But Auckland financial adviser Hannah McQueen says not everyone can afford to move into a village and those who want need to plan for it ahead of their retirement.
For a start McQueen says it's very unlikely a person will be able to move into a village without owning property first.
"If you haven't owned property the chances are you won't be able to afford to move into a retirement village."
McQueen says many people bank on down-sizing their homes to release capital for their retirement but for a lot of people down-sizing also means having to move into another suburb and away from friends and family.
"A lot of people are banking on it being their get out of jail free card. But if your friends aren't there it's not much of a retirement."
McQueen says that is why moving into a retirement village can be attractive as they are usually around 75 per cent of the cost of a home in the same area.
It can be a way of staying in the same area but also freeing up some capital if you are mortgage free.
But even releasing some capital from the home may mean you don't have enough to meet the kind of lifestyle you want in retirement and could mean moving to a village in a cheaper area.
"Having to work through all these issues is very confronting and can be quite sensitive for people," she says.
The capital downside to moving into a retirement village is that most don't allow residents to take advantage of future capital gains in property and when the resident vacates the operator takes a cut of between 20 to 30 per cent of the original price.
The operator then gets to on-sell the unit to the next buyer at a price that keeps pace with the local property market.
On top of that residents have to pay a weekly fee that is typically around $120.
Foregoing capital gains and having to accept a set price for the property on vacating it means it's likely you will have less money left to leave as an inheritance.
McQueen says this can be a sticking point for a lot of people, especially her older clients.
"Once they get above 70 they almost feel obliged to leaves as much as possible to their children."
But in many cases the children are successful in their own right or don't want the money.
She says some people almost need permission to spend their own money.
Knowing your nest egg will last the distance and meet your retirement goals can free up concerns about whether to spend money or not.
She says people need to work out what kind of lifestyle they want in retirement, how much that will cost and whether their assets are enough to meet that.
If there is a gap, and she says most people do have one, they need to consider ways to bridge it.
Bill Atkinson, Grey Power's expert on retirement villages says he and his wife decided to move into a village more than 12 years ago because they didn't want to be a burden on their children.
"We don't need to worry, they have had an inheritance while we are still alive and what little we have left we have no thoughts about or worries about spending."
He says it gives them security and the possibility of care in the event they need it.
A high number of those that buy into villages are single women who have sold their home, according to Atkinson.
Many spend all of their money moving in and then live off New Zealand Superannuation when they get there.
If weekly costs go up that can be a burden.
Some villages fix this cost for the duration of the resident's tenancy others adjust it based on consumer price index increases.
Atkinson says even if it is just a CPI adjustment it can be tough as other costs are also increasing.
"In many cases it means they just exist."
But some would have been in a worse case living in their own home with increasing rates, insurances and ongoing maintenance costs.
Atkinson says says there is a perception that retirement villages residents are all rich. "That ain't so."
It's a view backed up by Retirement Villages Association chief executive John Collyns.
"55 per cent have less than $25,000 income per year."
Collyns admits that retirement villages are more about making an investment into the quality of life you will have than a financial investment.
But he says residents shouldn't be concerned about being forced to move out if they suddenly can't afford the weekly fees.
Arrangements can be made to add the weekly fee to the management fee so it gets paid out of the unit's profits when a resident vacates and the operator sells it.
"No one has been thrown out of a retirement village."
Retirement Planning
• list your goals and how you would like to live in retirement
• figure out how much that will cost and what you can actually afford
• consider ways to bridge the gap like working longer, cutting down spending, downsizing the house
• be realistic - if you take an overseas holiday you might not be able to paint the house
• don't just plan for the sunny days - life is seldom sunny all the time
• take time and get the right advice so your finances don't control you
• if you want impartial advice you might have to pay for it
