A new report reveals the best U.S. cities where you can live well on under $2,000 a month\u2014and Florida dominates the list.<\/p>\n
Getty<\/p>\n
Many Americans dream of retiring abroad to places where the dollar stretches further\u2014whether it\u2019s moving overseas<\/a> to start a new chapter, living someplace much cheaper than the U.S.<\/a> or finding the easiest countries to get second citizenship<\/a>. But a new report from GoBankingRates<\/a> on the best places to retire in the U.S. shows that you don\u2019t need to move overseas to find an affordable place to live, even if you\u2019re relying mainly on Social Security.<\/p>\n The average Social Security check hovers around $2,000<\/a> per month and is the primary source of income for millions of retirees\u2014yet it barely covers housing, food and healthcare in many cities. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis<\/a>, which sources its data from Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average U.S. household aged 65+ spends about $4,345 per month.<\/p>\n GoBankingRates has addressed this challenge with a ranking that identifies 25 places in the U.S. where retirees can live well, enjoy warm weather and keep monthly expenses comfortably under the $2,000 mark.<\/p>\n The skyline of downtown Tallahassee, Florida, which ranks as the best place to retire in the U.S., offering affordable living costs and plenty of sunshine.<\/p>\n getty<\/p>\n To determine the best (and most affordable) places to retire in the U.S., the personal finance site examined factors like population size, the percentage of residents over 65, cost of living, climate conditions and livability (using AreaVibes\u2019 livability index scores). Data sources included the U.S. Census American Community Survey, Sperling\u2019s BestPlaces, the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey, Zillow housing indices, Federal Reserve Economic Data and the Social Security Administration. All data was collected as of July 14, 2025.<\/p>\n The Best U.S. City For Affordable Retirement<\/p>\n Topping the list as the cheapest place to retire in the U.S.: Tallahassee, Florida. The state capital offers a blend of affordability and recreation. Retirees who rent can expect a monthly cost of living around $995, while the average cost of living for homeowners is $1,248\u2014which is well below the national average, and even below the national average for housing. In fact, Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that households headed by someone 65 or older spend about $1,787 per month on housing alone<\/a>.<\/p>\n St. Marks Lighthouse near Tallahassee, Florida. The capital city ranks number one on the list of the best and most affordable places to retire in the U.S.<\/p>\n getty<\/p>\n About 11% of the city\u2019s population is retirement age, and the cost of living comes in nearly 10% lower than average for older Americans.<\/p>\n The city\u2019s livability score is 85 out of 100. Tallahassee offers a great lifestyle with parks, hiking trails, cultural attractions and a thriving nightlife scene. The weather is also pleasant: Winters are mild, with highs in the mid-60s, though summers can be hot and humid.<\/p>\n The State That Dominated The List<\/p>\n No surprise: Florida dominates the ranking of the cheapest places to retire in the U.S., with eight cities in the top 25. Besides a low cost of living and high livability scores, Florida\u2019s lack of state income tax is a huge draw. According to Kiplinger\u2019s 2025 Tax Guide<\/a>, retirees in states with no income tax (like Florida, Texas and Nevada) can save thousands per year compared to high-tax states like California or New York, where state income taxes can run from 6% to over 10%.<\/p>\n That said, it also should be noted that in big cities with good public transportation like New York or Boston, that can help the bottom line since transportation is another major expense. According to date, households headed by someone 65 or older spend about $753 a month in transportation<\/a>, making it the second-largest category after housing.<\/p>\n Fort Myers ranks No. 2 with a livability score of 85 and one of the largest retiree populations in the nation at 22%. While its cost of living is about 4% higher than the national average, the monthly cost of living for homeowners is around $1,746 a month, while it\u2019s around $1,468 for renters.<\/p>\n An aerial view of Fort Myers, Florida\u2014ranked one of the best and most affordable places to retire in the U.S.\u201d<\/p>\n getty<\/p>\n Jacksonville comes in at No. 4 with a livability score of 84. Retiree homeowners average $1,197 per month, while renters spend $1,073. With coastal living, adventure and nightlife\u2014and costs about 4% below the national average\u2014it\u2019s one of the best-value big cities in the Sunshine State.