Overview
- A Yahoo Finance list identifies 15 U.S. cities where $2,500 in monthly income paired with the average Social Security benefit of $2,071 can support a comfortable retirement.
- The city rankings draw on third-party data from BestPlaces, the U.S. Census Bureau, Apartments.com and Zillow to gauge costs, rents and home prices.
- A separate Yahoo Finance model shows a couple with $3 million, claiming Social Security at 70 and withdrawing 4%, generates $178,476 pre-tax in 2026 and about $12,790 per month after taxes.
- The calculation combines $120,000 in portfolio withdrawals with roughly $58,476 in annual Social Security benefits and applies 2026 joint-filer brackets to reach an effective tax rate near 14%.
- Location choices reshape outcomes for that budget, covering a one-bedroom in high-cost cities like San Francisco versus a three-bedroom home in lower-cost areas such as Asheville or Tucson, with an example budget allocating $3,000 to housing and $900 to healthcare.