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5 Gay-Friendly Cities Where You Can Retire on Social Security Alone

Queer Money: How Gay People Do Money

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In this episode of Queer Money®, we're ranking five gay-friendly cities where someone living primarily on Social Security may actually be able to retire.

Imagine getting residency in city #4 with just your IRA assets! Find out how you can here: https://bit.ly/PGOF-3

Could you retire abroad on just $2,081 a month?

That's approximately what the average retired American worker receives from Social Security. In a U.S. city like Minneapolis, $2,081 may disappear pretty quickly between housing, healthcare, food and everyday expenses.

But in the #1 city on our list, we estimate a modest lifestyle could cost roughly $1,050 to $1,350 a month, potentially leaving you with $700 to nearly $1,000 every month.

Before you pack the caftan, though, there's a catch.

Being able to afford a city doesn't mean you can legally retire there.

That's why this isn't another list of the cheapest countries in the world.

We're ranking these cities based on three things:
💰 Affordability
🏳️‍🌈 LGBTQ+ friendliness
🛂 Retirement and residency practicality

We're starting with one person receiving $2,081 a month, renting a one-bedroom apartment outside the city center, living a normal local lifestyle, using public transportation and earning no additional employment or investment income.

Then we put each city through our Queer Money Retirement Scorecard.

💡 *What you'll learn:*

✅ Where an average Social Security benefit may stretch furthest abroad
✅ Which city offers the strongest LGBTQ+ confidence
✅ Which destinations have realistic residency paths for retirees
✅ Why LGBTQ+ laws and actual public acceptance can tell two different stories
✅ Why exchange rates can affect your ability to qualify for some retirement visas
✅ How healthcare, altitude, air quality and neighborhood choice can change your retirement experience
✅ Why you should test-drive a city for 30 to 90 days before moving

🏳️‍🌈 *The Queer Money Three-Gate Test*

Before falling in love with any retirement destination, ask:

1. Can I afford everyday life there?
2. Can I legally qualify to live there?
3. Can I access quality healthcare and live openly there?

If a city fails one of those gates, it's a vacation candidate, not your retirement plan.

And don't plan around somebody else's $2,081 Social Security check. Log into SSA.gov, find your estimated benefit and create three retirement budgets: your basic-bitch budget, your comfortable budget and your fabulous-but-still-sustainable budget.

Want to start planning your own move abroad?

🏳️‍🌈 *How We Help the Queer Money Community*

*Free Guides*

📘 Queer Money Kickstarter: https://queermoneypodcast.com/kicksta...
📊 10 Vital Retirement Numbers: https://queermoneypodcast.com/retirem...
🌎 Retire Abroad Checklist: https://queermoneypodcast.com/retire-...

*Calculators & Planners*

💰 Queer Money Beginner's Guide: https://queermoneypodcast.com/qmbg
🏳️‍🌈 Queer Money Retirement Calculator: https://queermoneypodcast.com/hgrcalc
✈️ Queer Money Retire Abroad Planner & Calculator: https://queermoneypodcast.com/retire-...
📈 Retirement Readiness Review: https://queermoneypodcast.com/review

20 Comments

@queermoney Creator 1 month ago Pinned

🏳‍🌈 Grab your copy of the Queer Money Retire Abroad Planner & Calculator here: http://queermoneypodcast.com/retire-abroad

@charlesjackson6015 1 month ago

I'm living on $1689 a month and that includes a mortgage payment of $800. My house is a 3/1/1. My truck is an older truck, paid for, and only used about 3 times a week. When I do drive away from home, I have all my stops laid out in a grid to save gas and time. It's not easy living frugally in Florida, but it can be done. I eat out only when I get a really good deal with discounts. My electricity bill usually runs around $55 to $110 a month. Water bill is about $80 every two months. And, I put a large chunk in savings every month for the time I know I will need to replace the roof because of hungry insurance companies in Florida. Thank gawd I have the V.A. to cover my medical. I am 71 years old.

@RickHazle 1 month ago

There is one thing about Chiang Mai you didn’t figure in or comment on. From December to June the smoke from burning rice fields is pretty intense. My eyes sting, I cough frequently, and when I blow my nose the mucus is almost black. That isn’t healthy for any older person despite the excellent health care in urban Thailand.

@TOPDadAlpha 1 month ago

I'm retired....moved to Costa Rica 15 months ago. 1 large 1b/1b apartment outside of San Jose . $630 a month with all utilities including hi-speed internet included. Costa Rica is safe....gay friendly country even though it's a Catholic country. Very easy to move to.... extremely helpful US embassy in San Jose. Overall costs are lower unless you require US made products...i.e foods, furniture,etc. I strongly suggest hiring a CR immigration lawyer unless you can read Spanish very, very well to review documents. There are numerous companies who can step right in to handle almost everything. I paid $1800 for my lawyer and she was great. 2.5 hour flight from Miami or Ft Lauderdale. Also look in the mountains for a home or apartment....it's cooler.

