UK Retirement · Pensions UK, June 2026 update
Retirement Living Standards 2026: What Each One Costs and Buys
Pensions UK, formerly the PLSA, sets three budgets for life in retirement. Here is each one in full, week by week, with London, rent and the pension pot behind it.
Figures read on the Pensions UK site 2026-11-05 · Reading time ~5 min
The Retirement Living Standards: one person needs £13,900 a year for Minimum, £32,700 for Moderate and £45,400 for Comfortable. A couple needs £22,500, £45,400 and £62,700. These are spending after tax, and they assume you have no rent or mortgage to pay.
See which standard your retirement income reaches
Pick your household and type the yearly income you expect after tax, or the amount you plan to spend.
Example figures. Change them to yours.
Minimum
£13,900
£11,100 above
Moderate
£32,700
£7,700 below
Compared with the Pensions UK figures outside London, for a household with no rent or mortgage.
The three standards, for one person and a couple
Yearly spending after tax, with no rent or mortgage. London costs more at every level.
| Standard | One person | Couple | One person, London | Couple, London |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | £13,900 | £22,500 | £14,600 | £24,100 |
| Moderate | £32,700 | £45,400 | £34,000 | £47,000 |
| Comfortable | £45,400 | £62,700 | £47,200 | £64,800 |
Source: Pensions UK Retirement Living Standards, published 3 June 2026.
What each standard buys
These are the examples Pensions UK gives for one person. You would not have to spend in exactly this way.
| Area | Minimum | Moderate | Comfortable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home upkeep | £200 a year on DIY | £500 a year, plus £300 contingency | £600 a year, plus £300 contingency |
| Food | About £57 a week on groceries, £30 a month eating out, £12 a month on takeaways | About £59 a week on groceries, £33 a week eating out, £11 a week on takeaways | About £78 a week on food, £44 a week eating out, £22 a week on takeaways |
| Transport | No car, free bus pass, £32 a month on taxis | 3-year-old small car replaced every 7 years, £23 a month on taxis | 3-year-old small car replaced every 5 years, £23 a month on taxis |
| Holidays and leisure | A week's UK holiday, £21 a week on activities | A fortnight all-inclusive in the Med (£1,600), a long UK weekend, £45 a week on activities | A fortnight half board in the Med (£2,345), 3 long UK weekends, £56 a week on activities |
| Clothing | Up to £460 a year | Up to £1,500 a year | Up to £1,500 a year |
| Helping others | 12 birthday gifts and 12 Christmas gifts at £20 | Gifts at £30, £200 to charity, £1,000 for family | Gifts at £50, £300 to charity, £1,000 for family |
Going from Minimum to Moderate adds £86.41 a week for social and cultural participation, £83.65 for a car and £73.15 for food. Social and cultural participation is the largest line at Moderate and Comfortable, reaching £267.28 a week at Comfortable.
The weekly budget behind each figure
Budgets from the Loughborough University research report, excluding rent, with prices to April 2025.
