Could the Golden Girls Afford Their Retirement in 2025?
Written by
Kerra Bolton
Edited by
Amen Oyiboke
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Picture it: Miami, 1985. Four women of a certain age move into a sunny ranch house, turn retirement into a sitcom, and prove that friendship plus a shared mortgage is the ultimate life hack. Blanche rotates gentleman callers like outfits, and her nightgown budget alone could rival a car payment.
Fast-forward to 2025, where Florida’s insurance crisis, exploding rents and healthcare bills are flipping that dream on its shoulder pads. Could Dorothy still afford her sarcasm? Could Blanche still keep the romance economy afloat? Could Rose and Sophia stay in that house, or would they get priced out of paradise?
“The Golden Girls” didn’t just create iconic TV — they created the blueprint for aging boldly and affordably. The real question is whether they could even afford retirement in 2025.
Sitcom vs. Survival
On TV, four women splitting a spacious Miami home felt like smart living with bonus sass. In real life today, sharing expenses is less about convenience and more about keeping the lights on without sacrificing healthcare or blowing through savings.
Recent data shows that retirees in Miami spend far more than the Florida average to live comfortably, said Derek Carlson, president and managing broker at Realty ONE Group MVP.
“While most Florida retirees can expect to need around $6,300 to $8,000 per month, the cost in Miami pushes closer to $7,000 to $9,000 per month due to higher housing prices, insurance premiums, and everyday expenses,” Carlson said. “That equals about $84,000 to $108,000 per year.”
Housing Makes Roommates a Must
“The Golden Girls” didn’t live together just because they loved sharing cheesecake and gossip. Even in the 1980s, Miami wasn’t cheap. In 2025, housing becomes the boss battle of retirement.
“Housing remains the largest expense, followed by healthcare, groceries, and utilities,” said Christopher Stroup, founder and president of Silicon Beach Financial. “Even with shared costs, Miami’s rising property and insurance rates keep affordability a challenge.”
According to Carlson, median home prices in Miami now exceed $620,000, with rising insurance, property taxes, and HOA fees easily pushing monthly housing costs such as mortgage, maintenance and utilities to between $4,500 and $5,500.
Blanche can rotate gentleman callers all she wants. She can’t rotate out a $620,000 mortgage.
Work Wouldn’t Be a Punchline
Back then, a steady pension check and one shared roof were all the retirement planning the girls needed. Today, the average retired U.S. household spends around $5,400 a month just to cover basic living expenses — and Miami isn’t exactly known for “basic.”
All of the girls kept working to keep the lights on and the cheesecake in the refrigerator. Dorothy subbed, Blanche worked at the museum, Rose bounced from counseling to TV gigs, and Sophia worked at a fast-food counter. In 2025, those jobs wouldn’t just be punchlines. They’d be survival plans.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 38% of retirees held part-time jobs last year, a clear sign that plenty of people are still working to cover rising living costs.
They Might Have To Move
Even with roommates and side gigs, Miami might still be too expensive for the Golden Girls. The dream isn’t just to survive together — it’s to live somewhere they can actually afford to laugh.
“Splitting expenses still helps, but less than it once did,” Stroup said. “While sharing cuts per-person housing and utilities, Miami’s surge in rent, insurance, and healthcare premiums offsets much of that benefit.”
Stroup recommended today’s retirees could thrive more in mid-sized cities and Sun Belt metros like Tampa, Raleigh, Tucson or San Antonio, which offer lower housing costs, fewer insurance headaches, and strong healthcare networks.
Friendship Still Wins
Ultimately, the Golden Girls split up because Dorothy married Blanche’s uncle — not because they couldn’t afford to retire in Miami.
They thrived for seven seasons because they faced everything together — bad dates, bad bosses and the really bad cheesecake in the freezer. That kind of care and community is still the smartest retirement plan around.
But even they would need a serious spreadsheet to afford Miami now. Rising costs turn the dream of aging in place into a group project, and not everyone has three best friends ready to move in and split the bills.
If anything, “The Golden Girls” reminds us of the one retirement rule that never changes: life gets easier — and a lot more affordable — when you don’t go it alone.
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