10 Best Southern Cities for a Couple To Live on Just Social Security

For many people, just living on Social Security checks would not be enough to pay for their basic living and food essentials. However, in a handful of Southern cities, the average monthly Social Security benefit, as of Sept 2023, of $1,792.37 ($3,584.74 for a couple) is just enough to live on if two people are both receiving Social Security.

To figure out where you can live on your Social Security checks, GOBankingRates determined the average monthly benefit for retired workers, sourced from the Social Security Administration, and the average 2023 rent for a one-bedroom apartment. GOBankingRates then researched the cost-of-living index for each listed city, looking at grocery and healthcare index scores. GOBankingRates also used data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2020 Consumer Expenditure Survey to find the annual expenditure amount for both grocery (“food at home”) and healthcare costs for people aged 65 and older, adding these costs together. Livability scores were sourced from AreaVibes.

Check out the best Southern cities to live on just a Social Security check.

• 2023 average monthly rent: $1,422
• Monthly necessities expenditures: $3,036.87 

In Greensboro, residents can expect to pay about $382.96 per month in groceries and $584.98 in healthcare costs, both of which fall below the national average.

• 2023 average monthly rent: $1,397
• Monthly necessities expenditures: $3,179.02

In Dundalk Maryland, the livability score is a healthy 82. Residents can expect to pay below national average on groceries and healthcare, but utilities run $378.77 per month, or 7.3% above average, and transportation is $473.29 per month, or 14.9% above average.

• 2023 average monthly rent: $998
• Monthly necessities expenditures: $2,626.94

In North Little Rock, the rent drops just below $1,000 per month. Residents can expect to pay about $375 per month in groceries and around $578in healthcare costs, both below the national average. The livability score is decent, at 74, but it’s the lowest score on this list.

• 2023 average monthly rent: $1,284
• Monthly necessities expenditures: $3,083.62

In Norman, only healthcare costs are above the national average, at around $667 per month. The livability score is 82.

• 2023 average monthly rent: $1,369
• Monthly necessities expenditures: $3,072.88

In Lexington, which has a nice livability score of 86, groceries run nearly $392 per month, and utilities are a reasonable $320.88 per month.

• 2023 average monthly rent: $1,045
• Monthly necessities expenditures: $2,960.62

In Charleston, which has a livability score of 84, all monthly expenditures fall below the national average except for healthcare, which, at $855.16 per month, is 36.1% above.

• 2023 average monthly rent: $1,121
• Monthly necessities expenditures: $2,894.68

Florence has relatively low transportation costs, which are $318.82 per month, and grocery costs, which are $371.37 per month, but healthcare, at $740.18 is 17.8% above the national average.

• 2023 average monthly rent: $1,397
• Monthly necessities expenditures: $3,041.20

While Rogers, Arkansas has the highest rent on this list, its other monthly expenditures fall below the national average, and it has a high livability score of 87.

• 2023 average monthly rent: $856
• Monthly necessities expenditures: $2,725.39

Huntington, the second West Virginia city here, has the lowest rent on this list, at $856, but the highest healthcare cost, at $836.31, which is 33.1% higher than national average. It makes up for it with a livability score of 81.

• 2023 average monthly rent: $1,267
• Monthly necessities expenditures: $2,956.16

Lynchburg takes the No. 1 spot with the highest livability score on this list, of 90. All monthly expenditures, except healthcare, are below the national average. Healthcare, at $654.72 per month, is only 4.2% above the national average, however.

Methodology: GOBankingRates determined the best cities in the South (TX, OK, AR, LA, MS, AL, GA, FL, SC, NC, VA, MD, DE, WV, KY, and TN) for a couple to live on only a Social Security check based on the average monthly benefit for retired workers, $1,792.37 ($3,584.74 for a couple), sourced from Social Security Administration. GOBankingRates first isolated all cities in the South cities with a 2023 average monthly rent under $1,900 and a size rank below 1,000. GOBankingRates then used Sperling’s Best to find the cost of living index for each listed city, looking at grocery, healthcare, utilities, and transportation index scores. Next, GOBankingRates used data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2022 Consumer Expenditure Survey to find the annual expenditure amount for grocery (“food at home”), utilities, healthcare, and transportation costs for people aged 65 and older in order to find how much a couple 65 and over would spend on necessities in each city on a monthly basis. GOBankingRates then added monthly housing, grocery, utilities, transportation and healthcare costs together to find where a couple 65 and older could survive on their Social Security or less. In order for a city to be qualified for the study the city had to have a livability score above 70 as sourced from AreaVibes. GOBankingRates scored and combined both livability and monthly necessities expenditure, with the lowest score being best, to determine final rankings. All data was collected and is up to date as of September 13, 2023.

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