20 Places on the East Coast for a Couple To Live on Only Social Security
When we think of East Coast cities, the first ones typically are the big ones with big costs of living — New York, Boston and Miami. While those cities might be unaffordable for a couple living on limited Social Security dollars, plenty of Eastern cities and towns aren’t out of reach.
If you know where to look, the Atlantic Coast still harbors plenty of hidden gems with relatively low living and housing costs and relatively high livability, which deals with factors like crime, transportation and amenities. Several of the cities are located in big college towns, too, which give retirees access to top-notch sporting events, things like campus plays and museums, and the opportunity for lifelong learning, if they desire.
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To find the best places on the East Coast to retire on Social Security alone, GOBankingRates used SSA data to identify the average monthly benefit as $1,910 — $3,820 for a couple. Then, data from Sperling’s Best Places was used to find cities with low living costs. The study also factored in livability scores from AreaVibes.
Three states dominate the list, taking 14 of the 20 best places to live on Social Security benefits. One of them, especially, might surprise you.
Keep reading to learn about the best places to live on the East Coast as a couple if Social Security is your only income.
Also see the highest monthly Social Security payment.
Athens, Georgia
Livability Score: 78
2023 Average Monthly Rent: $1,570
Monthly Grocery Cost Per Couple: $382.96
Monthly Healthcare Cost Per Couple: $601.94
Monthly Utilities Cost Per Couple: $361.83
Monthly Transportation Cost Per Couple: $329.53
Monthly Necessities Cost Per Couple: $3,246.02
Only the cost of utilities in Athens exceeds the national average. Transportation costs in Athens, home of the University of Georgia, are just 80% of the average.
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Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Livability Score: 85
2023 Average Monthly Rent: $1,739
Monthly Grocery Cost Per Couple: $415.34
Monthly Healthcare Cost Per Couple: $644.04
Monthly Utilities Cost Per Couple: $356.53
Monthly Transportation Cost Per Couple: $340.24
Monthly Necessities Cost Per Couple: $3,494.93
Another college town, Chapel Hill is known for the University of North Carolina. It’s the first of four cities in the state represented on this list, and three of them have the highest rents in the study.
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Syracuse, New York
Livability Score: 79
2023 Average Monthly Rent: $1,410
Monthly Grocery Cost Per Couple: $386.96
Monthly Healthcare Cost Per Couple: $737.66
Monthly Utilities Cost Per Couple: $380.18
Monthly Transportation Cost Per Couple: $351.36
Monthly Necessities Cost Per Couple: $3,266.22
Although it’s famous for the Erie Canal and its namesake university, Syracuse is also popular among both young families and retirees largely due to housing costs. While the national average home price in August was just shy of $350,000; in Syracuse, it was half that, according to Zillow. With utilities landing as the second most-expensive on the list and healthcare as the highest, its rent of $1,410 makes Syracuse more affordable.
Raleigh, North Carolina
Livability Score: 84
2023 Average Monthly Rent: $1,726
Monthly Grocery Cost Per Couple: $402.15
Monthly Healthcare Cost Per Couple: $595.66
Monthly Utilities Cost Per Couple: $349.82
Monthly Transportation Cost Per Couple: $364.96
Monthly Necessities Cost Per Couple: $3,438.64
Raleigh, the North Carolina capital city, has the third-highest rent among cities on the list, and groceries are just a tad over the national average. But Raleigh comes in below that benchmark in the healthcare, utilities and transportation categories.
Norfolk, Virginia
Livability Score: 81
2023 Average Monthly Rent: $1,566
Monthly Grocery Cost Per Couple: $390.96
Monthly Healthcare Cost Per Couple: $662.26
Monthly Utilities Cost Per Couple: $341.35
Monthly Transportation Cost Per Couple: $339.42
Monthly Necessities Cost Per Couple: $3,299.74
Healthcare costs in Norfolk are 5.4% over the national average but residents will pay less for groceries, utilities and transportation. It’s an option for retirees who want to live near the water. It has miles of waterfront and beaches, and according to the US. Navy, Norfolk is home to the world’s largest naval complex – Naval Station Norfolk.
Buffalo, New York
Livability Score: 78
2023 Average Monthly Rent: $1,318
Monthly Grocery Cost Per Couple: $393.75
Monthly Healthcare Cost Per Couple: $661.01
Monthly Utilities Cost Per Couple: $378.06
Monthly Transportation Cost Per Couple: $421.80
Monthly Necessities Cost Per Couple: $3,172.20
The cost of rent in Buffalo falls among the lowest half of cities in the study. That makes it more affordable for retirees, however, since Buffalo’s cost of healthcare, utilities and transportation all exceed the national average.
