Consider manufactured housing. Had it not been for this place's restriction on dogs needing to be under 30 lbs we would have bought there, Carribean Naples in North Naples, FL:
https://www.caribbeannaples.com/
We used to stay at the RV park next door (Lake San Marino RV Resort) and several couples who were full-time in their RV sold them and bought in this place. They did a big upgrade a few years ago with a new clubhouse and a new pool. The new ownership forced the junk old park models to fix up or sell out. Several sold out, were torn down, and had new homes built:
https://www.caribbeannaples.com/homes/
The new homes are built to Wind Zone 3 standards. Those homes had very little damage during Ian per our acquaintances who moved there. Some older ones had roofs ripped off, etc.
The location is right off the Tamiami Trail (State Route 41) and there is a LOT of tennis in the Naples, FL area. We bike and we could leave the RV park next door and ride our bikes 20 miles on paths and bike lanes.
You do not own the land but are "guaranteed" a lease on the land for as long as you own the home. (What that means for your heirs I do not know.) I think the costs to live there (rent, insurance, etc.) were about $1,000 a month US a year ago.
But homeowner's insurance is expected to skyrocket again after Ian. My sister lives north of there, did not get flooded, and is bracing for an increase in her homeowner's insurance from about $3,500 a year to close to $10,000 a year. Of course, the cheaper your home to replace the lower the insurance costs, theoretically...
A similar option is to buy a "park model" or a "permanent" in an RV park. Many, many RV parks are selling these things because they guarantee a cash flow. Some places are horrid and others very nice.
We have friends who realized they were simply hauling their RV from the north to the south each Fall and back in the Spring, mostly. So they sold their RV and bought a park model home. Those are far more cheaply built than manufactured housing but also are far cheaper. We also have friends who bought a permanent in Lake San Marino next door because they drove from Nashville to there each year so they sold the RV.
Yes, you're paying whatever your contract with the RV park says, the price can go way up if the RV park is sold or at renewal time, etc. But it is a far more affordable option initially.
If you do decide to look in the southwest USA, be certain to consider the impact of water shortages or rationing. I have no idea how much is hype versus reality but when you read about small towns scrambling to find replacement water sources you do wonder.
https://www.12news.com/article/news...-days/75-abb1638c-1e26-4092-a7a3-075433e7e6cf
Good luck,
Ray