Just for fun...

I moved to Houston in sought of sun, sea and sand. I found sun (and rain), sea (that's brown) and sand (that's not terribly clean).

Now while I am in a position where I could theoretically move anywhere in the country it really made me realize I don't know where a lot of the nicer spaces are in this great country. Not that I am going to but has anyone ever come across somewhere a warm climate year round, clear ocean/lakes, and a low to fair cost of living?

It's me, the car and the boat. A job is a job and can be found almost anywhere. If you were in these shoes - Where would you go?

Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina.

Your search for The Garden of Eden may be in vain. Everywhere has problems.

Good choices above also consider Florida panhandle.

I love my NE GA part of the world. Mountains within a couple of hours, beaches within a few hours. Plenty of waterways near if boating or fishing is your thing. Very warm in the summer but pretty mild winters. Only thing I would says is that spring is very wet usually.

Despite only being a little ways up the road from Atlanta, it's really as rural as you get on the East Coast. Fields for miles, quiet if you live off the beaten path.

Cost of living is low. We just bought a 3,200 sq ft new construction (3 bed, 2 bath) for $205k last year. All bills come to sub $1900 a month including the mortgage. Gas is cheap ($1.39 a gallon as of Saturday) Of course it has it's downsides.

We're are lucky in that we are right on the edge of the tornado belt, so usually don't get anything, but also far enough inland that hurricanes are just a bit of wind and rain by the time they reach us.

The main downside? The mantra here is God, Guns and Republicanism. If you can get on board with at least one of them (Guns is mine) and can keep somewhat quiet on the other 2, I'd recommend it.

For many, such as ourselves, that mantra is just fine. We believe in God (I belong to a church and go regularly), own guns and will use if necessary for defense of life and home, and lean heavily toward the Republican mantra.

In the US you can only trade winter weather for an increased risk of hurricanes, flooding and/or tornadoes, and oppressive heat and/or humidty in the summer. IMO it is worth accepting some frost and a risk of snow in exchange for less oppressive summers and a reduced risk of tornadoes and hurricanes.

Oh, and there is nowhere on the east coast (including the Gulf coast all the way to Mexico) that is affordable, coastal, and doesn't come with a significant risk of hurricanes.

Indeed. However it's not the position of most British expats, so it is always something mentioned to anyone considering living in this part of the world.

Depends on what you consider affordable. Here is a sampling of Long Beach, MS. A 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 13/17,000 sq. ft house can be had from $120,000 upwards. Nice town, decent shopping, close to the beach, great restaurants and casino entertainment. Downside ... retirees, young families and military personnel.

https://www.trulia.com/MS/Long_Beach/

You make some very good points and places that are classed warm year round will probably attract too many people, so clear ocean/lakes, and a low to fair cost of living will be hard to find, or there are some other downsides?
It's also worth nothing if the place has a great climate on paper but is generally a s...hole. You would then be far better to buy some decent clothing for the cooler months and in return have a nicer environment + less hurricanes. Creating a walled garden rather than moving the whole garden might turn out to be the better solution.

Interesting points! Hurricanes and tornadoes have never been too off-putting to me. I think no matter where you go there will be natural downsides. I had recently looked at places like Pensacola, Destin and similar beach towns but couldn't imagine what they would be like from a resident perspective with all the tourists that descend.

Maybe I'll move to the desert and build a pond.

As a single man with a British accent I would imagine it would be like shooting fish in a barrel as far as holiday romances are concerned.

How about Laguna Niguel, CA, or nearby towns on the coast. On the coast, good weather for most of the year. The downsides are very expensive property and possible earthquakes and/or tsunamis. Inland a bit, is not so expensive, and you can still be in reach of the coast.

I'm something of a rarity here in Texas and the attention I get whenever we go out still somewhat bothers my (American) other half, whereas any time I'm in NYC I'm effectively ignored due to being just another voice in a sea of foreign accents.

I don't know what the beach towns of Florida are like as such, but if the local economy is heavily geared toward foreigners then your accent may not be all that special to the locals

There are many large lakes in the SE that would be great places to live. Lake Martin in southern Alabama for one and two large lakes south of Atlanta and many others. If you have Netflix check out a series called OZARK. Supposedly set in lake of the Ozarks in southern Missouri most of it is filmed in the lakes just south of Atlanta. Lake of the ozarks has a coastline of 1100 miles and is longer than the state of California.I liked that series and watched all of it over a week or so.