Macon, Georgia
Livability Score: 73
2023 Average Monthly Rent: $1,204
Monthly Grocery Cost Per Couple: $375.37
Monthly Healthcare Cost Per Couple: $651.58
Monthly Utilities Cost Per Couple: $364.65
Monthly Transportation Cost Per Couple: $348.07
Monthly Necessities Cost Per Couple: $2,943.36
Paying for healthcare and utilities costs between 3% and 4% more than the national average, but low rent costs compensate for it. The average monthly rent of $1,204 is second lowest in the study — by just $3.
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Cary, North Carolina
Livability Score: 90
2023 Average Monthly Rent: $1,865
Monthly Grocery Cost Per Couple: $412.54
Monthly Healthcare Cost Per Couple: $595.66
Monthly Utilities Cost Per Couple: $344.18
Monthly Transportation Cost Per Couple: $355.90
Monthly Necessities Cost Per Couple: $3,573.45
Cary, a suburb of Raleigh, is tied for the highest livability score in the survey, registering a 90. The community, however, also has the highest rent cost in the study at $1,865, which is about $125 more than in nearby Chapel Hill.
Troy, New York
Livability Score: 79
2023 Average Monthly Rent: $1,259
Monthly Grocery Cost Per Couple: $403.75
Monthly Healthcare Cost Per Couple: $736.41
Monthly Utilities Cost Per Couple: $379.83
Monthly Transportation Cost Per Couple: $383.91
Monthly Necessities Cost Per Couple: $3,162.62
Troy is part of the Albany metro area and lies along the Hudson River. It also was declared the Home of Uncle Sam by actions of Congress — and signed into law by President John F. Kennedy in 1961. Transportation is the only area in which Troy comes in under the national average but rent averages $1,259. It’s one of seven cities where rent is sub-$1,300.
Spartanburg, South Carolina
Livability Score: 73
2023 Average Monthly Rent: $1,246
Monthly Grocery Cost Per Couple: $378.96
Monthly Healthcare Cost Per Couple: $627.08
Monthly Utilities Cost Per Couple: $366.41
Monthly Transportation Cost Per Couple: $307.29
Monthly Necessities Cost Per Couple: $2,925.98
The summer home of the Carolina Panthers, Spartanburg is a great option for retirees. Transportation costs are among the lowest in the study, and Spartanburg is another city with rent below $1,300. Groceries cost more than 5% below the national average.
Roanoke, Virginia
Livability Score: 75
2023 Average Monthly Rent: $1,248
Monthly Grocery Cost Per Couple: $380.56
Monthly Healthcare Cost Per Couple: $695.57
Monthly Utilities Cost Per Couple: $346.65
Monthly Transportation Cost Per Couple: $317.18
Monthly Necessities Cost Per Couple: $2,987.82
Healthcare costs in Roanoke sit nearly 11% above the national average, but groceries, utilities and transportation costs fall below. For a couple living on Social Security and desiring to retire in Virginia, Roanoke is a more affordable alternative to Norfolk with average monthly rental costs more than $300 less.
Schenectady, New York
Livability Score: 79
2023 Average Monthly Rent: $1,247
Monthly Grocery Cost Per Couple: $397.35
Monthly Healthcare Cost Per Couple: $725.73
Monthly Utilities Cost Per Couple: $392.18
Monthly Transportation Cost Per Couple: $345.60
Monthly Necessities Cost Per Couple: $3,107.44
Another suburb of Albany, Schenectady is famous for being the place where Thomas Edison founded what would go on to be known as General Electric. The monthly necessities costs are close to those in nearby Troy, and both cities are near the top of the list for the cost of healthcare at more than 15% over the national average.
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Tallahassee, Florida
Livability Score: 82
2023 Average Monthly Rent: $1,435
Monthly Grocery Cost Per Couple: $386.96
Monthly Healthcare Cost Per Couple: $652.21
Monthly Utilities Cost Per Couple: $378.42
Monthly Transportation Cost Per Couple: $362.07
Monthly Necessities Cost Per Couple: $3,214.69
Another large college town, Tallahassee is the location of Florida State University. The costs of groceries and transportation fall below the national average, although healthcare and utilities come in higher.
