# Places to live on SS alone?



## Micheal

In a recent article in US News:

The average SS benefit in Mar 2011 was $1,179 a month. For a couple thats $28,296 a year (as a median income).

10 Places for a couple to live on SS alone are (area median income listed):
1. Auburn Ala - $21,630
2. Blacksburg Va - $26,792
3. Boone NC - ????
4. Cheney Wash - ????
5. Mount Pleasant Mich - $27,621
6. Murray Ky - $27,842
7. State College Pa - 23.800
8. Sunland Park NM - 23,225
9. Syracuse NY - 27,475
10. West Lafayette Ind - 26,000

Who woulda thought????????


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## sdnapier

...and not one of them is my town...go figure!


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## Nevada

Become mortgage-free and you can live on $1,179.


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## Bentley

Nevada said:


> Become mortgage-free and you can live on $1,179.


.......depending on what health insurance costs you.


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## sunflower-n-ks

Be mortgage free, don't worry about having anything new, hope the vehicle keeps running and you can live on 700 a month. Ohhh, the van did quite running and was replaced with a $1000 dollar car. So, no worries.........

Living the good life with more land than I can take care of.


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## Bay Mare

Not sure about the others but Blacksburg, VA is a college town - Virginia Tech. I wonder if that was taken into account when figuring the median income. I am sure that there are a lot of students that work/earn but have support from parents for some/most of their expenses.


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## TheMartianChick

Syracuse NY has long been on lists as a desireable place to live because the cost of housing is so inexpensive. However, there aren't a lot of jobs so having a fixed and stable income is important(unless you are an engineer, college professor or in the medical field).

We currently live in Syracuse, but we have no intention of staying here for retirement. We saw the writing on the wall in this rust belt city and knew that we would have to have additional sources of income in case our jobs went away. The city has been good to us in the sense that we've been able to buy up rental properties inexpensively and they now provide us with a safety net.


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## Nevada

Bentley said:


> .......depending on what health insurance costs you.


Well, I'm assuming that the retired person is over 65 and on a Medicare Advantage HMO (with drug coverage) that accepts Medicare Pasts A & B as the premium. In that situation, if you can't afford copays you can just throw them in the trash can.


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## Nevada

When I was looking for a place for my homestead back in 2006, land price was the primary concern. I wasn't looking to retire early. Instead I was concerned about the economy. Specifically, I envisioned an impending depression, so I was looking for a place where I could live mortgage-free to weather hard economic times.

But regardless of whether you are looking to retire early or weather a depression, the course of action is the same; find a way to become mortgage-free. My basic plan was to find land inexpensive enough that I could buy for cash, then build a small home out of pocket money.

There had to be compromises along the way. I found 2 acres for $800, but I had to move to northern Nevada to find it. I happened to find affordable land next door to power, but I was prepared to give-up power if I had to. The home I built was small, since I had a limited building material budget, I was building the home myself, and I needed to get it finished enough to live in before winter set-in.

The first year I had no siding on the home, just the 1/2" OSB sheathing. We also discovered that the septic drain field needed to be HUGE (read that as expensive) because there was a lot of clay in our soil, so we used a portable RV toilet. I didn't have time to do a proper kitchen at first, so we cooked on a propane camp stove and used a camping ice chest to keep food cold. We didn't have money for a water well so I worked out an arrangement to draw water from a neighbor occasionally. I setup a 300 gallon cistern and pressured the plumbing with a 12-volt RV water pump.

We did what we had to do. Life got easier over the next few years, but we started with what we had. My building plan might have been extreme, but the point is that living mortgage-free is attainable if you are innovative and are willing to make the right sacrifices.

By the way, I knew a lot of people in that area who were living mortgage-free, but most took a different approach. They purchased inexpensive land the same as I did, then placed an inexpensive RV or old mobile home on the land. You can find those free sometimes, and are easy to find for a few hundred bucks (caution: for a mobile home, transport & setup can cost more than the home itself). I don't object to that approach if that's what you need to do, but I don't find old RVs & mobile homes to be comfortable. You also need to be prepared to burn a lot of propane in the winter if you do that. Still, getting an old RV or mobile home is a quick and inexpensive way to live mortgage-free.


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## Darren

Ukraine, average monthly income is about $300. With a $1,000 per month, you can save money.


