The amount you need to to save to fund your retirement depends on a host of factors. One of the biggest? Where you plan to live.
After all, your choice of residence impacts just about all your basic expenses, from housing to food to gas prices. And that’s before you make plans for travel and other kinds of fun.
Recently, personal finance site GOBankingRates crunched the numbers to estimate how much money you’d need to live, per year, in all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia.
In order to determine its rankings, GOBankingRates came up with an annual spending amount, based on the average per capita spending on groceries, healthcare, gas and fuel, housing and utilities, and personal consumption expenditures. They then tacked on an additional 20% to account for the “comfortable” aspect of retirement.
GOBankingRates also used this data to come up with a suggested savings goal to cover a 20-year retirement. However, that number doesn’t include Social Security payouts, potential pension income, or interest earned on savings.
You can find more information on each state in the list below, ranked from least to most expensive.
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1. Mississippi
- Annual spending in retirement: $37,750
- Savings needed: $755,000
What makes Mississippi so cheap? Mainly the low overall cost of living—the lowest of any state in the U.S.
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2. Arkansas
- Annual spending in retirement: $38,896
- Savings needed: $777,925
Though expenses like housing and utilities and groceries are generally less expensive in Arkansas than in Mississippi, it’s healthcare and transportation costs that are more expensive and account for higher expenses in The Natural State.
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3. Alabama
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $39,170
- Estimated savings needed: $783,400
Alabama happens to be among the best places to live if you’re planning on getting by in retirement on a Social Security check alone.
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4. Oklahoma
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $41,223
- Estimated savings needed: $824,450
Thanks to the low cost of groceries, Oklahoma ranks among the most affordable states to retire. It’s worth exploring your options for a fuel efficient vehicle in retirement if you plan on driving, however, since Oklahoma residents spend more on gas and fuel than elsewhere.
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5. South Carolina
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $41,583
- Estimated savings needed: $831,650
South Carolina’s relatively low healthcare costs, coupled with a lower-than-most average cost of senior care, makes The Palmetto State the fifth most affordable state to live post-retirement.
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6. Kentucky
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $41,610
- Estimated savings needed: $832,200
While Kentucky may be an affordable state in which to retire (thanks in part to low housing costs), a recent Wallethub study rated Kentucky poorly on quality of life.
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7. Idaho
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $42,066
- Estimated savings needed: $841,32
While Idaho is generally an affordable place to live, residents do face higher grocery expenses than other low-cost states. By GOBankingRates’s estimate, Idaho residents spend more than $2,934 on groceries annually.
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8. North Carolina
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $42,224
- Estimated savings needed: $844,475
If you are worried about high medical bills, North Carolina may be an attractive place to retire. The average annual spending on healthcare in this state is the seventh lowest in the country, at $5,690 a year.
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9. Louisiana
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $42,726
- Estimated savings needed: $854,525
While you’re spending only roughly $500 more per year to retire in Louisiana than North Carolina, that compounds to nearly $10,000 more over a 20-year retirement period.
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10. Tennessee
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $42,774
- Estimated savings needed: $855,475
Though you only need $855,475 to maintain a lifestyle where you’re spending $42,774 a year, Tennessee is one of the states where $1 million lasts longest in retirement, meaning your dollar goes further.
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11. West Virginia
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $43,023
- Estimated savings needed: $860,450
West Virginia boasts the second-lowest housing costs per year in the country. Those savings, however, are outweighed by the fact that annual healthcare spending is higher here than in most states. Moreover, GOBankingRates nominated West Virginia as one of the worst states to retire rich, thanks to factors like tax rates and banking costs.
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12. Arizona
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $43,225
- Estimated savings needed: $864,500
A balancing act between higher housing costs and lowest annual healthcare spend puts Arizona toward the more affordable end of the spectrum. Just make sure you’re comfortable with dry heat most of the year first.
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13. Georgia
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $43,321
- Estimated savings needed: $866,425
The Peach State is among the cheapest places to retire in the country thanks to lower housing costs (which, unlike Arizona, are offset by higher healthcare spending).
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14. Utah
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $43,893
- Estimated savings needed: $877,850
Utah has both the second-lowest annual grocery spending—$2,487—and healthcare spending—$5,201 in GoBankingRates’s rankings.
