RelocateMath
Retirement budget BLS 2024

Where can I retire on my budget?

Households headed by someone 65 or older spend about $5,119 a month on average (BLS 2024). We adjust that for gross rent or property tax, local prices, electricity for owners, gas and car insurance in every state and big city, at lean, typical or comfortable spending.

By Page updated Data: BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey, Census, BEA, EIA, AAA (methodology)

New York, NY: $4,062/moLos Angeles, CA: $3,759/moChicago, IL: $3,523/moDallas, TX: $3,456/moHouston, TX: $3,326/moMiami, FL: $3,509/moWashington, D.C.: $3,541/moAtlanta, GA: $3,211/moPhiladelphia, PA: $3,390/moPhoenix, AZ: $3,095/moBoston, MA: $3,703/moRiverside, CA: $3,474/moSan Francisco, CA: $4,051/moDetroit, MI: $3,242/moSeattle, WA: $3,581/moMinneapolis, MN: $3,299/moTampa, FL: $3,173/moSan Diego, CA: $3,766/moDenver, CO: $3,220/moOrlando, FL: $3,196/moCharlotte, NC: $3,025/moBaltimore, MD: $3,387/moSt. Louis, MO: $3,067/moSan Antonio, TX: $3,179/moAustin, TX: $3,420/moPortland, OR: $3,436/moSacramento, CA: $3,553/moPittsburgh, PA: $3,151/moLas Vegas, NV: $3,073/moCincinnati, OH: $3,076/moKansas City, MO: $3,043/moColumbus, OH: $3,160/moIndianapolis, IN: $2,995/moCleveland, OH: $3,097/moNashville, TN: $2,969/moSan Jose, CA: $4,040+/moVirginia Beach, VA: $3,113/moJacksonville, FL: $3,166/moProvidence, RI: $3,462/moMilwaukee, WI: $3,146/moRaleigh, NC: $3,076/moOklahoma City, OK: $2,911/moLouisville, KY: $2,947/moRichmond, VA: $3,090/moMemphis, TN: $2,923/moSalt Lake City, UT: $3,070/moBirmingham, AL: $2,925/moFresno, CA: $3,409/moGrand Rapids, MI: $3,104/moHartford, CT: $3,619/moBuffalo, NY: $3,369/moTucson, AZ: $3,071/moTulsa, OK: $2,878/moRochester, NY: $3,451/moOmaha, NE: $3,096/moHonolulu, HI: $3,573/moGreenville, SC: $2,950/moBridgeport, CT: $3,875/moNew Orleans, LA: $2,928/moKnoxville, TN: $2,872/moSarasota, FL: $3,240/moAlbuquerque, NM: $2,966/moBakersfield, CA: $3,403/moMcAllen, TX: $2,953/moAlbany, NY: $3,449/moAllentown, PA: $3,351/moBaton Rouge, LA: $2,896/moWorcester, MA: $3,536/moEl Paso, TX: $3,087/moColumbia, SC: $2,949/moCharleston, SC: $3,041/moCape Coral, FL: $3,209/moLakeland, FL: $3,100/moBoise, ID: $2,959/moOxnard, CA: $3,690/moDayton, OH: $3,058/moStockton, CA: $3,525/moGreensboro, NC: $2,943/moColorado Springs, CO: $3,022/moLittle Rock, AR: $2,826/moProvo, UT: $3,016/moDes Moines, IA: $3,051/moDaytona Beach, FL: $3,161/moPoughkeepsie, NY: $3,902/moMadison, WI: $3,290/moWinston-Salem, NC: $2,909/moAkron, OH: $3,070/moOgden, UT: $3,049/moWichita, KS: $2,931/moPalm Bay, FL: $3,153/moSyracuse, NY: $3,386/moAugusta, GA: $2,962/moDurham, NC: $3,080/moHarrisburg, PA: $3,214/moJackson, MS: $2,891/moFayetteville, AR: $2,873/moSpokane, WA: $3,250/moToledo, OH: $3,016/moChattanooga, TN: $2,907/moNew Haven, CT: $3,658/moReno, NV: $3,096/moPortland, ME: $3,325/moPort St. Lucie, FL: $3,259/moHuntsville, AL: $2,934/moPensacola, FL: $3,070/moLexington, KY: $2,965/moKilleen, TX: $3,067/moSpringfield, MO: $2,862/moSanta Rosa, CA: $3,666/moWilmington, NC: $2,979/moFort Wayne, IN: $2,931/moVallejo, CA: $3,593/moSanta Barbara, CA: $3,641/moSalinas, CA: $3,610/moSavannah, GA: $3,091/moManchester, NH: $3,610/moOcala, FL: $3,066/moAsheville, NC: $2,983/moNaples, FL: $3,260/moMyrtle Beach, SC: $2,927/moAnchorage, AK: $3,469/moSpartanburg, SC: $2,929/moFayetteville, NC: $2,924/moTrenton, NJ: $3,722/moEugene, OR: $3,280/moFort Collins, CO: $3,113/moAnn Arbor, MI: $3,372/moGreeley, CO: $3,068/moGainesville, FL: $3,128/moClarksville, TN: $2,882/moBoulder, CO: $3,239/moColumbus, GA: $2,947/moCrestview, FL: $3,102/moSioux Falls, SD: $3,037/moOlympia, WA: $3,339/moNorwich, CT: $3,517/moBremerton, WA: $3,370/moFargo, ND: $2,996/moBend, OR: $3,323/moDaphne, AL: $2,927/moPrescott, AZ: $3,034/moHilton Head Island, SC: $3,074/moBurlington, VT: $3,419/moPanama City, FL: $3,075/moJacksonville, NC: $2,910/moPunta Gorda, FL: $3,188/moBillings, MT: $2,994/moThe Villages, FL: $3,082/moCheyenne, WY: $2,958/mo

