10 Worst Places To Live in Florida on Just a Social Security Check
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Cynthia Measom
6 min read
If you love mild, sunny weather, Florida is the place to be. It’s no secret that the climate is a big part of the reason retirees flock there year after year. And while there are some affordable places in Florida for people on a fixed income, the most desirable locations are often way beyond a budget fueled by just a Social Security check.
According to the Social Security Administration, the average monthly benefit for retired workers is $1,632.04 for individuals and $3,264.08 for couples. As you can probably imagine, those amounts eliminate several Florida hot spots as options for places to live.
To determine the worst places in Florida to live on only a Social Security check, GOBankingRates first found the 20 cities in Florida with the highest 2022 average monthly rent. Then, it sourced the cost of living index scores for each city related to groceries and healthcare. Next, it used data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2021 Consumer Expenditure Survey to find the annual expenses for groceries and healthcare costs for people 65 and over to determine how much they would spend per month in each city. Finally, it added housing, grocery and healthcare expenses for each city together to find how much people 65 and over would spend on monthly necessities.
All cities had to have a livability score of at least 65 to be included in the study. Each city’s livability score was combined with its monthly living expenses to calculate the final rankings, with the highest score indicating the worst city. Here are the 10 worst places to live in Florida on just a Social Security check.
10. Juno Beach, Florida
Grocery Cost of Living Index: 108.3
2022 Average Monthly Rent: $5,246
Livability Score: 81
Juno Beach has an exceptional livability score of 81, but if you’re relying on just a Social Security check, the expenses there will greatly exceed your income. The average monthly rent in the U.S. is $1,954, but in Juno Beach the average is $5,246.
Unfortunately, the average amount of retirement benefits for a retired couple is only $3,264 per month, which means if that’s your sole source of income, you likely wouldn’t even be able to cover a place to stay.
9. Key Largo, Florida
Grocery Cost of Living Index: 114.4
2022 Average Monthly Rent: $4,343
Livability Score: 76
Rent is a bit cheaper in Key Largo than in Juno Beach. However, it’s still over $1,000 more than the average Social Security check for a retired couple. Not only that, but monthly grocery costs are also higher than the national average of $374.75. Instead, you’ll pay a monthly average of $428.71.
Additionally, monthly healthcare costs here are way above the national average of $585.83. On average, you’ll pay $951.39 a month.
Average monthly rent tops $5,000 in Parkland, which way exceeds the average Social Security check amount for a retired couple. And although monthly healthcare and utilities expenses are less than the national average, groceries are more.
The monthly national average cost for groceries is $374.75, compared to $418.22 per month in Parkland.
7. Siesta Key, Florida
Grocery Cost of Living Index: 114.5
2022 Average Monthly Rent: $6,525
Livability Score: 86
If your monthly Social Security check is around $3,200, average rent in Siesta Key is way beyond your budget. Even if you received a check that was double the average amount, it still wouldn’t quite cover rent here.
Plus, groceries in Siesta Key are $429.09 per month on average, which exceeds the national average of $374.75.
6. Key West, Florida
Grocery Cost of Living Index: 114.5
2022 Average Monthly Rent: $3,957
Livability Score: 71
The average monthly rent in Key West is the most affordable on this list, but it’s still almost $700 more than the average Social Security check for a retired couple. And cost of living index for healthcare is 62.4% above the national average.
On average, U.S. monthly healthcare costs are $585.83, but in Key West they average approximately $951.
5. Tequesta, Florida
Grocery Cost of Living Index: 109.1
2022 Average Monthly Rent: $4,396
Livability Score: 70
Monthly rent in Tequesta isn’t the highest, but it’s still $1,000 more than the average retired couple’s Social Security check. Not only that, but you’ll also pay more than the national average cost for groceries and healthcare.
4. Bal Harbour, Florida
Grocery Cost of Living Index: 115.1
2022 Average Monthly Rent: $5,959
Livability Score: 78
You’ll find a perfect Florida paradise of sun, sand and sea in Bal Harbour, but it doesn’t come cheap by any means. Average monthly rent is just shy of $6,000 and you’ll pay, on average, over $600 more annually for your groceries than the national average.
Not only that, but healthcare is also more expensive here than the average monthly cost for the nation.
3. Key Biscayne, Florida
Grocery Cost of Living Index: 120.4
2022 Average Monthly Rent: $7,370
Livability Score: 82
Key Biscayne is a popular tourist destination that’s known for its exceptional beaches, and the cost of living there reflects its desirability. Average monthly rent is more than double the average Social Security check for a retired couple.
Additionally, both the grocery and healthcare cost of living indexes exceed the national average.
2. Highland Beach, Florida
Grocery Cost of Living Index: 110.5
2022 Average Monthly Rent: $6,557
Livability Score: 75
Like all of the other cities on this list, Highland Beach’s average monthly rent vastly exceeds what an average Social Security check can handle. Both groceries and healthcare costs exceed the national averages, too.
1. Palm Beach, Florida
Grocery Cost of Living Index: 116.2
2022 Average Monthly Rent: $8,390
Livability Score: 85
Palm Beach, which has one of the highest livability scores on this list, qualifies as the worst place to live in Florida on just a Social Security check. The city has the highest average monthly rent and the second-highest average monthly healthcare costs out of all the other cities on this list, which explains its ranking.
Methodology: GOBankingRates determined the worst cities in Florida to live on only a Social Security check based on the average monthly benefit for retired workers, $1,632.04 ($3,2604 for a couple), sourced from Social Security Administration. GOBankingRates first isolated 20 cities in Florida with the highest 2022 average monthly rent. GOBankingRates then used Sperling’s Best to find the cost of living index for each listed city, looking at grocery and healthcare index scores. Next, GOBankingRates used data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2021 Consumer Expenditure Survey to find the annual expenditure amount for both grocery (“food at home”) and healthcare costs for people aged 65 and older in order to find how much a person/couple 65 and over would spend on groceries and healthcare in each city on a monthly basis. GOBankingRates then added monthly housing, grocery, and healthcare costs together to find where a person/couple 65 and older would spend. In order for a city to be qualified for the study the city had to have a livability score above 65 as sourced from AreaVibes. GOBankingRates scored and combined both livability and monthly necessities expenditure, with the highest score being worst, to determine final rankings. All data was collected and is up to date as of January 9, 2023.