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## fordy

............This is the situation I've been trying to solve for the last couple of years but land is too expensive around the DFW metromess as I'm not willing to pay 10 to 20,000 an acre ! My plan is to live in my 5'ver while I build a small cabin and shop . The more I look the more I'm finding small acreages with restrictions , i.e. No travel trailers . You can move a junked out mobil home onto land , but they don't want any nice travel trailers . Looks as IF the term "trailer trash" has been reassigned too those of us with a trailer with wheels . 
..............There is land available in east Tx but the humidity discourages me from wanting to live there , although I love the trees and topography . Who knows maybe I'll move to Nevada on 5 acres , lol . I'll be here atleast 3 more years getting stuff paid off and saving money . I have only one serious addiction , that being a thing called a Mustang GT but Every man has their particular preference for a Mistress . , fordy


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## Deacon Mike

Bay Mare said:


> Not sure about the others but Blacksburg, VA is a college town - Virginia Tech. I wonder if that was taken into account when figuring the median income. I am sure that there are a lot of students that work/earn but have support from parents for some/most of their expenses.


Except for the place in NM, they're all college towns


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## Sweetsong

Whoops, just saw the college town post. Surprised they are inexpensive places to live--the home of University of Michigan is a very EXPENSIVE place to live.


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## Bandit

No wonder We are struggling , only I collect and We live 3 mi. from Wellesley College , and it is NOT a cheap area to live .


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## Belfrybat

fordy said:


> ............This is the situation I've been trying to solve for the last couple of years but land is too expensive around the DFW metromess as I'm not willing to pay 10 to 20,000 an acre ! My plan is to live in my 5'ver while I build a small cabin and shop . The more I look the more I'm finding small acreages with restrictions , i.e. No travel trailers . You can move a junked out mobil home onto land , but they don't want any nice travel trailers . Looks as IF the term "trailer trash" has been reassigned too those of us with a trailer with wheels .
> ..............There is land available in east Tx but the humidity discourages me from wanting to live there , although I love the trees and topography . Who knows maybe I'll move to Nevada on 5 acres , lol . I'll be here atleast 3 more years getting stuff paid off and saving money . I have only one serious addiction , that being a thing called a Mustang GT but Every man has their particular preference for a Mistress . , fordy


Move West young man.. err old codger!  Seriously look at Comanche, Brown, Coleman counties and beyond. Brown has more restrictions, but at least in Coleman county there are few restrictions. I purchased a triple lot (3/4 acre) with retaining walls already built, city sewer and water lines, two cinder block storage sheds on the edge of a small town for $5,000.00. Moved in a mobile home and I was good to go. If you want more land and aren't interested in views or trees, there are several small acreages for sale in this area for $3000. or so an acre. Less it they are not on County water.


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## Nevada

Sweetsong said:


> Whoops, just saw the college town post. Surprised they are inexpensive places to live--the home of University of Michigan is a very EXPENSIVE place to live.


If I had a small nest egg and needed to live cheap, I would probably be looking in the towns north of Detroit along the I-75 corridor, up to and including Flint. You can find pretty nice houses in that area for under $5000.

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-search/Flint_MI/price-3000-5000#/sortby-1

Property values have cratered in Las Vegas, but can't compare to Flint.


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## Our Little Farm

One of the places on the list is a college town and it is not cheap to live there. This report is skewered to say the least. 

It probably does not take into account grants etc.


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## fordy

Belfrybat said:


> Move West young man.. err old codger!  Seriously look at Comanche, Brown, Coleman counties and beyond. Brown has more restrictions, but at least in Coleman county there are few restrictions. I purchased a triple lot (3/4 acre) with retaining walls already built, city sewer and water lines, two cinder block storage sheds on the edge of a small town for $5,000.00. Moved in a mobile home and I was good to go. If you want more land and aren't interested in views or trees, there are several small acreages for sale in this area for $3000. or so an acre. Less it they are not on County water.