Hover over or tap a dot to see its value.

Monthly cost for a single retiree who owns a paid-off home, typical spending
See all 149 cities

From cheaper to pricier.

Within budget: 20 states, 39 cities

Typical uses average spending of households 65+ (BLS 2024). Lean and Comfortable keep housing and owners' electricity fixed, and scale other modeled spending to what 65+ households with incomes under $30,000 or $70,000+ spend (BLS 2023–2024). Renters use median ACS gross rent including basic utilities, with telephone service modeled separately. Owners add the state's electricity bill. The estimates also adjust for local prices, gas and car insurance, and exclude income taxes, gifts and savings.

Where your budget works

20 states and 39 of 149 cities fit a $3,000 monthly budget for a single retiree who owns a paid-off home at typical spending.

States

  1. Arkansas $2,780/mo  fits budget
  2. Oklahoma $2,841/mo  fits budget
  3. Louisiana $2,858/mo  fits budget
  4. Mississippi $2,860/mo  fits budget
  5. Alabama $2,868/mo  fits budget
  6. New Mexico $2,880/mo  fits budget
  7. Kentucky $2,882/mo  fits budget
  8. Tennessee $2,882/mo  fits budget
  9. West Virginia $2,887/mo  fits budget
  10. North Dakota $2,896/mo  fits budget
  11. Wyoming $2,911/mo  fits budget
  12. Idaho $2,917/mo  fits budget
  13. Iowa $2,920/mo  fits budget
  14. Missouri $2,926/mo  fits budget
  15. Indiana $2,935/mo  fits budget

And 5 more states fit.

Cities

  1. Little Rock, AR $2,826/mo  fits budget
  2. Springfield, MO $2,862/mo  fits budget
  3. Knoxville, TN $2,872/mo  fits budget
  4. Fayetteville, AR $2,873/mo  fits budget
  5. Tulsa, OK $2,878/mo  fits budget
  6. Clarksville, TN $2,882/mo  fits budget
  7. Jackson, MS $2,891/mo  fits budget
  8. Baton Rouge, LA $2,896/mo  fits budget
  9. Chattanooga, TN $2,907/mo  fits budget
  10. Winston-Salem, NC $2,909/mo  fits budget
  11. Jacksonville, NC $2,910/mo  fits budget
  12. Oklahoma City, OK $2,911/mo  fits budget
  13. Memphis, TN $2,923/mo  fits budget
  14. Fayetteville, NC $2,924/mo  fits budget
  15. Birmingham, AL $2,925/mo  fits budget

And 24 more cities fit.

Browse by budget

How we estimate retirement costs

We start from the BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey for households headed by someone 65 or older (average 1.8 people). Rental housing uses local median ACS gross rent, including basic utilities; only telephone service is separately modeled in the renter utility line. Owner housing uses property tax plus upkeep for a home with no mortgage, and electricity uses the state's average bill (EIA). Gas uses AAA prices, and car insurance uses NAIC averages. Food, goods and services are scaled by BEA regional prices. Health care uses the national average for retirees, since Medicare costs vary less by place. For a single person we scale non-housing spending down (and up for a couple) using the square-root household rule. Separately charged trash, septic service and internet are not independently estimated for renters.

Spending styles

Typical is the average 65+ household. Lean and Comfortable keep the same housing and, for owners, electricity. They scale other modeled spending, including renters' telephone service, to what 65+ households in lower and higher income groups spend on those items (BLS 2023–2024, Table 3254). We compare spending per person on the same square-root rule, so the smaller size of lower-income households isn't counted twice.

StyleOther spending vs typicalCheapest, single ownerBased on 65+ households with
Lean64%Arkansas, $1,964/moincomes under $30,000 (34% of them)
Typical100%Arkansas, $2,780/moany income (all of them)
Comfortable139%Arkansas, $3,663/moincomes $70,000 or more (30% of them)

Not included: income taxes (see retirement taxes by state), gifts and savings. Your costs will differ; use this to shortlist places.