10 Best Places in Texas for Couples To Live Only on Social Security

If you’re planning to retire in Texas and live off just Social Security checks, you may want to head for — or at least toward — the border.

GOBankingRates has rounded up a top 10 list of Texas destinations that offer retired couples the highest livability on a Social Security-only budget. That’s about $3,580 a month, according to the Social Security Administration. 

Out of the 10 cities on our list, five are on or near the Texas-Mexico border. Seven are in the state’s lower tip, further south than Houston.

As a whole, Texas has some upside for retirees. Draws include warm weather, tax-friendliness — for the most part — and a lower cost of living than many other U.S. states. Texas is also vast, beautiful and diverse, with unlimited cultural, culinary and entertainment opportunities.

On the downside, that warm weather can turn oppressive in some parts of Texas, accompanied by high humidity. Parts of the state are prone to extreme weather, such as tornadoes or hurricanes. While Texas doesn’t tax personal income, property taxes are relatively high. Texas also has areas with high crime rates.

To compile our list, GOBankingRates has blended data from the U.S. Census, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, AreaVibes, Sperling’s Best Places and Zillow. Keep reading to discover the best Texas cities to retire on just Social Security.

• Average rent: $1,073
• Average total monthly cost of living: $2,728
• Livability score: 64

Beaumont’s livability score of 64 is the lowest in our top 10, but its affordability may make it worth a look for retirees. Located about 85 miles east of Houston near the border with Louisiana, Beaumont offers aspects of multiple cultures, along with hot and humid summers.

Attractions include multiple museums and easy access to fishing, hunting and other outdoor activities. About 115,000 people live here.

• Average rent: $1,370
• Average total monthly cost of living: $3,032
• Livability score: 78

Found at the southern tip of Texas on the Mexico border, Brownsville is a stronghold for Mexican culture. Roughly 94% of the city’s 186,000 residents are Hispanic.

The recent addition of Elon Musk’s SpaceX South Texas launch site — about 10 miles away — has Brownsville touting itself as “Newspace City.” It’s also an affordable place to live: A retired couple can expect to pay about $358 a month for groceries, the lowest on our list.

• Average rent: $1,006
• Average total monthly cost of living: $2,739
• Livability score: 70

You’ll find Lufkin in East Texas, about halfway between Houston and Shreveport, Louisiana. Budget-conscious retired couples may enjoy average monthly rents near $1,000 and a total average monthly cost of living well south of $3,000.

Lufkin’s attractions include top-notch bass fishing and other activities on and around Lake Sam Rayburn, two nearby golf courses, the Texas Forestry Museum and the Museum of East Texas.

• Average rent: $1,150
• Average total monthly cost of living: $2,791
• Livability score: 69

This West Texas city is located about 150 miles west of San Antonio on the Texas-Mexico border. Laughlin Air Force Base is just east of Del Rio, which has about 36,000 residents. The city offers easy access to the Amistad National Recreation Area.

A month’s worth of groceries will cost a retired couple about $360. 

• Average rent: $1,476
• Average total monthly cost of living: $3,187
• Livability score: 81

Bustling, fast-growing and culture-laden, San Antonio is one of the largest cities in the United States. Its livability score of 81 is the highest in our top 10, but its average rents and total living costs are also the highest.

That said, it’s a relatively affordable major U.S. city. Nearly 1.5 million people live here, and the Greater San Antonio area is home to roughly 2.6 million. Its many tourist attractions include The Alamo and the River Walk.

• Average rent: $1,333
• Average total monthly cost of living: $2,981
• Livability score: 75

Galveston is an island resort city, located on Galveston Island in the Gulf of Mexico. It’s home to about 54,000 residents — about 19% of whom are age 65 or older — and numerous tourists.

There’s lots to see here, including the Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier, Moody Gardens and the Galveston Railroad Museum. There are also 32 miles of beaches to enjoy.

• Average rent: $1,111
• Average total monthly cost of living: $2,814
• Livability score: 73

Texarkana is unusual in that it straddles the state line between Texas and Arkansas. For our purposes, let’s discuss Texarkana, Texas and not its twin city across the state line. About 36,000 people live on the Texas side, where groceries will cost a retired couple about $365 a month.

Residents and visitors enjoy the historic Perot Theatre, nearby Wright Patman Lake and the Four States Auto Museum.

• Average rent: $1,058
• Average total monthly cost of living: $2,705
• Livability score: 71

Another city near the border with Mexico, fast-growing Pharr is located about 150 miles southwest of Corpus Christi. Pharr has seen its population grow from about 46,000 residents in 2000 to roughly 80,000 today. About 94% of its residents are Hispanic/Latino.

Pharr offers the lowest average monthly healthcare costs in our top 10, coming in around $613.

• Average rent: $972
• Average total monthly cost of living: $2,629
• Livability score: 71

Weslaco is the somewhat rare U.S. city with a livability score above 70 but an average monthly rent of less than $1,000. Weslaco also has the lowest average total cost of living in our list.

Located at the southern tip of Texas about 45 miles northwest of Brownsville, Weslaco brands itself as a “City on the Grow.” If you like birding, Weslaco is a World Birding Center site. It’s also home to about 41,000 residents.

• Average rent: $1,089
• Average total monthly cost of living: $2,692
• Livability score: 71

Though slightly more expensive than nearby Weslaco, Harlingen nets out as Texas’ best blend of livability and affordability for retirees counting only on Social Security.

Like many other cities in our top 10, Harlingen is located near the border with Mexico and offers numerous outdoor recreation opportunities. The beach at South Padre Island is only about 40 miles to the east. Golfers can choose between five different courses in Harlingen itself, plus two championship courses nearby.

Plus, the combined average cost for groceries, healthcare, transportation and utilities comes in around $1,600 a month, the lowest in our top 10. Harlingen’s population is about 71,000.

Methodology: To find the best places in Texas for a couple to live on only Social Security checks, GOBankingRates analyzed the cities in Texas across a variety of factors, including total population and population aged 65 and over (both sourced from U.S. Census American Consumer Survey), cost-of-living indexes for groceries, healthcare, utilities and transportation (from Sperling’s BestPlaces), monthly rental cost as sourced from the Zillow Observed Rental Index, the national average expenditure cost as sourced from Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey, livability scores as sourced from AreaVibes, and the average monthly Social Security benefits as sourced from the Social Security Administration. The cost-of-living indexes for each city were multiplied by the national average expenditure cost to find the average expenditure costs for each city. The expenditure costs for each city were added to the average rental cost to find the total monthly cost needed to live in each city. The average Social Security benefit was doubled to find the average needed for a couple, and all cities above the average monthly Social Security benefits were removed. The total population was scored and weighted at 0.75, percent population 65 and over was scored and weighted at 0.75, the livability index was scored and weighted at 1.50, the rental cost was scored and weighted at 1, the expenditure cost was scored and weighted at 1, and the total monthly cost was scored and weighted at 1.25. All the scores were added together and sorted to show the best places in Texas for a couple to live on only Social Security checks. All data was collected and is up to date as of Nov. 9, 2023.