8 Best Places in California for a Couple To Live on Only a Social Security Check
Retiring in California on just Social Security checks is possible, if you start thinking South Gate instead of South Lake Tahoe, Bellflower instead of Beverly Hills, and Hanford instead of Hollywood.
The cost of living in California varies widely, with some Golden State real estate and rent as expensive as it gets. So which cities should you target with a monthly income of $3,581.12? That’s currently the average Social Security benefit for a couple, according to the Social Security Administration.
GOBankingRates has done at least some of the legwork for you. We’ve combined average monthly rent, city size, Sperling’s Best Places cost-of-living index, data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, livability ratings from AreaVibes, and other criteria to generate a list of the top eight spots.
Spoiler alert: Beverly Hills didn’t make it.
Some pretty nice places did, though. Check them out below, and if you’re casting a wider net than California, here’s out list of the best places in the whole country to live on just your Social Security checks.
8. Modesto
- Average monthly rent: $1,965
- Monthly total cost of living: $3,308
- Livability index: 66
You’ll find Modesto in California’s Central Valley region, in between San Francisco, Sacramento and Fresno. With an average monthly rent under $2,000 and groceries around the national average, Modesto is more budget-friendly than many California cities. Plus, Modesto has a minor league baseball team called the Nuts. We’re not making this up.
7. Turlock
- Average monthly rent: $1,945
- Monthly total cost of living: $3,269
- Livability index: 66
Turlock is about 20 miles southwest of Modesto and considerably smaller, with a population of about 75,000. It’s a college town, home to California State University-Stanislaus. Groceries here will cost you just under $400 a month, right about the national average.
6. Bellflower
- Average monthly rent: $1,928
- Monthly total cost of living: $3,136
- Livability index: 65
About 80,000 people live in Bellflower, located about 20 miles south of Los Angeles. It’s one of two cities in our list tied for the lowest livability score at 65, but Bellflower’s average monthly rent (under $2,000) and relatively low healthcare costs (about $500 a month, 13 percent below the national median) place it within reach of many retirees on tight budgets.
5. South Gate
- Average monthly rent: $1,798
- Monthly total cost of living: $3,021
- Livability index: 65
Also located in Los Angeles County, South Gate is about halfway between Bellflower and Los Angeles. Like Bellflower, it scores a 65 on livability. It’s a bit less expensive, though, with average monthly rents $130 lower. South Gate’s monthly cost of living is the second-lowest on our list.
4. Visalia
- Average monthly rent: $1,708
- Monthly total cost of living: $3,111
- Livability index: 71
Located in Central California’s agriculture-rich San Joaquin Valley, Visalia has roughly doubled in population since 1990 to about 150,000 residents. It brands itself as the “Gateway to the Sequoias.” You’ll pay about $373 a month for groceries here.
3. Hanford
- Average monthly rent: $1,900
- Monthly total cost of living: $3,164
- Livability index: 73
Another San Joaquin Valley entry, Hanford is just 20 miles west of Visalia on State Route 198. It scores slightly higher on livability than Visalia, with monthly rents about $200 higher. Attractions include the Carnegie Museum, the Fox Theater and the Kings County Fair.
2. Chico
- Average monthly rent: $1,626
- Monthly total cost of living: $3,078
- Livability index: 72
Surrounded by rolling hills, Chico is located about three hours northeast of San Francisco by car. Chico’s 100,000+ residents — up from about 40,000 in 1990 — have access to hiking, mountain biking and numerous other outdoor opportunities. It’s also home to California State University-Chico, which Playboy Magazine once named the hardest partying school in the entire nation. Retirees may appreciate Chico’s average monthly rent of $1,626, however, the second-lowest on our list.
1. Redding
- Average monthly rent: $1,525
- Monthly total cost of living: $2,987
- Livability index: 75
Redding has the distinction of having the lowest monthly cost of living and the highest livability score on our list. Located about 160 miles north of Sacramento, this city of about 100,000 offers hiking, biking and numerous other outdoor activities. Be ready for hot summers, with temperatures frequently topping 100 degrees. As for the cost of living, you’ll spend about $370 each for groceries and utilities each month.
Methodology: GOBankingRates determined the best cities in California for a couple to live on only a Social Security check based on the average monthly benefit for retired workers, $1,790.56 ($3,581.12 for a couple), sourced from Social Security Administration. GOBankingRates first isolated all cities in California with a 2023 average monthly rent under $2,000 and a size rank below 1,000. GOBankingRates then used Sperling’s Best Places to find the cost of living index for each listed city, looking at grocery and healthcare index scores. Next, GOBankingRates used data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2021 Consumer Expenditure Survey to find the annual expenditure amount for both grocery (“food at home”) and healthcare costs for people aged 65 and older, in order to find how much a couple 65 and over would spend on groceries and healthcare in each city on a monthly basis. GOBankingRates then added monthly housing, grocery 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 qualify, it had to have a livability score above 65 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 is up to date as of September 6, 2023.
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