<\/p>\n Pensacola follows at No. 5 with a livability score of 83. Homeowners spend about $929 a month and renters about $1,136. With costs 11% lower than the national average, plus pristine white-sand beaches and a thriving arts scene, it\u2019s one of Florida\u2019s most affordable coastal towns.<\/p>\n Other Florida cities in the top 25 include Orlando (at No. 13), Daytona Beach (16), Tampa (19) and Lakeland (25).<\/p>\n Affordable Retirement Cities In The Rest Of The U.S.<\/p>\n Beyond Florida, the next most represented state is Texas, which offers some of the most attractive cities in the U.S. for retirees on Social Security. There are five Texas cities in the top 25, including El Paso (No. 9), Dallas (10), San Antonio (14), Corpus Christi (15) and Midland (22). Texas also appeals to retirees with low housing costs, a warm climate and no state income tax.<\/p>\n The skyline of El Paso, Texas at dusk with Juarez, Mexico in the distance. El Paso is one of the cheapest places to retire in the U.S.<\/p>\n getty<\/p>\n The Southeast is another retirement hot spot. Besides Florida and Texas, the Carolinas and Georgia have several cities on the list. In North Carolina, there\u2019s Raleigh (at No. 3) and Charlotte (18). South Carolina lands two cities with Greenville (at No. 6) and Columbia (21). In Georgia, Athens ranks 17 and Savannah comes in at 12.<\/p>\n In contrast, only three Northern cities make the cut\u2014Providence, Rhode Island (No. 8), Milwaukee, Wisconsin (20) and New Haven, Connecticut (24)\u2014showing how the South leads when it comes to affordable retirement living.<\/p>\n The only Western city to crack the list is Las Vegas at No. 7, with monthly costs of $2,089 for homeowners and $1,203 for renters. The abundant entertainment adds to the appeal, plus the cheaper healthcare: While the overall cost of living in Las Vegas is 10% higher than the national average, healthcare is about 7% cheaper. This is significant, since healthcare is one of the biggest retirement costs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average age 65+ household spends $7,540 annually on healthcare<\/a>, which represents approximately 13% of total household expenditures for that age group.<\/p>\n Bottom line: Retirees don\u2019t need to move overseas. The U.S. offers some of the best places to retire affordably right at home.<\/p>\n Sunset on a Florida beach. With eight cities in the top 25, Florida leads the ranking of the best places to retire affordably.<\/p>\n getty Tallahassee, Florida MORE FROM FORBES:ForbesThe 26 Best Trips For 2026, According To Travel ExpertsBy Laura Begley Bloom<\/a>Forbes17 Places In The U.S. That Will Pay You Up To $12,000 To Move There (And That\u2019s Not All)By Laura Begley Bloom<\/a>ForbesThe 20 Best Cities To Live In The World, According To A 2025 ReportBy Laura Begley Bloom<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A new report reveals the best U.S. cities where you can live well on under $2,000 a month\u2014and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":116365,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[75427,75422,75425,28,75428,75419,75424,75421,75423,75420,75426,147,530],"class_list":["post-116364","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-personal-finance","tag-best-cities-to-retire-in-the-u-s","tag-best-places-to-live-in-the-us","tag-best-places-to-retire","tag-business","tag-cheap-places-to-retire-in-the-u-s","tag-cheapest-places-to-live","tag-cheapest-places-to-live-in-the-us","tag-cheapest-places-to-retire","tag-most-affordable-cities-in-the-us","tag-most-affordable-places-to-live","tag-most-affordable-places-to-retire","tag-personal-finance","tag-personalfinance"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116364","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116364"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116364\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/116365"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116364"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116364"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116364"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nRanked: 25 Best U.S. Cities To Retire Affordably<\/p>\n
\n Fort Myers, Florida
\n Raleigh, North Carolina
\n Jacksonville, Florida
\n Pensacola, Florida
\n Greenville, South Carolina
\n Las Vegas, Nevada
\n Providence, Rhode Island
\n El Paso, Texas
\n Dallas, Texas
\n Norfolk, Virginia
\n Savannah, Georgia
\n Orlando, Florida
\n San Antonio, Texas
\n Corpus Christi, Texas
\n Daytona Beach, Florida
\n Athens, Georgia
\n Charlotte, North Carolina
\n Tampa, Florida
\n Milwaukee, Wisconsin
\n Columbia, South Carolina
\n Midland, Texas
\n Atlanta, Georgia
\n New Haven, Connecticut
\n Lakeland, Florida<\/p>\n