About 75 million retired Americans rely upon month-to-month benefit checks from the Social Security Administration to cowl important dwelling bills, including housing, groceries, and healthcare prices. 

For many seniors, their Social Security verify is a major source of their income. Heading into the New Year, beneficiaries will see bigger month-to-month checks because of the 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment, up from 2.5% in 2025. 

If you’re hoping to live out your golden years to the fullest, Social Security advantages in the U.S. might fall below expectations in comparison with other nations. 

New research from HR and payroll specialists at Moorepay in contrast the state pensions across 85 nations to find out how properly each nation covers local dwelling prices, and the U.S. fell below the top 10. 

The U.S. ranked No. 13 globally for how properly the nation covers dwelling prices by the Social Security Administration. The researchers discovered that Social Security covers 163.46% of basic dwelling prices for Americans. 

We’re sharing how properly the Social Security Administration supplies for American retirees in comparison with other nations: 

Does Social Security cowl basic dwelling prices for Americans? 

The research discovered that U.S. retirees have an average surplus of $9,108 per yr for spending money after protecting their basic bills, which falls below many European nations, such as Italy, Germany, Denmark, Finland, and Luxembourg. 

For instance, Luxembourg retirees get pleasure from an average annual surplus of $18,857.84. While U.S. retirees are better off than those in many nations, Social Security falls short of adequately protecting dwelling prices in comparison with a lot of Europe. 

The findings from the research mirror rising considerations in the U.S. about how properly Social Security will present for retirees as the price of dwelling continues to rise sooner than the annual COLA, which is meant to fight inflation. 

This comes as Social Security is actively working out of money, and the program’s Chief Actuary estimates that will probably be bancrupt by late 2032. After insolvency, the typical retired couple would face a $18,400 cut in annual advantages.

A current national Gallup ballot revealed that 62% of retirees say their month-to-month advantages signify a major source of income, marking the survey’s highest studying in over 24 years. 

To make issues worse, many Social Security recipients face elevated Medicare Part B premium prices in 2026, and others could possibly be dropped from their Affordable Care Act (ACA) program now that the Trump administration has allowed subsidies to run out.

How a lot do seniors obtain in Social Security advantages? 

In 2026, seniors will obtain an average $56 increase of their month-to-month benefit cost due to the 2.8% COLA increase. This leads to an estimated average month-to-month cost of $2,071, up from $2,015. 

A 2025 AARP survey discovered that 78% of Americans are apprehensive that Social Security will not present them with enough to live on during retirement. As more people lose confidence in the future of Social Security, the findings underscore the significance of these month-to-month advantages to many older Americans.