My husband and I have no mortgage, no HOA fees, no car loans, no credit card debt, no debt, period. He was a high earner so his Social Security check is enough to cover basic expenses and some fun for both of us. Our food budget is about $400 a month. When I start collecting SS a year from now, we can spend it on extras. We also have IRAs we can draw on. So we're fine barring a major health crisis. It's silly to compare us to someone who still has significant debt. These "averages" are pointless. Everyone has to crunch their own numbers. There are no shortcuts or rules of thumb that apply in general to everyone.