| One person, £ a week | Minimum | Moderate | Comfortable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food | £62.17 | £135.32 | £172.56 |
| Alcohol | £6.88 | £14.89 | £17.97 |
| Clothing | £8.49 | £24.41 | £24.41 |
| Water rates | £11.37 | £11.23 | £11.23 |
| Council tax | £22.42 | £30.92 | £30.92 |
| Household insurances | £1.04 | £4.59 | £4.59 |
| Fuel | £25.54 | £44.10 | £44.10 |
| Other housing costs | £3.81 | £22.95 | £24.86 |
| Household goods | £20.04 | £43.27 | £69.71 |
| Household services | £6.70 | £16.69 | £46.04 |
| Personal goods and services | £30.61 | £44.27 | £49.94 |
| Motoring | £0.00 | £83.65 | £96.83 |
| Other travel | £11.05 | £7.93 | £10.07 |
| Social and cultural participation | £56.51 | £142.92 | £267.28 |
| Total a week | £266.62 | £627.14 | £870.51 |
| Couple, £ a week | Minimum | Moderate | Comfortable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food | £127.46 | £220.11 | £284.60 |
| Alcohol | £12.47 | £23.69 | £29.51 |
| Clothing | £16.98 | £48.82 | £48.82 |
| Water rates | £13.42 | £13.24 | £13.24 |
| Council tax | £29.89 | £41.22 | £41.22 |
| Household insurances | £1.07 | £4.62 | £4.62 |
| Fuel | £33.05 | £47.99 | £47.99 |
| Other housing costs | £3.81 | £22.95 | £24.86 |
| Household goods | £23.01 | £43.27 | £69.71 |
| Household services | £8.65 | £23.35 | £56.97 |
| Personal goods and services | £61.22 | £84.87 | £96.01 |
| Motoring | £0.00 | £81.82 | £95.32 |
| Other travel | £14.75 | £10.57 | £14.85 |
| Social and cultural participation | £84.90 | £203.58 | £373.78 |
| Total a week | £430.66 | £870.10 | £1201.52 |
Source: Padley and Ellis, Retirement Living Standards in the UK: 2025 update, June 2026, tables 3 and 4. The yearly figures are about 52.14 times these totals, as rounded by Pensions UK.
How far the State Pension goes
The full new State Pension is £241.30 a week in 2026-27, about £12,548 a year before any tax. The share ignores tax on higher incomes, so it flatters the top rows.
| Standard | One person | Covered | Couple | Covered by two |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | £13,900 | 90% | £22,500 | 112% |
| Moderate | £32,700 | 38% | £45,400 | 55% |
| Comfortable | £45,400 | 28% | £62,700 | 40% |
So anyone aiming for Moderate at 50 or 60 has to fund about 62% of it from elsewhere if single. Your own State Pension depends on your National Insurance record, so check your State Pension before relying on the full rate.
The pension pot Pensions UK says each standard takes
Pensions UK's own estimate, using a State Pension of £12,548. Its pot range assumes an annuity paying about £5,000 to £7,500 a year for each £100,000.
| Household | Standard | After tax | Before tax | From pot | DC pot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| One person | Comfortable | £45,400 | £54,720 | £42,172 | £560k–£845k |
| One person | Moderate | £32,700 | £37,732 | £25,184 | £335k–£505k |
| One person | Minimum | £13,900 | £14,232 | £1,684 | £23k–£34k |
| Per person, couple | Comfortable | £31,350 | £36,045 | £23,497 | £315k–£470k |
| Per person, couple | Moderate | £22,700 | £25,232 | £12,684 | £170k–£255k |
| Per person, couple | Minimum | £11,250 | £11,250 | £0 | £0 |
Our own figure for the moderate standard is higher, at £593,000, because it draws 4% a year against the 5% to 7.5% annuity income in Pensions UK's table. It also treats 25% of each withdrawal as tax free. Neither is a quote. Annuity rates and drawdown returns both move. See the method and your on-track mark at 45, 50, 55 and 60 on how much do I need to retire, or project your own plan with the UK pension calculator.
Pensions UK, How much do I need to save? Illustrative guidance, not personal advice.
If you will rent or still have a mortgage
The standards leave rent and mortgage payments out, so a renter has to add them. This is the one-person moderate standard with an average one-bedroom private rent added.
| Area | One-bed rent, a year | Moderate plus rent | Pot at 4% |
|---|---|---|---|
| County Durham | £5,328 | £38,028 | £749,000 |
| Leeds | £9,252 | £41,952 | £865,000 |
| Birmingham | £9,852 | £42,552 | £882,000 |
| Cardiff | £10,728 | £43,428 | £908,000 |
| Manchester | £11,832 | £44,532 | £941,000 |
| Bristol | £14,724 | £47,424 | £1,026,000 |
| Westminster | £29,796 | £62,496 | £1,514,000 |
Without rent, the same 4% method gives £593,000. One bedroom in Birmingham adds about £289,000 to the pot, and Westminster adds about £921,000. It assumes rent keeps pace with inflation for the whole retirement, a full State Pension and income tax for England and Wales.
