How much do you need to retire?
A comfortable retirement in Sydney costs about $58,000/year — nearly 53% more than regional Queensland. Pick your city and see your number — then let Richify build the plan to reach it.
Sydney
$1.45M
Melbourne
$1.3M
Adelaide
$1.1M
Regional QLD
$950K
Age Pension (single)
$32,180
Gap (with Age Pension)
$495,500
~27 years to age 67
Save your retirement number
Your gap shrinks with every payday. Richify tracks your super against this number and shows the plan.
Super needed, Sydney
$1,450,000
Your super today
$150,000
Gap (with Age Pension)
$495,500
Self-fund with pension
$645,500
Choosing a lower-cost city can cut your required super by hundreds of thousands of dollars. Sources: ASFA Retirement Standard, ABS Cost of Living. Assumes you own your home (no rent/mortgage).
How much do you need to retire in Australia?
The standard national answer is the ASFA Retirement Standard: $630,000 at 67 for a single homeowner and $730,000 for a couple, funding a comfortable retirement of $56,166 a year single or $78,998 a year as a couple. A modest retirement costs $36,548 a year single.
Two things make your own number lower than that headline. The Age Pension pays up to $32,180 a year for a single homeowner (from 20 Sep 2026), so you only self-fund the gap — and where you retire moves the target a long way. A comfortable retirement runs about $58,000 a year in Sydney against $38,000 in Regional QLD.
Pick your city and lifestyle below to see your own number, after the pension offset, at a 4% drawdown.
$495,500 to a comfortable Sydney retirement.
Richify turns your number into a plan — how much to add each month, salary sacrifice, and the Age Pension — and tracks it every payday.
Cost of retirement by Australian city
Annual cost and the super you'd need at a 4% drawdown (homeowner, no rent/mortgage). “With Pension” shows the self-funded portion after the single Age Pension.
Sources: ASFA Retirement Standard, ABS Cost of Living. Age Pension: $32,180/yr single (max rate, from 20 Sep 2026). Figures assume a homeowner; add $15,000–$30,000/yr if renting.
Sydney vs regional: the 53% gap
A comfortable retirement in Sydney costs $58,000/year vs $38,000 in regional Queensland — a 53% difference. Over a 25-year retirement that's an extra ~$500,000 in required savings. For many Australians, a move to a lower-cost city (or a sea-change) is the single most impactful retirement decision.
The Age Pension does a lot of the work
The Age Pension at 67 sharply reduces what you must self-fund. In Adelaide, a comfortable retirement costs $44,000/year; the pension covers $32,180, leaving just $11,820/year to self-fund — about $295,500 in super at a 4% drawdown, far below the headline ASFA figure.
Frequently asked questions
How much do you need to retire in Sydney?+
Retiring comfortably in Sydney requires approximately $58,000/year in living expenses. At a 4% withdrawal rate, you need a retirement portfolio of ~$1,450,000. If eligible for the full Age Pension ($32,180/year for singles from age 67, on the 20 March – 19 September 2026 rates), the required self-funded amount drops to ~$669,000.
What is the cheapest city to retire in Australia?+
Regional Australia is the most affordable option at ~$38,000/year for a comfortable retirement (requiring ~$950,000 in super at 4% withdrawal). Among capital cities, Adelaide ($44,000/year, ~$1.1M needed) and Hobart ($45,000/year, ~$1.125M) are the most affordable.
Does cost of retirement include rent or mortgage?+
These figures assume you own your home outright (no rent/mortgage), which is the standard ASFA assumption. If you're renting in retirement, add $15,000-$30,000/year depending on the city — significantly increasing both the annual cost and total required balance.
How does the Age Pension reduce retirement costs?+
The Age Pension provides $32,180/year (single) or $48,516/year (couple combined) from age 67 on the rates in force from 20 September 2026, subject to assets and income tests. If your assessable assets (excluding the family home) are below $333,000 for a single homeowner — $499,000 for a homeowner couple, on the 1 July 2026 thresholds — you receive the full pension. This can reduce the self-funded portion by 40-60%.
Related Australian tools
Retirement Calculator →
Project your super to retirement with contributions and salary sacrifice.
Average Super by Age →
See where your super balance ranks vs Australian peers by age.
Superannuation Calculator →
SG, salary sacrifice and balance projections to retirement.
Salary Sacrifice Calculator →
How much to sacrifice and the tax you'd save at your salary.
The Age Pension figures above changed on 20 September 2026, and not all in the same direction. Maximum rates rose $36.80 a fortnight for singles and $55.60 for couples combined, while the deeming rates rose 0.5 percentage points each, to 1.75% and 3.75%. Deeming counts only in the income test, so full-rate and assets-tested pensioners kept the whole rise, but an income-tested single holding more than about $382,700 in financial assets ended up worse off, not better — about $578,200 for a couple. That shifts the self-funded portion of every city figure on this page.
Know your number — and how to reach it.
Add your super once, pick your city — Richify shows your retirement number and the monthly plan to get there. 7-day free trial on iOS and Android.
Start 7-day free trialSources: ASFA Retirement Standard, ABS Cost of Living, Services Australia (Age Pension). Estimates assume a homeowner and a 4% drawdown — for education only, not financial advice. © 2026 Richify.
