Australia's climate has made it an increasingly popular destination for retirees who are looking for warmer temperatures, rather than struggling through cold winters.
The ASFA Retirement Standard Explainer says a comfortable retirement lifestyle would need $640,000 in super for a couple, or $545,000 for a single person.
So, how much does one need to retire in comfort? If you're single, you'll need more than $500,000, assuming you own your own home, according to the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia Retirement Standard. That figure is worryingly higher than the average super balance.
For couples aged 65 to 84, a comfortable lifestyle is estimated to cost around $68,014 per year. Singles might expect to spend $48,266 per year.
Denmark is projected to have the highest retirement age, at 74 years for both men and women. In many countries, the future actual retirement age might be around 65 or even 66 years of age.
Countries such as Thailand and Malaysia are popular with Australians because they are a 'day flight' away from most capital cities and have all the advantage of great weather, good / great health care systems and English being spoken in the country.
According to the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia's Retirement Standard, to have a 'comfortable' retirement, a couple who own their own home will need an income of about $67,000. A single person will need an annual income of more than $47,000.
In doing so, we believe that with $2 million dollars you could roughly draw about $115,000 per annum increasing with inflation throughout 30 years retirement. This amount should create a fairly comfortable retirement for most people.
The reality is most Australians retire with far less in super. Indeed, the average super balance for Australians aged 60-64 is just over $300,000. That may be enough.
It's fair to assume that the average Australian might hope to live comfortably, if not lavishly, in retirement. The widely reported ASFA Retirement Standard suggests couples can enjoy a 'comfortable lifestyle' on around $70,000 a year and singles on around $49,000.
Achieving retirement before 50 may seem unreachable, but it's entirely doable if you can save $1 million over your career. The keys to making this happen within a little more than two decades are a rigorous budget and a comprehensive retirement plan.
Only 39,209 have taxable incomes of more than $500,000, and of these only 14,467 have taxable incomes of more than $1 million.
Best Age To Retire for Tax Purposes Super
The best age to retire for tax purposes in Australia when it comes to superannuation is age 60. Generally, all withdrawals over age 60 from superannuation are received completely tax free. The only exception is if your balance includes a taxable (untaxed) element.
Here are a few affordable places to consider: Tasmania: With its beautiful landscapes, affordable housing, and low cost of living, Tasmania is a popular choice for retirees. Adelaide: Adelaide has a mild climate and a lower cost of living compared to other major cities in Australia.
For the past few years the figure of $1 million has often been quoted as the ideal amount in superannuation to retire on. It can be a frightening figure to quote as most Australians will struggle to reach it. It also doesn't appear to be true.
Retiring at age 45 with $3 million is quite feasible if you already have the money and your post-retirement income needs are not excessive. Accumulating that much money in time for such an early retirement will likely be challenging.
But retiring with $1 million is still possible, even as early as age 55, if you're smart about it. It will require some careful planning since you'll have to wait 10 years for Medicare, but it... You're likely to find that $1 million is a more common answer to how much to retire at 50 than it is to 45 or 40.
The Bottom Line
Retiring at 50 is a great goal to have. If you have $3 million saved, it's likely that you'll be able to retire comfortably. You'll need to factor in your living expenses, inflation and the expected rate of return on your investments.
“Less than 1% of people have got more than $3m in their super, the average amount that people have when they've got more than $3m is $5.8m,” Chalmers told Sydney radio 2GB.
Only a tiny minority of Australians – about one in every 200 super fund members in 2019-20 – has accumulated more than $2 million in super. Yet these accounts contain almost one in eight dollars in the super system, or almost as much as the accounts of the two-thirds of Australians who have less than $100,000 in super.
It showed there were about 300,000 Aussies with more than $1 million in superannuation in 2019, and about 100 with more than $50 million. But, according to the graph, one superannuation fund had accumulated a staggering balance of more than $544 million.
According to various studies, including International Living, Portugal is ranked as the best country for US expats to retire to. Its friendly population, welcoming community of American expats, excellent weather, safety records, and affordable cost of living are all big draws for retirees.
With an annual administration fee of $447, Australian Super is quite cost-efficient compared with other superfunds as an option for Australians. It has also long been a top performer in the industry; over the last 10 years, has provided its members an average annual return of 9.14% on its My Super product.