10 Cities Where Social Security Goes the Furthest in 2025
Written by
Laura Beck
Edited by
Molly Sullivan
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Living entirely on Social Security sounds impossible in today’s economy, but a new GOBankingRates study found cities where those monthly checks come surprisingly close to covering all basic expenses. The research measured how many days out of each month Social Security benefits can fund essential costs like housing, food, healthcare and utilities. The study used current Social Security benefits of $2,008.31 monthly for individuals and $2,963.24 for married couples.
The results show geography makes a major difference. In the best cities, Social Security covers expenses for most of the month. In the worst, those benefits run out in less than two weeks.
Top 10 Cities for Homeowners
1. Homestead, Pennsylvania: Social Security lasts 27.38 days for homeowners in this Pennsylvania town of about 2,900 people. Monthly homeownership costs including mortgage, property taxes and basic expenses total around $2,231. That leaves married couples with just over $700 monthly and singles needing to find income for less than three days per month.
2. Decatur, Illinois: Decatur stretches Social Security for 26.34 days for homeowners. This central Illinois city of 70,000 has median home values around $105,000 and total monthly costs for homeowners near $2,319. About 21% of residents are over 65.
3. Tarboro, North Carolina: In Tarboro, Social Security covers 22.03 days of expenses for homeowners. This eastern North Carolina town of 10,700 people has 28% of residents over 65. Monthly homeowner costs run about $2,773 with median home values around $158,000.
4. Parma, Ohio: Social Security lasts 21.72 days for Parma homeowners. This Cleveland suburb of 80,000 people has median home values around $214,000 and monthly homeowner costs near $2,812. About 20% of residents are retirement age.
5. Mountain Home, Arkansas: Mountain Home ties Social Security benefits to 20.91 days of coverage for homeowners. Nearly 30% of this Arkansas city’s 13,000 residents are over 65. Monthly homeowner costs total around $2,921 with median home values near $237,000.
6. Avon Park, Florida: Avon Park makes Social Security last 20.44 days for homeowners. This central Florida town of about 9,900 has 31% of residents over 65. Monthly homeowner costs run around $2,988 with median home values near $214,000.
7. Superior, Wisconsin: Superior stretches Social Security for 20.09 days for homeowners. This Lake Superior port city of 26,500 people has monthly homeowner costs around $3,041. Median home values sit near $225,000.
8. Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi: Bay Saint Louis delivers 19.73 days of Social Security coverage for homeowners. This Gulf Coast town of about 10,000 has 26% of residents over 65. Monthly homeowner costs total around $3,096.
9. Georgetown, South Carolina: Georgetown makes Social Security last 19.71 days for homeowners. This coastal city of 8,500 has 29% of residents retirement age. Monthly homeowner costs run about $3,099 with median home values near $246,000.
10. Beverly Hills, Florida: Beverly Hills rounds out the top 10 with 19.65 days of coverage for homeowners. This Citrus County town of about 9,700 has 31% of residents over 65. Monthly homeowner costs total around $3,109.
Top 10 Cities for Renters
The rankings shift dramatically for renters, who typically face different cost structures than homeowners.
- Mountain Home, Arkansas: 21.97 days
- Decatur, Illinois: 21.59 days
- Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia: 21.32 days
- Laughlin, Nevada: 20.86 days
- Parma, Ohio: 20.84 days
- Windcrest, Texas: 20.69 days
- Homestead, Pennsylvania: 20.54 days
- Canfield, Ohio: 20.25 days
- Canon City, Colorado: 20.08 days
- Tarboro, North Carolina: 19.85 days
Renters generally see Social Security cover fewer days than homeowners in the same cities. Average rent plus expenses consume benefits faster than mortgage payments and ownership costs in most affordable markets.
What This Means for Retirement Planning
These rankings show it’s theoretically possible to nearly live on Social Security alone if you choose location carefully and keep expectations modest. But “nearly” is the key word here. Even in the most affordable cities, retirees need some additional income or savings to bridge the gap. That could mean part-time work, investment income, pension payments or drawing down savings.
The cities where Social Security lasts longest tend to be smaller communities far from major metros. They trade lower costs for fewer amenities, entertainment options and potentially limited healthcare access. Weather also appears to play a role. Many top-ranked cities sit in regions with harsh winters or extreme summer heat, which affects both comfort and utility costs.
Methodology: For this study, GOBankingRates analyzed retirement towns to find out how long Social Security income will last. Retirement towns are cities with at least 1,000 total population and with at least 20% of the population ages 65 and over. The total population, population ages 65 and over, total households, and median household income were all sourced from the US Census American Community Survey. For each location a number of factors were found including the cost of living indexes sourced from Sperlings BestPlaces, the livability index sourced from AreaVibes, and the single-family home value, sourced from Zillow Home Value index. Using the cost of living indexes with the national average expenditure costs for retired households, as sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey for retired consumer units, the average expenditure cost can be calculated for each city. Assuming a 10% downpayment and using the national average 30-year fixed mortgage rate of 6.27 as sourced from the Federal Reserve Economic Data, the average mortgage can be calculated for each city. Using the average mortgage and expenditure costs, the total cost of living for necessities for homeowners can be calculated. The average rent cost was sourced from Zillow Observed Rental Index and used with the average expenditure costs to find the cost of living for necessities for renters. The average Social Security income for one person and for a married couple filing jointly was sourced from the Social Security’s Monthly Statistical Snapshot. Using the average Social Security Income for one person and for a married couple, as well as the total cost of living for necessities for a homeowners and a renter, the cost of living after applying Social Security income can be calculated for each category and both Social Security Income levels. The drawdown time for Social Security income was calculated for renters and homeowners and each were given their own rank, showing the longest to shortest drawdown times. All data is up to date as of Oct. 23, 2025.
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