5 Southern States Where $1 Million in Retirement Savings Lasts the Longest

One million dollars has long been thought of as the ideal retirement nest egg, but the truth is that in many states, that won’t be enough to last through retirement for most people. The cost of living is on the rise and many people are now living multiple decades in retirement, so that $1 million may run out quicker than you think.

To determine how long $1 million in retirement savings would last in every state, GOBankingRates calculated the average annual expenditures for retirees. In the most expensive state — Hawaii — a $1 million nest egg would last less than 10 years. On the flip side, in the states where $1 million lasts the longest, $1 million will last over 19 years — and many of them happen to be in the South.

Here’s a look at the Southern states where $1 million in retirement savings last the longest.

• Annual groceries cost: $4,701
• Annual housing cost: $7,284
• Annual utilities cost: $4,067
• Annual transportation cost: $4,528
• Annual healthcare cost: $7,163
• Total annual expenditures: $49,261

How long $1 million will last in savings: 20 years, 3 months, 19 days

• Annual groceries cost: $4,644
• Annual housing cost: $8,488
• Annual utilities cost: $3,685
• Annual transportation cost: $4,216
• Annual healthcare cost: $7,427
• Total annual expenditures: $50,128

How long $1 million will last in savings: 19 years, 11 months, 12 days

• Annual groceries cost: $4,519
• Annual housing cost: $8,313
• Annual utilities cost: $4,003
• Annual transportation cost: $4,651
• Annual healthcare cost: $6,982
• Total annual expenditures: $50,186

How long $1 million will last in savings: 19 years, 11 months, 5 days

• Annual groceries cost: $4,596
• Annual housing cost: $8,243
• Annual utilities cost: $4,312
• Annual transportation cost: $4,404
• Annual healthcare cost: $6,469
• Total annual expenditures: $50,995

How long $1 million will last in savings: 19 years, 7 months, 11 days

• Annual groceries cost: $4,548
• Annual housing cost: $8,582
• Annual utilities cost: $3,876
• Annual transportation cost: $4,444
• Annual healthcare cost: $6,469
• Total annual expenditures: $51,169

How long $1 million will last in savings: 19 years, 6 months, 15 days

Methodology: In order to find how long $1,000,000 will last across the country, GOBankingRates first found (1) the national average annual expenditures for people 65 and older, sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2022 Consumer Expenditure Survey data. Then, GOBankingRates created (2) state-level annual expenditure estimates by multiplying the national figure by each state’s overall cost of living index score for the 3Q 2023 from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center. Finally, GOBankingRates found (3) how many years $1,000,000 will last in each state by dividing $1,000,000 by each state’s average annual expenditures estimate. All 50 states and the District of Columbia were then ranked with No. 1 being the state where $1,000,000 will last the longest and No. 51 being the state where it will run out most quickly. GOBankingRates provided supplemental information on the average annual cost of groceries, housing, utilities, transportation and healthcare for people 65 and older in each state by again using MERIC’s cost of living indices for each category to factor out national estimates from the CES. All data was collected on and up to date as of April 23, 2024.