As I tell (mostly pilot) friends who are considering moving to CA, specifically San Diego, to retire, if you’ve decided this is really where you want to
be–and you know you can afford it for the balance of your life–go for it. On the other hand, if the finances are not available for the duration–I tell them it’s probably best to look elsewhere.
Most of the people we know in our age group (50’s) started planning for retirement or, at the very least, a future transitional period, when we were very young.
Life is full of surprises, and the last thing anyone should want would be to find they are financially unprepared to go the distance when they reach their 50’s and beyond. I would never want to see anyone in that position.