5 Places in Florida Where You Can Live Only on SS

[xray]

RETIREMENT / SOCIAL SECURITY
5 Places in Florida Where You Can Live Only on Social Security
Dec 25, 2022 4 min Read
By Jordan Rosenfeld

While Social Security is a “safety net” for some in retirement who have additional funds, for others it is all the income they have to live on. Depending on where you live, however, it may not go very far. In many parts of the country, the average monthly Social Security benefit (as of May 2022) of $1,621 is just not enough — but Florida provides some options. It turns out the Sunshine State is a decent place to survive on only a Social Security check for some folks, particularly these five towns.

To figure out where you can live on your Social Security checks in Florida, GOBankingRates determined the average monthly benefit for retired workers, sourced from the Social Security Administration, and the average 2022 rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Florida, as sourced from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

GOBankingRates then researched Sperling’s Best to find the cost-of-living index for each listed city, looking at grocery and healthcare index scores. GOBankingRates also 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, adding these costs together. Livability scores were sourced from AreaVibes.

Here are the five best places in Florida to live on only a Social Security check.
Retire Comfortably

5. The Villages

2022 1-bedroom rent: $756.00
Monthly expenditures: $1,593.23
In The Villages — an adult retirement community and census-designated place located in central Florida — 84% of the population is age 65 and older. Fortunately for them, expenses are very affordable. Here healthcare expenses are only $416.75 per month and monthly grocery costs are $420.48 per month.

4. Ocala

2022 1-bedroom rent: $806.00
Monthly expenditures: $1,615.11
In Ocala, expenses are similarly low, with healthcare costs the lowest on this list at $405.10. Monthly grocery costs are $404.01, both lower than their national averages.

3. Levy County

2022 1-bedroom rent: $575.00
Monthly expenditures: $1,457.88
Not only does Levy County have the cheapest rent on the list, but it boasts a good livability score of 71. While it has the highest monthly healthcare cost on this list, $469.81, which is about $38 more than the national average, it also has the second lowest overall monthly expenditures on the list.

2. Homosassa Springs

2022 1-bedroom rent: $717.00
Monthly expenditures: $1,551.80
Homosassa Springs also has a decently high population of people age 65 and over, at 36%. These folks can afford all of their monthly expenditures on their Social Security income, and will be glad to find low monthly healthcare costs of $408.55.

1. Baker County

2022 1-bedroom rent: $617.00
Monthly expenditures: $1,455.21
Baker County takes the number one spot on the list by having the lowest overall expenditures, but it also has the highest livability score of 79. Though the monthly rent isn’t the cheapest on the list, monthly healthcare and monthly grocery costs are both under the national average.

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Live Long and Prosper....

[johntaylor]

Those monthly grocery costs seem low.   Here, weekly grocery might run > $250

[Deleted]

FL doesn't tax food sold in groceries.

[FD1000]

The OP numbers are off. Food just over $400...mmm...lots of rice and beans. Who wants to live in one bedroom?
FL is too hot and likely to get hit by tornados as well as SC, NC and up.  On the other hand, GA coast is cheaper and hardly gets hit. I visited FL in 2021.
Traffic is bad too, I drove in smaller places like Tampa or even Sarasota where it took me 30 minutes drive from I-75 to the beach, about 9 miles at 1 PM.  FL is the third most populated.

The following states are cheaper (link).  The SE is the best IMO.

Attachments:

[bb2]

Ha! The Villages. Better check your politics at the door unless you do well with old guys in golf carts screaming "White Power!"

I'd pay up for better neighbors.

[habsui]

Dec 31, 2022 0:29:18 GMT bb2 said:

Ha! The Villages. Better check your politics at the door unless you do well with old guys in golf carts screaming "White Power!"

I'd pay up for better neighbors.

And the STDs (you know, no mask..).

[richardsok]

Just for grins a couple of weeks ago I did a run-down of all my fixed monthly costs, including food and all taxes and couldn't get under $5000.... and that's with my mortgages all paid off. It would be worse, but I'm self-insuring for hurricanes (have a cinderblock house, solid storm shutters and extra-strong roof.) I share FD's opinion of Florida -- but the wife is happy with a great job she found here, so I'm kind of stuck.

[Deleted]

I have a house in WI and one in FL, FL groceries cost more than WI. Item that cost 2 dollars last year is 4 dollars in FL this year and half of the shelves are empty. We live close to Villages. My minimum bills are 5000 per month for myself and wife and everything is paid off.

[FD1000]

Jan 9, 2023 2:37:47 GMT @jovan said:

I have a house in WI and one in FL, FL groceries cost more than WI. Item that cost 2 dollars last year is 4 dollars in FL this year and half of the shelves are empty. We live close to Villages. My minimum bills are 5000 per month for myself and wife and everything is paid off.

That's what I call, real numbers, not fake articles that want you to click, and how they make money.

[belchingthealphabet]

Baker County is Florida, but just barely. There will be more frost days there than even in Ocala. Baker County is at the GA line, on the edge of Okefenokee Swamp. Mosquitos, bugs. Yes, there's no State income tax in FL. The State is so different than when I lived there in the 1970s. I was back for an event in the 2000s. The whole place is paved over. And cashless toll roads. I'm not certain, but if it works like other States (Massachusetts, others) you're permitted not to have the transponder; you'll just have to pay six times the standard toll when the bill comes in the mail. The cameras are there to take a picture of your license tag. Florida seemed exotic when I was younger. These days, I couldn't bear the humidity in the summer. Simply oppressive.

[catdog]

Have a friend who is spending his first winter in Florida.  He mentioned homeowners insurance and auto insurance are a lot higher than in New Hampshire.  But then again so are the winter temperatures.

[Majick]

By the way, We do not live in Florida...but our Michigan friends moved there to Florida approx 15-20 Yrs ago. So We've been talking to them & have visited, plus lived by the Beach Rental for 1 to 2 months, normally in January, Feb, or March winter months only.

Over an ice-cold beer, I asked them How's Summer weather here? Is it super Hot and Humid? daily Rains? Do you have Lots of bugs and mosquitos?
His...answer was People who Live in Florida...We, Never watch the daily weather forecast anymore or Complains about it!...only guys living in Mich or the Northern area complain about Florida Heat/Humidity or bugs!
Now We complain only about How Cold Icy, Snowy & miserable we were yearlong living up North! and What...Four Seasons?
...Now Go figure that!