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15. Indiana
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $44,541
- Estimated savings needed: $890,825
Indiana retirees should keep an eye on their gas and healthcare costs, which are higher here than in more than half the other states around the country.
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16. New Mexico
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $44,624
- Estimated savings needed: $829,475
The Land of Enchantment’s capital city, Santa Fe, is often cited as one of the most desirable places to retire anywhere in the country, despite the fact that the state has the 10th-highest annual spending on gas and fuel at $1,198.
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17. Kansas
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $44,980
- Estimated savings needed: $899,600
Based on what percentage of income is left after living expenses, Kansas is included within the states where you’re least likely to live paycheck to paycheck.
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18. Nevada
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $45,221
- Estimated savings needed: $904,425
The state actually has the lowest annual healthcare spending—$5,153, and also ranks among the least expensive states for gas and fuel spending. But those are offset by higher housing costs.
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19. Texas
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $45,671
- Estimated savings needed: $913,425
Though you need roughly $50,000 in annual expenses to retire comfortably in the Lone Star State, Texas is also home to a number of the best cities to retire on a budget of $1,000 a month thanks to a low cost of living.
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20. Iowa
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $46,256
- Estimated savings needed: $925,125
Iowan retirees might enjoy lower healthcare spending than their fellow retirees elsewhere, but higher grocery costs and the seventh-highest spend on gas and fuel pushes an Iowan retirement to be more expensive.
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21. Ohio
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $46,811
- Estimated savings needed: $936,225
Ohio ranks among the top half of states for healthcare spending, which can be a burdensome expense for retirees.
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22. Missouri
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $46,908
- Estimated savings needed: $938,150
Though not the cheapest by any means, Missourian retirees can get by with less in savings thanks to the ninth-least expensive grocery costs per year.
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23. Florida
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $48,305
- Estimated savings needed: $966,100
Florida is one of seven states with no income tax—which means residents can hang on to more of their money. An added bonus: Tampa is considered one of the best cities for retirement anywhere in the country, thanks to factors that allow your dollar to stretch further.
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24. Wisconsin
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $48,485
- Estimated savings needed: $969,700
Annual housing spending is less than elsewhere around the country, but other expenses, including those for groceries and healthcare, place Wisconsin within the middle of the list for where to retire comfortably.
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25. Nebraska
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $48,713
- Estimated savings needed: $974,250
It is possible to live in retirement on less than $50,000 a year in Nebraska, though you can expect to pay quite a bit for expenses like gas.
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26. Michigan
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $49,165
- Estimated savings needed: $983,300
This midwest state is squarely in the middle of this ranking, thanks to relatively affordable housing costs coupled with slightly higher expenses in other areas.
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27. South Dakota
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $49,344
- Estimated savings needed: $986,875
South Dakota, like Florida, has no income tax, meaning residents can hang onto more of their retirement income. But South Dakota also has some of the highest healthcare and gas costs in the nation.
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28. Oregon
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $49,678
- Estimated savings needed: $993,550
Groceries and housing costs are pricey in Oregon, but those who love driving, take note: Oregon has the ninth-lowest spending on gas and fuel.
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29. Wyoming
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $50,409
- Estimated savings needed: $1,008,180
Thanks to having the second-highest annual spending on gas and fuel, plus higher grocery costs than in 50 other states, GOBankingRates calculates that Wyoming retirees must clear the $1 million benchmark in savings to live comfortably for 20 years.
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30. Pennsylvania
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $51,108
- Estimated savings needed: $1,022,150
Pennsylvania’s annual grocery, gas, and housing costs rank near the middle relative to elsewhere around the country, but Keystone State residents pay for more for healthcare.
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31. Montana
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $51,505
- Estimated savings needed: $1,030,000
Montana has the eighth-highest grocery spending and gas spending per capita, which makes it a more expensive place to retire than you might expect.
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32. Virginia
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $52,040
- Estimated savings needed: $1,040,000
Virginia is a relatively expensive state to retire, despite muted healthcare and gas spending, due to the high cost of housing. Spending on housing and utilities per capita in Virginia is the ninth highest in the U.S.