The minimum standard with a rent
| Housing | One person, UK | Couple, UK | One person, London | Couple, London |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No rent | £13,902 | £22,456 | £14,630 | £24,073 |
| Social rent | £18,808 | £28,454 | £21,859 | £32,693 |
| Private rent | £20,731 | £30,388 | £32,089 | £43,711 |
One-bed rents: Pensions UK table of ONS private rents, released 22 April 2026. Minimum with rent: research report, table 6, indicative with no housing support, where UK means an East Midlands average outside London.
How the standards have changed since 2019
Weekly totals excluding rent. The largest jump came when the moderate and comfortable budgets were rebuilt from scratch in 2023, so the rise since 2019 reflects changed expectations as well as prices.
| Household | Standard | 2019 | 2024 | 2025 | 1 year | Since 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| One person | Minimum | £201.34 | £257.36 | £266.62 | +3.6% | +32.4% |
| One person | Moderate | £381.20 | £607.25 | £627.14 | +3.3% | +64.5% |
| One person | Comfortable | £619.28 | £842.55 | £870.51 | +3.3% | +40.6% |
| Couple | Minimum | £309.89 | £414.80 | £430.66 | +3.8% | +39% |
| Couple | Moderate | £559.72 | £841.98 | £870.10 | +3.3% | +55.5% |
| Couple | Comfortable | £914.36 | £1161.61 | £1201.52 | +3.4% | +31.4% |
In yearly terms, the previous set was £13,400, £31,700 and £43,900 for one person. If you saved a target from an older article, this is why it may now read low. Compare it with what people actually hold on average pension pot by age and average net worth by age.
What the standards leave out
- Rent and mortgage payments, social care, dependants, pets and other personal costs. You add these yourself.
- Income tax. The budgets are what you spend, so your gross income has to be higher.
- Any plan for how to draw the money. To turn a pot into income, compare the drawdown calculator with the annuity calculator.
Frequently asked questions
What are the Retirement Living Standards?+
They are Pensions UK's yearly spending budgets for three standards of living in retirement. One person needs £13,900 for Minimum, £32,700 for Moderate and £45,400 for Comfortable. Researchers at Loughborough University built them from groups of members of the public. Pensions UK was formerly the PLSA.
What is the moderate retirement living standard?+
£32,700 a year for one person and £45,400 for a couple, or £34,000 and £47,000 in London. It pictures a small car, a fortnight all-inclusive in the Med and a long UK weekend each year, and eating out regularly. Those figures are after tax and assume no rent or mortgage.
How much do you need for a comfortable retirement in the UK?+
The comfortable standard is £45,400 a year for one person and £62,700 for a couple, after tax. Pensions UK estimates that takes a defined contribution pot of £560k–£845k for one person with a full State Pension, assuming you buy an annuity. Our drawdown-based number is on the how much do I need to retire page.
Are the Retirement Living Standards before or after tax?+
After tax. They show spending, not income, so your gross income has to be higher. Pensions UK puts the gross income for the moderate standard at £37,732 for one person, against £32,700 of spending.
Do the standards include rent or a mortgage?+
No. They assume you own your home outright, so you add rent or mortgage payments yourself. Social care, dependants and pets are left out too. On ONS rents, one bedroom in Birmingham takes the one-person moderate figure from £32,700 to £42,552 a year.
Does the State Pension cover the minimum standard?+
Nearly for one person, and fully for a couple if both get the full rate. The full new State Pension is about £12,548 a year, which is 90% of the one-person minimum and more than the couple's £22,500 when two people get it.
How often are the standards updated, and which prices do they use?+
Pensions UK updates them regularly and published this set on 3 June 2026. The research report is titled the 2025 update and applies price changes from April 2024 to April 2025, so treat the figures as slightly behind today's prices. The previous set was £31,700 moderate for one person.
