For Tish Leon, 71, a larger Social Security check will help her keep ahead of her rent, which rose 5 percent last year. (Ms. Leon owns a mobile home, but not the land.) It will also allow her to eventually save enough money to make home improvements. Her current check of nearly $2,100 accounts for roughly 80 percent of her income. She withdraws another $500 monthly from her own retirement savings, which she accumulated when working as an office manager at nonprofits.

“The price of living is really high,” said Ms. Leon, who lives in Lakeside, Calif. She has made some changes, like limiting her driving to keep her gas costs down. “When I do drive, I try to do as much as possible when I am out.”

This year, retirees will also get to keep more of the annual bump to their Social Security check. Last year, Medicare beneficiaries had to absorb a big increase in their premiums, which are deducted from their checks. But this year, for the first time in more than a decade, premiums will decline. The standard monthly premium for Medicare Part B — which covers doctor visits and outpatient hospital services — will be $164.90 in 2023, or $5.20 less than it is this year, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Ms. Hinojos, the retiree in Hacienda Heights, Calif., worked since she was 15. She was with her last employer, mostly in accounting-related jobs at a private college, for nearly four decades.

But it was challenging to put aside a meaningful amount for retirement while raising her son as a single mother. She had saved some money in a 401(k), but she said two market crashes diminished her savings. She also withdrew money at another point to try to save her house, which had fallen into foreclosure — but she lost it anyway.

“That ended up throwing good money after bad,” said Ms. Hinojos, who tries to keep her grocery bill under $200 a month and received some savings from a relative, which she has earmarked for medical care. “A lot of my 401(k) money got thrown out as a result.”

Social Security has been a stabilizing force. “With all of my ups and downs,” Ms. Hinojos said, “I don’t know what I would do without it.”