Palm Springs gay retirement: Living Out, Stonewall Gardens and the alternatives

Living Out

Living Out opened in late 2022 as "a luxury rental community in Palm Springs targeted at active LGBTQ+ seniors age 55 and older" (Bay Area Reporter). It has 122 apartments on a nine-acre site, with an 80-foot pool and an on-site restaurant. By March 2026 it was nearing capacity (Connecticut Voice). It describes itself as a community for LGBTQ 55+ adults "and their allies".

It isn't cheap. When it opened, one-year leases ran from $4,999 to $8,300 a month. Rent included utilities and a cleaning service, and breakfast was included too. Those are late-2022 figures, so ask for current rents.

Stonewall Gardens

Stonewall Gardens, at 2150 North Palm Canyon Drive, is an assisted living community for LGBT seniors and friends. That means help with daily tasks rather than independent living. Its website doesn't list prices, so call (760) 548-0970 to ask about availability and costs, and whether it can meet the care needs of the person moving in.

A mainstream 55+ community

Sun City Palm Desert is a large community of about 4,900 single-level homes for people aged 55 and over, further down the valley in Palm Desert. It has three clubhouses and more than 60 clubs (Your Resort Home). It isn't LGBTQ+-focused, so visit, meet a few residents and ask how out residents find it before you buy.

Living in town

In 2017 Palm Springs became the first place in the US to elect an all-LGBTQ city council (NBC News). The Movement Advancement Project rates California's state laws High, its top band. That rating is about the laws, not about daily life in any one town.

There's real support on the ground. The LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert runs a behavioral health clinic and a food bank, among other services. DAP Health's Stonewall Medical Center offers HIV and primary care, including gender-affirming care, and DAP Health says it supports more than 10,000 LGBTQ+ people (NBC Palm Springs, March 2026). In January 2026 Triangle Care Management, a local nonprofit, launched free care navigation for LGBTQ+ older adults, linking them with health providers who respect who they are.

The downsides, honestly

The heat is the big one. Average highs in July and August are around 108°F, based on NOAA data (Current Results). If you'd want to escape for part of the summer, budget for somewhere else to go.

Then there's cost. Zillow estimates the value of a typical Palm Springs home at about $612,000 for September 2026. Its estimate for the US as a whole that month was about $366,000.

None of this rules it out. It just means visiting in August as well as February before you decide.

Finding your people

If you'd like to share a home in the Coachella Valley or start something with others, start with the people. On Among Our People you can browse projects that are forming, or post your idea on the online notice board. And if you're weighing Palm Springs against other places, our guide to the best gay retirement cities compares eight of them.