People who are going to retire worry a lot about the cost of living. In the United States, the Social Security check is an important part of retirement.
It will depend a lot on where you retire how much money you will need to live happily in your golden years. Some places in the U.S. let people retire on as little as $65,000 a year and still Live Well.
There are big differences in how much it costs to live. Some states have high yearly costs because of things like expensive housing, transportation, and other things, while others, mostly in rural areas, have cheaper ways of life.
It can change how much you need to save and how your savings will be split when you retire if you live in the wrong state.
A new study from GO Banking Rates found that in some states, you can live well on less than your annual Social Security check of $65,000.
Based on how much you think it will cost each year to live comfortably in retirement, these states offer a high quality of life that fits your budget.
Best states to retire on less than $65,000
Taking into account the prices of housing, health care, food, and transportation, you can retire in these states on less than $65,000 a year. The amount of money that everyone gets from Social Security is different, so we need to watch how much we spend.

In this case, picking the best State to live in is always a tough choice. We can see more information about each of them here:
State | Total Annual Expenditure | Comfort Buffer (20%) | Total Annual Cost for Comfortable Retirement |
---|---|---|---|
Alabama | $50,980 | $10,196 | $61,176 |
Arkansas | $51,211 | $10,242 | $61,454 |
Georgia | $52,832 | $10,566 | $63,398 |
Indiana | $52,253 | $10,451 | $62,704 |
Iowa | $52,137 | $10,427 | $62,565 |
Kansas | $50,517 | $10,103 | $60,620 |
Missouri | $51,211 | $10,242 | $61,454 |
Oklahoma | $49,996 | $9,999 | $59,995 |
West Virginia | $48,492 | $9,698 | $58,190 |
It is clear that these states have much lower costs of living than others. This can make your retirement more comfy and cost-effective.
Even though some of these states have higher taxes or more expensive utilities, the total cost is still very low for people who want to live the best life possible while spending as little money as possible.
Maximising your Social Security payment
Picking a state where you can retire on a budget is very important, but getting the most out of your Social Security payments is also very important. Here’s how to make your monthly retirement payment bigger:
Retirement age: If you wait to retire until age 70, your monthly payment can go up by up to 8% for every year you work after age 62.
Years worked: How much Social Security you get is based on how much work you have done. The more years you work and pay taxes, the more money you get back. When figuring out the payment, your 35 years of best earnings are used.
Salary during those years: Your monthly payment is also based on the most money you have made in the past. To get a bigger salary, make sure you earn as much as you can while you are working.
You can have a more comfortable and financially safe retirement no matter where you choose to live if you think about these things and plan ahead.
Also see:-SSI in 2025: Everything you need to know about the new maximum amounts
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