We want to retire somewhere in North Carolina or South Carolina with $ 3,400 a month in Social Security – where should we go?

We want to leave New Jersey for obvious reasons. We want to retire in both North Carolina and South Carolina. We are not looking at areas close to the coast. We don’t need much to survive and live well within our means.

Can you suggest some nice areas, with affordable housing, low crime and low taxes?

Thanks,

Jim

Dear Jim,

Congratulations on being on the right path to a comfortable retirement and starting to think about your dream location.

Many areas in the Carolinas are described as pleasant and affordable, with low taxes and low crime, so you may want to spend more time thinking about what you are looking for. Larger city? Smaller city? And this is just the beginning.

About taxes: Please note that Social Security is not taxed in North Carolina. South Carolina exempts the portion of Social Security benefits included in federal taxable income, so you should expect to pay some taxes. If this is a major concern, talk to a tax professional.

South Carolina also relies more on property taxes to finance state and local government than North Carolina, according to the nonprofit Tax Foundation. Of course, these taxes vary by community and property.

Read: Choosing a place to retire is more than low taxes – avoid these 5 costly mistakes

You can also ask about other costs. What will your air conditioning bill look like compared to what you pay in New Jersey? How much does a pool cost if the house you buy comes with one?

Now read: This revealing experience made me rethink how Social Security figures in my retirement planning

Since crime can vary by neighborhood or county, take the time to talk to the police department of the communities on your list.

And as always, take the time to really explore an area, even when the weather isn’t ideal. A bad move is an expensive mistake.

With that said, here are three suggestions for you:

Hendersonville, North Carolina

You can have easy access to Asheville, but stay away from the crowds living in nearby Henderson County. About 115,000 people live in the county, including 14,000 at Hendersonville County Headquarters, which offers a beautiful center and many networks in the vicinity. An unexpected historic site on the outskirts of Hendersonville is the home of poet Carl Sandburg, now a national historic site.

You will have a lot of natural beauty, as Hendersonville is on the edge of the Pisgah National Forest and between the Smoky Mountains and the Blue Ridge Mountains. At an altitude of 2,200 feet, snow should be light, while summer temperatures reach an average of 85 degrees in July.

Average housing costs are slightly below the US average. Using the current listings on Realtor.com, which, like MarketWatch, is owned by News Corp., take a look at the homes that are on the market right now.

Now read: Curious about Winston-Salem?

Greenville, South Carolina

Go an hour south of Hendersonville and you will arrive in Greenville, SC. This is appearing on many “best places” lists, and if you don’t want snow and can withstand some moisture, it might be a good option.

What makes this city of 70,000 so hot? The US News & World Report cites a “revitalized center”, and Money magazine notes that it is “one of the most diverse cities in South Carolina”. Livability.com says the local obsession is food, so food lovers will appreciate that two restaurants were semi-finalists for the James Beard award this year. Furman University is in the top quartile of national liberal arts colleges, according to the US News, and ranks fifth among the “most innovative schools”.

There are natural beauties – Falls Park, at Reedy, gets a lot of praise and you are at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Locals also praise the Coelho do Pântano Trail, a 22-mile greenway for cyclists, joggers, hikers and more along the Reedy River.

Sports fans can enjoy the secondary league of baseball and hockey.

Curious to know what your money can buy? Here are the current listings on Realtor.com.

Backing up a bit, Greenville County has more than 500,000 residents. Next door, to the northeast, is the county of Spartanburg, with more than 300,000 inhabitants. Clemson University is 40 minutes in the opposite direction.

You can read about Columbia, SC, 90 minutes on the highway towards Charleston, here.

PINehurst, North Carolina

But maybe the foothills are not your thing and you’re happy with even hotter temperatures. So I looked at this list of low crime locations in North Carolina.

Pinehurst tops the list. You may know it as the home of renowned golf tournaments, but 16,000 people live there and another 14,000 in neighboring Southern Pines (No. 10 on the list).

Golf is certainly great here – there are 40 courses within a 20-mile radius. But be sure to check out Reservoir Park and its 95-acre lake, as well as Sandhills Horticultural Gardens.

You will find many retired colleagues here; in Pinehurst, more than 40% are 65 or older, and still above the 26% average in Southern Pines.

In terms of climate, the maximum average temperature in July is 90 degrees. Average housing costs are above the national average, although they are low compared to New Jersey.

Here’s what’s on the market now, again using listings on Realtor.com.

This is a slightly more rural choice than Hendersonville; Moore County has about 100,000 residents. When you want to spend time somewhere busier, Fayetteville is an hour away to the east, Chapel Hill and Greensboro are about 90 minutes, usually to the north, and Charlotte is two hours to the west.

You can read about Chapel Hill and the Raleigh-Durham area here.

Readers, what is your best suggestion for Jim and his wife? Leave it in the comments section.

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