Dear Catey,
I read your story from the couple who had $95,000 in retirement income and wanted a beach town to retire in. Well, my retirement income is $16,600 per year. Is there a place I can go where the sky is blue and the water warm? Where can an average person like me retire?
Dear R.S.R.,
I hear you — it’s frustrating to read about people who get to live large in retirement when your reality (and frankly, most Americans’ reality) is very different. The average Social Security retirement benefit in 2019 was $1,470 a month or $17,640 a year, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Even with benefits of that size, though, there are options for a beachy retirement. Here are affordable spots at the beach for you to consider.


