Best cities to retire on a budget of $1,000 a month

Living on a fixed income is challenging enough. But if you are preparing for retirement with very little in savings, like over half of Americans, you might want to consider living in a place where you'll get more for your money.

GOBankingRates analyzed monthly expenditures for all major U.S. cities and isolated the places where you can live for under $1,000 per month. We based the findings on the assumption that you own your home and your only housing expenses are property taxes and maintenance costs. The cost of utilities, groceries and healthcare are also included. To come up with our final list of 30 cities, we also incorporated livability data from AreaVibes into the final ranking.

The list includes both small and larger cities with varying climates, activities, crime rates and healthcare systems. Click through to see the 30 best cities that offer a rich life and find out how much you need to survive retirement, no matter where you live.

Methodology: GOBankingRates compiled monthly expenses for each city based on the Consumer Expenditure Survey. The monthly costs of housing, groceries, utilities and healthcare were added together. Housing costs assume an "owned dwelling," where the main expenses are property taxes and maintenance costs. We scored each city's expenditure cost and its livability score from AreaVibes to create the final ranking.

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Best Cities to Retire on a Budget of $1,000 a Month

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