11 Best Places for Men To Live on Only a Social Security Check

Depending solely on Social Security to fund your retirement can be difficult no matter where you live. The size of your Social Security payment can make a big difference, which means it’s usually easier for men to get by than women.

The median Social Security benefit for a man is $2,080 a month in 2024, according to the Social Security Administration. That compares to a median payment of only $1,623 for women — a difference of more than $450 a month.

As the SSA noted, men in the upper 90th percentile of Social Security recipients get a median monthly payment of $3,166. The maximum payment is $4,873 a month, while the minimum payment is closer to $600. That gap can go a long way toward determining how well you can get by on Social Security alone.

If you plan to depend heavily on Social Security benefits in retirement, then you’ll need to go where living costs are affordable. That usually means the South or Midwest, according to an analysis from Insider Monkey that ranked cities on metrics such as living costs and livability.  

Based on that research and presented in alphabetical order, these are 11 of the best places for men to live on only Social Security.

• Cost of Living Index: 80.8
• Average Rent (1-bedroom): $1,049
• Livability Score: 80

• Cost of Living Index: 74.9
• Average Rent (1-bedroom): $952
• Livability Score: 78

• Cost of Living Index: 85.6
• Average Rent (1-bedroom): $1,004
• Livability Score: 83

• Cost of Living Index: 86.6
• Average Rent (1-bedroom): $937
• Livability Score: 81

• Cost of Living Index: 90.6
• Average Rent (1-bedroom): $913
• Livability Score: 84

• Cost of Living Index: 82.0
• Average Rent (1-bedroom): $1,106      
• Livability Score: 84

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• Cost of Living Index: 88.4
• Average Rent (1-bedroom): $962
• Livability Score: 81

• Cost of Living Index: 84.6
• Average Rent (1-bedroom): $897
• Livability Score: 75

• Cost of Living Index: 83.6
• Average Rent (1-bedroom): $1,027
• Livability Score: 78

• Cost of Living Index: 85.5
• Average Rent (1-bedroom): $869
• Livability Score: 79

Read Next: The Average Retirement Age in 2024 — US vs. Canada

• Cost of Living Index: 89.4
• Average Rent (1-bedroom): $983
• Livability Score: 84