Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
GOBankingRates
15 Best Places To Live on Only a Social Security Check
By Jordan Rosenfeld,
4 hours ago
Dean Mitchell / iStock.com
While Social Security is designed to supplement a retiree’s income in retirement , for some it’s actually their only source of income, leaving them to live on quite a fixed income.
With an average monthly benefit of just $1,871 for an individual and $2,781 for a couple as of January 2024, Social Security doesn’t provide nearly enough income for retirees to live in America’s most expensive cities.
If you plan on relying on just your Social Security benefits to get by – and you still want to enjoy your golden years – you’ll have to find cities that remain relatively affordable while still scoring highly in terms of livability.
This is the reason why GOBankingRates compiled a list of the 15 best cities to live on only a Social Security check alone. The study factored in the median one-bedroom rent, livability score, total annual cost of living, and how much is left over after Social Security benefits have been added in.
Annual cost of living after SS benefits (couple) : -$4,611
Editor’s note: Photos are for illustration purposes only and may not represent the specific city.
Methodology: For this study, GOBankingRates analyzed cities across the country to find the best places to live on only Social Security benefits using the average Social Security Benefits from the Social Security Administration for one person and for a married couple. For each city, a number of factors were found including: the total population, population ages 65 and over, household median income, and total households — all sourced from the U.S. Census American Community Survey, the cost of living indexes as sourced from Sperlings BestPlaces, the livability index as sourced from AreaVibes, and the average single family home value as sourced from Zillow Home Value Index. Using the cost of living indexes and the national average expenditure costs, as sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey, the average expenditure costs can be calculated. Using the average home value, assuming a 10% down payment, and using the national average 30-year fixed mortgage rate, as sourced from the Federal Reserve Economic Data, the average mortgage cost can be calculated. Using the mortgage and expenditure costs the total cost of living can be calculated. Using the Social Security benefits for a single person and a married couple, as sourced from the Social Security Administration, the cost of living after Social Security benefits can be calculated. Places where the Social Security benefits for a married couple are lower than the cost of living were kept for this study. The cities were sorted to show the highest livability places first, representing the highest quality-of-life places within the income range of Social Security benefits for a married couple. All data was collected on and is up to date as of Sept. 19, 2024.
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Local News
