20 Best Places on the East Coast for a Couple To Live on Only a Social Security Check
Home to big, expensive cities and entire regions with infamously high costs of living, the East Coast is not a section of the country that is known for helping retirees stretch limited Social Security dollars -- in most cases. 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, amenities and schools.
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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 $1,618.29 -- $3,236.58 for a couple. Then, data from Sperling's Best Places was used to find cities with low living costs, and data from ApartmentList to find places where rent is low. Because many inexpensive cities aren't places where you'd necessarily want to live, the study also factored in livability scores from AreaVibes.
Just one state, North Carolina, holds down seven spots -- more than one-third of the list. When you combine both Carolinas, the sister states account for exactly half of the tally.
Worcester, Massachusetts
2022 average 1-bedroom rent: $1,103
Cost of living index: 102.2
Livability score: 61
The only entry from Massachusetts, Worcester has the most expensive rent on this list and the No. 3 highest cost of living.
Providence, Rhode Island
2022 average 1-bedroom rent: $1,057
Cost of living index: 105.1
Livability score: 61
Rhode Island's capital city is one of only two places among the East Coast's top 20 with a higher cost of living than Worcester.
Asheville, North Carolina
2022 average 1-bedroom rent: $1,024
Cost of living index: 106
Livability score: 63
Asheville stands out as the city with the highest cost of living on this entire list and one of only three that's pricier than the national average.
Wilmington, North Carolina
2022 average 1-bedroom rent: $1,100
Cost of living index: 97.5
Livability score: 65
Wilmington is one of only two cities profiled here where an average one-bedroom apartment costs $1,100 or more. The other is Worcester.
Salisbury, Maryland
2022 average 1-bedroom rent: $828
Cost of living index: 87.9
Livability score: 50
Salisbury's average rent is tied for the No. 2 cheapest on this list -- the other city where a one-bedroom apartment costs an average of $828 is ranked No. 1 overall. Salisbury's livability score, however, comes in dead last.
Greenville, South Carolina
2022 average 1-bedroom rent: $969
Cost of living index: 89.8
Livability score: 58
While it's not as lowly as Salsbury, Greenville is one of only five cities on the list with sub-60 livability scores.
Fayetteville, North Carolina
2022 average 1-bedroom rent: $941
Cost of living index: 80.9
Livability score: 55
Fayetteville's poor livability score -- the No. 2 lowest on the list -- is due mostly to its high crime rate.
Rochester, New York
2022 average 1-bedroom rent: $1,017
Cost of living index: 78.4
Livability score: 57
Although it has an unfortunate place among the handful of cities with sub-60 livability scores, Rochester's cost-of-living index is among the three least expensive.
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
2022 average 1-bedroom rent: $1,065
Cost of living index: 84.8
Livability score: 63
One of the East Coast's true tourist Meccas, the Myrtle Beach area is home to 86 golf courses, 1,800 full-service restaurants and 425 hotels.
Syracuse, New York
2022 average 1-bedroom rent: $921
Cost of living index: 79
Livability score: 58
Although it's famous for the Erie Canal and its namesake university, Syracuse is also one of the greenest cities in the Northeast and in the whole of America, according to National Geographic and Popular Science. It's also one of just four cities on this list with a sub-80 cost of living index.
Greensboro, North Carolina
2022 average 1-bedroom rent: $1,023
Cost of living index: 83.9
Livability score: 66
Greensboro is home to more than three-quarters of a million people, making it one of the three biggest cities in North Carolina, but it's known for its small-town feel. US News and World Report ranked it among the 75 best places to retire -- not on the East Coast, but in all of America.
Deltona, Florida
2022 average 1-bedroom rent: $1,073
Cost of living index: 92.9
Livability score: 74
Only three cities on this list can claim a higher livability score than Deltona. The most populous city in Volusia County, Deltona is perched on the shores of Lake Monroe along the St. Johns River.
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
2022 average 1-bedroom rent: $985
Cost of living index: 74.9
Livability score: 62
No city on this list has a lower cost of living index than the capital city of Pennsylvania, where you'll pay less than 75 cents out of your Social Security check for every dollar you would have spent living in the average American town.
Spartanburg, South Carolina
2022 average 1-bedroom rent: $873
Cost of living index: 80.2
Livability score: 61
The summer home of the Carolina Panthers, Spartanburg County is the fourth-largest county in South Carolina. It's home to 40,000 people, including 15,000 college students.
Burlington, North Carolina
2022 average 1-bedroom rent: $832
Cost of living index: 78.3
Livability score: 60
Burlington's rent is less expensive than all but three other cities on this list, two of which are tied at $4 cheaper. Only Harrisburg has a lower cost of living index.
Photo Disclaimer: Please note photo is of nearby Greensboro, which, like Burlington, is in Guilford County.
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
2022 average 1-bedroom rent: $869
Cost of living index: 81.3
Livability score: 64
Winston-Salem boasts a Forbes Top-10 downtown and one of the best art scenes in the South, as well as a renowned winery/brewery culture and rich history and cultural significance.
Greenville, North Carolina
2022 average 1-bedroom rent: $695
Cost of living index: 83.2
Livability score: 62
North Carolina's final entry on this list is Greenville, which boasts the lowest rent of all 20 cities by more than $100 a month. No other city offers one-bedrooms for under $700.
Lakeland, Florida
2022 average 1-bedroom rent: $1,051
Cost of living index: 86.4
Livability score: 82
No city on this list can compete with Lakeland's excellent livability score, which is the only one out of the East Coast's top 20 to crack 80.
Roanoke, Virginia
2022 average 1-bedroom rent: $878
Cost of living index: 84.1
Livability score: 75
Roanoke's livability score puts it in a two-way tie for No. 2 on the list, and it's one of only a handful of states with sub-$900 rent.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
2022 average 1-bedroom rent: $828
Cost of living index: 87.5
Livability score: 75
At the tippy-top of the pyramid is Pittsburgh, which is tied for both the second-cheapest rent and the second-highest livability score.
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Methodology: GOBankingRates determined the best places for a couple to live on the East Coast on only their combined Social Security checks based on the (1) average monthly benefit for retired workers, $1,618.29, sourced from the Social Security Administration, and doubled ($3,236.58); (2) the overall cost of living in each city, sourced from Sperling's Best Places; (3) average 2022 rent for a one-bedroom apartment as sourced from ApartmentList; and (4) livability scores sourced from Areavibes. Factors (2) through (4) were scored and combined with the lowest score being the best. Factor (4) was weighted double in final calculations. All data was collected and is up to date as of April 22, 2022.
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 20 Best Places on the East Coast for a Couple To Live on Only a Social Security Check
