Social Security is the largest source of retirement income for many retirees, but how far those checks will stretch depends on how much you’ve earned in Social Security benefits as well as where you live.
For retired workers, the average Social Security benefit was $1,294 per month at the end of 2013, which equates for a couple to be about $31,056 in annual Social Security benefits (also adjusted for inflation). 
U.S. News & World Report recently crunched Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics data to determine where a retired couple could live comfortably using Social Security as their main source of income. The publication factored in basic expenses like typical costs for housing, food, utilities, transportation, and health care.
Some of the cities U.S. News & World Report found as possible havens where retirees’ Social Security income alone covers basic costs are:
- Albuquerque, N.M.: Home owners age 65 and older who have a mortgage pay a median of $1,078 per month, or about $368 per month if they have the mortgage paid off.
- Austin, Texas: Retirees pay a median of $1,395 per month with a mortgage, or $545 if they own the home.
- Buffalo, N.Y.: Retiree home owners pay $1,009 monthly, on average, if they’re still making payments on their home, or $466 monthly if they paid off their home.
- Columbia, S.C.: Home owners age 65 and older pay $1,074 monthly with a mortgage, or $367 if they have the house paid off.
- Grand Rapids, Mich.: Retiree home owners pay $1,080 monthly with a mortgage, or $427 per month if the home has been paid off.
- Jacksonville, Fla.: Retiree home owners pay $1,247 per month, on average, if they still have a mortgage, or about $405 if they have paid off the house.
- Pittsburgh: Retirees pay $1,023 per month, on average, if they still have a mortgage, or $434 if they have paid off their house.
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Source: US News & World Report 10/14/2014
