15 Things You Can Afford on the Average Social Security Check

The average mortgage in Ohio or West Virginia

Ohio and West Virginia are among the states with the lowest average monthly mortgage payments in the country. Lenders, however, have a ceiling of 28 percent of your monthly income for your monthly mortgage payment. This means that the if average Social Security check of $1,301.59 is your only source of income, your mortgage payment should not exceed $364.45.

As a result, even with a low mortgage of $793 in Ohio, you would still require double or even more than the average Social Security benefit to be able to cover all your payments. On the other hand, a mortgage in Washington, D.C., or Hawaii will leave you without $2,718 and $2,916, respectively.