Coast FIRE Number by Age
The amount you need invested today — at each age — to retire at 65 without contributing another dollar. All values in today's dollars using a 5% real return and 4% withdrawal rate.
5% real return · 4% withdrawal rate · Retire at 65
| Age | $2k/mo | $3k/mo | $4k/mo | $5k/mo | $6k/mo | $8k/mo | $10k/mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 22 (43 yrs) | $74k | $110k | $147k | $184k | $221k | $294k | $368k |
| Age 25 (40 yrs) | $85k | $128k | $170k | $213k | $256k | $341k | $426k |
| Age 30 (35 yrs) | $109k | $163k | $218k | $272k | $326k | $435k | $544k |
| Age 35 (30 yrs) | $139k | $208k | $278k | $347k | $416k | $555k | $694k |
| Age 40 (25 yrs) | $177k | $266k | $354k | $443k | $532k | $709k | $886k |
| Age 45 (20 yrs) | $226k | $339k | $452k | $565k | $678k | $905k | $1.13M |
| Age 50 (15 yrs) | $289k | $433k | $577k | $722k | $866k | $1.15M | $1.44M |
The Key Pattern in This Table
Every decade of delay roughly doubles your required Coast FIRE number. A 25-year-old targeting $5,000/month in retirement needs around $213,000 today. The same person at 35 needs $347,000 — 63% more. At 45, the number reaches $565,000.
This is not because retirement gets more expensive. The retirement target stays the same. The difference is purely time — fewer remaining years mean less compounding, which means you need more invested today to hit the same endpoint.
Find Your Exact Coast FIRE Number
The table above uses standard assumptions. The calculator lets you adjust your retirement age, return rate, and inflation to match your specific situation.
Open Coast FIRE Calculator →How to Read This Table
What is the "monthly expenses" column?
Your expected monthly spending in retirement, in today's dollars. This is what you spend on housing, food, healthcare, travel, and everything else. Use your current monthly spending as a starting point if you expect similar expenses in retirement.
Why "real return" and not the full 8-10%?
Using a real return (nominal return minus inflation) keeps all values in today's dollars. At 8% nominal and 3% inflation, the real return is 5%. This means your coast number and your retirement target are directly comparable — both in current purchasing power. Calculators using nominal returns require you to inflate your retirement target too, which most people forget to do.
What does "retire at 65" mean exactly?
It means your portfolio stops growing and starts paying you at age 65. If you want to retire earlier — at 55 or 60 — your coast number will be higher because you have fewer years of compounding. Click any number in the table for a detailed breakdown, or use the calculator to set your own retirement age.
Browse All Coast FIRE Numbers
Select your age and monthly retirement spending to see the detailed breakdown.
Age 22
Age 24
Age 25
Age 26
Age 28
Age 30
Age 32
Age 35
Age 38
Age 40
Age 42
Age 45
Age 48