In GOBankingRates’ 2025 estimate, a couple’s modeled annual cost for a comfortable retirement ranges from $37,562 in West Virginia to $109,863 in Hawaii, before Social Security. After subtracting the study’s assumed $35,532 annual benefit for a couple, the estimated remaining annual cost ranges from $2,032 to $74,333.
These figures estimate annual spending for two people—not the savings balance you need to retire. “With Social Security” means the study subtracted a fixed assumed benefit; it is not a forecast of what you or your spouse will receive. Your own benefit depends on your earnings record and when you claim.
Estimated annual retirement costs by state
The table reproduces GOBankingRates’ 2025 ranking from lowest to highest estimated annual cost. “Without Social Security” is the modeled annual cost for a couple before the assumed benefit; “with Social Security” is the residual after subtracting $35,532 a year. Necessities and mortgage figures are also the study’s estimates. Amounts are nominal 2025 study figures, not updated 2026 prices.
| Rank | State | Annual cost without Social Security | Annual cost after assumed Social Security | Estimated necessities | Estimated monthly mortgage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Virginia | $37,562 | $2,032 | $31,302 | $882 |
| 2 | Mississippi | $38,448 | $2,917 | $32,040 | $972 |
| 3 | Arkansas | $39,795 | $4,264 | $33,162 | $1,117 |
| 4 | Louisiana | $40,156 | $4,626 | $33,464 | $1,087 |
| 5 | Oklahoma | $40,506 | $4,976 | $33,755 | $1,116 |
| 6 | Kentucky | $41,127 | $5,597 | $34,273 | $1,145 |
| 7 | Alabama | $41,773 | $6,242 | $34,811 | $1,187 |
| 8 | Iowa | $42,228 | $6,697 | $35,190 | $1,211 |
| 9 | Kansas | $43,571 | $8,040 | $36,309 | $1,242 |
| 10 | Missouri | $43,714 | $8,183 | $36,428 | $1,347 |
| 11 | Michigan | $44,025 | $8,494 | $36,687 | $1,325 |
| 12 | Indiana | $44,078 | $8,547 | $36,732 | $1,304 |
| 13 | Ohio | $44,125 | $8,594 | $36,771 | $1,260 |
| 14 | Nebraska | $45,473 | $9,943 | $37,894 | $1,415 |
| 15 | North Dakota | $47,201 | $11,670 | $39,334 | $1,472 |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | $47,287 | $11,757 | $39,406 | $1,468 |
| 17 | Illinois | $47,726 | $12,195 | $39,772 | $1,495 |
| 18 | South Carolina | $47,753 | $12,222 | $39,794 | $1,562 |
| 19 | Texas | $47,978 | $12,447 | $39,982 | $1,557 |
| 20 | Tennessee | $48,043 | $12,513 | $40,036 | $1,708 |
| 21 | New Mexico | $48,946 | $13,416 | $40,789 | $1,612 |
| 22 | South Dakota | $49,813 | $14,283 | $41,511 | $1,637 |
| 23 | Georgia | $50,374 | $14,843 | $41,978 | $1,721 |
| 24 | Wisconsin | $50,654 | $15,124 | $42,212 | $1,711 |
| 25 | North Carolina | $51,278 | $15,747 | $42,732 | $1,725 |
| 26 | Wyoming | $52,293 | $16,762 | $43,578 | $1,884 |
| 27 | Minnesota | $52,436 | $16,905 | $43,696 | $1,829 |
| 28 | Florida | $55,206 | $19,676 | $46,005 | $2,054 |
| 29 | Delaware | $56,566 | $21,036 | $47,138 | $2,065 |
| 30 | Virginia | $57,115 | $21,584 | $47,596 | $2,126 |
| 31 | Arizona | $58,052 | $22,521 | $48,377 | $2,221 |
| 32 | Vermont | $58,987 | $23,456 | $49,156 | $2,106 |
| 33 | Maine | $59,716 | $24,186 | $49,763 | $2,122 |
| 34 | Nevada | $59,742 | $24,212 | $49,785 | $2,399 |
| 35 | Montana | $60,120 | $24,590 | $50,100 | $2,377 |
| 36 | Idaho | $60,359 | $24,828 | $50,299 | $2,408 |
| 37 | Maryland | $61,073 | $25,543 | $50,894 | $2,298 |
| 38 | Connecticut | $63,868 | $28,337 | $53,223 | $2,378 |
| 39 | New York | $63,881 | $28,350 | $53,234 | $2,495 |
| 40 | Alaska | $63,955 | $28,424 | $53,296 | $2,043 |
| 41 | Utah | $64,455 | $28,925 | $53,713 | $2,779 |
| 42 | Rhode Island | $65,223 | $29,692 | $54,352 | $2,588 |
| 43 | Oregon | $66,829 | $31,299 | $55,691 | $2,615 |
| 44 | New Hampshire | $66,945 | $31,415 | $55,788 | $2,706 |
| 45 | Colorado | $67,833 | $32,303 | $56,528 | $2,869 |
| 46 | New Jersey | $70,697 | $35,167 | $58,914 | $3,004 |
| 47 | Washington | $74,631 | $39,100 | $62,192 | $3,168 |
| 48 | Massachusetts | $83,407 | $47,876 | $69,506 | $3,479 |
| 49 | California | $90,110 | $54,579 | $75,091 | $4,069 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $109,863 | $74,333 | $91,553 | $4,943 |