...............Thank you ! I've been pursuing the Lands of America site and there are several listings I might respond to ! I'm off on Wed-Thur this coming week so I thought I'd get my info together and make a short , overnight trip down around Bwood . My preference would be owner finance but most are going to want 10% interest rate so I might go thru my bank . 
.................One appealing facet of that area is it is only 2hrs. down the road from where I'm living now . I can drive down , work , and come back on the second day . This will all playout over the next three years or so which allows me to prepare the land , fence the property , and build a storage building and small workshop in small increments as my cash flow permits . Thanks for your help ! , fordy:cowboy:


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## belladulcinea

Oklahoma is very affordable, people live off that amount quite well here.


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## jwal10

We live on less than 1/2 that and save the rest. Sweetie hasn't worked for 6 years and I have a small income from early retirement and from rentals. Taxes are our big expense but at our income level not bad. We have 8 small properties now, but will be giving 2 each to the kids, everything paid for. We will have the off grid cabin, this cottage and 2 new 1 bedroom rentals....James


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## TxGypsy

Arkansas, southern Missouri and Mexico. If I can sell my house in Arkansas I'll be moving to Mexico. So far the dollar still buys lots of pesos.


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## salmonslayer

I think you can live quite well just about anywhere with that combined income if you are debt free and relatively healthy. We chose southern Missouri for the low land prices, low cost of living, and the topography and culture of this area. But we live a bit far from medical care, our county has almost zero services (and almost zero property tax), and it would be extremely hard to make a sustainable living if we didnt have nice pensions...each area is a tradeoff. I have found that I am able to get as much work as I want because I can afford to take smaller jobs or jobs that interest me since the income is mostly for some extras and not part of our day to day living expenses, that flexibility has been great for me personally.


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## cornbread

Become mortgage-free 

And yes move to Syracuse NY


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## Karen

Since my parents and then husband were transferred around a lot, I've lived in a lot of place. We live now not far from Blacksburg and Boone. Both are college towns and not cheap at all. In fact, Blacksburg is very upscale and Boone is also a tourist town and has all those tourist taxes which locals also have to pay. 

Additionally, property taxes are pretty hefty as are property taxes in Michigan, Indiana, NY and PA. I've not lived in the other states to say. Both Virginia and North Carolina also have personal property taxes (including your car) and those aren't cheap either. When our Kia was new, we were paying over $300 a year PP tax on it's $25,000 value. We also pay $75 a year on small tow-behind trailer. Food in Virginia is also not cheap. Also, Virginia has few medicare options and almost none with a no premium policy; which means if you can't afford good coverage, your only option is basic Humana (which is now only available with in-network coverage) or straight medicare.

Bear in mind also that in Michigan, Indiana, NY and PA, you're going to have high utility bills due to the winters, groceries are higher in the winters, your gardening options are shorter, and taxes are high. 

You may also need to be concerned if you plan on getting a part-time job at any point as the above states also have state income taxes.

If a person can take the heat and humidity, the west coast of Florida from Tarpon Springs on up, is still the best place for the money. Utility prices are still not that high, housing is affordable, no state income taxes, no personal property taxes, high homestead exemptions on your homestead so taxes are low, groceries are lower, you can garden year round, fish, lots of free stuff to do, and you can't beat the huge number of senior services, senior centers, discounts, and clubs, etc. there. A retired person can live pretty well there yet today. The biggest downside is sinkholes and water shortages. We loved it there but just couldn't take that heat and humidity anymore. 

Nevada you may want to rethink the Detroit area and Flint. Michigan is in pretty bad shape financially and cities there have extremely high crime rates as most industrial towns (which is just about every larger city in Michigan) has become very run down. In the most crime related cities in Michigan, Flint is now #2 (Saginaw #1; Detroit #3; Pontiac #4; Lansing #9. We're talking cities that look they were bombed. Unbelievable to what they use to be when I was a growing up near there. Just sad, depressed, troubled cities and that includes most of the suburbs and out laying areas of those cities. If you buy a $5,000 house, you're not going to get a great house. It's going to run down or not up to code, and in a dangerous area. There are certainly bargains to be found in foreclosures, but those don't exist in areas like Lincoln Park or Trenton where it's still somewhat safe and kept up. Honestly, a $10,000 house isn't going to be in even a reasonably safe neighborhood. All you end up with a house value of $40,000 in a slum. Toledo, Ohio area is just as bad unless you're in the burbs, but you sure pay through the nose in the burbs there these days. 

