The Best Cities With Great Weather To Retire on $3,000 a Month

You’re getting ready to retire, and you’re searching for a new hometown with your ideal climate. Of course, that’s often easier said than done when trying to stick to a budget.

Specifically, you’re trying to spend around $3,000 per month. Chances are you’ll be living at least partly on Social Security, and the average monthly benefit is $1,542.22 per month, as of June 2022.

If you think it’s impossible to retire in a city with great weather without spending a fortune, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to learn it isn’t. Results of a recent GOBankingRates study determined there are several fantastic spots to choose from.

Of course, average temperatures vary between each city on the list. Some are known for their year-round warmth, while others offer a mild change in seasons. This gives you a little leeway to choose your idea of the ideal climate.

What all the cities do have in common is a sizable population of residents ages 65 and over and the ability to live within your means on a budget.

Ready to start enjoying your golden years? Here are the four best cities with great weather to retire on $3,000 per month.

• Monthly expenditures: $2,854.29
• 2022 average one-bedroom rent: $1,558
• Percent of population 65 and older: 13.1%
• Livability: 66
• Annual grocery cost: $4,540.32
• Monthly grocery cost: $378.36
• Annual healthcare cost: $7,001.40
• Monthly healthcare cost: $583.45
• Annual utilities cost: $4,013.76
• Monthly utilities cost: $334.48

• Monthly expenditures: $2,735.66
• 2022 average one-bedroom rent: $1,553
• Percent of population 65 and older: 11.6%
• Livability: 72
• Annual grocery cost: $4,153.55
• Monthly grocery cost: $346.13
• Annual healthcare cost: $6,121.22
• Monthly healthcare cost: $510.10
• Annual utilities cost: $3,919.19
• Monthly utilities cost: $326.60

• Monthly expenditures: $2,277.04
• 2022 average one-bedroom rent: $1,059
• Percent of population 65 and older: 14.4%
• Livability: 72
• Annual grocery cost: $4,191.39
• Monthly grocery cost: $349.28
• Annual healthcare cost: $6,761.35
• Monthly healthcare cost: $563.45
• Annual utilities cost: $3,665.73
• Monthly utilities cost: $305.48

• Monthly expenditures: $2,151.45
• 2022 average one-bedroom rent: $862
• Percent of population 65 and older: 12.6%
• Livability: 69
• Annual grocery cost: $3,981.19
• Monthly grocery cost: $331.77
• Annual healthcare cost: $7,814.90
• Monthly healthcare cost: $651.24
• Annual utilities cost: $3,673.29
• Monthly utilities cost: $306.11

• Monthly expenditures: $2,626.25
• 2022 average one-bedroom rent: $1,405
• Percent of population 65 and older: 16%
• Annual grocery cost: $4,204
• Monthly grocery cost: $350.33
• Annual healthcare cost: $6,668
• Monthly healthcare cost: $555.67
• Annual utilities cost: $3,783
• Monthly utilities cost: $315.25

Methodology: For this study, GOBankingRates found the best cities in America with great weather — as sourced from U.S. News & World Report — to retire on a budget of $3,000 dollars or less. GOBankingRates used ApartmentList June 2022 data to find every great weather city that has an (1) average 2022 monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment.

GOBankingRates then used Sperling’s Best to find the cost of living index for every city on the list, looking at (2) grocery, (3) utilities and (4) healthcare index scores. Next, GOBankingRates 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, to find how much a person 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 person 65 and older could survive on $3,000 or less. For a city to qualify for the study, it had to have a livability score of 65 or higher — as sourced from AreaVibes — and its population had to be 10% or more over the age of 65, according to the Census Bureau’s 2020 American Community Survey.

For final rankings, all qualified cities were ranked by (5) total monthly expenditures, (6) percent of population over 65 and (7) livability, with the lowest score being best. Factor (7) was weighted 1.5x. All data was collected on and up to date as of July 13, 2022.