Retired couples can combine affordable living with low crime rates if they know where to look. This is true even if “affordable living” means “Social Security only.”
A monthly budget of about $3,580 (the average benefit for a couple these days, according to the Social Security Administration) does limit your options in terms of cities for retirement, but there are still plenty of options within your reach. And you don’t have to sacrifice your feeling of relative safety and security.
The just-released GOBankingRates study offers several options, including the top 10 cities listed below. To determine which cities best combine low costs and low crime, GBR crunched data from the U.S. Census American Consumer Survey, the FBI’s Crime Data Study of offenses known to law enforcement, cost of living indexes from Sperling’s Best Places, the Bureau of Statistics’ Consumer Expenditure Survey labor and the Zillow Observed Rent Index, as well as Social Security Administration data. The statistics were weighted and cities were ranked, with higher scores reflecting a better mix of affordable and safe.
Ohio leads the way with four cities on our list, including item #1. Minnesota is next with two cities. Read on for details, including total average monthly spending, crime rates, final rankings and a little about each city.
Home to Ohio University, Athens has a population of about 24,000, according to 2020 census data. Its reasonable monthly costs and fourth-highest violent crime rate on our list may appeal to retirees living solely on Social Security.
You’ll find Winona in southeastern Minnesota along the Mississippi River. Actress Winona Ryder spent most of her childhood here. Currently, approximately 26,000 people call the city of Winona home. Monthly groceries here will cost a couple an average of a reasonable $386 per month.
With a population of just under 10,000, Fairfield is one of the smallest cities on our list. It is located in the southeastern part of the state, about two hours southwest of Davenport. “American Gothic” was written here, and in recent years Fairfield has been known for its large number of start-up companies. Retirees can expect reasonable average monthly expenses of about $2,600.
Tahlequah, the capital of the Cherokee Nation and the United Band of Keetuah Cherokee Indians, is located approximately 70 miles east of Tulsa in eastern Oklahoma. The roughly 16,000 residents pay an average monthly cost of about $2,600 in living expenses.
If you’re retiring in Fergus Falls, take your woollens with you. The average January minimum is below zero. This Western Minnesota city boasts 14 lakes and numerous outdoor recreation opportunities. Retirees on a tight budget will see average monthly costs of about $2,392 per month, which is nearly equal to Winona, Minnesota, being the lowest on our list.
The second largest city in our top 10 by population, this Cleveland suburb is home to approximately 53,000 people. A retired couple would pay about $380 a month for groceries, $531 a month for healthcare, $344 a month for utilities, and just under $300 a month for transportation.
Few cities can rival Rexburg’s low crime rate. Located about 30 minutes northeast of Idaho Falls, this heavily Mormon city has a violent crime rate of just 39.86 per 100,000 people. Both this rate and the property crime rate (about 422 per 100,000 people) are by far the lowest in our top ten cities. However, Rexburg is the most expensive city on our list when it comes to total monthly expenses and average rent, but that figure ($2,778.49 per month) is still within reach for many retiree couples.
Another Cleveland suburb, Parma is one of Ohio’s largest cities with a population of over 80,000. Parma is second only to Rexburg for the lowest property crime rate in our top ten, and retirees pay about $2,600 a month to live here.
Stevens Point bills itself as the “Gateway to the Pine Woods” and celebrates its membership in the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities. Located in central Wisconsin, it has approximately 26,000 residents. Stevens Point has the second-highest violent crime rate and third-highest average monthly rent on our list.
This city of about 20,000 people boasts “an unmatched quality of life at your fingertips.” You’ll find Ashland in north-central Ohio, between Cleveland and the capital city of Columbus. It has one of the lowest average monthly living costs in our study, as well as low crime rates.
Methodology: To find the safest cities to live on Social Security benefits alone, GOBankingRates used total city populations obtained from the U.S. Census Survey of American Consumers, as well as property crime and violent crime reports obtained from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Crime Data Explorer . Known to law enforcement agencies to calculate the property crime rate per 100,000 people and the violent crime rate per 100,000 people. This gives a better idea of crime in the area and allows for more accurate comparisons between cities of different sizes. Cost of living indexes are obtained from Sperling’s Best Places magazine for each city, including food, health care, utilities, transportation and more. The cost of living indices were multiplied by the national average cost of each expense item obtained from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Expenditure Survey to determine the average cost of expenditure for each city. For each city on the list, the average rental price was obtained from the Zillow Observed Rent Index. Average Social Security benefit amounts were obtained from the Social Security Administration’s Monthly Statistical Snapshot, OASDI, and SSI. All cities where total monthly expenses plus average rent exceeded twice the average monthly Social Security benefits were eliminated. Any cities that were missing any previous data points were also removed. The property crime rate was estimated and weighted 1.25, the violent crime rate was estimated and weighted 1.25, and total monthly expenses were estimated and weighted 1.00. All scores were added up and sorted to show the safest cities to live on Social Security benefits. All data was compiled and current as of October 9, 2023.
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