Harrisonburg, Virginia
Livability Score: 83
2023 Average Monthly Rent: $1,574
Monthly Grocery Cost Per Couple: $391.76
Monthly Healthcare Cost Per Couple: $674.20
Monthly Utilities Cost Per Couple: $338.53
Monthly Transportation Cost Per Couple: $271.04
Monthly Necessities Cost Per Couple: $3,249.07
Harrisonburg, about 110 miles northeast of Roanoke, is the third of five Virginia cities in the study. Its monthly average rent, while $1,574, still is about $450 less than the national average of $2,030.
Binghamton, New York
Livability Score: 76
2023 Average Monthly Rent: $1,201
Monthly Grocery Cost Per Couple: $390.56
Monthly Healthcare Cost Per Couple: $718.81
Monthly Utilities Cost Per Couple: $339.59
Monthly Transportation Cost Per Couple: $318.00
Monthly Necessities Cost Per Couple: $2,967.47
Binghamton is the largest city in what is called New York’s Southern Tier, but it has the smallest price of monthly rent in the study — $1,201 per month. Like the other four cities on the list from the state, however, the healthcare cost is high, reaching 14.4% over the national average.
Richmond, Virginia
Livability Score: 83
2023 Average Monthly Rent: $1,510
Monthly Grocery Cost Per Couple: $391.76
Monthly Healthcare Cost Per Couple: $623.31
Monthly Utilities Cost Per Couple: $349.12
Monthly Transportation Cost Per Couple: $343.95
Monthly Necessities Cost Per Couple: $3,218.22
Just under 100 miles from Norfolk is Richmond, and the cost of monthly necessities falls a bit below that of the former. Most of that is due to monthly rent, which averages about $50 a month less in Richmond.
Greensboro, North Carolina
Livability Score: 82
2023 Average Monthly Rent: $1,468
Monthly Grocery Cost Per Couple: $382.96
Monthly Healthcare Cost Per Couple: $584.98
Monthly Utilities Cost Per Couple: $337.12
Monthly Transportation Cost Per Couple: $310.17
Monthly Necessities Cost Per Couple: $3,083.17
Greensboro is home to about 300,000 people, making it one of the three biggest cities in North Carolina, but it’s known for its small-town feel. U.S. News & World Report ranked it among the 65 best places to retire — not on the East Coast, but in all of America.
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Dundalk, Maryland
Livability Score: 85
2023 Average Monthly Rent: $1,391
Monthly Grocery Cost Per Couple: $394.95
Monthly Healthcare Cost Per Couple: $535.34
Monthly Utilities Cost Per Couple: $378.77
Monthly Transportation Cost Per Couple: $473.29
Monthly Necessities Cost Per Couple: $3,172.92
Dundalk, the first of two Maryland locations in the study, has a fine livability score of 85. While its healthcare costs are about 15% below the national average, its transportation costs are the same percentage over it.
Hagerstown, Maryland
Livability Score: 77
2023 Average Monthly Rent: $1,205
Monthly Grocery Cost Per Couple: $418.54
Monthly Healthcare Cost Per Couple: $525.29
Monthly Utilities Cost Per Couple: $317.35
Monthly Transportation Cost Per Couple: $364.55
Monthly Necessities Cost Per Couple: $2,830.72
Dundalk had the second-lowest healthcare costs at 85.2% of the national average. They are even lower in Hagerstown at 83.6% of the average. Grocery costs are about 5% over the national average, but retirees on Social Security can cover that by what they save on housing costs. The average monthly rent in Hagerstown is $1,205, among the lowest in the study, and its overall monthly necessities costs also come in at No. 1.
Lynchburg, Virginia
Livability Score: 90
2023 Average Monthly Rent: $1,321
Monthly Grocery Cost Per Couple: $386.16
Monthly Healthcare Cost Per Couple: $654.72
Monthly Utilities Cost Per Couple: $348.41
Monthly Transportation Cost Per Couple: $299.46
Monthly Necessities Cost Per Couple: $3,010.02
A high livability score, the lowest cost for monthly transportation, and grocery and utilities bills that are below the national average are good reasons for retirees to live in Lynchburg. Monthly rent of $1,321 falls in the lower half of cities in the study, too.
Andrew Lisa contributed to the reporting for this article.
Methodology: GOBankingRates determined the best cities in the East Coast states (FL, GA, SC, NC, VA, MD, DE, NJ, NY, CT, RI, MA,NH, and ME) for a couple to live on only a Social Security check based on the average monthly benefit for retired workers, sourced from the Social Security Administration. GOBankingRates first isolated all cities in the East Coast 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 and healthcare 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 in that demographic 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. 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 on and is up to date as of Sept. 11, 2023.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 20 Places on the East Coast for a Couple To Live on Only Social Security
