People running short on retirement savings might be panicking just a little (or more than a little) as they approach the Big Day.
After all, how pleasant will retirement be if you have very little to live on?
Maybe more pleasant than you think. GoBankingRates.com points out that if you live somewhere where the costs are low, your money will go further.
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But that's not the only consideration, of course; an eRetirements.com survey has found that no matter what their income level, lots of boomers want to find greener pastures for retirement.
Among households with annual incomes of less than $250,000 per year, 41.7 percent of respondents said that they would certainly relocate during retirement, and only 0.4 percent said they were not likely to relocate.
For higher income households in the $750,000–$1 million annual income bracket, a similar 40.8 percent of respondents said they would certainly relocate for retirement, and 0.5 percent said they were not likely to relocate.
And while many of these folks certainly don't appear to be on the bottom end of the income scale, this study isn't the only one to indicate that retirees might get itchy feet.
A Money report points out that location and money aren't the only questions that have to be answered.
The report highlights a Merrill Lynch retirement study conducted with Age Wave, a research and consulting company, that finds that close to two thirds of retirees have either moved or plan to move.
But that brings up additional questions—such as whether to buy a retirement home in the location of their choice while they're still working, so that they can spend vacations there and pay the bills on the house while they have a job to do so.
They often fail to take into account how big the expenses of a second home can be, or how little they may make on rent should they rent it out till they actually plan to move in.
Or should they simply rent, planning on moving again later?
They also may not know quite when to relocate, although if they leave it too late they may find themselves unable to move at all, for health or other reasons.
There's also the consideration of how a surviving spouse would manage if the other spouse dies early in retirement; will there be a community to support them, or will they be isolated in a new and unfamiliar location?
But with money looming so large in most people's minds—GoBankingRates.com points out that more than half of Americans have less than $10,000 saved toward retirement—a cheaper, rather than a more expensive, place to live can help make what money people do have last a lot longer.
So GoBankingRates.com rounded up data from a range of places, starting with cost-of-living indices from Sperling's Best Places.
Once they were finished comparing the cost of housing, groceries, transportation, utilities and health in 150 U.S. cities, it then used that data, as well as U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data on average annual expenditures for adults 65 and older, to arrive at a formula to predict annual expenditures in each city.
Here are the 10 cheapest cities they found:
10. Montgomery, Alabama
Annual expenditures: $36,971
Annual amount spent on housing: $7,149
Annual amount spent on health: $5,335
With a cost of living about 19 percent lower than the national average, Montgomery also has the fifth lowest annual amount spent on health and the 10th lowest annual amount spent on housing.
Also, its mild winters might not just be pleasant to retirees, but will also save them money on heating costs.
9. Akron, Ohio
Annual expenditures: $36,147
Annual amount spent on housing: $5,401
Annual amount spent on health: $5,514
Akron's cost of living is even lower—coming in 21 percent below the national average.
Akron has the fifth lowest annual amount spent on housing—but there are a couple of caveats: it has the fourth highest grocery costs and third highest transportation costs.
8. Cleveland, Ohio
Annual expenditures: $36,056
Annual amount spent on housing: $4,448
Annual amount spent on health: $6,474
Even though it's bigger than neighboring Akron (and on Lake Erie) Cleveland is a tad cheaper for retirement.
It has the second lowest annual amount spent on housing, but unfortunately has the second highest annual amount spent on health among the most affordable places to retire.
But back on the plus side, Cleveland, known as an industrial city, has undergone a revitalization, according to Sperling's Best Places. It has nationally recognized health facilities, a world-renowned orchestra, three professional sports teams and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
7. Augusta, Georgia
Annual expenditures: $35,781
Annual amount spent on housing: $6,672
Annual amount spent on health: $5,574
Augusta, best known for hosting the Masters Golf Tournament, is also one of the best places to retire on a budget. The cost of living is about 22 percent lower than the national average; it also has the ninth lowest annual amount spent on housing.
And the annual amount spent on health is lower than in most of the cheapest cities to retire. Another financial benefit is the cost of senior care services, which is lower in Georgia than the national median.
6. Brownsville, Texas
Annual expenditures: $35,461
Annual amount spent on housing: $6,513
Annual amount spent on health: $5,694
Brownsville is one of the cheapest places to retire thanks to low housing, grocery and health costs.
The annual amount spent on housing is the eighth lowest on the list. It's also close to beaches and boasts a warm climate.
5. Toledo, Ohio
Annual expenditures: $35,095
Annual amount spent on housing: $4,925
Annual amount spent on health: $6,174
Toledo has a cost of living about 23 percent lower than the national average, and ties with Jackson, Mississippi for the third lowest housing costs on the list.
It's an industrial city, but its location on Lake Erie offers access to plenty of water and outdoor recreation.
4. Memphis, Tennessee
Annual expenditures: $33,859
Annual amount spent on housing: $6,354
Annual amount spent on health: $5,694
The cost of living in Memphis is 26 percent lower than the national average.
Memphis has the fourth lowest annual amount spent on transportation, fourth lowest utility costs and seventh lowest annual amount spent on housing. It also has mild winters and highly ranked health care facilities.
3. Jackson, Mississippi
Annual expenditures: $33,676
Annual amount spent on housing: $4,925
Annual amount spent on health: $5,514
Jackson is one of the cheapest places to retire thanks to a cost of living 26.4 percent below the national average; it ties with Toledo for the third lowest annual amount spent on housing, and has the fourth lowest grocery costs and seventh lowest annual amount spent on health.
In addition to a low cost of living, it has four seasons, museums, festivals and a strong network of health facilities.
2. Detroit, Michigan
Annual expenditures: $33,356
Annual amount spent on housing: $3,177
Annual amount spent on health: $5,994
Although Detroit is the largest city to file for bankruptcy, it's reinventing itself as "America's Great Comeback City," creating a 50-block sports and entertainment district. Its new streetcar and bikesharing system will save money on transportation to the new restaurants, galleries, markets and community gardens.
But the big draw is its incredibly low cost of living, 27 percent lower than the national average.
1. Birmingham, Alabama
Annual expenditures: $33,219
Annual amount spent on housing: $5,242
Annual amount spent on health: $4,915
The cost of living in Birmingham is 27.4 percent lower than the national average, with the annual amount spent on health the lowest of any city on the list.
It also has the third lowest transportation costs and fourth lowest annual amount spent on housing.
But it has goodies, too, like local parks, 15 golf courses, nearby lakes, festivals, and schools such as the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Samford University that provide an abundance of concerts and arts programming.
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