Actually, most places in the US, one could live on Social Security of $1,200 a month fairly well — but probably not in the 25 largest cities.
The sweet spot are all those metropolitan areas of around 100-250,000 population that now have everything that the biggest cities have, except the crime and high cost of living.
Anyplace that has a Walmart, Costco, Target, Trader Joe’s, Ross, Grocery Outlet, Dollar Tree, etc. — has a de facto low cost of living yet access to wide choices. Then, if you go to the craigslists, many communities have 1 bedroom apartments for around $400 or less!
That’s not likely to be Honolulu, New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Tokyo, London, Paris — but you don’t have to be in those cities for their primary benefits of culture anymore — because it’s as close as your iPad, laptop or cell phone.
Austin, Texas is usually heading the list of best cities to live in regardless of the cost — but up the road a bit (60 miles), is a small town of Killeen, Tx, where you can probably still get a 1 bedroom house! (maybe even a 2 bedroom house or apartment) for $400 — outside of the largest US military base in the country.
There are a lot of communities in the US like that — and even a few fairly large cities like a Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Oklahoma City, Wichita, Little Rock, Salem, Oregon, that are very affordable, so that one doesn’t have to be thousands of miles from a leading edge of civilization, as one would be in a foreign country still.
That’s where I think most people ought to be directing their attention — rather than being lulled by those thoughts of exotic, foreign places that themselves, are out of the mainstream of contemporary civilization.
That used to be the dream of a previous generation of retirees — that they’d retire and live an unrealistic life of constant travel and luxury of servants waiting on them. That’s probably the best development from the recent economic crash back to reality — that people realize that retirement is not about traveling around the world, and owning a timeshare in every vacation spot in the world.
One can continue being a productive member of society, in a more intimate and unhurried scale — in the many small town Americas that exist even in the neighborhood organizations of fairly large communities.
Sorry, but I don't buy that. You talk about living on $1200 a month, then mention access to culture via iPad. If you're living on $1200 a month anywhere safe and decent in the U.S., you don't have money for an iPad. The two notions don't mix.
Anyplace that has a Walmart, Costco, Target, Trader Joe’s, Ross, Grocery Outlet, Dollar Tree, etc. — has a de facto low cost of living yet access to wide choices. Then, if you go to the craigslists, many communities have 1 bedroom apartments for around $400 or less!
That’s not likely to be Honolulu, New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Tokyo, London, Paris — but you don’t have to be in those cities for their primary benefits of culture anymore — because it’s as close as your iPad, laptop or cell phone.
Austin, Texas is usually heading the list of best cities to live in regardless of the cost — but up the road a bit (60 miles), is a small town of Killeen, Tx, where you can probably still get a 1 bedroom house! (maybe even a 2 bedroom house or apartment) for $400 — outside of the largest US military base in the country.
There are a lot of communities in the US like that — and even a few fairly large cities like a Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Oklahoma City, Wichita, Little Rock, Salem, Oregon, that are very affordable, so that one doesn’t have to be thousands of miles from a leading edge of civilization, as one would be in a foreign country still.
That’s where I think most people ought to be directing their attention — rather than being lulled by those thoughts of exotic, foreign places that themselves, are out of the mainstream of contemporary civilization...
Thank you for the information.
Please take Salem off of your list.....please...../s