch fitness room and an aerobics and dance studio. Outdoor amenities include:
- Four tennis courts.
- Three pickleball courts.
- Three bocce ball courts.
- Four shuffleboard courts.
- An 18-hole golf course.
9. Sunrise of Sabre Springs
Also included among California’s best active retirement communities San Diego is Sunrise of Sabre Springs. The community is located in the Poway Valley to the northwest of Rancho Penasquitos. Residents enjoy the surrounding scenery, which includes the breathtaking view of the coastal North County area. Sunrise of Sabre Springs provides residents with various daily activities and events to suit individual interests.
The community is also close to shopping, dining, and entertainment options in Poway. There are also major medical services, including Pomerado Hospital and two other large medical clinics.
10. White Sands La Jolla
One of the top over 55 communities in San Diego, White Sands La Jolla offers residents a maintenance-free lifestyle in their spacious apartment homes. Housekeeping, home maintenance, and groundskeeping are all taken care of by the community’s warm and friendly personnel, so you can spend your time pursuing your interests and spending time with your family and friends.
Some of the wonderful amenities offered in this retirement community include:
- An ocean-view pool
- Jacuzzi
- Restaurant-style dining options
- Full-service beauty salon and barbershop
- Game room
- Arts and crafts center
- Business center
- Fitness center
- Therapy spa
11. Rancho Carlsbad
Rancho Carlsbad is a well-established 55+ gated community located in northern San Diego County. The community has 504 single-family residences within 106 acres near the coast. Residents are motivated to keep active through amenities like an exercise room, saunas, an outdoor pool, and two hydrotherapy pools housed in the community’s central recreation center. Other features within the community include a tennis court, pickleball court, bocce ball court, and an 18-hole golf course. There is convenient access to the beach, which is only five miles away.
12. Auberge at Del Sur
Auberge at Del Sur is one of the most exclusive 55 plus communities in San Diego. This gated community has just under 200 homes, creating an intimate setting in a distinctive neighborhood. It is nestled among 1,000 pristine acres and tucked between Rancho Santa Fe and Black Mountain Open Space Park, Del Sur.
This exceptional community features first-class amenities, including an exclusive clubhouse with a fitness center to motivate residents to stay fit and healthy. There is also an outdoor pool, bocce ball court, and a pickleball court. Auberge is also part of the larger master-planned community of Del Sur. Residents have access to even more amenities which include 12 parks, 11 outdoor pools, and trails for walking and biking.
Conclusion – The Best Retirement Communities in San Diego, CA
To summarize, here are the best retirement communities in San Diego:
- La Vida Real
- Canyon Villas
- Wesley Palms
- Grossmont Gardens
- Torrey Pines
- Atria Collwood
- Casa Aldea
- Ocean Hills Country Club
- Sunrise of Sabre Springs
- White Sands La Jolla
- Rancho Carlsbad
- Auberge at Del Sur
Retirement is when you get to do what you never had the time for. And living in a retirement community that not only provides you with a safe home but also offers you opportunities to discover and pursue your passions is essential to experiencing a truly fulfilling retirement. San Diego retirement communities, especially those we have shortlisted in this article, will provide you with a wonderful community where neighbors become family.