@donaldjones8920 1 month ago

I am able to live pretty well on my SS check alone. Several months before I decided to retire, I found out what my SS benefit would be and placed myself on a budget to make sure I could live on that amount alone without drawing on my 401K. I would recommend for anyone to do that before jumping entirely out of the workforce. And if possible, cut your work hours down to part time status, just in case you find that you need the extra income for a while, to maybe pay down some bills, pay off a car loan, etc.

@Easy_Wanderer 1 month ago (edited)

I'm coming up on one year in Cuenca, Ecuador and in this video you pretty much nail it. And the low cost of living in Cuenca allows me to continue to traveling, and maybe choose someplace else down the road. Thanks!

@staystray101 1 month ago

I have friends in Austria, Portugal, and France. They all think my cost of living and threats from police and fellow Americans is INSANE. The crime, the health care costs, the rents, bills, ect ect... it's all becoming overwhelming the older I get. (56 now) I plan to move over to either Europe or Asia sometime in the next year. Me and my wife have both had it with the U.S.

@user-lp2un7rc9x 1 month ago

Albania anyone ? Adriatic coast. Yoke can see Italy across the sea from your picture window

@mmuscheid 1 month ago

This is a nice concept - well done! It would be great to see more videos from you if people are fortunate enough to afford more. Perhaps $3,000 and $4,000 per month. Would be great to see which other locations this would open up.

@jamesslate6664 3 weeks ago

One thing that wasn't mentioned in the video was the fact that in these smaller communities, fluency in the native language would be a must. I recently began my own test drive with Mexico City, which is at the top of my list for retirement destinations. I stayed in a tourist-friendly colonia, in an apartment-style hotel. I made a point of living like a local for the length of my stay, which included shopping at a local grocery store. Even in this major city, I was surprised by the number of people I encountered who spoke no English. Of course you don't want to be an ugly American who expects others in a foreign country to speak your language. I had taken six months of online Spanish lessons before flying to México, but I still felt that my command of the language was inadequate for living there full-time. I am already planning my next trip to CDMX in six months, and I am continuing my Spanish lessons to feel more confident the next time around.

@ScottCP1 3 weeks ago (edited)

Interesting that Montevideo is on this list. There is actually a branch of my family that lives in Uruguay that I have never met. It is one of the places I've always been meaning to go to. I don't really have any debt, my house and car are both paid for and now that I have hit 60, I'm starting to think about these things. The thing that worries me though is the language barrier. I'm in Atlanta now, but have been thinking about downsizing.

@kehotto1 1 month ago (edited)

I have no savings and I receive enough a month on SS, that covers my rent, food, power, cable, Internet and car insurance with enough left over to buy my art supplies! I live in New Port Richey Fl!

@kevinpdx5141 1 month ago (edited)

I could make it in Portland OR but only because I bought my house 28 years ago. Current rent on the studio apartment I lived in before is way more than my mortgage. My house would rent for well over $2081.

@georgesunday9855 1 month ago

My husband just turned 65, and when he starts getting his SS and add into mine, we would be getting about $3,400 a month. (We both still work full time.). Since Europe is where we’d want to call home, in this list it would be in Coimbra. Because in Europe it’s generally more difficult to combine affordability and gay acceptance in one country, it’s making it difficult for us to find the right country. Add to it good public transportation and quality healthcare, it becomes almost impossible. So we try to keep our options open, and as long as it’s in Europe, we’ll consider it a possibility.

@NoName-vq3zo 1 month ago

Montevideo is one very expensive place, if on a budget. And, as in Montevideo, Portugal, Panama, and many such places, fighting SEVERE MOLD issues is a daily struggle!

@DragonTiger89 1 month ago

my husband and I were in Coimbra for a day trip from Porto 3 years ago on a Sunday in late October and the town was dead as a doorknob. Barely anything open I think only the restaurant over on the river was lively. When we were leaving on the train back to Porto we saw all the students from University returning. I don’t know if they leave every weekend or if this was a mid semester break they were returning from. In any case it may be more fun when the students are there. Not sure if Braga is just as affordable but I found Braga to be much more like a real city with a lot more to do around there.

@markkares743 1 month ago

I live in southern Maryland outside of DC in a relatively low-cost area. $ 2081 would pay my rent , my electric bill, my Internet bill, and allow me to eat. That would be about it. I would have no money for fuel or the insurance even though I own the car free and clear

@mrxman581 1 month ago (edited)

Good information. However, I would breakout and grade the issue of public transit separately. Comprehensive public transit becomes increasingly important as you get older. And, if you have great public transit, it helps to lower your overall living costs, too. Thanks

@Rivetbear360 1 month ago

Coming to you from Vancouver, WA where $2k wouldn’t even pay for rent. Forget gas or food or anything else. But we’re pretty damn Queer / trans welcoming. In fact it’s just normal here. But ya the PNW is not affordable.