How much capital does retirement abroad require?
Across the Atlas, a couple renting for a 30-year retirement needs about $1,777,243 to $5,033,057. A single retiree needs about $1,162,157 to $3,291,300.
Standardized comparison in today's USD, using destination living costs, a 3.5% withdrawal rate, a 12-month reserve, and no outside income. Your result will change with your age, housing and income.
| Destination | Annual spending | Capital needed |
|---|---|---|
| Da Nang / Hoi An | $60,100 | $1,777,243 |
| Queenstown | $87,400 | $2,584,543 |
| Lake Tahoe | $132,200 | $3,909,343 |
| Swiss Valais / Vaud Alps | $170,200 | $5,033,057 |
Your planning estimate
Complete the inputs and calculate.
Enter your assumptions to see what to invest today and each month.
Saved plans are being evaluated. Your figures have not been stored.
Your detailed projection
How your retirement investment grows
How the return assumption changes your estimate
One percentage point below and above your assumption.
| Scenario | Return | Needed today |
|---|
How today's funding is used
What you need at retirement
Total capital at retirement
Compare housing plans
Uses your current lifestyle level and destination assumptions.
| Plan | Needed today | At retirement |
|---|
First retirement year
Planning estimate only; not financial, tax, legal, immigration, healthcare, or investment advice.
Compare with where you live now
Use your household's current monthly spending, including housing, in your selected planning currency. This comparison does not change your retirement estimate.
Include housing and use the same household basis as the destination estimate.
Retirement funding target
Liquid portfolio plus emergency reserve, using the same planning assumptions. Excludes any separate home purchase.
A directional comparison, not a like-for-like purchasing-power or tax analysis.
How to read this estimate
The model projects destination expenses and reliable retirement income, then separates the portfolio, reserve, and property capital needed under the return you enter. Portfolio dividends and interest remain inside that return rather than being counted twice.
Not included: Tax, visa eligibility, currency shocks, individualized healthcare and investment advice. Verify these separately before acting.
Destination cost sources
- Fukuoka / Itoshima cost evidence (May 2026) · medium-high confidence
- Valencia cost evidence (July 2026) · medium-high confidence
- Algarve / Cascais cost evidence (June 2026) · medium confidence
- Madeira cost evidence (May 2026) · medium confidence
- Crete cost evidence (May 2026) · medium confidence
- Hakone / Izu cost evidence (June 2026) · medium confidence
- Lake Como cost evidence (June 2026) · medium confidence
- Málaga / Costa del Sol cost evidence (May 2026) · medium-high confidence
- Costa Brava / Girona cost evidence (2026) · medium-high confidence
- Hakuba cost evidence (2026) · medium confidence
- Annecy cost evidence (2026) · medium-high confidence
- Mallorca cost evidence (2026) · medium-high confidence
- Croatia / Istria-Dalmatia cost evidence (2026) · medium-high confidence
- Niseko cost evidence (2026) · medium-high confidence
- Queenstown cost evidence (2026) · medium-high confidence
- Phuket / Koh Samui cost evidence (2026) · medium-high confidence
- Vancouver Island / Victoria cost evidence (2026) · medium-high confidence
- Dolomites / South Tyrol cost evidence (2026) · medium-high confidence
- Bali cost evidence (2026) · medium-high confidence
- Chamonix cost evidence (2026) · medium confidence
- Park City / Deer Valley cost evidence (2026) · medium-high confidence
- Da Nang / Hoi An cost evidence (2026) · medium-high confidence
- Whistler cost evidence (2026) · medium-high confidence
- Andermatt cost evidence (2026) · medium confidence
- Innsbruck / Tyrol cost evidence (2026) · medium-high confidence
- Perth / Margaret River cost evidence (2026) · medium confidence
- Lake Tahoe cost evidence (2026) · medium-high confidence
- Jackson Hole cost evidence (2026) · medium confidence
- Ticino / Lake Lugano cost evidence (2026) · medium-high confidence
- Aspen / Snowmass cost evidence (2026) · medium-high confidence
- Swiss Valais / Vaud Alps cost evidence (2026) · medium confidence
- Miami / Fort Lauderdale cost evidence (2026) · medium confidence
Retirement plans by capital
Frequently asked questions
How much do I need to retire abroad?
The answer depends on your destination, household, housing plan, retirement date, reliable outside income, and planning horizon. This calculator estimates annual spending first, then separates the liquid portfolio, property capital, and emergency reserve required.
How does the calculator handle inflation?
It projects each expense for every year in the retirement horizon. Healthcare and property-related costs can use different assumptions from general living costs, while indexed income rises with inflation and fixed income does not.
How are pensions and passive income treated?
After-tax pensions, annuities, existing net rental income, and other reliable non-portfolio income reduce the first-year funding gap. Each stream can be treated as inflation-linked or fixed.
Does the result include buying a retirement property?
Yes. Buy now shows today's purchase cost separately and does not mix it with retirement-year capital. Buy at retirement projects the purchase price and acquisition costs to retirement. Rent and already-own scenarios do not add a new purchase.
Why are portfolio dividends and interest not subtracted as passive income?
Portfolio dividends and interest are part of the expected portfolio return, not outside income. Counting them separately would understate the portfolio required.