How Much It Costs Per Month To Live in These 20 Southern Retirement Towns

The American South has long been a favorite retirement destination because of its weather and comparatively low cost of living. Millions of snowbird retirees from the Northeast and Midwest have flocked to the South to leave the harsh winters and high prices behind.

A new GOBankingRates study aimed to determine the Southern city “gems” that could be perfect for retirees. Researchers compiled a list of the 100 biggest Southern cities by population size, based on the U.S. Census Bureau’s definition of the South region of the United States. Each city was scored across multiple factors, including average monthly expenses for seniors, livability scores, crime rates and the percentage of the population 65 and over.

One thing the study found was that among the top-rated Southern cities to retire, Florida and Texas dominated the list. Of the top 20 cities, 16 are in the Sunshine State or Loan Star State. However, one of them – College Station, Texas – has a pretty low percentage of seniors, so it is not included in the following list.

Below are 20 highly rated Southern retirement cities, ranked by the overall GBR score. The average monthly expenditures apply to residents ages 65 and over, including groceries, healthcare, utilities and transportation but not housing. In each city, residents 65 and older make up at least 10% of the overall population.

• Avg. monthly expenditures: $1,777.51
• Livability score (out of 100): 90
• % of population 65 and older: 13.34%

• Avg. monthly expenditures: $1,805.49
• Livability score (out of 100): 90
• % of population 65 and older: 12.46%

• Avg. monthly expenditures: $1,740.38
• Livability score (out of 100): 83
• % of population 65 and older: 20.93%

• Avg. monthly expenditures: $1,848.99
• Livability score (out of 100): 81
• % of population 65 and older: 23.01%

• Avg. monthly expenditures: $1,660.39
• Livability score (out of 100): 80
• % of population 65 and older: 13.10%

• Avg. monthly expenditures: $1,840.71
• Livability score (out of 100): 82
• % of population 65 and older: 17.81%

• Avg. monthly expenditures: $1,717.09
• Livability score (out of 100): 86
• % of population 65 and older: 13.50%

• Avg. monthly expenditures: $1,941.87
• Livability score (out of 100): 77
• % of population 65 and older: 24.37%

• Avg. monthly expenditures: $1,862.39
• Livability score (out of 100): 84
• % of population 65 and older: 13.66%

• Avg. monthly expenditures: $1,744.23
• Livability score (out of 100): 86
• % of population 65 and older: 11.20%

• Avg. monthly expenditures: $1,822.57
• Livability score (out of 100): 84
• % of population 65 and older: 13.21%

• Avg. monthly expenditures: $1,830.69
• Livability score (out of 100): 76
• % of population 65 and older: 20.06%

• Avg. monthly expenditures: $1,879.44
• Livability score (out of 100): 86
• % of population 65 and older: 19.28%

• Avg. monthly expenditures: $1,651.65
• Livability score (out of 100): 76
• % of population 65 and older: 12.74%

• Avg. monthly expenditures: $1,842.44
• Livability score (out of 100): 85
• % of population 65 and older: 13.47%

• Avg. monthly expenditures: $1,853.82
• Livability score (out of 100): 81
• % of population 65 and older: 16.21%

• Avg. monthly expenditures: $1,662.55
• Livability score (out of 100): 78
• % of population 65 and older: 12.0%

• Avg. monthly expenditures: $1,757.89
• Livability score (out of 100): 67
• % of population 65 and older: 20.36%

• Avg. monthly expenditures: $1,735.76
• Livability score (out of 100): 71
• % of population 65 and older: 18.09%

• Avg. monthly expenditures: $1,777.05
• Livability score (out of 100): 79
• % of population 65 and older: 13.62%

_{Methodology: GOBankingRates determined the Southern city “gems” that could be perfect for retirees by compiling a list of the 100 biggest Southern cities by population size, based on the U.S. Census Bureau’s definition of the South region of the United States. Each city was scored across multiple factors; [1] Property Crime Rate and [2] Violent Crime Rate (total crimes per 1,000 residents), sourced from FBI’s Crime Data Explorer and missing data supplemented with crime reports from NeighborhoodScout; [3] Percentage of seniors, sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau American Consumer Survey, [4] Livability scores, sourced from AreaVibes; [5] Annual expenditures of a person 65 years and over, based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2021 Consumer Expenditure Survey, which was multiplied by the [6] cities grocery, transportation, utilities, healthcare cost of living, sourced from Sperling’s BestPlaces. The livability index was scored and weighted at 1.00, the property crime rate was scored and weighted at 0.75, the violent crime rate was scored and weighted at 0.75, the population of 65 years and over was scored and weighted at 0.75, and the monthly expenditure costs were scored and weighted at 1.25. All scores were combined and sorted to show the best southern gems for a person to retire. All data compiled and is up-to-date as-of November 14th, 2023.}

_{Photo Disclaimer: Some photos in this gallery are representational and don’t necessarily depict the city mentioned.}