Source: GOBankingRates’ 2025 state estimate, published October 23, 2025. Its stated data cutoff is August 27, 2025.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems#1 Best Overall
How the 2025 estimates were calculated
GOBankingRates combined U.S. Census Bureau 2023 American Community Survey population and household data, MERIC state cost-of-living indexes for the first quarter of 2025, and national-average retired-household expenditure data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Expenditure Survey. It estimated mortgage costs using Zillow Home Value Index data from July 2025 and a 6.58% average 30-year fixed mortgage-rate input from FRED dated August 27, 2025.
The method combined estimated mortgage and expenditure costs into a necessities figure, then added a 20% buffer for comfort. As the article puts it, “A 20% buffer was added to this cost to find the cost of a comfortable retirement, ranked from lowest cost to highest.” The result is a dated state-level model, not a universal budget rule.
Rank #2
- Ideal for Gifting
- Ideal for a bookworm
- Compact for travelling
Housing is a particularly important limitation: the mortgage figure is modeled from state home values and a rate assumption. It will not describe an owner without a mortgage or necessarily reflect a renter’s costs. A household’s actual expenses can also differ with healthcare needs, taxes, insurance, location within a state, and discretionary spending; the published calculation does not establish a personalized allowance for each of those circumstances.
What the Social Security column does—and does not—mean
The study subtracts the same assumed married-couple Social Security benefit in every state: $2,961 per month, or $35,532 per year. It is a study input, not an estimate for a particular reader, and the resulting “with Social Security” amount is an annual spending gap under that assumption—not a complete retirement-income plan.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
The Social Security Administration bases an individual estimate on earnings and the age benefits begin. Its benefit estimate tool can use a worker’s earnings history to compare potential benefit start dates; the benefit calculation uses the highest 35 years of earnings. The SSA explains that people can apply from age 62 through 70, with monthly benefits increasing the longer they wait, up to age 70. Full retirement age depends on birth year; it is 67 for people born in 1960 or later. See the SSA’s retirement planning guidance and explanation of stopping work and benefit calculations.
How to turn a state average into a retirement plan
- Use the table as a geographic benchmark. Start with the estimate for the state you are considering, but do not treat it as your household budget.
- Build your own expense estimate. Account for your housing arrangement, expected healthcare, taxes, insurance, and lifestyle choices.
- Get personal Social Security estimates. Use the SSA tool with your earnings record and compare possible claiming ages for each worker in the household.
- Compare expected income, spending, and savings. The Department of Labor’s retirement-planning worksheets and calculator can help estimate the future value of savings and how much more may be needed.
Annual cost is not the same as a retirement nest-egg target
This table estimates annual costs. It does not calculate a required savings balance. A separate state-by-state analysis reported by Kiplinger uses a different approach: it applies state cost indexes to BLS expenditure data, subtracts annual Social Security income, then divides the remaining expense by a 4% withdrawal assumption. That output is a nest-egg estimate under that method, not the annual comfortable-cost figure shown here. See Kiplinger’s account of the separate minimum-savings analysis.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- It can be a gift option
- Comes with secure packaging
- Helpful in various ways
Rank #4
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
