{"id":1870,"date":"2016-11-15T16:48:57","date_gmt":"2016-11-15T16:48:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ssdcmoving.local\/?p=1870"},"modified":"2026-01-07T21:30:55","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T21:30:55","slug":"5-best-places-to-retire-on-a-budget","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.selfstorage.com\/blog\/5-best-places-to-retire-on-a-budget\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Best Places to Retire on a Budget"},"content":{"rendered":"

We all want to spend our Golden Years enjoying life<\/a>; maybe spending time on the golf course or trying out a new hobby. The last thing we want to worry about is <\/span>affordable housing costs<\/span><\/a> or how to stretch our budget.<\/span><\/p>\n

To help retirees on a fixed income, GOBankingRates has named the \u201c50 cheapest places to retire\u201d in the United States. They looked at the average cost of living, rent, and grocery indexes as well as state taxes to find the least-expensive cities for retirees.<\/span><\/p>\n

We took a look at the top five cities.<\/b> (Check out the<\/span> complete list<\/span><\/a>, but be forewarned that some destinations are a bit unconventional.)<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

1. Athens, Georgia<\/h3>\n

Annual expenditures:<\/b> $36,999<\/span><\/p>\n

Annual amount spent on rent:<\/b> $6,781<\/span><\/p>\n

Annual amount spent on groceries:<\/b> $2,633<\/span><\/p>\n

Athens<\/span><\/a>, about an hour east of Atlanta<\/a> and home to the University of Georgia (UGA), tops GOBankingRates’ list, boasting a low cost of living and low state, property, and sales taxes. Forbes also named Athens one of the<\/span> 25 best places to retire in 2016.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Just ask one soon-to-be retiree, who moved to Athens with her husband about six years ago. \u201cMy husband and I were very specifically looking for a place to retire and wanted a college town,\u201d said Katy Crapo, director of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UGA. She will be retiring in two months, and her husband has retired.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt has great music. (It’s home to REM and the B-52’s). Great art. Great restaurants. Good grocery stores. Close to a major city and airport. There are so many activities on campus. Free lectures, discussions, and authors, so you could fill your calendar from dawn until dusk.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Anyone over 62 can take classes for free at UGA. If you live near the campus, all campus buses are free, whether you’re a UGA student or not.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou can do a lot just using the campus transit system,\u201d Crapo said. \u201cWhat you find about Athens is not only is it very affordable cost, there’s such a variety of possibilities.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"San<\/p>\n

2. San Antonio, Texas<\/h3>\n

Annual expenditures:<\/b> $38,210<\/span><\/p>\n

Annual amount spent on rent:<\/b> $7,729<\/span><\/p>\n

Annual amount spent on groceries:<\/b> $2,873<\/span><\/p>\n

San Antonio<\/span><\/a> is the runner-up with its low cost of living and very low taxation for seniors. There’s no state tax on Social Security income or withdrawals from retirement accounts or pensions, GOBankingRate reports. The city was also named one of the<\/span> top 10 best places<\/span><\/a> for military retirees.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSan Antonio has many retired people, especially military,\u201d said<\/span> Missy Stagers<\/span><\/a>, broker associate, Realtor at Mstagers and Partners\/Coldwell Banker D’Ann Harper. \u201cThere’s good medical care, and that sector is growing rapidly. We’re also still affordable.\u201d She also noted that San Antonio<\/a> is less congested than <\/span>Dallas<\/span><\/a> or <\/span>Houston<\/span><\/a> \u2013 at least for now.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think what my retirees love the most is there’s just not lots of them, but a variety of people,\u201d Stagers said. \u201cThere’s a lot to do and plenty of golf courses! Many things are within an hour or two’s drive \u2013 from hill country, wine tours to the ocean.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Overlooking<\/h3>\n

3. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma<\/h3>\n

Annual expenditures:<\/b> $39,248<\/span><\/p>\n

Annual amount spent on rent:<\/b> $7,282<\/span><\/p>\n

Annual amount spent on groceries:<\/b> $3,109<\/span><\/p>\n

Different from Tulsa<\/a> but appealing in its own right, <\/span>Oklahoma City<\/span><\/a> is a place, if you’re on a limited budget, where your cash does go further. It has one of the lowest national average costs of living in the country. Social Security income isn’t taxed. There’s no state estate tax, and property taxes are low. Forbes named OKC one of America’s most affordable cities in 2015.<\/span><\/p>\n

Looking for things to do?<\/span><\/a> With 234 days of sunshine annually and mild winters, you can enjoy the great outdoors. With 50 universities throughout the state, there are plenty of hip restaurants, rich history, cultural events, and performances. And you can always get a good steak in OKC!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Tucson<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0Tucson, Arizona<\/h3>\n

Annual expenditures:<\/b> $39,402<\/span><\/p>\n

Annual amount spent on rent:<\/b> $6,755<\/span><\/p>\n

Annual amount spent on groceries:<\/b> $3,052<\/span><\/p>\n

Retirees have flocked to Arizona for many years, and now <\/span>Tucson<\/span><\/a> comes in at No. 4 for its affordability. Although other types of retirement income are taxed in Arizona, Social Security is not.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Tucson retirement market is the best bang for your buck,\u201d said Realtor<\/span> Max Fisher<\/span><\/a> with Brul\u00e9 & Fisher Re\/Max. \u201cA three-bedroom, two-bath retirement home goes for anywhere between $150,000 to $300,000. Tucson is also a top retirement spot for active retirees with miles of hiking trails, public golf courses, river walks, and biking trails. With an average of 300-plus days of sunshine per year and an average high of 78 in November, retirees can spend most of their time outside doing recreational activities.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

And if you’re a food lover, Tucson was named a<\/span> \u201cCity of Gastronomy<\/span><\/a>\u201d for its outstanding cuisine.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Mobile<\/p>\n

5. Mobile, Alabama<\/h3>\n

Annual expenditures:<\/b> $39,566<\/span><\/p>\n

Annual amount spent on rent:<\/b> $6,816<\/span><\/p>\n

Annual amount spent on groceries:<\/b> $3,031<\/span><\/p>\n

Mobile<\/span><\/a> ranks as the fifth-cheapest retirement city, boasting a low cost of living and low taxes. But there’s so much more: \u201cMobile has famous Southern hospitality and the oldest Mardi Gras celebration in America,\u201d GoBankingRates reports. It also has excellent<\/span> golf courses<\/span><\/a> and affordable green fees.<\/span><\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re retiring on a budget or preparing your home for sale, <\/span>SelfStorage.com<\/span><\/a> is here to support your dreams with affordable storage units that you can reserve online – no credit card required! Check out our <\/span>simple storage shop and compare site<\/span><\/a> now to get started.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We all want to spend our Golden Years enjoying life; maybe spending time on the golf course or trying out a new hobby. The last thing we want to worry about is how to stretch our budget.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":1872,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[191,192,11,73,193],"class_list":["post-1870","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-moving","tag-athens-ga","tag-mobile-al","tag-oklahoma-city-ok","tag-san-antonio-tx","tag-tucson-az"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n5 Best Places to Retire on a Budget 5 Best Places to Retire on a Budget<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Looking to retire on a budget? Discover the top 5 affordable destinations for retirees in our latest blog article. 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