Still not too bad is Ann Arbor (but Ypsi is horrible!) and any thing in the middle part of the state away from cities, but you have to watch. Even around Cadillac isn't very good anymore and neither around many of the older lakes. Irish Hills and Somerset County is still excellent (although Lake Le Ann housing has caused property taxes to rise significantly over the past few years with their pricey homes). I use to live on Lake Le Ann in the 60's and there always were nice homes, but now I don't think there's single lot left anymore and bigger and bigger houses with nothing under $300,000-$1,000,000. Wish we'd hung on to your lakefront house there. We paid $17,000 for it in '62 and is now valued at $220,000. Who knew back then! No longer the weekend folks and the lake is too packed out to even ski or boat in the summer. Clark's Lake and Devil's Lake are a mix and still quite expensive to live around there. 

It's getting harder and harder to find a place for a regular guy who just wants a safe and livable place in this world. If it wasn't for the drug lords, Mexico is one place a person could live on social security like a king! We've thought about it, but there's that blasted heat and humidity again.


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## TxGypsy

I'd like to change my answer. Arkansas!! I made notes during my trip to Mexico this winter and have been making comparisons. Believe it or not I can live in Arkansas cheaper than in Mexico if you are comparing every day expenses.

Part of the reason is that I was renting in Mexico and I own my place here with no mortgage(I'd never buy a house in Mexico). If that weren't the case then of course I could live cheaper in Mexico.

Just got my tax bill. For my nice house on 7 acres with a shop building, big storage building, and tornado shelter....$173. After paying Texas taxes all my life I was practically dancing on my way into the court house to pay.

Electric bill this month $50, internet $31, netflix $8, water $24, cell phone $30 and those are all of my expenses other than groceries, gas and insurance. Once I get fully set up I'll be growing the vast majority of my food. $143 worth of expenses this month


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## keyhole

You can live easy on $28K a year in Cuenca, Equador!!! You can buy or rent. A nice apt is about $300 - $500 a month depending on location and size. utilities are about $30 - $50 a month. Food is really cheap. Breakfast is about $2 lunch $3 - 5 and a filet mignon dinner is around $7 with all the trimmings. It's one of the fastest growing expat places in the world right now. Oh Yeah... gas is only $1.50 a gallon and the interest rates in the banks and co-ops are between 8% and 12% on CDs and savings accounts!!!


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## OUVickie

belladulcinea said:


> Oklahoma is very affordable, people live off that amount quite well here.


Yep, my DD lives on less than the figures listed and most retired folks here live on less than the figures listed too. You can find work if you need it/want it and most things are much cheaper than elsewhere. Oklahoma has a wide range of landscapes.


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## Ann-NWIowa

It would depend on what size place you're looking for, but in most rural areas of the Midwest & Plains states there are hundreds of small towns of 200 to 400 people. You can often buy a house and several additional lots for very reasonable $'s. You'd need to find out about restrictions on what you plan to use the land for, but it might be a cheap option. I had a client last year that owned about half of one of those little bitty towns. He had his home and dozens of lots that he'd picked up for almost nothing. Farm land has gone out of sight lately so that option is only for the very wealthy. However, in the little bitty towns can hardly give away property. You might even pick up properties at tax sales.

We're mortgage free but our property taxes on two lots is over $1,200 a year. When you add in insurance for house, cars and medical, you're over budget on just Social Security which is why even tho I'm now 69 I'm still working full time. Another crunch came when dh became unable physically to do home maintenance. I don't think there are any easy answers you just have to do the best you can and trust the Lord for the rest.


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## Spinner

I looked at many factors when looking for a place to retire. Land prices was important, but not the #1 factor. I also considered weather (heating & cooling costs can be prohibitive in the far north and far south), property taxes (I chose a state with homestead exemptions that make my property tax a big ZERO), local zoning (very important for raising animals, gardening, building, etc.) and of course crime rate.

I found several areas that fit 1 or more of my qualifications, but passed on them because it does no good to be in a friendly tax area if the crime rate is explosive. I required all of the above to pass my inspection. There were other things that effected my choice, but those were the most important ones.

I ended up in a rural area of Oklahoma. I've been here for 20 years and I'm still happy with my choice.


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## gimpyrancher

For those that think about living outside the U.S., you need to remember you still have to pay U.S. Taxes on worldwide income.

Corporations, no. Us, yup.


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