Many Americans can only dream of building a $1.5 million nest egg to supplement their Social Security benefits — and even that much may not guarantee lifelong financial security, depending on where you live.
A new GOBankingRates analysis highlights just how dramatically costs vary across the country. In the most expensive state, a $1.5 million retirement fund would run out roughly three times faster than in the least expensive one.
To calculate how long $1.5 million might last in every state, GOBankingRates blended data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Social Security Administration and the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center.
Also see how long $1 million will last.
Key Findings
- Dramatic variances in the cost of living across the U.S. cause the longevity of a $1.5 million retirement fund to range from about 17 years to over 54 years.
- Social Security and a $1.5 million nest egg will vanish most quickly in Hawaii. With famously high living expenses, the Aloha State would eat up that amount in only 17.4 years.
- On the opposite end of the spectrum, such a stake could last you 54.3 years in Oklahoma. States with annual post-Social Security costs under $32,000 generally enable a $1.5 million nest egg to last close to 50 years or more.
- Many Midwestern and Southern states cluster tightly in the middle range, with $1.5 million lasting approximately 45-49 years.
- No state other than Hawaii reduces the longevity of $1.5 million below 20 years, but several states fall near or below the 30-year mark.
Here’s a state-by-state breakdown.
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Alabama
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $29,800
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 50.4 years
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Alaska
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $54,249
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 27.7 years
Arizona
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $42,639
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 35.2 years
Arkansas
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $30,660
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 48.9 years
California
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $59,778
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 25.1 years
Colorado
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $38,891
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 38.6 years
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Connecticut
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $45,895
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 32.7 years
Delaware
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $38,953
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 38.6 years
Florida
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $36,926
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 40.7 years
Georgia
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $32,195
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 46.6 years
Hawaii
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $86,194
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 17.4 years
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Idaho
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $36,618
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 41.0 years
Illinois
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $34,714
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 43.3 years
Indiana
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $31,458
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 47.7 years
Iowa
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $31,274
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 48.0 years
Kansas
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $30,414
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 49.4 years
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Kentucky
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $32,257
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 46.5 years
Louisiana
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $32,748
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 45.8 years
Maine
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $45,956
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 32.7 years
Maryland
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $48,843
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 30.8 years
Massachusetts
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $68,440
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 22.0 years
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Michigan
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $33,977
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 44.2 years
Minnesota
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $33,670
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 44.6 years
Mississippi
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $28,325
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 53.0 years
Missouri
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $30,475
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 49.3 years
Montana
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $43,253
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 34.7 years
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Nebraska
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $32,073
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 46.8 years
Nevada
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $36,373
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 41.3 years
New Hampshire
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $42,885
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 35.0 years
New Jersey
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $46,202
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 32.5 years
New Mexico
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $32,625
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 46.0 years
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New York
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $53,574
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 28.0 years
North Carolina
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $35,636
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 42.1 years
North Dakota
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $31,888
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 47.1 years
Ohio
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $32,810
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 45.8 years
Oklahoma
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $27,649
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 54.3 years
Oregon
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $44,482
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 33.8 years
Pennsylvania
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $35,451
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 42.4 years
Rhode Island
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $45,465
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 33.0 years
South Carolina
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $32,625
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 46.0 years
South Dakota
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $32,195
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 46.6 years
Tennessee
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $31,274
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 48.0 years
Texas
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $31,581
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 47.5 years
Utah
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $36,680
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 40.9 years
Vermont
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $45,649
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 32.9 years
Virginia
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $37,294
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 40.3 years
Washington
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $45,772
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 32.8 years
West Virginia
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $29,922
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 50.2 years
Wisconsin
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $35,820
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 41.9 years
Wyoming
- Annual cost of living after Social Security: $34,346
- How many years $1.5 million will last: 43.7 years
Methodology: GOBankingRates determined how long $1.5 million would last in retirement nationwide by first identifying the national average annual expenditures for adults 65 and older using the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2024 Consumer Expenditure Survey, along with average annual Social Security income from the Social Security Administration’s December 2025 data. It then estimated annual spending for each state by adjusting the national figure according to that state’s cost-of-living index from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center for Q3 2025. Using these state-level estimates, GOBankingRates calculated the longevity of $1.5 million in every state by dividing the total amount by both the average annual expenditures and by expenditures minus expected yearly Social Security income. All data was collected Jan. 22, 2026.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: How Far $1.5 Million Plus Social Security Goes Toward Retirement in Your State
