S$550K to Retire in SG: Have You Planned Your FIRE Number?

Tiger_SG
2025-06-11
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You’ve probably come across headlines like "How Hard Is It to Retire in Singapore?" on social media or news sites. So, what’s the reality?

In February this year, $DBS(D05.SI)$ analyzed data from 2 million customers and came up with an answer: To retire comfortably in Singapore, you’ll need at least S$550,000. If that sounds too high, you might want to revisit our previous discussions: Earn in SGD, Live Like a King Elsewhere?

How Much Cost Do We Need For Ideal Retirement?

DBS breaks retirement into three tiers (assuming a 20-year retirement and 2.5% inflation, excluding healthcare):

  • 🟢 Basic Lifestyle (Monthly spending: $1,600) → $550,000 needed

  • 🔵 Moderate Lifestyle (Monthly spending: $2,800) → $950,000 needed

  • 🟣 High-Quality Lifestyle (Monthly spending: $4,000) → $1,300,000 needed

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In other words, if you just want to maintain a retirement spending level similar to the 2023 Singaporean average, S$550,000 is the baseline. Yet, the reality is that most younger people (aged 35-44) aren’t investing aggressively enough.

According to DBS, this group invests only 15%-17% of their income, mostly in fixed-income products. While stable, these often fail to outpace inflation.

The Good News? Hitting S$550K Isn’t That Far Out of Reach!

For example, if you earn $4,000/month, your CPF contributions amount to ~$1,480/month—that’s $17,760/year and $532,800 over 30 years, not even counting CPF interest. The key factors? Stable employment, consistent self-investment, and early planning.

Tell us your thoughts—your insights might inspire others!

  • Have you calculated how much your ideal retirement would cost per month?

  • How much are you saving to achieve FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early)?

  • What do you think about the S$550K retirement benchmark? Is your savings on track?

  • Is your investing enough?

Reply in the comments with: "My retirement goal is ____."

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S$550K vs S$1.87M: 3x Gap! How Much Do You Really Need?
Previously, we discussed $DBS(D05.SI)$ Bank’s suggestion that S$550,000 is needed to retire in Singapore “S$550K to Retire in SG: Have You Planned Your FIRE Number?” and many tigers shared your own investment and savings plans for retirement. But now, a new report from $HSBC Holdings PLC(HSBC)$reveals that wealthy individuals in Singapore believe they need S$1.87 million to enjoy a “comfortable retirement.” To retire peacefully in Singapore, ordinary folks need to save S$550K, while the wealthy feel they need S$1.87 million. That’s a staggering difference — over three times more!
Disclaimer: Investing carries risk. This is not financial advice. The above content should not be regarded as an offer, recommendation, or solicitation on acquiring or disposing of any financial products, any associated discussions, comments, or posts by author or other users should not be considered as such either. It is solely for general information purpose only, which does not consider your own investment objectives, financial situations or needs. TTM assumes no responsibility or warranty for the accuracy and completeness of the information, investors should do their own research and may seek professional advice before investing.
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Comments

  • 1PC
    2025-06-11
    1PC
    My retirement goal is the Moderate Lifestyle  💪 hence practicing & tweeting the strategy with Tiger 🐯 Platform on my journey ❤️💕. Less saving currently other than the "Needs" , transfer most of the 💰 into Tiger 🐯🐅 [OMG] @Jes86188 @JC888 @Shyon @Shernice軒嬣 2000 @Barcode @koolgal @yourcelesttyy
    • koolgal
      Brilliant idea 😍😍😍
  • DiAngel
    2025-06-11
    DiAngel
    我不认为我们应该决定我们需要什么样的生活方式,而是尽可能多地存钱。需要记住通货膨胀和高生活成本。


    1600美元、2800美元或4000美元只是一个数字。这并不意味着我们需要花掉每一分钱。下个月会有一些溢出。


    我希望如此,因为我喜欢紫色。 [LOL][Happy][Smile][Chuckle]


    @MHh @melson @HelenJanet @Wayneqq @rL
    • MHh
      同意!
  • Ah_Meng
    2025-06-11
    Ah_Meng
    我的退休目标显然是过上舒适的生活。然而,这种说法本身是有问题的。我说的舒服是什么意思?舒适对不同的人有不同的意义。那么,55万美元够吗?65岁了,可能还有20多年的时间……当我们仍然健康,可以随心所欲的时候,我们可能需要更多,这意味着我们可能想时不时地去度假。随着年龄的增长,旅行的欲望可能会减少。然而,另一方面,医疗费用增加了。我不确定55万新元是否能让我们度过难关,我的意思是很舒服。对我来说,除了关注CPF(有望达到55万新元的“神奇”数字)之外,我还关注各种投资工具,如股票、房地产、白银等。我对全球经济的现状感到担忧,尤其是以唐纳德·特朗普为破坏性总统的美国🇺🇸。不稳定和不安全感的增加最终将导致市场波动和崩溃。
  • MHh
    2025-06-15
    MHh
    My retirement goal is S$1.5-2million.


    S$550K is way too little. I recall the figure floating around has been S$1million for a long time. So, S$550K comes as a surprise.


    I think 3K per month is ideal. This would help to account for basic expenses, hobbies to spend time meaningfully with and also for travelling. This is also to account for the scary inflation.


    I save/ invest at least 30% of my salary to try to beat inflation. I think I am currently on track with my savings and investment to reach my target amount.


    Importantly, I try to ensure that while I try to have a good quality of life, I do not have overt lifestyle inflation and steward my money to have the maximal sum for retirement. It is always better to have more than less but also important to have a certain quality of life. Balance is the key!


    @Success88 @Kaixiang @Wayneqq @Fenger1188 @HelenJanet @DiAngel @SPOT_ON @LuckyPiggie @Universe宇宙 come join
  • ECLC
    2025-06-12
    ECLC
    No idea if S$550k sufficient to retire in SG. For now, just keep saving and investing to buffer for any unexpected expenses besides the CPF monthly payouts when reach 65 years old to live a simple retired life.
  • Cadi Poon
    2025-06-11
    Cadi Poon
    星展銀行將退休分爲三個層次(假設退休20年,通貨膨脹率爲2.5%,不包括醫療保健):

    🟢基本生活方式(每月支出:$1,600)→需要550,000美元

    🔵適度的生活方式(每月支出:$2,800)→需要950,000美元

    🔋高品質生活方式(每月支出:$4,000)→需要1,300,000美元

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