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33. Illinois
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $52,215
- Estimated savings needed: $1,040,000
Nearly as expensive as Virginia, Illinois is marginally more expensive for retirees, mostly due to higher housing costs. Still, Illinois has the sixth-lowest grocery spending and gas spending per capita. Plus, it ranks in the bottom half of states for healthcare spending.
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34. California
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $52,284
- Estimated savings needed: $1,050,000
Surprisingly, California didn’t make the top ten when it comes to annual spending. Just don’t expect $52,000 per year to go very far in some of the more glamorous parts of the state.
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35. Rhode Island
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $53,068
- Estimated savings needed: $1,060,000
In Rhode Island, $1 million in retirement savings may not feel like enough. High housing and healthcare spending are in part to blame.
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36. Colorado
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $53,310
- Estimated savings needed: $1,070,000
High housing costs, not to mention the 10th-highest spending on housing and utilities, ranks Colorado among the most expensive states to live in.
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37. Delaware
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $53,585
- Estimated savings needed: $1,070,000
High healthcare spending, fourth highest according to GOBankingRates’s ranking, plays a major factor in this states’ costs.
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38. Washington
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $53,653
- Estimated savings needed: $1,070,000
Though Washington has the fifth-lowest spending on gas and fuel in our rankings, just $651 annually, grocery and housing costs are so high that the Northwest state is perhaps out of reach for many Americans to live comfortably.
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39. Maine
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $53,776
- Estimated savings needed: $1,080,000
Housing costs in Maine are about $2,000 less than in the state of Washington, according to GOBankingRates, but other living expenses, like gas spending, add up to more.
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40. Minnesota
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $54,913
- Estimated savings needed: $1,100,000
Living expenses in Minnesota are relatively high. For example, annual healthcare spending in Minnesota is $7,816 (compare that to, say, North Carolina, where that figure is $5,690), giving it the 10th-highest annual healthcare spending per capita.
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41. Maryland
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $55,935
- Estimated savings needed: $1,100,000
High housing costs contribute to why it’s so expensive to retire in Maryland: the state has the third-highest annual spending on housing per capita at $9,738.
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42. Hawaii
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $56,404
- Estimated savings needed: $1,130,000
Hawaii is oft-cited as the most expensive place to live in the U.S. (toilet paper apparently costs more here than anywhere else in the world). But it’s not all bad: Hawaii has the lowest annual spending on gas and fuel per capita at $522, while annual healthcare spending is lower here than in almost half of the other states.
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43. New York
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $58,633
- Estimated savings needed: $1,170,000
It’s no secret that life in glitzy New York City is pricey, and the exorbitant cost of living in America’s largest city pushes the spending benchmark up for this east coast state.
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44. Vermont
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $59,560
- Estimated savings needed: $1,190,000
Vermont, home to some of the country’s best maple syrup, is unfortunately not enough to sweeten the fact that the state has the second-highest annual grocery spending per capita at $4,210 a year.
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45. North Dakota
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $60,281
- Estimated savings needed: $1,200,000
Considering a move to North Dakota? Keep in mind that the state has the highest annual spending per capita on gas and fuel (you’d spend roughly $2,300 a year on this expense alone) .
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46. Connecticut
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $60,621
- Estimated savings needed: $1,200,000
Marginally more expensive than North Dakota is Connecticut, due to things like housing and groceries, not gas and fuel, which is among the least expensive in the country.
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47. New Hampshire
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $61,013
- Estimated savings needed: $1,220,000
New Hampshire is pricey, but quality of life in the state is considered about the best in the country, according to GoBankingRate’s ranking of the best states for families to live a richer life.
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48. New Jersey
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $61,215
- Estimated savings needed: $1,220,000
New Jersey’s high housing costs make it one of the most expensive places to retire. Most people spend roughly $9,846 a year on housing and utility expenses.
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49. Alaska
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $61,934
- Estimated savings needed: $1,240,000
Whether due to its distance from the contiguous U.S. and the cost of shipping goods there, or other factors like housing and gas expenses, Alaska is the second most expensive state to retire in the country.
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50. Massachusetts
- Typical annual spending in retirement: $64,976
- Estimated savings needed: $1,300,000
It’s tough to be a retiree in Massachusetts. The Bay State’s annual spending on groceries, healthcare and housing is among the top in the country, which together caused it to sink to last place on this list.
This article originally appeared on Considerable.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
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